Connections ( ON HIATUS )

Chapter Seven

The next morning, Kiera wakes up with a weight on her chest. She looks down and smiles, remembering that she had stayed with Wanda. She see's auburn hair spread across her chest and Wanda's arm wrapped tightly around her waist. Kiera sighs and kisses the girl's head. She leans her head back against the pillow and looks up at the ceiling thinking back to the last couple of days. The pit in her stomach grows, thinking about how close she was to being back in the chair. To having her memories whipped. Kiera couldn't shake the feeling and she knew it wasn't going to go away with her laying there.

So she slowly detangles herself from Wanda's grip and goes to her rooms to change into workout clothes. Once changed she peeks her head back into Wanda's room to see the girl still passed out, now clutching a pillow tightly. Kiera smiles softly and heads down to the training room, her thoughts circling back to Rumlow and his plans for the Winter Soldier program.

She heads over to the punching back, doesn't bother wrapping her hands, and begins laying hard punches into the back. Her thoughts keep circling back and forth from Rumlow, to getting stabbed, to getting kidnapped, and then into her time with Hydra. Minor memories keep popping up as she lays each punch into the bag. Each one stinging more than the next. She doesn't hear the door open, and she doesn't sense the Sokovian girl approaching behind her. She jumps slightly when she hears Wanda speak behind her.

"As sexy as it is seeing you punching this bag, I would have much rather woken up with you next to me, ya know." She states. Kiera focuses back on the bag, laying in more punches, but doesn't respond. Her head is too busy still circling more memories. "Kiera, stop." Wanda states, but she doesn't reply. Wanda tries to grab her shoulder, but Kiera ducks and shifts to the left side of the bag, keeping her focus. "Kiera talk to me." Wanda states, her voice filled with concern. Kiera keeps her focus on the bag, memories after memories swirling in her head. Of the chair, of the shocks, of the lives she took.

Kiera can't stop seeing their faces as she keeps laying punch after punch into the bag in front of her. Wanda pushes into her head, and Kiera lays the hardest punch of the morning, sending the bag flying across the room. "Get out of my head." Kiera snaps, finally looking over at the Sokovian. Wanda's eyes go wide for a moment but then narrow back at her.

"Then talk to me." She spits back, going and standing in front of her. Wanda's resolve weakens slightly, as she can see the fear and stress in Kiera's eyes. Wanda puts her hands on her shoulders, stepping more into her space. "Kiera, what is going on?" Wanda probes, and Kiera looks anywhere but the green eyes bearing into her. Wanda reaches one hand up to cup her face. "Kiera, please." Kiera can hear the worry in her tone, and she is hit with more guilt, knowing she can't tell Wanda what is on her mind as she can't even make sense of it all herself.

"I can't." Kiera pulls back and turns, and heads out the door in a light jog as she makes her way out of the compound to run outside. Kiera runs for a while, hitting all the familiar trails. Her mind is still soaring, and she can tell it's starting to overwhelm her. She is heading back towards the compound when she hears another set of footsteps falling in behind her. Kiera immediately panics, and turns pushing out her abilities, darkness starting to circle around her. She freezes when she's faced with Chloe.

"Woah there tiger." Chloe states as they both come to a stop. Kiera withdraws her abilities, the shadows she created retreating back into her and shakes her head, looking down.

"Sorry." Kiera states and Chloe comes up to her, and puts her hands on her shoulder.

"It's okay, I'm a big girl." Chloe states, smiling softly at her. "Are you okay?" Chloe asks and Kiera shakes her head looking up at the sky.

"I don't know." Kiera states and Chloe takes her hand, and leads them to a bench outside the compound for them to sit on. Kiera looks over at her, and she can see Chloe is waiting for more of an answer. Kiera sighs and looks down at her hands. "I can't get my mind off of Hydra. I keep thinking about how close they were to getting me back in..." Kiera takes a deep breath, feeling tears threatening to pool over. "In that chair. Having my memories whipped again and again." Kiera closes her eyes, chewing on the inside of her cheek, trying her hardest to not let a tear fall. She feels a hand in her own and looks over at Chloe who is smiling softly at her.