The Rise of Hel {Loki Laufeyson} Book Two

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Kiddo?"

I wake with a jolt, sitting up and slamming into a wall of flesh. My nose crushes underneath the force and I yelp, shifting back a few inches. Tony smiles sadly down at me, his Arc Reator glowing faintly below the thin fabric of his t-shirt.

"It's okay, you're fine." He whispers, wrapping his arms around me. I prepare to wince, remembering my broken shoulder, but the pain never comes.

I pull away, rotating it gently. It's definitely mobile - definitely not broken.

I slip my hands out from under the blankets and check them over. My finger has healed, the burns on my hands, vanished.

I throw the covers off of me and cross the room, entering the walk in closet. Closing the doors, I take off my clothes and scan my naked body. I'm completely clean. No cuts, no bruises, nothing.

But something doesn't feel right. My heart throbs, an empty feeling taking over, my stomach, a bottomless pit of guilt and worry. My thoughts, however, are clean and less jumbled, like whatever was preventing me from thinking clearly was removed after the Asgardian elixirs kicked in and removed my injuries from existence...

I slip back into my clothes, reentering the room, staring at Tony and realizing where I am. The Tower.

"How did I get here?" I mumble.

His brows furrow with concern, shifting his position on the bed. "Loki brought you."

I turn away, running my fingers through my hair. "Of course he did. He fixed me up and then gave me away." I smile in disbelief. How was I so naive to have thought that when he kissed my forehead, that was a gesture of forgiveness. He doesn't love me anymore - I need to get used to that idea. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Two days."

"Two days? I missed Boxing Day." I say sadly and then the memories come flooding back. My once clear thoguhts quickly pace and my head aches viciously, bloody memories of pain and grief replaying in my brain and I drop to my knees, clutching my skull. My body may be healed, but nothing has changed with my brain.

"Becca-" Tony slips to the floor, kneeling before me.

I hold out my hand. "Let me go through it. It'll subside in a minute or two." My breathing picks up, tears moistening my eyes.

"But Becca-"

"I said, let me go through it!" A few seconds later, the pain vanishes but I stay on the floor, my legs crossed and my head bowed so my hair covers my face, as if it can shield me from the concerned look on Tony's face.

Tony stays still, watching me without a word. "What?" I ask after a while.

"Are you okay?" He says finally.

I inhale. "No," I shake my head. "I mean, yes, my injuries are all patched up and healed, but my head isn't any different... I still feel unstable, like I'm going to black out any second and wake up only to find that I massacred everyone I love and I don't remember any of it..." I begin to cry, tears warming my already blazing cheeks.

Tony sighs, pulling me into his arms and stroking my hair. "I know... I know... Being a superhero ain't all it's cracked up to be. It's just loss and pain and what for?"

"For the good of mankind." I comment, sniffing.

"But what will mankind reward us with? A trail of death and destruction wherever we go. Our reward for saving the world is blood on our hands and we're praised for that."

"This is a messed up world."

"Yes, and it's a shame that you had to learn that at such an early age." He whispers. I pull away, looking up at him. He seacrhes my face, his expression changing.