I was dreaming of my mother.  I've only seen her in pictures in Papa's photo album, she was a beautiful woman with dark, wavy hair and blue-grey eyes like mine.  Papa, my mother, and I all shared the same trait of our blue-grey eyes.  I was dreaming that she was dropping me off at school, like what all the other kids and their mothers do at the nearest town Papa travels to when he goes for supplies.  I would say to her, "Bye, Mama, ich liebe dich."

"I love you too!" Mama would say, with a voice like an angel.  But, just as she was disappearing into the crowd my dream was interrupted by a stern voice ordering, "Elissa, wake up."

My eyes opened to see Papa looming over my bed.  I sat up in bed, and watched as he began throwing clothes into a backpack.  I heard a faint humming noise in the distance, but it was gradually coming closer.  "What's happening?" I asked worriedly as Papa tossed a sweatshirt, pants, and sneakers onto my bed.  

"Get dressed." Papa commanded, barely looking at me.  I threw on the clothes over my pyjamas and followed him to the fireplace, where I noticed him getting his shotgun from its spot hanging on the wall.  He looked anxiously out the window, and that's when I noticed shining lights coming from outside.  "Papa, what are you doing?  What's going on?" I asked, voice like a whisper.  Papa never told me to be quiet, but for some reason I thought it was necessary.  My father quickly shut the curtains and pulled me towards the side of the house opposite to the door.  Finally, he said gravely, "They've come for us,"

"Who?"

"Hydra."

"Hydra?" I repeated, moving to the window.  I peeked out and sure enough there were helicopters in the sky and soldiers over one hundred feet away marching towards us.  But, I could still hear their synchronized marching:  One two, one two, one two...  They were not a beat out of place.  

"Elissa!  Get away from the window!" Papa said sharply.  I pulled the curtains shut again and rushed over to him.  Papa was hunched over the ground and was tugging at the floorboards.  Sure enough, two came off to reveal a hole in the ground.  But, when I kneeled down I noticed that it wasn't just a hole-

It was a tunnel.

Papa knelt down beside me and grasped my shoulders.  Looking around nervously, he said, "We don't have much time, liebling, so you have to listen to me.  Go through this tunnel, it will lead you to the woods.  Once you're there, find cover.  Stay safe, and don't come back to this house until a day has passed."

"What about you?" I asked, my voice even quieter than the last time.  

Papa swallowed and said in a raspy voice so unlike his, "I'm going to try and hold them off,"

Hold them off?   Although I was only nine years old, I understood completely what my father was going to do:  Sacrifice himself so I could escape.  I choked, "-Papa?  Papa?"  It was as if I knew no other words, but I was speechless with sheer terror.  If I lost Papa I would have no one.  And I wasn't ready to be alone.  

My father stroked my cheek with his gentle hand and said with a sad smile, "It's okay, Elissa."

Tears streamed down my face as I pleaded, "No, Papa.  Come with me, come with me please!"  I touched his face, felt the blonde hairs on his chin, and stared into his blue-grey eyes which were glassy and brimming with tears.  "I need you," I cried.

"I love you, mein kind!" Papa said in a rush.  I could tell if he had said anymore he would burst into tears himself.  He embraced me quickly and kissed me on the head.  I clung onto him tightly, trying to remember his voice and his warm touch.  Papa pulled away, and in my outstretched arms he placed the backpack.  Before I could object, I was lifted up in the air and directed towards the tunnel.  My feet were placed in first, and I was placed down in a kneeling position.  I tried in vain to look up at my father, but when I turned my head all I saw was two strong hands securing the floorboards over top of me.  In the dark I breathed heavily, unsure of my next move.  I had nowhere to go, no one to see, no plan set if Papa didn't make it.  Don't think that way, I told myself, Papa will make it.  But when I thought back to his almost tear-stricken face before we hugged, I knew he was expecting the worst.

I wanted to go up and protect my father, but how?  I didn't have a weapon, I didn't know how to fight, and compared to the size of those soldiers, I was extremely small.  As much as I hated to admit it, I was utterly useless.  The marching of the soldiers grew stronger.  I curled up into a ball inside the dark tunnel, and stayed very, very still.  

Just wait here, just wait for them to leave.  Then, you and Papa can go somewhere safe where no one can ever find you.

That's what I told myself as I waited like a sitting duck.  In my imagination, Papa would convince Hydra to leave, or somehow single-handedly kill them all.  Then, we leave this place and go somehwere even more remote, where Hydra and magic can never reach us again.  Although I was directly disobeying Papa's orders, I didn't want to leave.  It was like I was frozen- I couldn't find the strength to move at all.  

The door creaked open.  My heart skipped a beat.  

They were here.

At first nobody said anything, but I could tell by the loud thumping noises from above that many men entered our tiny home.  Finally, someone spoke.  Their voice wasn't German like I expected, but American.  "Noah," they said, "You seem surprised.  Did you think we stopped hunting for you?"

Papa replied, "No, Rumlow.  I'm just surprised that you put on this whole façade.  Did you really need your whole strike team to take down one man?"

The man known as Rumlow laughed.  "Just want to make ourselves heard.  But, you know who I answer to.  And he wants you to come back to your roots.  Now Noah, we can do this the easy way where I don't have to use my weapon and no one gets hurt, or we can make this quaint little house of your's a bloodbath."

"Or you and your men could leave, and we can forget this night ever happened." Papa told him.

Rumlow sounded angry as he seethed, "I was thinking you'd say that."  My breath fell short as I heard the sound of a gun loading.  I knew this from my childhood, watching Papa prepare his gun before he went out hunting.  But, I had a feeling that it wasn't Papa who was wielding this weapon.  It was Rumlow.  This strange man from the evil organization Hydra was going to kill my father- my Papa.  And I knew I could no longer sit in the tunnel and wait, I had to do something.

"Papa, Papa!" I screamed, flinging the wooden floorboards away and scrambling up and out of the tunnel.  Sure enough Rumlow, a man with jet black hair who appeared to be in his thirties, had a gun aimed at my father's temple.  Papa had his shotgun lowered against his side.  "Papa!" I cried again, and my father turned quickly, his eyes filling with horror when he saw me.  I ran straight into his arms and, wrapping my arms around his waist, I held on tightly.  Tears poured down my face and soaked onto his clothes.  Papa dropped the gun and hugged me as well.  "Why didn't you run, Elissa?" he asked, his eyes glassy and brimming with tears, "Why didn't you just listen to me and run?"

I shook my head and choked, "I couldn't leave you Papa.  I'm not ready to be alone!"  Papa shut his eyes, teardrops sliding down his rough cheeks, and brought my head into his chest, where I felt only his strong heartbeat.  Even Rumlow was shocked, and lowered his gun.  From my position, I heard him laugh behind me and say, "So, this is what you and Valentina did when you defected, Noah?  Conceived a child?  And a bratty one at that?  What a shocker!"  Rumlow then pointed his gun at my forehead.  "What's your name, sweetie?" he asked.

"Leave my daughter out of this," Papa warned.  

"My name is Elissa Fleur." I said, stepping away from my father.  I looked into the cold, brown eyes of the Hydra member.  "Leave us alone," I told him, not a quiver to my voice.  Both Rumlow and Papa were shocked by my actions, and an eery silence came over the house.  But, I stared straight at Rumlow, looking into his unfeeling eyes.  Leave us the hell alone, I thought.

Finally, Rumlow cleared his throat and chuckled.  "You've got some fight, Elissa," he told me, "Noah, I think she'd be useful to us.  How about you both come with us and no one gets hurt?"  I looked at Papa, but he said very slowly and clearly, almost calmly, "Elissa, I need you to run."

"No Papa..." I choked.

"I'll be right behind you, I promise liebling." Papa assured me, the corners of his lips curling up into a sad smile.  "It's okay, Elissa,"

"Alright, enough of your chitchat." Rumlow interrupted.  "Noah, either you're going to come with my men and I, or things will get messy."

Papa's bluish grey eyes flashed and he stood up a little straighter as he said, "I'll never join you." I guess that ticked Rumlow off, for he thrust his gun back up at my father's head.  "You picked the wrong fucking side, Noah." he growled.  But Papa just stood there, emotionless like a brick wall.  From the corner of his eye, he saw me, and mouthed, "Run,"  This time I obeyed.  Because this time Papa promised he'd join me.

I ran the fastest I could out the front door, only to be blinded by white lights, and to hear the chopping noise of helicopters hovering in the sky.  Shielding my face using my hands, I stepped forward only to be met by the outlines of several men.  I was surrounded.  At least, at the front of the cabin.  I whirled around and darted back behind the house, still running at my top speed.  But, when I looked behind my shoulder I saw the most peculiar thing.  No one was chasing me.  Why aren't they running after me, I thought, is there something they know that I don't?   This is a trap.  Even though I was nine years old at the time, I knew something was off.  Rumlow said I was useful to Hydra, and they wouldn't let me run off into the unknown to potentially tell the world about them.  But, although I was thinking all of that, I never changed my course.  And that's what decided my horrible fate.  

I ran into something hard.  At first I thought I hit the wall of our house, but I was suddenly lifted off my feet into the air by my nack.  I grasped onto the arm which held me, and tried to bury my nails into their skin.  Choking and gasping for air, I flailed and kicked in vain, but whoever was holding onto me would not let go.  And just as I thought I was going to die, when black dots started to overcome my vision, I was slammed onto the ground by a powerful force.  Then the person removed their grasp, and I could breathe again.  I coughed and panted, as if I was breathing for the first time.  Each breath seemed like a gift to me, and I was never this thankful for the air around me.  I sat up, stumbling a bit because I was dizzy, and looked at the face of the person who tried to tried to kill me.

The first thing I noticed were the deep blue eyes.  This person had eyes that looked hazy and almost dead, no emotion or sparkle in them like Papa's.  There was no remorse for them almost killing a child.  They also had a strong, male build, and long, messy dark hair.  He grabbed my hand and then dragged me back into the front of our house, where I saw Rumlow holding Papa by the arm, his gun lodged in my father's temple.  Papa looked defeated.  "Papa!" I screamed, frantically clawing at the man holding me.  "Papa!"

"Shut up," the man said to me, voice rough.  I didn't listen.  "Papa!" I screamed again, "Papa!"

"I'm sorry, Elissa.  I'm so sorry, mein-" Papa called back to me, but then Rumlow threw a sack over Papa's head and roughly shoved my father down onto the ground.  Two of the helicopters that were in the air landed, and I saw Papa being led into one helicopter.  And suddenly, my captor began dragging me into the other one.  I outstretched one arm towards my father, the only person in my life I had cared for, and, tears streaming down my face like a raging river, I screamed one last time:

"Papa!"

That was the last I ever saw of him.  Because my captor, he stuffed a sack over my face.  As we took off, I was blind, preventing me from saying goodbye to the only home I'd ever known.