Chapter 19

Katya flinched when the door opened to reveal Freya carrying a tray. She had been awake the whole night, thinking and planning fruitlessly.

It had been days since she found out that she was a hostage, and the trade off had something to do with her father. She asked questions, trying to find out why they wanted her father but the replies she was given each time were vague and confusing.

*They were hiding something from her, that was clear.

The first and only time Michal had come into the room, she threw a plate at him and it shattered when he put his hand out to stop the impact.
Only wanted to ask about her welfare, if the room was comfortable, he said. She told him that he could go eat his excrete and gouge out his eyeballs. And she meant it.

She hated him and the sight of her reminded him of how gullible she had been. *If she ever got out, she would trust no one ever again.

In rebellion- her only way of telling them she would never submit to being a victim, she confined herself to the four walls of the bedroom, refusing to step outside.


Which was why Freya had a tray with her.

“Good morning,” the woman said with a smile.

Katya ignored her. Freya seemed nice, but Katya had her doubts. How was she comfortable married to a man who kidnapped people? It meant she was an accomplice.

Freya dropped the food tray on a varnish table that was big enough for four people to sit around.
Granted- the room was nothing close to a prison cell. It was designed for comfort and luxury. But it was her prison.

“You know, you should open your drapes more often,” Freya pushed back the heavy drapes, letting the sun rays in.

Katya choked back a sob. The simple gesture reminded her of Luyeva. She thought about her governess more over the past days, wondering if she was alright. Had Luyeva called her father and reported her missing?

Or had she been kidnapped too? It seemed like the only way Michal could have gotten away without the older woman noticing. He did say that Luyeva would not notice her absence until she had returned. Although that would be a lie too, like every other thing he ever said to her.

She was worried but she did not want to ask him. That would mean talking to him. She did not want to talk to anyone else either.

“Katya? I know that this is hard but you have to eat. And you look pale. Have you been sleeping well?” Freya came to the side of the bed where she was facing. Katya turned.

“Are you going to stay silent forever? You know that you can leave this room, right? I heard that staying in the same position for too long can affect the joints and lead to paralysis.”

Or better still, death. Katya thought to herself. *She wanted to die.

Then she shook her head.
*She did not want to die. She wanted to escape. Run away and come back for revenge.

She sighed.
*Who was she kidding? If she found a way to escape, she would go home and never step foot in Russia again.

“I get it. You don’t want to talk. But if you want to- you can always come find me. Don’t let the men scare you, they are big softies inside. Except their father. I hate him,” Freya said.



When she heard the sound of the door closing, Katya shot up.

“Aha.” Freya was standing at the door.

Katya groaned.
“I don’t want to talk to anyone. Can you please go away?”

Freya folded her arms on top of her bulging stomach.
“You have been holed up in this room for six days now and you haven’t said a single word to anybody. Except from when you cussed Michal and almost bloodied him.
Not that he didn’t deserve it but, I was starting to get worried about your speech ability.”

“My speech ability?” Katya pushed herself to the headrest. “There is nothing wrong with my speech.”

“Well, now I know. I was worried that perhaps you had forgotten how to communicate. You see, I once had an uncle who went through shock and never spoke again till he died.”

Somehow, Katya was intrigued. She forgot her no-speaking pact and stared at the woman.
“Shock?”

“Yes. He was the kind of person who was always at the wrong place at the wrong time. One day, he went out late after having an argument with his wife- who is somehow related to my ma, and when he came back, he was stuttering and his eyes were wide with fright. His wife tried to calm him down but when he opened his mouth to speak hours later, not a single word came out.

Till today, he hasn’t spoken a single word. We don’t know what he saw and we will never know.”

*Okay, that was one weird story.

“How does it relate to me being silent? I chose not to speak to the people who have kidnapped me against my will,” Katya argued.

“Honey, this is not a kidnapping.” Freya looked mildly shocked.

How did the woman process her thoughts? Did she think holding someone against their will was legal?
“Oh? Then explain why you called me a hostage. Tell me why you need me to get to my father and why I cannot to walk out of here.”

“Okay, there is truth in what you say. You are a hostage here and the men need your father. He owes them something, but I don’t know what. However, the most important thing you should know is if you leave here, you might not survive a day or even a night outside.”

Katya did not believe her. Her father had business associates in Russia. If she could somehow get to the embassy, she’d be saved.
“My father has men here. There is also the American embassy.”

“Oh honey, if you mention your father, I guarantee that there would be a bullet in your head before you even see the gun.”