She shot up and scanned the motel room. There, in the corner, sitting down and smoking a cigarette, was a man in black.

The man quietly reached for the ashtray and put out his cigarette, and then put it back in its place.

"Hello, Nadya. It's been a while."

Nadya backed into the wall, and tried to search her options for escape. The man cleared his throat.

"It's no use. You won't be going anywhere tonight."

"Who the fuck are you?!" She yelled.

The man in black cleared his throat once again, and reached for something beside him. A file, Nadya realized. He opened it and began to read.

"Nadya Sobol, born February 14th, 1930, in the Kharviv province of Ukraine, to Jakob and Anya Sobol. Happy birthday, by the way."

Nadya glanced at the bedside clock. 23:47.

"You still didn't answer my question..."

The man in black sighed, and closed the file. "To put it simply, I'm part of an organization — a family, if you will— that has been monitoring you since your arrival in the United States in 1963."

"You mean trying to kill me?" Nadya said incredulously. She was aware she was being watched, but she had not thought much of it.

I told you of the dangers of hitchhiking.

"I admit, our previous members were... Hostile, and succeeded in neutralizing you several times."

"One of them gunned me down! In broad daylight! In a public park!"

"And my superiors apologize for that. In fact, my superiors are are sorry enough to invite you a place in our organization."

Nadya glared at the man. She couldn't tell if he was joking or serious. He seemed to pick up on her uneasiness.

"I know, I know. We've given you no reason to trust us. But what I say is true. You're not the only one like yourself, you know."

"What?"

Don't listen to him.

"There are others like you. People with... Beings like whatever is inside you inside them. In fact, we have one working for us. Recently, as well. Been around since 1578. I feel you'll like him.

Nadya, he is lying.

"You're lying."

The man in black chuckled. "They're telling you that, right? What makes you think they're not lying themselves, eh?

"They wou—"

"Let me lay it to you straight. If you don't accept the offer, I'll have no choice but to attempt to terminate you. That's my orders. Now, we both know that won't keep you down for long. Even so, we already have agents tracking your every move, and I assure you, they will not be as cordial as I've been.

Please know that we're trying to give you a chance with this offer. We both know you don't have anything keeping you out here, other than prostituting yourself for a damn ride and a shitty motel room."

Nadya perked up at that. "How do you know that?"

"Like I said, we've been monitoring you. The guy who picked you up yesterday night? Well, he turned himself in earlier this afternoon. We managed to get him to tell us where he left you. And the motel clerk? Shit, I killed him for the key."

The man in black leaned back, reached within his coat pocket for a pack of cigarettes, and lit one up. "Think about it."

Nadya thought in silence, considering her options. There was truth to his words. She had been wandering for fifty three years, ever since she first died when she took Them in as Ana's dying wish.

She didn't know what to do with herself anymore. What to decide. They've grown silent too. She glanced at the clock once more. 23:57.

"What do I get out of it?"

The man in black pulled a drag of his cigarette before answering.

"You get to work alongside us, keeping the peace. Under strict observance, of course, but trust can be easily built. We will provide good shelter, food, and freedom. We will explain more."

Nadya asked Them what they thought.

Do what you think is best for you.

She closed her eyes and took a steady breath. "Fine. I'll work for you."

The man in black put out his cigarette and stood up. "That is great news. You won't regret this, I promise you. By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. Special Agent Monroe."

He held out his hand. As Nadya reached out to shake it, he grasped her hand firmly. Quicker than she could react, the man had pulled out a silver dagger and slit her throat.

She fell back onto the bed, choking and clasping her throat as her black blood gushed through her hands and onto the sheets. She glared at Monroe with betrayal in her icy blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, but this is protocol. Can't have you getting cold feet. Plus, I didn't bring the body bag for nothing..."

Nadya's vision blurred and her limbs weakened as she fought to stay alive this time. As her consciousness faded, she felt Them chastising her.

Foolishness. Your sister would've been wiser...

It was 00:00 CT on February 15th, 1996, in rural Pennsylvania when Nadya Sobol died once again, for the 33rd recorded time since 1943.

It was 03:42 CT on February 14th, 1996, in rural Pennsylvania when Nadya Sobol died once again, for the 32rd recorded time since 1943.

Her would-be murderer panicked as he realized what he had done, removing his hands from her neck. The bruises along her already pale skin did not hide what he did.

"N-no no no no." He stuttered as he quickly removed himself from her and buckled his jeans. He stumbled out of his car and paced around, cursing himself as he thought what to do next.

Eventually, he decided. He reached back into his car, attempted to cover back up Nadya's corpse with the clothes he had torn, and carried her out to a nearby ditch along the road. He uttered a quick apology before he unceremoniously heaved her into it. He started back to his car until a sudden thought had him returning back to better hide her from the road.

After he was done, he ran back to his car and hurriedly drove off.

It was later that evening when Nadya finally woke back up, slowly sitting up as she clutched her head in minor pain.

Dusk is almost upon us, young one.

Nadya looked around in a daze, a hand still holding her head. "Yeah, I can see that, Captain Obvious."

Another decade must pass before that becomes relevant.

She lazily got up and stumbled out of the ditch onto the empty road, her shirt in tatters. She didn't even have her jeans anymore. "Do you know what happened? Last night, I mean."

He ended your life, briefly.

"That cyka! I should've known he would've pulled something like that."

I did warn you of the dangers of hitchhiking, and of offering your flesh for favors.

"Shut it. What did you do? I don't see his body anywhere." Nadya raised her arms and motioned around the road.

He did no more harm than necessary.

Nadya sighed and muttered. "He was supposed to be driving me to the next town..."

She clutched her head again, the pain dimming. It was normal for her, however, after each death. The strain of regeneration took it's toll.

If it may offer you solace, there should be a motel 2 miles east.

"How do you even know that?"

There—

"Nevermind, I don't want to know. Let's get going."

Don't forget your trousers.

"What?" Nadya looked back at the ditch and saw them, bundled up with some of her other belongings. She huffed. "Finally, some decency."

Luckily, her jeans were untouched, unlike her shirt. Even more fortunately, her wad of cash was still in it, along with her jacket. She threw them on and started towards the motel, with only the voice in her head for company, and a set of eyes watching her go from afar.

Nadya slumped onto the motel bed, probably disturbing a nest of bedbugs when she did.

You've done it again.

"You've no right to judge." She said softly.

Yet I do. Have you forgotten what I am?

"That clerk was this close to calling 911. What was I supposed to do?"

Run away. You don't have to do this every time...

"Leave me alone, please. I want to be alone with my own thoughts for one second. Please."

...Very well.

Nadya laid on the bed, alone once again, for what seemed to be an hour before she stripped off her clothes and headed into the shower.

The hot water streamed down her back as she crouched in a fetal position, as black tears rolled down her face. She sobbed quietly until her tears had run dry and her sorrow bottled away.

She turned the shower off and stepped out, and faced herself in the mirror. It was her birthday today, she realized. She'd be sixty-six now.

Yet... Here she was, stuck at the age she first died at, thirteen. Her body had barely begun the awkward process of puberty, then.

Immortality... What a joke, she thought. She had thought it would have given her power, given her purpose. It was not to be. Men still preyed upon her, and she was still so utterly alone.

Nadya glared at her face with hatred. She hated her pale skin, her blonde hair, and her eyes. The same icy blue eyes as her sister. As her father...

She punched the mirror, shattering it and cutting herself in the process. Black blood seeped into the sink and onto the floor as she quickly dressed herself.

She went back to the bed, and curled in on herself under the covers, silently praying until she fell asleep.

Nadya dreamt. She dreamt of the day she had found her sister standing over their father's body.

"Ana..." She stared at her father, eyes wide with shock and fear. Anastasiya quickly grabbed her hand.

"Nadya, look at me, please look at me. We have to go. We have to go, now!"

She finally turned her gaze at her sister, and saw something within her eyes. She swallowed hesitantly.

"W-where's Vasily? Why isn't he here? Why isn't he here!?" Nadya screamed, prompting Ana to tear up. And that's when she knew. Vasily was dead, and that thing that was within him was now in Ana.

"He... Gave up his life for you, didn't he?" Ana let go of her hand and doubled over, heaving until she threw up a black substance.

"Nadya... Nadya... Please, I don't have much time. I'm not a worthy vessel." Ana stared at her sister with urgency, and then it dawned on Nadya.

"No... No..." She stared in horror as her sister sliced her own forearm open with a talon, black blood spilling out. Ana raised her arm to her.

"No, I won't do it. Please, Ana! Don't make me do it..." She cried, as her sister was becoming visibly weaker.

"You have to. There's no other way."

"Please..."

"Nadya, wake up."

Nadya's eyes abruptly opened. She groaned as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Nadya, wake up.

"Can't you leave me alone for one fucking sec—"

We have an intruder.

>"this is the cutest baby i've ever seen".

Watch out Titania, Oberon might get jealous again.