DELIRIUM- MARVEL

• ONE •

1935

Cassandra sat up, breathing calmly as her hand was unlocked. A little girl sat up next to her, gasping, and opening her bright blue eyes.

"It only gets worse the more you think about it." Cassandra warned.

The young girl offered half a baguette to her, and she shook her head. Sharing food was punishable by torture in one form or another. Cassandra was still sore from being whipped after offering a girl a piece of fruit when she was nine.

She stood up before the girl could ask anymore questions. She walked in line, steps perfectly in unison with the steps of the others, to the showers. Cassandra inhaled a huge breath when the freezing water hit her back, and she tried to get in and out as fast as she could. She dried herself off with a fraying towel, and tied her hair back into a braid, slipping into her uniform.

Cassandra sat in a wooden desk, eyes focused ahead of her at the projector. Her hands sat palms down on the desk, and her feet were crossed at the ankles. A film played in front of her, and she recited whatever words the princess happened to speak.

••••••••••••

Cassandra touched her chin to the top of the bar. She dropped down, her feet hitting the cold, snowy ground. She stepped back into line letting the next girl go. Her hands were freezing, and she felt like her fingers were going to fall off. A little tap on the shoulder brought her back into focus.

The little girl from the morning was standing behind her, sweating even though it was nineteen degrees out. She had a smile on her face, and she was rocking back and forth on her feet.

Cassandra gave her a look, and she ran away, back to her group. That girl was driving her crazy. Soon enough, it was her turn again, and she did more pull ups. Cold sweat dribbled down her back, and she shivered. A whistle blew, and every girl in the yard snapped to attention.

"Студенты," the woman with red lips and pale skin said. "Get changed, we have a special visitor today." She ordered.

The girls bowed, and ran to the main building. Cassandra scrubbed the sweat out of her hair, and pulled herself into her gray uniform. She stood at the foot of her bed, waiting to be taken down to the auditorium. The young girl with blue eyes stood at her bed, looking nervous. Cassandra swept a few stray hairs out of the girl's face, out of the want for perfection she knew too much about. Or maybe it was motherly instincts. Hopefully not, she couldn't get attached to this girl, and in any case she'd be gone in a year.

An instructor came to get them, and the group of twenty marched down to the large space they called the auditorium. Cassandra snapped to attention along with the others as the pale woman walked in front of them, inspecting their posture. She finished looking at all the girls, and she stepped to the side as a man stepped came forward.