"She always had that about her. That look of otherness; of eyes that see things much too far, and of thoughts that wander off the edge of the world."
- Joanne Harris
† RUSSIAN DARLING †
Born in Moscow, Russia, Ember was brought up with two parents with differing views of how parenting was performed. Her father, Robert Iskra, was the strictest of them both; a specimen of secrecy, destruction, lies, and alcoholic discrepancies. He held his daughter accountable for every mistake, no matter how miniscule it was. He taught her how to survive, unbeknownst to her later in life that the true meaning of survival meant life or death. He often found himself lost at the bottom of cheap whiskey, which created a strained relationship between his family. On the other end, her mother, Catherine Iskra, was the polar opposite of her stringent father. She was the epitome of a benevolent mother who adored her family, even through all the hardships. A stay-at-home mom who also educated Ember at home. The Russian was a home-schooled child who also spent most of her childhood gaining an understanding of the English language and survival tactics.
Age 9 was when tragedy hit. After a failed pregnancy, Catherine succumbed to the effects of postpartum depression, soon committing suicide within their master bedroom. Unfortunately, Ember was the one to find her; a memory forever engraved in her mind. Two years later, two days prior to Christmas, her father passed away from cancer, leaving the now 11 year-old to face the devastation of being thrown into the midst of the foster care system.
—
Her innocence was ripped from her at such a young age. Pat Kirill, a malicious arms-dealer and leader of a sex-trafficing ring, adopted the pre-teen, utilizing her impeccability as a slave. Deep within a brother in a secluded area of Saint Petersburg, Ember was held. She was pimped out daily, dosed with superior drugs; a true caged animal, used and abused. Soon the drugs became her escape. The pure euphoria from the chemicals consumed her thoughts, dousing the true emotional, physical, and mental damage bestowed upon her. They were her safe-haven.
Who knew her first love would be the spawn of the Leader. Gabriel Kirill saw the integrity of the Russian. He saw past the damaged, lithe being before him. He made promises that caressed the deepest, darkest parts of her. Over the years, he was her escape. Quite literally. However, the plan only ended in a blood bath, leaving the progeny of the Leader dead, and the Russian fleeing through the surrounding wooded area.
Lost, cold and alone, she was able to find solace miles away within a shipping yard, soon making home in what was an unlocked shipping container. Her destination was unknown.
—
† November 2008 †
A new country, a fresh start, another chance.
A chance laced with littered roads, bustling city streets, beds made out of cardboard, holing up in abandoned townhomes, and selling her body for the sweet elixir of drugs. This chance at life was not much different than her previous, but being the slave to drugs was better than being the slave to the devil himself. Pat Kirill was still out there, though. No doubt searching high and low for his most beloved slave.
Two years were spent on the streets. She kept to the shadows, only acquainting those that spoiled her addiction. That was, until a lovely elderly woman came into her life, finding the beaten and battered 18-year-old and taking her in to tend to her wounds and shattered soul.
Annie promised sobriety, assisting the Russian in detox and teaching her the ways of the current world. It took months, and that toxic addiction for the needle forever forged an unrelenting craving, but the words “you can’t give up, darling. You will only kill yourself, and you have a whole life ahead of you”, were inscribed in her mind.
There was no denying that Annie was an angel sent from above, and her impending death after a massive cardiac arrest was yet another tragedy added to the ever-growing list. Ember refused to succumb to the prostitution life again, using the little amount of money she made from off-side jobs to find herself a cheap motel room. Soon after, she found herself a job at a local bar Knot&Bullet. It wasn’t long after that a run-down, one-bedroom apartment within the ghetto part of New York City became her home.
—
Her story never faltered, instead it revealed that the deepest, darkest parts of her were able to find some light. Within her 20’s, the Russian managed to fall in love. Their life was enlaced with death, violence and an undeniable passion between the two. Challenges continued to ensue, throwing curveballs their way. However, their love was strengthened by the understanding that whatever stood in their way would soon be brought down. Their world certainly struggled to hold any peace or serenity, but what Ember’s father always prepared her for was life and death, no matter the consequences of her actions.
The Irishman was intimidating, dangerous, yet so delectable. He stole her heart, patched the damage, tore down her walls, and enveloped her soul with his unconditional love. He protected her, and she did the same for him. Life tends to be a bitch, though, and the more dangerous, the harder it was to hold onto something that the both of them were gradually losing grip of. Ember continued to fight with the demons of her past, just as he did, as well. The both of them were becoming caught in the cross-fire of their horror-stricken pasts. It was a difficult relationship for others to understand, considering the consistent arguments, chaos, and the fact they were complete opposite of one another. Yet, they always found their way back into each other’s arms.
—
“I am not violent. I am not malicious. I am a result.”
Umbra, a secret organization funded by the government. Their recruitment involved giving those a second chance at life who couldn’t live through their first. Whether it be for those who were placed on death-row, or those finding them in the most dangerous situations, this organization provided an outlet and safe-haven. It involved extensive amounts of training, defense tactics, weaponry, and other intense classes. Missions soon follow, and if successful, you continue with said missions. If you failed to do so, another chance to prove yourself would be given. Failing again meant execution.
Run by Clarrisa Hunter and Nathaniel Brooklyn, they were the saviors of Ember and the Irishman. It was during this that Ember found that Gabriel Kirill was still alive, and had also been the one connected with the ghost of her lover’s past. At her hands, he was killed, and both of them ended up at Umbra’s headquarters in Nebraska City, Nebraska.
Not long after, Ember found out she was pregnant. This further complicated things, and an argument broke out between her and the Irishman, causing him to take his leave. Heart broken, the Russian joined Umbra, went through the intense training, and became the assassin that she is today. Her mission? Taking down the devil that haunted her. Pat Kirill.
—
❣ I s k r a C a t h e r i n e L y n n ❣
It's crazy to think of Ember as a mother, but this little beacon of light had given the Russian the worth to live while the Irishman spent the first three years of her life in jail, after being falsely accused of murdering an FBI agent. During those three years, Ember was given the amazing opportunity to raise Iskra, who was the spitting-image of the Russian herself when she was a child. Without the little spit-fire of energy in her life, who knows what would have happened to Ember with the Irishman gone, and sentenced to death-row. She was so sure she would never see him again, but with the help of a few so called 'friends', they managed to help the Irishman escape prison, and in the midst of all the chaos, he was given the chance to see his girlfriend again, and to also meet his daughter as well.
ღ
"Sometimes reality has a way of sneaking up and biting us in the ass.
And when the dam bursts, all you can do is swim.
The world of pretend is a cage, not a cocoon.
We can only lie to ourselves for so long.
We are tired.
We are scared.
Denying it doesn't change the truth.
Sooner or later we have to put aside our denial, and face the world.
Head on.
Guns blazing.
'De Nile.' It's not just a river in Egypt.
It's a freaking ocean.
So how do you keep yourself from drowning in it?"
- Meredith Grey
