Chasing the tesseract

Chapter 16

Wind howls against my ears as I walk through the forest, head down and eyes fixed on the ground in front of me.Katniss and Rue walk slightly behind me, deep in conversation whilst I get lost in my thoughts. A sudden pain shoots up my spine and into the back of my skull as a voice enters my head.

"Don't let the mortals get to you." it whispers before it disappears along with the pain, leaving me to my thoughts once again.

"Do you guys here that?" asks Katniss as we come to a stop not far from a lake. The sound of rushing water mixes with low hushed voices as I strain my hearing.

"It sounds like a group of people." concludes Rue as she steps closer to the bushes where the sound is coming from. Putting my arm out, I stop her from walking in fron of me, looking down at her and shaking my head.

"The careers?" I ask as I turn to face Katniss, my hand reaching for the blade at my hip. Fixing my stance, I pull my blade out, pointing it at the bushes as they begin to rustle.

"No," counters Katniss as she steps slightly closer to the bushes but not in front of me. "I don't recognise their voices." she concludes as she steps back. Tightening my grip of my knife, I nod towards her bow and she pulls it out, getting ready for whoever's behind the bush.

"I don't care if she said to hide," shouts a familiar masculine voice from behind the bushes. It can't be. Can it? Stepping even closer and loosening my grip on the blade slightly, I listen again. "We need to find her."

"No, we need to hide and let her find us." protests another male voice as two figures emerge from the bushes. My blade drops to the floor as I stand up straighter, my eyes wide and my heart hammering.

"Stephen?" I whisper as I step into his view. Looking to his left, his eyes widen in shock as he comes to a halt a few feet in front of me. My heart skips a beat as his blue-green eyes collide with mine, sparks flying in the air.

"Abi?" he whispers, his voice barely audible as we both stand, frozen. Before I know it, my legs are carrying me across the gap between us. Dicing at him, my arms wrap around his neck as he lifts me into the air, my legs wrapping around his waist. His arms encircle me as I tighten my grip on him, closing my eyes and resting my head on his shoulder. Burying his head in my jacket, Stephen closes his eyes and tightens his grip around me. "You're alright." he whispers against my shoulder, his hand stroking my hair over and over as he places me on my feet, not breaking the embrace.

"I think she lied yesterday when she said she didn't have anyone special." comments Rue from behind us as she watches us break away and look at each other. Lokking him up and down, I place my hands on either side of his face.

"Is it really you?" I mumble as our eyes meet again, my own full of tears of joy. Nodding, Steohen pulls me back into a hug, his arms locking around my waist. A smile creeps onto my face as I inhale his scent.

"So do I." agree's Katniss as another figure bursts from the bushes, a confused expression on his face.

"Abi?" he whispers as I pull away from Stephen and turn to face him. There, right in front of my eyes stands Loki, his eyes wide as he looks me up and down. Nodding, I smile at him as his shoulders relax. "Well does a brother get to hug his sister or what?" he chuckles as I crash my arms around his shoulders and he wraps his around me. Resting my head against his shoulder, I close my eyes and relax in his safe arms.

"And where in God's name have you been?" exclaims Pietro as he slowly walks into the clearing, his head shaking as he looks at me with raised eyebrows. Breaking away from Loki's embrace, I turn to Pietro, a huge smile on my face as I run at him. His arms wrap around my waist as he rests his cheek on me forehead. I cling to him, closing my eyes as I rest my head against his chest. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asks as he pulls away, placing his hands on either side of my face and lookind down at me. Frantically, he searches my face for any signs of injury.

"I'm fine," I assure him, placing my hands over his as I look him in the eyes. My shoulders relax as his blue eyes connect with mine. "don't worry." I whisper as he closes his eyes, a smirk on his face as he pulls me back into a hug.

"God I missed you." he chuckles as he presses a kiss to the top of my head before placing his chin there and stroking my hair. Tightening my grip around him, I squeeze him gently before stepping away.

"I missed you too." I assure him as we stand, staring at each other for a few moments. Glancing to Pietro's left, I notice that Stephen is glaring at him, his hands in fists as his eyes glaze over with anger. Wait no, that's not what annger looks like. Is that...jealousy?

"Are you going to introduce us then or what?" complains Katniss, breaking the silence that hangs in the air. Nodding, I turn to face her and notice that everyone else has joined us.

"Everyone meet Katniss and Rue." I say as I gesture to them, turning to face them as I gesture to the others. "Katniss, Rue. Meet the team." Tony lifts up his hand, waving weakly as he raises his eyebrows before turning away. "That's Tony, then there's Peter and Thor-"

"Where have you been Abi?" interupts Stephen as he steps forwards, crossing his arms. Frowning, I step towards him, crossing my own arms.

"Getting help and then looking for you guys." I comment, my eyes narrowing as he rolls his eyes. What is wrong with him? Did I do something wrong?

"You scared the hell out of us Abi." admits Loki as he steps towards me, my eyes not looking away from Stephens. Glancing between me and Stephen, Loki decides to continue. "We didn't know where you where."

"They've been out of their minds looking for you." chuckles Tony when I finally look away from Stephen and at the rest of the team. Peter and Wanda have joined Katniss and Rue on the far side of the clearing, lost in conversation and totally unaware of what's going on. Thor and Vision are also lost in conversation behind me.

"Oh come on, Stephen will have been loving it." I argue, turning to face Stephen with a joking expression. "I bet he's loved not having me around to knock his ego down a peg or two." I chuckle sarcastically, rolling my eyes as he glares at me.

"I haven't missed you one bit." He agree's, his voice emotionless as I stop laughing. Is he joking? I can't tell if he's joking. "Now let's get moving instead of talking. You can waste time when there's less important things to be done." Everyone stops talking as they turn to look at me and Stephen.

"What?" I whisper, my voice laced with shock as I step backwards.

"You heard me perfectly well Abi." he responds, his tone cold and unwelcoming. "Stop wasting everyone's time." Silence hangs in the air as I exchange a glance with Pietro, his face just as confused as mine.

"Is he always this rude?" questions Katniss as she steps next to me, crossing her arms against her chest as she glares at Stephen.

"Oh, he's rude when he want to be just not this rude."

"He seem's like a jerk to me."

"Oh he is but I've grown to love that about him." I admit, smiling at Stephen as he glares back at me. Why is he in such a mood?

"You know what, I'm going to go." announces Stephen as he begins stroming off, his shoulders tense and his hands in fists again.

"Oh come on I was only joking." I shout after him, my tone light as he turns to face me, his face cold and his eyes blank.

"I don't care about that Abi." he protests, his eyes glistening as the sin shines on them. Is he... crying? "Of you." My breath catches as he stroms off, leaving me feeling as though my hearts just been torn from chest.

"Stephen, please wait." I shout after him, reaching for him only for Pietro to pull me back. Looking up at him, I notice that he's shaking his head so I stop fighting him.

"Going after him will only make it worse. I'll go talk to him." He explains before he walks off into the distance after Stephen. Once their shadows have disappeared, I turn to face the others who are all staring at me.

"Are you going to go after him then or what?" asks Loki, his eyes flittering to the direction Stephen and Pietro went as I roll my eyes at him.

"Of course I am. Following rules isn't really my thing."