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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐍𝐎𝐖

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𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟐
𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐀, 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐀

Her eyes slowly began to open, allowing her to see the blurry world surrounding her. But even when it cleared and she could make out everything around her, the eleven-year-old girl still had no idea where she was. The last thing she remembered was a black van and pain in the back of her neck. Everything else was simply a blur. All she knew was that she was in a very dark room with no windows and one single door. She tried to move her arms and legs to sit up, but they felt as though they were made of stone. Tears began forming in her eyes as she stared up at the ceiling. She had no idea what was happening, but one thing was certain. Luck wasn't on her side today. Then again, it never was.

Bad luck surrounded Annalise Jones since the day she was born. She never knew her parents, who both died in a house fire when she was just six months old. Everything she ever read on the incident deemed it as an accident, but something never felt right about it. With both of them gone, she was left bouncing around different orphanages and foster homes. The constant change drove Annalise crazy but she always tried her best to follow their rules. She did everything she could not to end up on the streets. And yet one quick trip to the grocery store to pick up Christmas dessert was all it took for her to end up in her current situation.

What felt like an eternity passed when the silence was broken. Annalise could barely make out the sound of approaching footsteps. It only sounded like one person at first. But as they came closer, she could make out three different people walking. The Jones girl had no idea if they were coming to where she was being kept or simply walking passed. But that question was soon answered when the single door swung open. Despite being unable to move any part of her body, Annalise could see three figures standing in the doorway. Before a full thought could go through her head, one of them walked across the room until he was standing right beside her cot. Shock coursed through her veins when she found his lower face covered by a mask. Only his eyes were visible, and they held the blankest stare Annalise had ever seen.

The next thing she knew, she was being picked up by the brunette man. Annalise couldn't fight the chill running up her spine when she felt cool metal greet her back. That was the last thing she expected to feel. Then again, nothing about what was happening was anywhere near normal. Her eyes stayed wide open as she was carried through the dark halls. The man carrying her followed his allies like it was his mission. His steps felt almost robotic to Annalise, almost as if he wasn't in control of his actions. That thought alone was enough to send another shiver throughout her entire body.

They continued walking until they reached another door, one that looked identical to the one in the previous room. Terror began flowing through her veins as they walked through the door, revealing a room with flashing machines and colorful vials. If Annalise had control over her body, she would be fighting to get free. But she still couldn't move a muscle. The Jones girl couldn't help but silently curse whatever they used to sedate her. It made her feel useless, and that was something she hated.

Not even a second after they walked into the room passed when the man laid her down on a metal table. Annalise couldn't even get another thought in her head when she felt someone locking her wrists and ankles down. Confusion mixed with her fear as she watched the man carrying her walk out of the room, leaving her with two men dressed in lab coats. They looked over papers stacked on the table nearest to them, muttering things that Annalise couldn't hear. The Jones girl didn't know how long she was left there, but there was nothing she could do. It wasn't long after that when another man walked in, causing the two scientists to stand up as straight as they could. That was enough to tell Annalise that this man was in charge, which made her even more terrified.

"What are you doing?" the Jones girl managed to ask in a tone just above a whisper, drawing all attention to her, "can you please let me go? I'm scared."

"There is nothing to be scared about," the head scientist responded in a thick Russian with a large grin on his face. It wasn't long after that when he picked up a vial with snow-white liquid inside. More tears formed in Annalise's eyes as he approached her, his grin growing larger than humanly possible. "You have a great honor in helping us with an experiment. You will make a great change in his world."

The tears in the Jones girl's eyes soon cascaded down her cheeks as she stared up at the man. He just studied her for a long moment before placing the needle against her arm. Annalise shivered at the feeling of the cool metal, reminding her of the man who brought her to that room. The next thing she knew, she felt a faint pinch before watching the eerie liquid enter her body.

That was when the pain began.

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𝐅𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝟏𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟑
𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐖, 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐀

Ice covered every inch of her cell as Annalise sat on her cot. Her arms were wrapped around her legs while she hid her face in her knees. Most would think she was trying to find some warmth, especially after seeing the icicles hanging from the ceiling. But the cold didn't bother her. In fact, it brought some comfort to her. She was sitting in that position because she was terrified of herself. She feared what she could do ever since the scientist stuck that serum in her arm. And it didn't help that the world grew even colder with her negative emotions. All she wanted was to go back to the orphanage, which was something she never thought she'd ever say. But something told her that she wouldn't get what she wanted. At least not without a fight.

Annalise didn't know how much time had passed since she was locked away in her cell. All she did know was that it had been a while since she was in the presence of another living thing. She had just completed another training session. The Jones girl had been in constant training sessions since they gave her abilities. Not only do they want her to master her new powers, but they also want her to be an unstoppable fighter. The latest session ended with her freezing all her training partners. Annalise thought they would be angry at her for what she had done, but instead they were impressed by what she was able to do. She was soon escorted back to her room while they called people in to defrost their associates.

Just as Annalise was about to doze off, a strange sound cut through the air. Her senses were on overdrive as she looked around for the source of the sound, only to come up empty-handed. Panic soon mixed with the confusion flowing through her veins as she got to her feet. She continued to circle around the room, desperately trying to figure out what was happening. That was until she spotted a faint mist coming through one of the air vents, which was only visible due to how cold it was in her cell. The panic within Annalise overtook all other emotions as she moved as far away from the strange mist as she could. Despite wanting to cry out for help, she knew it would be no use. No one would come for her. She was expendable.

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she watched the mist fill the room. It wasn't long before she found herself back on her cot in the same position as before. Annalise tightly shut her eyes and begged for the nightmare to end. But it wasn't long before a strange scent greeted her, causing her to grow dizzy. The Jones girl fought hard not to succumb to the drowsy feeling surrounding her. But no matter how hard she tried, the mist won. Annalise soon fell into a forced slumber.

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Hours had passed before Annalise was able to force her eyes open. But what she saw made her wish she was still fast asleep. She didn't expect to wake up in the back of a car with her arms bound. And she really didn't expect to see the same man who brought her to the room where everything began. His metal arm was on display as he drove through the snowy forest. That was all the Jones girl needed to know who was behind the wheel. The Winter Soldier had been ordered to take her somewhere. The blonde girl wished she could figure out where they were going, but all she saw was snow.

Annalise couldn't help but stare at his eyes through the rearview mirror. They seemed to be as cold as the snow falling outside of the car. It wasn't long before those icy eyes landed on her through the mirror. The two of them just stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before the Winter Soldier's eyes went back to the road. Annalise didn't know how much time had passed after that when she gathered the courage to speak. "Where are you taking me?"

The fear within the Jones girl did nothing but grow when he didn't respond to her. She let another moment pass before opening her mouth once more. "You don't have to do this. You can just let me go. They don't need to know what happened."

That time Annalise did receive a response, only it wasn't a verbal one. The Winter Soldier's eyes simply returned to her through the mirror. But instead of holding no emotion within them, the Jones girl caught something flash across his features. Regret. And yet his emotions didn't stop him from continuing down the icy road. That was all it took for the fear within Annalise to triple. But what neither of them noticed was how her emotions were affecting the world around them until it was too late.

The snow began to fall faster and heavier outside of the car, making it almost impossible for the Winter Soldier to see. But that didn't stop him from continuing to drive the car down the unmarked road. Annalise felt her hands ball into fists as they got closer and closer to wherever she was being taken. Little did she know that her simple action was about to change everything. An icicle the size of a small tree had formed about a mile in front of them in the center of the road. Because the snow was falling so heavy and covered everything in sight, the Winter Soldier was unable to see the newly formed object in time. It wasn't long before they crashed right into the icicle, causing the car to spin out of control.

Annalise's screams were the only thing heard as the car spun out of control. The Winter Soldier did his best to get the vehicle back on course, only to fail. What felt like an eternity passed before the car slammed into a tree. If the Jones girl had been sitting on the other side of the car, that probably would've been the last time anyone saw her. Annalise's entire body was shaking as she managed to force herself into a sitting position. Shock mixed with the terror in her veins when she saw a tree branch a foot away from her head. It took a moment to regain her bearings before looking at the Winter Soldier. The shock within her did nothing but grow when she found him unconscious in the front seat.

At first, the Jones girl just sat there, unsure of what to do in her current situation. That was until she noticed the back window completely shattered, leaving a gaping hole in its place. Annalise let out a shaky breath before managing to bring her legs up onto the seat. Not even a second after that passed when she pushed off the seat to stand, bending her body so that her torso went out the back window. Annalise ignored the broken glass piercing her skin as she placed her arms on the roof and pulled herself out. She then rolled off the back of the car and onto the snow-covered ground. A shaky breath passed over her lips while getting to her feet. Annalise took one last look at the destroyed car before sprinting into the forest. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew it would be better than wherever the Winter Soldier was told to take her.

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