Life Isn't Always Fair- The Winding Path III

May We Never Forget

Hey guys! I'm back! Our vacation was amazing! The Smoky Mountains are gorgeous. We stayed in a cabin that was on a mountain. Stunning view by the way. Our cabin was three stories, but it was super cheap per night though. Anyways, there was a journal for the people who stay there to write in at the end of their stay. Some people said that they saw bears. We had hoped to see a bear but unfortunately, we didn't.

We took a tour through Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and guess what! There was a car museum from movies and the cars were authentic! And, in the very front of the museum where you could see the entryway, there was an actual S.H.I.E.L.D. truck! And there were statues of the Avengers right beside it. Super cool! And I loved the fresh air. I live in the city, where there is almost no fresh air.

But where my family lives and in the mountains, I can actually take in a deep breath and feel satisfied.

Part of this chapter will be used to commemorate 9/11 and honor the lives that were lost.

~Grace

Melissa's pov

Sitting in a crumpled heap, I was in despair. I had hoped that maybe, just maybe Bucky wouldn't suffer from the years he was killing people. He didn't have to tell me about his nightmare for me to know what it was about.

But what hurts the most is the fact that he ran away. Instead of talking to me and getting it off his chest, he decided to run away from his troubles. Cowardice, that's what it is. I was angry at him, not for almost choking me to death, but because he ran away.

Lifting myself up from the ground felt like it took every ounce of my energy. Walking back to my hut was just muscle memory. I grabbed my shawl and went to a small cliff that overlooked the entire valley. It was only a short hike up to it; the cliff was where I always went when I needed some time alone or something was wrong. Coming around an opening in the trees, it was only a few feet distance from the edge of the cliff. As I stood on the edge, the wind blowing my hair and shawl around, I looked out on the immense valley.

The stalks of wheat swayed peacefully in the midnight breeze, but it felt like salt on the wound to me. Everything around me was peaceful, and I'm just a simple disturbance. Oh, how I had hoped that Bucky would be himself again.

How I had hoped that he would be like he was before The Winter Soldier, before HYDRA, perhaps even before the war. But the thing that I had hoped for the most was that Bucky still felt the same way towards me. Maybe he still loved me. I suppose now, looking back, it was just wishful thinking.

But now, I realize there will never be Bucky and me again. We will never be what we used to be. So I closed off all of my hopes of something out of my reach. Closed off all of my feelings of love towards him. So, standing there on the edge of a cliff, my mind repeated the brokenhearted realization in my head over and over again. Things will never, ever be the same.

Bucky's pov

The sun had just started to come up when I returned to Melissa's hut. I wanted to explain my actions last night and apologize for leaving so abruptly. Raising my hand to knock, but paused when I noticed the door was slightly ajar. Pushing it open, I was met with only an empty hut.

Alarmed, I ran to one of the Dora Milaje who was posted at the edge of the village. "Do you know where Melissa is?".

She looked me up and down, "Check that small cliff over there." she pointed. "She goes there quite frequently.". She gave me directions on how to get there.

Thanking her, I started towards it. I was able to navigate the thick jungle with ease with the directions the woman gave me. I came through an opening and saw Melissa.