a person in ink on paper
Layla’s first thought was that the child was young. Young enough to need to be drugged into compliance and cradled against the chest of the woman posing as her aunt. Of course her eyes fell onto the small child first, there weren’t any that young around here.
Layla’s eyes fall to the large figure next to the woman. He’s grinning, something that immediately tells her that he was much more excited about this than any Widows would be. Her eyes meet his and the grin on his face drops. Layla quickly looks away to fall onto the last member standing in line. A child not quite as young as the one cradled in the woman’s arms but still quite young.
However, Layla recognizes the stance, the look on her face and the way she carries herself. Despite her young age, the girl was a Widow, just as she was and just as the woman was likely to be. Layla quickly moves forward to fall into line next to the young Widow.
She hadn’t been given much information so far. Just an order to leave training and immediately report to the General’s office. She had been given a piece of paper, a cover to keep but she hadn’t been able to read it all before she arrived. She wishes she had more information as she stands straight as the General steps in front of them, scanning them closely before giving a curt approving nod.
Layla bows her head, watching as his shoes pass her field of view over and over as he paces and talks. Layla glances at the child next to her out of the corner of her eye, picking up the subtle movement. Her eyes briefly connect with the girls’ before the child abruptly looks away, stiffening slightly. The General is talking about their mission, more specifically what would happen if they should fail. She’s heard it all before, it’s nothing new.
At least it’s nothing new to her. Maiming and torture threats must be relatively new to the child next to her. Layla briefly wonders if the girl has even gone on an undercover mission before or if this was her first. She must be good enough if the General had hand picked her but she was small and young. Too young for Layla’s liking.
Her eyes fall onto the very young child again, cradled in the woman’s arms. Layla doesn’t even know if she’s old enough to walk in a straight line. She was much too little to be a Widow but Layla knew that there were exceptions. There was no line that the General wouldn’t cross when it came to getting his hands on children to mold into killing machines. Layla had been a Widow from a very young age, she is aware of that. She remembers nothing before the Red Room. She supposed she had parents once but she doesn’t remember them.
Judging by the way that the young girl was drugged into compliance, Layla supposed that she must be very new to the Red Room. She may not have even started her training yet. They were all in their uniforms except for the very young girl who was wearing some type of pajamas. Layla looks away quickly when the General passes by in front of her again, continuing his typical warnings.
Layla’s head jerks up slightly when the General mentions that they would be placed undercover for three years. Three years of playing a happy American family. Layla didn’t see a mention of what she was supposed to infiltrate or who to make connections with in the brief overview she had been given. Things go very quickly from there. Layla follows after the first person in line, the giant of a man, as he leads them out of the General’s office. Layla brings up the rear, watching the child in front of her as they head down the winding hallways. Her eyes fall onto the limp arm of the very young child draped over Melina’s shoulder as it sways with each step.
They stop in front of two rooms. The large man steps into one while the woman steps into the other. The child follows the woman so Layla follows as well. Layla is given a set of clothes to change into. She looks down at the clothes and sets them aside to work herself out of her uniform. There was no privacy and as Layla was tugging on the jeans, she peers over at where the woman was changing the youngest child. The very young girl had no marks or scars on her skin which told Layla that she was most likely very new.
As Layla does the belt around her waist, she glances at the other child out of the corner of her eye. Despite her young age, there were marks on her. Layla quickly looks away before the child can catch her and feels the girl staring in turn as Layla finishes getting changed. The woman approaches Layla and without a word, she drops the sedated young child into Layla’s arms. Layla scrambles to pull the child close before she hits the floor, watching as the woman turns to get changed into her own clothes.
Layla doesn’t know how to hold a child. She’s never had to before. She peers down at the girl in her arms, taking a few moments to drink in the sight of the peaceful look on her face. Layla shifts the girl closer to her chest, worried about holding her wrong. She’s never had to be so delicate or gentle with another person before.
And almost as quickly as the girl was given to her, the woman takes her away. Layla immediately misses the warmth of the child pressed against her but drops her arms and says nothing. The four of them meet back up with the large man who had also gotten changed and shaved. He continues to lead them on.
Layla falters the moment she steps foot outside, feeling the sun on her face for the first time in a long time. She forces herself to move forward before she gets in trouble for lagging behind. The sedative catches the child in front of her off guard but Layla expects the needle jammed into her neck. It wasn’t her first undercover mission although it would be her longest. Layla doesn’t fight the sedation, there wasn’t much she could do anyway. She lets herself slip into the darkness.
She comes around to her head bumping against something repeatedly. When she opens her eyes to take in her surroundings, she realizes that she’s secured in a car. Her head had been resting against the window as they drove down long winding roads. Layla sits up, realizing that her seat belt is locked and she doesn’t have much wiggle room. She feels something digging into her hip and peers over.
The child from before was still sedated, secured next to her in the middle. The object digging into Layla’s hip was a child’s booster seat. Layla’s eyes then follow further down the row to see that the youngest girl was secured in a much larger child’s car seat, still sedated as her head lolls forward. Layla then peers to the front of the car. The large man was behind the wheel, the woman sitting in the passenger seat just in front of Layla. Not a word was spoken between them, the car drenched in suffocating silence.
The woman peers into the rear-view mirror, her eyes falling onto Layla. “You’re awake.” She states in flawless English.
Layla wonders if she was supposed to speak English as well. She hadn’t used it in a year or so. “Yes, ma’am.” She settles on saying, a phrase she knew well in almost all languages.
She must have picked correctly because the woman continues on. “Have you read the contents of the file pertaining to the mission?”
Layla didn’t get a whole file. She got a brief overview and whatever the General managed to get out around his callous threats. Yet, Layla didn’t want to admit that she was unprepared. She hesitates for far too long and dips her head in submission at the quick flash of annoyance on the woman’s face.
“I am Melina Vostokova. You may know me as the Iron Maiden. For the next three years, I will be Melissa Williams, your aunt,” The woman, Melina, gestures to the large man beside her. “This is Alexei Shostakov, also known as the Red Guardian. For the next three years, he is Alex Williams, your uncle.” Melina then glances at the child sitting next to Layla. “That is Natalia Romanova. She has not been a Widow long as she is only eight. She will be Natasha Williams, your cousin. Next to her is Yelena Belova. She has not yet started her training, she’s only three. She will be known as Lena Williams.”
Melina twists in her seat to set her eyes onto Layla. “You will be Layla Williams. You are my sister’s child and we took you in when you were orphaned.” Layla glances up at her when Melina’s gaze does not leave her. “I do not need to explain what will happen should you fail, do I?”
“No, ma’am,” Layla repeats, averting her eyes immediately as Melina makes her place above Layla clear. Melina faces forward again and Layla takes a few moments before glancing once more at the still sedated girls. The child sitting next to her is eight, only six years younger than her. Layla peers at Yelena at the far end, trying to imagine herself as three and already training. She still doubts that Yelena could even run without tripping over herself, nevertheless hold a knife.
They are little. Much too little to be fighting and hurting people.