Sofia Petrov was used to a life of danger. Growing up as a part of the Bratva in Moscow had made sure of that. Though, nothing in the world could have prepared her for the sinful temptation that was Alexei Zakharov. Brooding and haunted by the demon...
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"Mamochka? Papochka?" My voice cracked as I called my parents name, my cries echoing in the rubble.
I didn't know how many days it had been since I had been trapped under the remains of what was our house. My body ached, cramped from crouching in this position for so long. My head hurt and my eyes burned with tears that refused to fall.
It felt just like yesterday when everything had been fine. Papochka had been getting ready to go to work while Mamochka told the maids to get the work done as soon as possible since they were going to host a party that night. Parties weren't new in the Petrov household. They were as normal as family dinners that my friends in kindergarten told me about. I'd never had a family dinner yet with my parents since they always claimed to be busy. They always had work to do. But I understood. Because Mamochka often told me that there were very bad people out there. People that Papochka was fighting against. That's why I wasn't allowed to go out of the mansion except for school.
Papochka always loved it when I would listen to the both of them without asking any questions as normal five year olds do. He would pull me onto his lap, stroking my hair while I snuggled into his chest. It was the best feeling ever. I felt like nobody could ever hurt me as long as I was in Papochka's arms. But all of that changed that night.
It started with small changes like how we suddenly had to reduce our staff. How there were more and more of those big, scary men in suits that would come over frequently to the mansion. I onc eleven asked Mamochka why we had so many people at the house lately. But she ignored my silly questions and would tell me to go play with my cousin Ilaria. And I would happily oblige because I loved spending time with my cousin - both of them, actually. Ilaria was the same age as me while her older brother, Mikhail was ten.
I loved them both so much and would often be seen at their house, playing dolls as my Dyadya Sergei would laugh at our antics. Sometimes Mikhail liked to tease us because all we did was play house all day. He thought it was too girly. But I secretly knew that he was watching us play, something about Dyadya telling him to keep an eye on us.
Ilaria and Mikhail had both been with their nanny when the party took place in our mansion. I remembered feeling sad because I was going to have to spend the next several hours without anyone to play with. When I'd gone to Mamochka about it, she'd simply brushed it off, seeming way too jittery for a party. People were supposed to be excited and happy when they were having a party, weren't they?
Everything had been running smoothly. Until it wasn't. Somewhere on the lower floors, something exploded, shaking the foundation of the whole mansion. And then suddenly, there were so many people screaming, running for their lives. It was pure chaos. I started crying because I was so scared. I couldn't find Mamochka or Papochka anywhere. I hadn't felt fear this acute since I'd broken Dyadya's liquor bottles, scared that he would yell at me.
Someone pushed me towards the hidden room behind the closet in the master bedroom as I spotted my last glimpse of my mother. She gave me a quick kiss on the head, no words spoken between us as I tried to tug her inside with me. But it was useless. She had already slipped through my grip, tears on her cheeks as she locked the door behind her, leaving me all alone. And that's where I had been all this time. Stuck in this same place, in the same position.
