8-year old Natalia fumbled with her red hair, trying to stop the locks from slipping through her fingers. All of the other girls had finished braiding theirs, getting ready to turn the lights off, but she could never figure out how to get the strands to weave together. Her face screwed up in concentration as she tried desperately.

"Hey. Do you need a hand, Natty?"

Natalia whirled around to spot 12-year-old Mary sitting at the end of her bed. She nodded slowly and Mary smiled. "Come here and sit next to me," she said softly. Natalia obeyed, her shoulders relaxing slightly as Mary's quick fingers ran through her hair. As she braided, she began to softly sing in Natasha's ear, just so that she could hear.

На склоне наших лет
Нежнее любим мы.
Сияй прощальный свет,
Тот свет любви последней.
Полнеба обхватилаЗари вечерней тень.
Лишь там на западеБродит сияние.
Честь ты береги, честь ты береги
Посмотри, друг, сила силой
Впереди росла, погляди ты
Посмотри, друг, сила силой
Пробуждает в сердце верность
Помоги мне смерить силы
Сила, горесть или голос твой.....
Помедли, помедли,
Помедли вечерний день.
Продлись, очарование.
Пусть кровь скудеет в жилах,
Но в сердце не скудеет
Нежность моя к тебе.
О, ты, очарование,
Последняя любовь.

(Translation and pronunciation at the end of the chapter.)

Mary tied off the second braid, patting Natalia on the shoulder to let her know she was all done. The little girl gave her a hug, swift and quick. "Thank you Mares," she whispered.

"Anytime, Natty." Mary let go, moving quickly back to her bed. Natalia watched her go, longing to be by her side again. Mary was the only person Natalia felt safe with. She felt like her older sister, and she looked like it too. Both girls look incredibly similar, from the red hair to green eyes and pale skin. There were a few differences, however. While Natalia's hair was a flaming red, Mary's was a darker, quieter tone of auburn. And if one looked close enough, they would notice that Mary had a ring of mahogany around her pupils, a contrast to Natalia's vivid green. But the two girls were always together. Mary devoted her time to protecting Natalia, taking any blame for the younger's mistakes. Natalia loved Mary. They loved each other. After all, they were the only family they had. And they kept the other sane while in the Red Room.

A guard turned the light off, filling the room in a heavy darkness. Natalia curled under the sheets, wishing for just a small hint of light. She didn't like the dark. Dark meant uncertainty, and uncertainty led to scary things.

Mary wouldn't be scared, she told herself. Be brave. like Mares. The lullaby echoed through her head, Mary's angelic voice floating through her anxious thoughts.

Честь ты береги, честь ты берегиПосмотри, друг, сила силойВпереди росла, погляди ты...

><

"Romanova, Natalia Alianovna."

Mary balked as the man read out the name.

No.

Natty couldn't leave. She needed her. They needed each other. But now she was going to the USA as Natasha, leaving Mary alone under Dreykov's control.

No.

She watched as the little Russian redhead marched away, her heart sinking below the ground. Not her little baby. Not her Natalia.

No.

><

The gun fired, muffle by the headphones. Mary lowered her arm, studying the target. Bullseye. As per usual. She never missed. She couldn't afford to miss. She raised her arm again, aiming. Her finger pressed against the trigger, already preparing for the jerk as the bullet released.

"Mares!"

Her aim slipped, the bullet missing by several inches. She sighed, her hand balling into a fist. Come on, Mary. You're letting yourself go. No one will love you if you fail. It's been a year since she left, so let it go. She fired again, clearing her mind. The bullet ripped through the centre, not even missing by a millimetre. That's better.

She reloaded her gun, readjusting her headphones. As she looked up, her eyes caught on the vent in the corner. A plan formulated in her head. The question was: would it work?

><

"Sir."

The guard swivelled around, looking over the line of girls he was leading to the bathrooms for showers. His eyes landed on Mary, her hazel eyes nervous. "Speak."

"I left my towel in the dorm. Permission to retrieve it?"

He nodded, watching like a hawk as she slipped out of the line and back down the hall. She walked into the dorm, grabbing her backpack from under her bed. She hadn't forgotten her towel; she had left it behind on purpose. Now she had about a sixty second window to get into the ventilation system and and to the electrical panel. Good thing she had worn her combat pants and shirt under her pyjamas. She slipped on her boots and slung the backpack over her shoulder and slipped into the closest vent. She crawled quietly through the maze of metal piping, running through the guard routes in her mind.

Thirty seconds.

Mary's fingers ran along the edge of the grate, popping it out seamlessly from the wall. She hurried over to the main panel, opening the door with the code she had seen several guards type in. Using the fire starter kit in her bag, she caught one of the wires to spark and alight. Then, she hurried back into the vents, slipping the grate back on. Scrabbling through the shafts were not as easy as she had anticipated. Every squeak and creak her boots made sent her heart racing. She reached around and popped open another grate, that conveniently had a fire alarm right next to it, but was far enough from the electrical control to confuse them. She smashed the button, using the sound of the blaring sirens and the panicked frenzy to cover her sounds. Now to find a way out.

It didn't take her too long to find a shaft that led outside. Of course, it was barred. Mary growled softly, thinking quickly. What to do what to do what to do... oh. She reached into her pocket, pulling out the small vial she had stolen from the science class they had yesterday. Gallium. She poured into onto her hand, rubbing it against the bars. Gallium at room temperature wouldn't do much, but when frozen, it could make steel incredibly brittle. Thank goodness they were in the middle of Russia.

The Gallium soon hardened and Mary swivelled around, kicking at the bars with her heel. The broke away easily and suddenly, she was free.

Almost.

She still had to actually leave the property and make sure they didn't stalk her, but it was close enough. She stepped out into the brisk air, laughing softly as the snow crunched beneath her feet. Steam blew in front of her face as she slipped on her jacket, shivering. She looked back at the building behind her and stopped.

Oh Shostakovich.

You've got to be kidding me.

Footprints.

How could she have been so stupid as to not realise that she was leaving tracks!? Mary stamped her feet in frustration. And cold. Curse this stupid wind, she thought bitterly. Wait. Her head snapped up and she looked at where the wind was coming from and nearly laughed with glee as snowflakes began to fall. Massive snow clouds were looming above her, threatening the area with a heavy snowstorm. Exactly what she needed. She grabbed a nearby stick and carved a message in the wall, then ran off, gaining as much distance as she could from that... that prison. Snowflakes swirled heavily around her, trying to trip her up. But she kept running, her legs pounding into the soft snow.

She was finally free.

><

"Sir, here!" The guard shone a flashlight at the wall, illuminating the message half-buried in the snow.

Screw you, Dreykov

A scream of fury tore through the air, far, far away from the little girl who caused it.

Far, far away...

FIRST CHAPTER DONE! Sorry if it was a bit boring.

Here is the translation for the song, it's called "Natasha's Lullaby"

In the declining years
More tenderly we love.
Shine a farewell light,
That light of the last love.
Shadow of the evening dawn
Embraced half the sky
Just there, in the west
Radiance wanders.
Keep your honor,
keep your honor
Look, friend, the great strength
Was growing up ahead, look
Look, friend, the great strength
Awakens fidelity in the heart
Help me measure the strengths
Strength, grief or your voice .....
Slow down, slow down
Slow down the evening day.
Stay longer, charm.
Let the blood get thinner in the veins,
But not in the heart get thinner
My tenderness for you.
Oh, you, charm,
The last love.

This was the other little bit

Keep your honor, keep your honorLook, friend, the great strengthWas growing up ahead, look

Hope you enjoyed it