IVANOV ~ yelena belova

𝟎𝟏𝟑

Even though neither Karina nor Yelena were mentally prepared for the graduation ceremony, it came much sooner than expected.

The tests were torturous, leaving them fatigued all the time. Karina was fully capable of handling the physical exams because that was what she had been training for since the beginning. The mental tests, on the other hand, tore her apart. As the words 'instil, fear, pain' circled her mind, it was as if they ripped the feelings and emotions from her.

During the nights, Karina and Yelena's chats progressively faded out until they were left in complete stillness, which neither of them tried to disrupt since they were too mentally exhausted. Their hands entwined in between their beds, however, served as a reminder that the other was present, even if they couldn't say it aloud. Their hands, however, remained cold once the guard handcuffed their wrists to the bed.

But they both passed the tests, meaning that they would be able to spend another day in the Red Room. Karina, on the other hand, was torn between delight and disappointment. She would have ended her time in the Red Room long ago if it hadn't been for Yelena.

Neither girl spoke to the other on the morning of the graduation ceremony. They dressed quietly and awaited the arrival of the guard, which was a change. But they didn't want to face what was about to happen. They were soon going to become unwittingly permanent members of a terrorist organisation. As a result of the dread that sat on their chests, they were unable to speak without feeling sick to their stomachs.

The guard opened the door and led the soon-to-be Widows to another room on the other side of the building, far away from the training room.

The room behind the large mahogany doors was identical to any other room in the Red Room, but greater. It had the same dark walls and tiled floors, and it still smelled like a hospital. The large windows in the back of the room, on the other hand, allowed her to see the outside world for the first time in months.

But all she could see for miles was white, which led her to believe that the windows were there to show them how difficult it would be to survive if you did manage to escape the Red Room. The sight of the snow was intimidating, especially given its height.

Her focus was drawn away from the windows and toward the other people in the room. There were about five rows of older, more experienced Widows dressed in the signature black suits. Their gaze was fixed on the young girls in front of them, although some of them gave them sympathetic looks as they saw them almost shake.

The young girls waited in front of them for their names to be called. Karina scanned the intimating women in front of her as she waited. One of them, though, drew her attention.

The familiar blonde hair had been tied back, which was unusual. The woman was practically unrecognisable as she wore heavy eyeliner that nearly concealed the colour of her eyes instead of her typical bear face.

However, Karine would never be able to forget her mother's face.

She felt as if the time she had spent mentally preparing for this day had been wasted. Her mother had caught her off guard significantly, causing her to feel all the walls she had built crumble at the sight of Mariya's hard eyes.

She couldn't believe her mother was a part of the organisation that had subjected her to hell. Her feelings of betrayal were still raw, and knowing that her mother was a part of what she had gone through made it ten times worse.

She was disgusted with everything, including Dreykov, Mariya, and herself. She despised the fact that her family problems were all she could think about during one of the most traumatic times of her life.

She couldn't tear her gaze away due to how different her mother appeared. The woman who had always been there for her was as still as a statue, seemingly unaware that her daughter was in the same room as her.

"Ivanov, Karina." Mariya dared to look at her daughter when her name rang out throughout the large room. Karina, on the other hand, had her gaze fixed on someone else.

She straightened her shoulders, trying to appear confident as she made her way to the room in the corner. However, a hand grabbing her own caused her to hesitate. Yelena's gaze was reassuring and comforting as she squeezed Karina's hand.

That was all Karina needed to see as she made her way to the operating room. She struggled to open the heavy metal door, but as soon as she did, the hospital odour became even more potent. A nurse was busy with hospital equipment that was laid out on a metal table, and the sharp tools glinted as the light hit them.

Karina hesitantly sat on the operation table once she had changed into a hospital gown. The only thing that could be heard in the room was the paper crinkling beneath her.

ⴵ

She was numb after the surgery. She felt vulnerable as she was placed on a stretcher because she couldn't walk. She was escorted back to her room and the guard carelessly placed her onto her bed and left.

The pain that shot up her body was nearly unbearable. She laid in her bed, sweating, as random shoots of pain shot through her body. Her eyes were clouded with tears as she gripped her sheets, trying to muffle her sobs.

At the time, all she wanted was Yelena. But knowing that the blonde girl was going through the same agony she was made her feel even worse.

Yelena was carelessly placed on her bed some time later. Her blonde hair was tangled, as if she'd been fighting. Her eyes were hooded, and her face was dripping with sweat. Karina couldn't imagine what she looked like at that moment.

"Yelena," the other girl gasped loudly as she reached out for the girl she cared about. They tangled their hands, gripping them as if it were their lifeline.

Karina thought things couldn't get any worse, but then the alarms started going off. "There has been a security breach! Someone has gotten away!" The voice was muffled because it came from the corridor, but both girls understood it perfectly.

And at that moment, Karina realised that she hadn't seen Natasha during the graduation ceremony.