The Circus

Chapter 6

Clint PoV

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I backed against the wall; I was cornered. He took a step, then a drink. He stank of alcohol. My heart sped up as he got closer. Blood dripped off my face, and my ears throbbed. Mom said something; I couldn't hear her; I couldn't hear anything. Time seemed to slow as he bent over.

Slap

I screamed; I couldn't hear my own voice. He said something. My cheek began to bleed. He left and took Mom with him. I touched my cheek; my hand came back red.

I woke up sweating.

It was just a dream. It was just a dream.

I got out of bed and decided to head for the weapons tent, as usual. My nightmares had been getting more and more frequent.

After a while, Pete showed up. We practiced archery and fencing. He'd gotten better at fencing. Like, a lot better, which is weird considering I fenced with him two weeks ago. He left to go to bed, and I went to look at the lab. Journals were scattered everywhere. A small smile played on my lips. The kid was a mess.

I walked over to the corner and pushed the secret button near the floor. A secret door, I know, cringey, but I couldn't help myself. I pulled out a case and opened it. Loki's scepter sat inside. It had been years since Wanda and Pietro had retrieved it for me. None of our scientists could figure the inner-workings of the gem out.

This whole spider-thing was a test to see if Peter and Harry were ready. I blew the dust off of the scepter. It was shiny. Like, really shiny. I sighed and put the scepter back where it belonged. Peter was a promising kid. He kinda reminded me of myself, sometimes. I can't explain how relieved I was when he came back from the Osborn mission without a scratch.

I decided to spend a couple more hours sleeping.

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Kate and I walked around the streets of NYC. We weren't on a mission; we were just hanging out. She'd make a great leader once I was gone. We walked into a bakery and bought two cookies. We didn't always steal. We didn't steal from small businesses, only the larger ones. The first large business I ever robbed was McDonald's; that was fun.

Kate and I walked side-by-side, munching on our food.

"You have chocolate on your face," She said, glancing up at me.

I smiled and wiped it off. She was great.

"So," I began, "How's training?"

"It's good," She nodded.

I knew she was lying.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked as if she'd been complaining.

Kate sighed and gave in. "Is the whole clown thing really necessary?"

"You have to learn how to become every role in the Circus. It'll help you blend in on missions," I answered, holding back my laughter.

"When will we need to be able to act like a clown?"

"Well," I smiled, "Some of it is purely for my enjoyment."

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We arrived back, and Harper approached me.

"Clint, there's a woman here to see you."

"I assume the kids are in the safe room?"

"Yes."

"Lead the way," I motioned for Harper to lead me to the ever so mysterious woman.

Kate and I followed Harper to see a red-headed girl.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Nat Romans."

She was lying. I looked at her wrists, there were no scrapes. I studied her face. She looked Russian.

"Tell me, Nat, why is Red Room sending spies to my humble operation?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I pulled the knife that I had pick-pocketed from her out of my pocket and drove it through her heart. I let the knife go as the red-head fell dead on the floor. I rubbed my hands together before turning to Kate.

"Never hold back."

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Word Count: 669

Ooooooooooo. What's gonna happen next? I don't even know.

-Ambertail Out-