Chapter Five: Rurik
I’m worried.There was a sudden change in the Andreyev household that made me feel like something terrible was about to happen. I’d followed all of Mr. Andreyev’s instructions, waiting patiently for my opening to strike back, but I was starting to think that maybe I wasn’t looking hard enough. I woke before sunrise, sitting on the edge of my bed in the lavish room that was provided by the Andreyevs themselves, trying to show me that they did care about my wellbeing, when I knew quite well that it was all for show. I was up all night thinking about all of the ways I could take Mr. Andreyev out for holding this over my head, making me his puppet, knowing that I had absolutely no chance as it was to take him down. That wasn’t going to be forever, because the more time that passed by, the more keen I was to make sure that he suffered an even worse fate than I ever would. He could’ve kept me locked up for the rest of my life for all I cared, as long as I had the chance to finally enact my revenge.
Mr. Andreyev was the kind of man that only cared about the details, that wanted nothing more than to show all of us what would happen if we ever double-crossed him, and it had been convincing enough to sway some of us, but I wasn’t going to let that happen to me. Holding onto what was left of my humanity was the only thing getting me through, and I knew that if I ever lost that, I would turn out to be just like Anton, begging for Mr. Andreyev’s attention while he focuses on someone else he could use to his advantage.
My mind wandered off to Vanya, and how scared he’d looked in the middle of that party, trying to figure out how he let things get this bad. I knew he was scared, that he truly felt like there wasn’t going to be any way out of this, but I had to prove to him that we were growing stronger by the day, and that the time would come where we would fight back only to be victorious. I wondered if I would get the chance to speak to him again before Mr. Andreyev found the next menial task or excruciating murder for me to carry out, because there genuinely was no in-between. I was either skirting around pretending like I was getting accustomed to the way things were being run, or out on my own, trying not to get myself killed while I carried out the tasks Mr. Andreyev was too much of a coward to carry out himself. He’d scared enough people over the years, but he never seemed to be the one on the opposite end of the barrel, taking a life for his own personal gain. I thought about what it would be like to kill him, to put an end to my suffering, and the suffering of all the men I saw prancing around doing just as he said.
The time will come where all of this will just be a distant memory, and I will finally have something to live for, something that is undeniably my own.I thought, heading downstairs into the exquisite kitchen to brew myself a cup of coffee, peering out of the window at the patrolling guards that were watching every inch of this house to make sure that we didn’t leave without reason. Mr. Andreyev was always quite particular about our whereabouts, and I knew that when the time came for me to finally make my escape, I was going to have to come up with a quite convincing story to even leave the premises in the first place. I sipped my coffee, feeling the warm liquid trickle down my throat as it jolted me back to life, while I hoped that whatever Mr. Andreyev was going to have me do today, it would be something that would allow me to take a break from hacking his enemies to pieces.
I felt a presence approach behind me, and it was a face I didn’t expect to see, because I knew that the newer recruits were always off taking care of smaller, menial tasks. I smiled back at Vanya, pouring a cup of coffee for him so we could have a small chat before the rest of the house had awakened. It was probably one of the only chances we were going to get for a while to talk about what I’d said to him the night prior, and to really determine whether he was adamant on getting out or not.
“I see you’re up early,” I said, handing him the cup of piping hot espresso.
“I see you haven’t slept,” he replied, and I didn’t realize it would be that obvious that I was tossing and turning the whole night, trying to put the memory of the murder from my mind so I could rest easy for a change.
“That’s all part of the job I suppose. There’s not much we have control over, which I’m sure you already know. Have you given any thought to the advice I gave you last night?” I asked, genuinely curious about what he would have to say.
“Yes, I did. I want to get out of here just as much as you do, but you have to understand that Mr. Andreyev is trying to carry out a plan of his that may put any chance of us escaping in jeopardy,” he said, and it was then that I realized he knew more than even I did.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ve been brought on after I couldn’t pay off the money I’d borrowed from Mr. Andreyev, and all I knew that I was probably signing my life away, I didn’t think that I would be spending my day following a woman around,” he said, and I furrowed my brow, trying to figure out why Mr. Andreyev would even want him to do that.
“Who is this woman?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. Mr. Andreyev just told me to keep an eye on her and report everything she does back to him. I heard through the grapevine that he’s going to employ one of you to actually carry out what he must be planning, but I just wanted to warn you in advance, because he seems pretty attached to whatever is going on,” said Vanya, and I appreciated the fact that he would trust me with such information when we were both still strangers to each other.
“Thank you, Vanya. I will make sure to keep an eye on things, but I just want you to know that I meant what I said. We will find a way to get out of here, and to make sure that the Andreyev Family have no way of finding us when the day comes where we finally have the chance to escape. It may be tomorrow, it may be in four years, but what matters most is that we’re going to be ready. Don’t let him sway you like he’s swayed the others into thinking that life here is better than it will be when we get out, because he’s already taken so much away from us, he shouldn’t be allowed to get inside of our heads too,” I said, keeping my voice low because I could hear the house staff start to trot about the house, making their rounds, and getting everything prepared for when Mr. and Mrs. Andreyev awaken.
“Thank you, Rurik. I will be in touch,” he said, turning around to leave.
“As will I.”
I wonderwho this mysterious woman is, and what Mr. Andreyev would want with her. Surely it can’t just be another one of his conquests, because he usually likes to seek those women out on his own. This has to be something else entirely, but I can only hope that he puts me on the job, because if Vanya has spent all his time unsupervised, tailing this woman, then she might be just what I need to get back out into the real world, contact my family, and find a way to kickstart my life again.I thought, getting ready for the day before heading down into Mr. Andreyev’s office because one of the maids had knocked on my door earlier, letting me know that I’d been requested to see him.
I knocked lightly on his office door, and I heard his voice from the other end telling me to come in. I took a seat directly in front of him, while I watched his eyes trying to search my expression, just as he did every single time I met with him. He was always looking for a reason to punish those around him, and it didn’t take me long to realize that the man was truly psychotic, no matter how anyone was to view the situation. I tried to stay on his good side, to do what I was told, because I knew that I lacked the advantage I would need to make a move to get out from under his hold for good.
“Hello, Rurik. I take it that you slept well after last night’s little celebration?”
“Yes I did, sir,” I answered, while he took his glasses off, pinching the bridge of his nose like he was gearing up to deliver me some bad news. I braced for whatever was coming, hoping this was going to be the opportunity I’d been looking for.
“I see that you’ve met Vanya. It’s such a shame that he didn’t manage to pay his dues on time, but he seems to be getting quite comfortable around here, and you know that’s all I’ve ever wanted. You see, this business of mine has allowed me to get close to all of you, create a little family for us to exist in, as we’re all lacking that kind of care and compassion. That’s what brought us together in the first place, and I always want you to remember the importance of making new recruits feel welcome,” he said, sipping on the glass of whiskey that sat prominently on his wooden desk.
“Of course, sir. I take it that you called me in here because you have another opportunity for me, and I look forward to making sure that the job is carried out perfectly, as always,” I said, prompting him to let me in on what he’s been keeping from me, as I was ready for anything that would allow me to get out of the confines of this mansion again, even if it would just be for a little while.
“Yes, well the reason I brought up Vanya is because I’ve been having him trail this woman for me. Let’s just say that she’s incredibly important to me, but I don’t want her near anything that I’ve been doing over the years. She is not to find out about who I truly am, or what business is really like around here, and something tells me that she is going to do everything in her power to find out the truth. I need you to make sure that she gets nowhere near me, and that she’s silenced for good,” he said.
“You mean-”
“I want you to kill her.”
