October

It was about to be the last warm weekend of the year, and Clint couldn't keep his eyes off the clock. The sun was bright and hot through the classroom window, making the kids lazy as the last minutes ticked by. Clint wasn't the only one who just wanted to leave school behind and spend the weekend outside.

Even though he was itching to jump up from his chair the second the bell rang, Clint still waited until everyone else had left first. He gathered his things slowly, letting the last of the kids shove past him and laugh in his direction. He didn't know what for, but didn't really care. He just wanted to get home and get his hands on his bow.

Natalia was waiting by his classroom door, glaring at anyone who so much as glanced at her. Clint couldn't help but smile as the others kids hurried away from her. Natalia didn't have any other friends, though Clint was sure she would be able to be friends with anyone if she tried.

"Hey," he said to her, and she turned to face him, eyes still narrowed.

"Hi. Why they look at me?"

Clint shrugged and they began to make their way down the crowded hallway. "Maybe because you're from a different country."

Whatever, Natalia signed. Clint was beginning to think it was her favourite sign.

You coming over? He asked.

Homework, she reminded him, and pulled a face. We could do it together?

Okay, Clint agreed. He was a little annoyed that they had homework in the first place, and that Natalia was so strict on finishing it. Even if it took them most of the afternoon, they would still have the rest of the weekend to spend outside. He tried not to let it ruin his good mood.

It was easy to walk in silence with Natalia. Clint didn't feel awkward around her, and there wasn't really a need to fill the space with sound, especially now that they could speak to each other with just their hands. Ever since he had lost most of his hearing, Clint had found himself with a greater appreciation for quiet and still moments. Natalia didn't share much about herself, and had been speaking less since that day after school in the paddock.

They hadn't really gone into the details of it, even now, almost a month after Natalia had shown him her bruised stomach. Clint hadn't known what to say then, and he still didn't know what to say now. They had just kept walking home, silent and scared. Things had been mostly the same since then, except Natalia often seemed more withdrawn. Clint's arm had healed nicely and he was back to practising his archery. But sometimes he found himself thinking about Natalia being hurt and it made him so angry that he couldn't think straight.

"What you are thinking?" Natalia asked. She was about to step out onto the road but Clint snagged the strap of her backpack seconds before a car went flying past them, pulling her back.

"You're s'posed to look both ways!" Clint exclaimed, heart pounding. He waited until the road was clear before releasing her backpack and crossing with her. "It's dangerous."

Natalia rolled her eyes, her lips twitching. She looked like she was almost about to smile. "Is just a car."

"Doesn't matter" Clint mumbled. "Anyway, I was thinking bout how much practise I can squeeze into one day before my arms actually fall off."

Clint saw Natalia's mouth open, but he didn't hear the words or the people behind them; just watched in slow motion as Natalia pitched forward, hands flying out to catch herself as her knees slammed against the concrete sidewalk.

Clint spun around, trying to figure out what was going on. He felt his stomach drop as he saw the three girls standing there, bent over in laughter as they pointed at Natalia. It was Clarissa Rydell, the most popular girl in the whole fourth grade. She was giggling so loud it was making Clint's ears ring.

"Hey, cut it out" he said. He glanced at Natalia, who sat on the sidewalk examining her bloodied hands. "That wasn't very nice."

"What a freak" Clarissa squealed, and her two little friends nodded in agreement. "Y'all are just a bunch of losers. Can you hear me, weirdo?"

Clint felt heat creep up his neck as Clarissa mimicked signing, exaggerating the movements right up close to his face. He didn't want to look at her, he just wanted to grab Natalia and go home, pretend it never happened. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that she was standing, now, her backpack discarded on the ground.

"He can't even hear me, what a loser," Clarissa said. She stopped pretending to sign and instead stood back a little, arms crossed over her chest. "My daddy said you're just gonna be a dropout drug-head."

Clint was seriously considering just leaving Natalia behind and running home himself. He felt sick, and willed himself not to cry. He was meant to be tough, he wanted to be tough like Barney and his dad, but he was just stupid and weak, he couldn't even stand up to a girl –

"Stop," Natalia said. She was standing beside him now, their shoulders brushing. Her voice sounded deeper, and Clint didn't need to see her face to know that she was mad. "You walk away now."

"Shut. Up," Clarissa said. "You're just a stupid freak too. You can't even speak English like a normal person."

"One more chance" Natalia said, clenching her fists.

"My daddy said only one thing happens to girls from Russia" Clarissa smirked. "They turn into whores."

Clint felt the blood drain from his face, not just because Clarissa had said a curse word, but because he could actually feel Natalia freeze beside him. He hoped that she didn't know what it meant, that it was just another nonsense English word she hadn't encountered yet. It was just the five of them, Clarissa and her giggly sidekicks, and Clint and Natalia; there were no adults to help, or teachers to tell.

He didn't see Natalia move until Clarissa was already flying back. A second later, the smack of Natalia's fist connecting with Clarissa's nose filtered into his ears. By the time he realised that Natalia had actually punched Clarissa in the face, there was already blood streaming out of her nose and down the front of her shirt.

Clarissa's friends screamed. Natalia launched herself at Clarissa again and they fell to the ground, Clarissa crying and Natalia pulling back to punch her again. Clint watched it as though in a daze, not really knowing what to do until Clarissa's two friends ran off and he realised that they might be going to get an adult.

"Natalia" he called out, and she spun around to him, fists raised as though she would hit him too.

For a second, he almost didn't recognise her. The look in her eyes was something he had sometimes seen in his dad, but it was deadlier. She was dark and fiery and scary. He held his hands up in the universal sign of peace, breathing deeply.

Natalia blinked and lowered her fists. Then, she grabbed her backpack off the ground with one hand and took Clint's in her other, and they ran as fast as they could towards the gravel road.

It was Clint who stopped first when his house came into view. He doubled over and tried to breathe past the stitch in his side. Natalia stopped running too, but kept walking away from him. He tried to clear his head but it was useless, because Natalia had just punched the most popular girl in fourth grade and he couldn't tell if he was more impressed or scared.

"Hey, Natalia, wait!" he called to her back, but she didn't stop. He groaned and jogged to catch up to her, reaching out to grab her shoulder. "Hey –"

She slapped his hand away, her eyes wide and her breathing ragged. She looked different; a little scared but mostly wild, like she might bolt at any moment. It was kind of like the first time he had seen her climbing out of his kitchen window, except there was a sharper edge to her now.

"What was that?" Clint asked, pretending not to be hurt by her actions. "You just hit Clarissa Rydell."

"She was mean" Natalia said simply. "Is not nice to call people names."

"Yea, but you hit her hit her. Like, she was bleeding everywhere. It was super cool but maybe you shouldn't do it again."

Natalia sagged into herself, as though all the fight had left her. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and swayed on the spot, chewing her lip. Clint thought she was shaking but couldn't really be sure.

"You okay?" he asked gently. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, he was really hungry, and kind of wanted to watch cartoons all afternoon instead of staying outside.

"I –" she started, then swallowed and blinked furiously. "I come for training. Is not… is not normal."

Clint was confused. "Huh? What's that mean?"

"Uncle Ivan is not real uncle, Clint. He take me to train me."

The silence that fell between them was heavy and uncomfortable. Clint was trying to make sense of what she was saying, but it just didn't sound real.

"You were kidnapped?" he said eventually.

"From orphanage. They take me to train me." Natalia drew in a shuddering breath, meeting his gaze with eyes that were softer than they had been moments before. "To be spy. To do… bad things."

"Okay" Clint said. He stopped and thought it through. This kind of stuff only happened in movies, but Natalia really was shaking now, and she looked very scared and it would explain why she was so good at punching, and –

"Is secret," she said, her voice soft but desperate. "If he find out… I want to stay here. Please."

"Okay" Clint said again. He shrugged and scratched the back of his head. "We've gotta talk about all of this properly if it's gonna be a secret."

He spat on his hand and held it out to her. He didn't really know what he was doing, just that he had seen a side of Natalia that was scary and different and he wanted to understand it. She spat in her own hand and they shook eagerly.

"Are you okay Natalia?" Clint said as they began to walk slowly towards his house.

Natalia shrugged one shoulder, twisting her hands in front of her. "You call me Natasha."

"Why?" Clint asked. "I don't know if you can just change your name."

"I am" Natalia said stubbornly. "Natalia is… is not me. Is someone else, is made for someone else. You call me Natasha. I like it."

"Right" Clint said, but figured he could get used to it. Whatever was happening, whatever was about to happen, would probably be worse than Natasha changing her name. "Okay, Natasha, are you okay."

"Da" Natasha said, and then switched to sign. I'm okay. Promise.

Clint didn't really believe her, but with the warm sun on his head and his best friend by his side, it was easy to pretend for a moment that it was the truth.