Betrayed
“I’m trusting the two of you to succeed in this mission. Failure is not an option. Do you understand girls?” Madame B asked them. She had just finished giving Natalia and Karina the instructions for their mission.
Natalia nodded her head to show Madame that she understood. She was not to fail. To fail was a weakness and they all knew that weakness meant death. She sensed that Karina was nodding her head as well.
“Very good, I know you girls will make me proud. Off you go then.” Madame said, flashing them a smile. But it wasn’t a warm smile. It never was. Madame’s smiles were cold and threatening. Sinister, some would say. She and Karina took this as their que to leave. They turned around quietly and left her office. Thankful to finally get out of that space.
She and Karina walked side by side down the hallway towards the stairs that led to their age group dormitory. They were all 14 now which meant they were trusted to stay in the basement and not make any trouble. When they reached the stairs they walked down them single file, keeping to the right side as to not make and creaks. Just like they were taught.
Natalia felt Karina’s gaze on her. She turned to face her. Their eyes met. A forest green to an icy blue. Karina was very small and quiet just like her. The only difference was that Karina’s hair was a light blond. It almost liked white in the sunlight. Very different from her bright red hair. They maintained eye contact for a few more seconds. Not saying anything, they weren’t allowed to.
Karina dropped her head and speed up to pass Natalia, going into the first room on the right of the stairs. Natalia stayed where she was for a moment. Watching. Waiting. For what she didn’t know. After a minute she followed Karina into their room, closing the door silently behind her. It was late and she didn’t want to risk waking the other occupants of the room.
Their room was much like all the others. Except there were bigger beds, and alot less of them too. By this age more than half of her fellow pupils were dead. All she had watched die. Some she had killed herself. As she walked over to the closet holding her nightgown she felt the eyes of the girls still awake on her. They were watching Karina as well. Most definitely wondering why Madame had summoned them to her office.
She tried to ignore the stares as she changed into her nightgown, brushed her teeth and climbed into bed. She pulled the thin cover over her before securing the handcuffs attached to her bed. They had to do this every night. It was the rules. When they were younger Madame would come and lock them herself. But they were expected to do it themselves now. If they didn’t, they would pay harshly.
One night a few months ago, she decided not to put it on. She hated the feeling of the cold metal around her wrist. Madame found out when she had come to unlock the girls for breakfast. As a punishment, She was forced to be the subject of the 8 year old’s torture method class that day. After that she decided to always attach the handcuffs. She didn’t want a repeat lesson of what would happen if she disobeyed.
She tried to get comfortable. But it was hard to ignore how cold she was. The thin blankets they were given really didn't give protection to the cold Russian winters. She closed her eyes and thought about the mission. It was simple really. Tomorrow Karina and her were to head up to Madame’s office, right after breakfast. She had dresses up there for them to change into. They were to head to Stalingrad and befriend the daughter of Alexi Drakov.
According to Madame, Alexi Drakov was an ex KGB spy. Which made him an enemy of Russia. He had spread secrets to other organizations. And for that he had to pay. Which is exactly what she and Karina were going to do.
They were to go to Alexi’s house and ask his daughter, Irene if she wanted to play. The 10 year old would most likely say yes. After they gained her trust, they were to lure her into a forest near his house. Madame said that others would be waiting there for them. That was all she said. She didn’t know what would happen to Irene after they betrayed her. But it probably wouldn’t be anything good.
Natalia didn’t want to kill the little girl. She hadn’t done anything. She shouldn’t have to be hurt because of her father's mistakes. But she had to do it. Because if she didn’t she would be killed. She had learned long ago that she was nothing but a pawn. Used to get what others wanted. She had no free will. She was not allowed to make any choices for herself. She was nothing. She had no place in the world.