chapter twenty two, uncoolly — act two, the anger
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Location: Vostokoff's residence
St. Petersburg, Russia
    July 10, 2016

BITTERNESS WAS IN WHAT YELENA TASTED. Yelena did not know what to feel besides being bitterness about everything. Life is not fair she should have known that by now. Every good memory that she can always count on, was nothing but lies. She was mad at the whole world. But you know what, she survived and she did it all on her own with no one to rely on. She heard the door creak and enter her so-called father.

"I came in here because I didn't want to talk."

Alexei raised his hands in surrender, as he closed the door behind him. Alexei turned to Yelena as he tried to gather his thoughts so he doesn't mess up this whole talk thing, "Okay. We uh.... Just sit,"

It was pure silence. Yelena just kept drinking out of the bottle of vodka feeling the burn go down her throat. Alexei is a loud person silence is not comforting at all to him, "So, here I am ice fishing with my father. It's a very cold day in this little ice shed. Cold even for Russia, you know? Keep the vodka by the fire, my father would say to me."

"Please stop talking."

"Please wait. Please wait."

"Please, no. Please, I don't want to talk."

Alexei calmed himself down as he turned to Yelena, "There is a reason why I'm telling you this, okay? Trust me. I am reaching for fish. Oh! I lose balance. Ah! Splash! My hands go in the river. In this weather, frostbite sets in quickly."

Yelena got lost in her thoughts. The memories of the red room flash to her. The audacity for any of them to try to make it right when all she wants is the pain to end. Sometimes living has become unbearable for her, when all you see in life is anger at everything.

Remembrance of six year old little Yelena strapped down on the table. A violence that challenges the pearls of sweat as cries of horror lighten the foreseeable future, trapped in the fog of torturous realizations. All she wanted was her mommy and daddy to come and get her but they never came because it was not real.

"My father, he goes to the toilet on my hands".

Yelena rolled her eyes as he continued. Shaking his voice away, thoughts once again consumed her. Did she deserve happiness? After all the suffering she caused.  She was ill.

Sick. The being who held such tragic emotions, which were released through angry lies, suffering of people who prey on the vulnerability of young girls. All she sees of herself is a cursed ill-faced woman who is unrecognizable to herself. What exactly was she?

Not human. Because how could she possibly be in such pain as to have bloodied bruises and internal scars that invade her. Maybe all she needs is time to heal but what if she never becomes peace with her herself.

"Urine is 35 degrees Celsius, staves off the frostbite."

Yelena interrupts him, "How is this even relevant?"

"You know, fathers."

Yelena takes a deep breath. The entire time they have been here, all Alexei has done was complain. They busted him out of prison yet he was still complaining. Yelena's eyes glittered with tears as she faced him, "No. No. You have done nothing but tell me how bored you were. I was the chore, the job you didn't want to do.To me? To me, you were everything."

Alexei sat quietly, nothing he could say will make it better. Yelena lets out a scoff, "Exactly. You don't care. You don't care."

Alexie took deep breaths as he looked out and started to sing, "I can't remember If I cried When I read about his widowed bride Something touched me deep inside the day the music died and they were singing..."

Yelena chuckled as she joined him, " Bye. Bye. Miss American Pie. American Pie. Drove my Chevy to the levee. But the levee was dry. Was dry. They are good old boys. Drinking whiskey Singing. This will be the day that I die"

"This'll be the day..."

Yelena quietly looked at him as he nodded. Their moment was interrupted when a jet engine interrupted them. Alexei stood up as bright light shone upon them, "Get down."

Yelena crouched down on the floor. As soon as a lot of darts hit Alexei, that were laced with drug. He fell down on the floor unconscious. Yelena shook her shockeness off as she got her gun pointed down as she carefully walk out of the room.

moments earlier

Stillness.

Emily and Natasha were observing Melina's behavior who was just staring intensely at the table. Emily glances at the window, wanting to go outside to feel the calmness of the breeze. The calm of the spirit that comes after a lot of action and exertion of energy. That is all she wants.

Natasha felt the pure rage fill her up. All Natasha wanted was to live life peacefully somewhere far away from all this pain and horrendous life could be. Natasha stood up as Melina questioned her, "Where are you going?"

Emily followed her up as Natasha walked past Melina, "To do this myself."

Melina signs as she turns to Natasha, "Don't. You won't survive."

Emily scoffed as she saw the rage that Natasha held, "Don't give us the whole concern mother act."

Natasha agreed with Emily as she glanced at Melina, "I wish I could believe that you cared. But you're not even the first mother that abandoned me."

Emily held sympathy as she turned to Melina who started intensely at Natasha, "No, you weren't abandoned. You were selected by a program that assessed the genetic potential in infants.

Natasha's eyes widened, "I was taken?"

Melina let out a sign, "I believe a bargain was struck, your family paid off. But your mother, she never stopped looking for you. She was like you in that way. She was relentless."

Emily moved to Ntasha as she held her hand as Natasha's eyes watered, " What happened to her?"

Melina hesitated but she decided that Natasha deserved the truth, "Dreykov had her killed. Her existence threatened to uncover the Red Room. Normally, the actions of one curious civilian wouldn't warrant an execution, but, as I said, she was relentless."

Natasha tightened on Emily's hand, "I thought about her every day of my life. Whether or not I admitted it to myself, I did."

Melina eyed both her daughters, "I've always found it best not to look into the past."

Emily glanced at Melina, "I don't get it, why do you keep doing it? Why do you work for him if you know the pain that it causes to all of us."

Melina's eye had water in as she refuse to let the tears out, "Why does a mouse born in a cage run on that little wheel? Do you know I cycled through the Red Room four times before you were even born? Those walls are all I know. I was never given a choice."

Natasha shook her head, "But you're not a mouse, Melina. You were just born in a cage, but that's not your fault."

Melina looked at both her daughters in disbelief, "Tell me, how did you both keep your heart?"

Emily had a small smile, "Pain only makes us stronger."

Natasha nodded her head, "You told us that all the time.What you taught me kept me alive."

Melina moved into the closet as she glanced at both of her daughters, "I'm sorry, I already alerted the Red Room. They'll be here any minute."

Natasha nodded at that. Melina moved to the closet as Emily followed her along with Natasha, "We don't have much time okay?"

Emily grabbed an earpiece as Natasha put an earpiece as Melina started to plan out everything, "Natasha and I will switch places as Emily I will make sure you will be sent to a specific cell and Yelena and Alexie will be with me. Got it?"

Emily shook her head, "Why are you helping us?"

Melina signs as she glances, "I did many wrong things in my life and I owe it all to you to make it right."

Natasha nodded as they switched places with Melina. Melina turned at Emily, "This will hurt."

Emily furrowed her brow as she glanced at Melina in confusican. Melina shows a widow bite as Emily feels the shockness fill her up. Emily fell unconscious as her eyes fought to stay open.  All alone, while the night rumbles with thunder and mourns suddenly and inconsolably.  She is curious by the image of death. What would be like when she was shot? As she felt blood pumping out her.

Melina glanced at Natasha, "Ready?"

Natasha nodded as she shot a widow bite at Melina who wore her face. Natasha felt light footsteps coming her way. Glancing back at the wall she saw Yelena staring in shock as she glanced at her sister dropped on the floor.

Yelena's face filled with concern. Yelena could not help as she thought from her being a little girl with her sisters being torn apart to being separated once again. Yelena glanced up as Melina stood in front of her, "I'm sorry."

Yelena felt a pain fill up her pumping blood that streamed in her body as the veins popped out her body as she fell unconscious.

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notes!
THAT IS THE END OF ACT 2 !!

I am still figuring out what I want to do with act 3 but just know it will reveal Bucky's connection the girls especially with natasha 👀

act 3 will take awhile for me to do because i have nothing plan besides one thing and i have two other books to do and life gets in away of many things 🙃