𝙸𝚝 𝚆𝚊𝚜 𝚄𝚜 ✰ 𝙱𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚢 𝚡 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

Chapter 16 - I Will Come Back

2002 - Red Room

Winter Shadow's POV

"You're getting sloppy Natalia." I say.

"I'm sorry Miss Shadow, I'll try again." She said straightening her posture. She reloaded her gun and aimed for the head of the mannequin once more.

I had apparently been working with her for a while. I can't remember the first time I came to the Red Room to train the young girls, but Natalia had told me everything that we did, and that I promised to train her individually.

I can see why I was so fond of her. She fights incredibly, and has excellent skill beyond her level.

She took a deep breath and shot the same area three times in a row, hitting the spot perfectly each time. We had been working on her shooting again today for a couple of hours now. I wouldn't be surprised if her hands were getting tired and cramping.

"Excellent job." I praised. "Why don't we call it a day."

She nods, instantly dropping the guns down.

As I'm tidying up, I notice a deep thought seeping into her eyes. "Natalia, is something on your mind?" I ask. She looks up and me and shakes her head.

"I could get into trouble, don't worry about me." She said quietly, fumbling a gun in her hand.

I gently take it out of her hands and sit next to her. "I won't tell anyone, we can keep it between us. Now tell me, are you okay?"

She met my eyes. I give her a reassuring smile.

It stayed silent for a second as she bounced back and forth on whether she should open up to me, before suddenly blurting out, "Why did I end up here. Is the Red Room my true life's purpose? I have to undergo the final test in a few days. I'm not so sure I'll be ready for it."

I sigh and look at the ceiling before meeting her gaze again. "Natalia you are an incredible fighter, a skilled agent. You have amazing potential and I know it." I tell her.

She shakes her head. "What if I was never brought here. What would my life be like then?" Her voice had become a whisper, as if regretting her admission.

"What's life like outside of being a trained assassin?"

Before I could even answer her, Madame B knocked on the window from the hallway impatiently. She'd probably been waiting to escort Natalia to bed.

I bring her to the door and open it, apologizing to Madame B for keeping her later than I was supposed to. Even a mere two minutes was considered a lengthy delay to her.

She grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her down the hallway. Natalia turns back to give me an unsure stare before turning a corner.

I went back to the room they gave me while I trained the kids here. The bed always made a loud creak whenever I sat down on it. This always made me consider what would happen if it completely fell beneath me one night in the middle of me sleeping.

Regardless, it was still better than anything HYDRA gave me when I'm there. I'll take a noisy bed over a dingy cell any day.

I couldn't help but think about what Natalia said to me a little while ago. In a way, we're both very much the same. All she's known her whole life is living here in the Red Room. Endless training and fighting, with no life outside of it. We were so alike.

Sometime I wondered who I was before HYDRA. If I ever had real parents, maybe siblings. Have I ever been in love?

My head starts to ache and throb. I should get some rest in this comfy bed while I have the chance, I smirk to myself.