A sudden and ferocious blissard tore through the christmas preparations of Moscow. Later, it was known to be one of the coldest, most devastating period the city has ever faced.

And during such trying times, a young woman ran across the snow covered roads towards the woods, a bundle of blankets held tightly to her chest. She was a young lass in her twenties, though she looked like someone who had gained years in a very short span of time. Her dark brown hair, which were once voluminous, now clung to her head in patches.

Her hazel eyes, which were once full of life, had lost their warmth. They looked broken and haunted now, as thought she had seen too much in her short life, as though she could not overcome the horrors she had been forced to witness.

For a passerby, she would have looked like a begger or a rag-picker, with no boots and mufflers, but only an old shredded fur coat or which barely covered her knees even in this bitter cold. What they would never know was that she had a claim over the most influential, powerful business empire of Russia, The Hiwatari Enterprises.

******

It had been a day since Natalie had fled the mansion. Her escapade was so unexpected, so suisidal, that not even her fathe, no monster-in-law had suspected it until it was too late. 

She had been running through the wilder suburbs of the city to keep away from the security cameras, to which the monster no doubt had access to. Not that she had any trouble navigating through them, for she had spent most of adolescence exploring these woods. 

But she was unprepared this time. She hissed in pain as another branch of a dried tree cut through her skin. She had torn through her sandals few minutes ago and her feet were already a mess of cuts and blood. Her teeth chattered terribly in the freezing cold. Her breaths came in short gasps, as a chill blew in the air, making her shiver. 

She emerged out of the woods at the highway, a few kilometres outside of Moscow. There was hardly any traffic due to the severe snow that had accompanied the blissard. She slid down against a tree, taking a moment's break. She gently lowered the bundle of blankets she had been carrying since yesterday.

 Her daughter's face came into view. She was a tiny little thing, small and full of energy for someone as young as two. She had made her swallow a bit of sleeping tonic as she did not want her to interfere with the escape. Her nose and cheeks were tinted pink due to the harsh weather and she seemed to be slowing developing a fewer. The blanket was hardly much of a protection when it was minus seven degrees in Moscow this winter.

She pulled her baby close to her chest, trying to give away all the body heat, all the life she had in her, which wasn't much. Her eyes caught sight of a milestone and she choked back a sob.

It read, 'Sortavala - 840 km.'

No, she thought with determination. She would not give up, could not give up now. It was her last and only chance to save atleast one of the people she loved. One last chance to make things slightly right. She wiped away the tears that threatened to fall as she looked at her daughter lovingly. Her only source of smile in the last few months... 

She had already lost her husband and son to the monster, she refused to lose her daughter too, even if it meant her own demise. But she had a promise to keep, and she was done suffering. 

******

Natalie stood in nothing but her nightgown now, her daughter wrapped in her coat snugly. Her hands were bluish in the moonlight, frostbites already setting in. The blizzard still raged in Mosco while the entire country suffered silently in heavy snowfall. The adverse weather conditions was the only reason she had survived three days without being captured by the monster. 

She had ruefully parted ways with her marriage ring, her last connection to her husband, to get herself a ride among daily-wage workers to the outskirts of Russia. But Illyas was dead and she would be soon too, but her daughter still had a chance, and she deserved it. It was the least a mother could do, she reminded herself. 

'Sortavala - 2 km ahead.' a milestone read. She desperately hoped she was on the right track. A small church stood in front of her, which gave her fresh hope. She remembered the place correctly after all. 

It was here that her sister had married Amar, in a simple doublet of weddings, a Christian one in the morning and an Islamic one in the evening, with just her family and a few friends in attendance. All of them Natalie had broken contact with, in fear of putting them in danger. 

Amar had hidden away Natasha's identity soon after her parents' death. She hadn't realized the need for it then, but now, she couldn't be more thankful. She had been informed by the monster on Illyas' funeral that he had personally commissioned for her parents' murder. But somehow, by god's grace, he had never found out that she still had a family to go to, a sister who shared her blood and would never turn her back an her. 

It wasn't snowing that heavily there. A light hum of christmas carols, the smell of baking cakes and sounds of laughter was everywhere around her. It was Christmas Eve she realised with surprise. She had lost track of days again. Her feet were numb, the wounds that had just started healing had opened up once again. 

She was grateful that there were no one around to see her in the state she was in. Torn rags, broken lips, chattering teeth, sunken eyes.. This was what she was reduced to at end of her days, she contemplated sadly.

She spotted the house then. The small holiday cottage where Natasha and Amar came every year to celebrate Christmas at the church and the orphanage it ran, where Amar had once grown up. She could only hope that they still continued with the tradition. They were the only people with whom she planned to entrust her daughter with. This was her safest bet. The only safe heaven Hiwatari did not know of. It had been six years since she had last seen the place, she realised, yet it seemed like a century-old memory.

The cottage was painted pale-blue with a small yard. Christmas decorations were everywhere. She wondered whether if they had children of their own, but didn't dwell on it. She hurried to the doorstep and placed her only bundle of joy on the doormat, a beautiful diamond-shaped locket around her neck. A small bundle of papers, addressed to both her children, were tucked under the blanket. They was going to be her children's only remainder of their past. Of the people who had loved them and sacrificed for them. 

'Yet, one was rescued while the other was abandoned' her mind taunted. Natalie's insides writhed with guilt at the thought of her son, barely four now, whom she had had no choice but to abandon to save her daughter. 

Finally, she placed a note to her sister at the top. She rang the doorbell and hid behind a tree. She wanted to see the couple, their reactions mainly, when they saw her daughter, assuring herself one last time before she left for her doom.

The music stopped and after a few seconds the door opened. A woman in her night-gown, with features way similar to that of the women hiding behind the tree, gasped at her daughter as her husband took her in. He picked up her daughter  and cradled her in his arms. The protectiveness in that gesture was more than enough to silence any misgivings Natalie had about her choice. And most importantly, they recognized her daughter having seen her just once. Her sister screamed into the star-less sky, "You are in there... I know you are! Please come out..." She hiccuped, "We can still protect you. Please!" She fell to her knees, openly crying now.

Natalie's felt something snap inside her on seeing her sister crying helplessly. For a second, she realised that she was wanted too. She knew for a fact that Amar could help her hide away, since they had been doing the same for the last six years. A whole life flashed before her eyes. Seeing her daughter growing up. Maybe Amar could rescue her son from the monster too... a small happy family. Growing old with her sister...

 Suddenly, she held herself back. Time was ticking against her, and would soon become a liability, she realised. And Amar wasn't a superhero. They'd have to be always on the run, always looking at their backs. That was no way to live. That was not the life she wanted for her daughter. She had to erase the trail. Misguide the monster, and that required a sacrifice.

"We will not let anything happen to her. We promise. She is our own from now on..." Amar assured to the silent woods, as though he could sense her presence. He was crouched low to hold her sister in his  arms as he consoled her. That was all the assurance Natalie needed. She left for her doom with a lighter heart.

******

When Natasha had opened the door on Christmas Eve, a half-frozen young toddler left on her doorstep was not what she was expecting. Yet, her features were so familiar to herself that there was no doubt about who she was. And she knew exactly what it meant. Nat had followed up with the plan, even though they had cancelled it last week. And just as they had feared, Nat did not include herself in the rescue mission. Natasha couldn't stop the tears that flowed down her cheeks as she begged Natalie to come back. Yet, deep within she had always known the outcome.

It took them three hours of constant monitoring to break her fever, even after which she shivered terribly. Amar thought she was under the effects of sleeping pills, the reason she hadn't woken up yet. It had all become too much for Natasha to bear. She needed a moment to collect herself. Within few hours, she had lost a sister and gained a daughter, what kind of sick trade-off was this?

Amar was still dampening her forehead with a wet cloth, after wrapping her up in enough quilts. He had already brought up the heated near her bed. He had adopted her as his own, without a moment's hesitation, she realised. The girl was not just their niece, her sister's daughter. Amar had loved and taken care of Illyas since his adolescence, loved him like one would love their kid brother, family.    

Natasha's attention wandered to the small bag that had been left on the doorstep with the girl. Inside, there were letters, lots and lots of letters. Some were addressed to Anastasia, and a few others were addressed to her nephew, Kai. Random number were written at the top corner. Finally, she found a lone letter addressed to her.

******

Please sis, take care of her. By bringing her to you, I know I am putting your family at risk too, but I'm desperate. She is my only bundle of joy left. I have no where left to go. They will come in search of her soon. Go back to Japan with her dear... our old house is now registered in Amar's name, to keep your identity a secret. Stay safe. I don't want to be the reason for my only sister's and her family's death.

Forgive me for not listening to you. I'm sorry for leaving you so soon but I know it is my only chance to truly save her. Do my part in giving her a life she deserves. 

Thank you Amar for being such a wonderful brother to me... I know you will protect my baby as your own and I'm very, very thankful for that. I would have written a lot more if I had the time...

This is where we part... Tell her when the time comes who her real family is. Tell her how much she is loved. To find her brother. He'll need her too... Tell him I'm sorry for not being able to save him from that monster. It will always be my life's biggest regret, a regret I will carry with me till the very end. But I know when the time comes,  he'll understand. Tell him I love him...

With Love,
Nat

******

Natasha felt Amar's tears trickle down her shoulder as he read Natalie's letter beside her. The girl had light brown hair, a few shades lighter than hers, which were the signature chocolate brown of the Tachinbanas. Her father's russian genes must be acting up, she thought. Her mind continued wandering as they sat in silence for a long time. 

Then, Amar finally announced. "We should escape to Joensuu soon. If Natalie was here, Hiwatari's wolfs may be closing in on us any time. And I don't want to be a part of his best Christmas present yet. We'll get ourselves some passports from there and leave for Tokyo."

******

Natasha and Amar had left their winter house just as the dawn of Christmas touched them. They had reached Joensuu, a city of Finland closest to Russia, through a secret route through the forest. Amar had left them at a hotel to freshen up. He had assured her that Hillary, for that was what Natasha had started calling her new daughter, was hale and healthy, and was beginning to show signs of consciousness.

He wouldn't risk a hospital visit though. He didn't want to risk coming under Voltaire's radar when he had avoided it successfully for three years. He found his ways to get them passports, ways Natasha was sure not fond of. They decided to halt there for the night and leave the next  morning. 

******

Hillary was sleeping soundly when they settled in the plane. She had been conscious for a few hours yesterday, during which Natasha fed her some oats and as much water as possible, to expel out the drugs in her bloodstream. Amar suspected that she sister might have overdosed her a bit, though nothing serious.

Yet, the first thing Natasha promised herself to do on setting foot in Tokyo would be to take her to a hospital, but for now, she would rest. The continuous journey, anxiety and grief had taken a toll on her. Her eyes drooped in exhaustion. She snuggled close to Amar, who was seated beside her and let sleep overpower her. 

******

The blizzard had finally cleared up as the sun raised above the horizon on Christmas. Natalie had secretly snuck into a truck, letting it lead her to her destiny, wherever it was. Though her shivering had stopped, her feet and palms were blue and numb. She sat in a daze, the whole world spinning in and out of focus. 

After leaving Anastasia with her sister, she did feel a sense of contentment. A scene from the story of  Cinderella popped to her mind, where Cinderella was being mistreated by her step-mother and her daughters. Natalie shook her head in denial. She knew what her sister was, what Amar was. She was sure they would never mistreat her intentionally.

Yet, the guilt was there too, guilt of having left her son with the monster. A never-ending guilt. She had been so sure that Voltaire would heed her words, let her see her son one last time. And everything had been ready... They would have escaped. Amar would have taken them to safety. They would have had such a wonderful life ahead of them, full of possibilities and she could have died in peace, or torture. It wouldn't have mattered anyway  if she knew her children were safe. Maybe it was in her fate to lose one of her children to the darkness forever. And there was nothing she could do to stop it now. 

The truck jolted to a stop. It was already evening. The driver and his assistant had stopped to build a fire, celebrate Christmas with the beer bottles they had in their hands and halt for the night. Natalie slowly snuck out of the truck, not eager to find what they had in store for her if they ever found her. She ran into the dense forest. Fog was settling down. She was damn sure that the truck drivers couldn't find her this deep in the forest. 

They had stopped by a river. The constant rhythm of the water hitting the banks was music to her ears. She let herself be drawn to it. It was wide and fast flowing. Sheets of ice formed on the surface, only to break into tiny fragments as the river flowed with robust. Natalie had no idea where she was, or which river she stood before. But she was sure she was far, far away from her daughter, and that was all that really mattered to her.

 With a smile on her face, she took one step into it, feeling the sudden sensation of cold in her toes. She then took another step, then another, and another until she was waist deep into the river.

Yet, she didn't stop there. She walked ahead with her head held high, despite everything Voltaire had done to break her. She didn't want to die suffering slowly in her bed, with Voltaire being her only company. She realised that she didn't mind dying so soon. It was a blissful release for her now. She was dead the day he shot her husband in front of her. Dead the day her only son was taken away from her. 

With all the happy memories warming her heart and soul despite the cold water around her, she walked into the water until there was no sign of the young woman. A young woman who was once full of love and life and fire to show the world her worth. A young woman who believed in finding true love and her happily ever after. A young woman who had her entire life ahead of her, her entire life snatched away from her bit by bit, piece by piece, by a monster. And the saddest part was, she wasn't the first , nor was she going to be the last to be condemned to this fate by the heartless monster . 

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Words : 3107

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