Stained (N.R)

Chapter 17

Ilya still haven't talked to me.

It had barely been two days and five hours but...

She was enjoying herself at the party, flirting with Bruce, and it kinda hurt.

I knew he was special to her, I knew that she liked him and he liked her back....

But I loved her.....

It wasn't the person who loves you most which gets to keep you though. 

Ilya would never be mine.

I sat in a cluster with Tony, Sam, Maria and Helen, having finished my third book in the duration of the party. Most of the guests were gone and Tony and Sam were trying to persuade me to drink.

"Lowers the survival rate significantly." I turned my head sideways as Tony tried to force the liquor past my sealed lips. Maria and Helen were laughing as I wiggled like a worm to avoid Tony and Sam.

"Common kid, no one's going to try killing you here." Tony scoffed.

"I've killed enough people for ninety percent of the world to hate me, Tony. I don't want to take any chances." I flipped to the other side of the couch, using Helen as a shield.

"And I have no idea why," Maria leaned towards us, ruffled my hair and squished my cheeks. "You are the only one we don't know about, and also too cute to die."

"I'm not like the rest of them, either geniuses or have a past to pity. " I shrugged, dodging her demon claws and burying my face on Helen's back to save my cheeks, ignoring deliberately the fact that she called me cute. "My past is as vile as it is boring."

"Knowing where you came from, I'd like to disagree." Maria tossed a glance and Natalia.

"Madam." A proud looking man strode towards us, nodding first towards Helen, Maria, then me, his posture as rigid as if someone stuck needles into his joints. "Colonel James Rupert Rhodes, also known as War Machine."

"Oh, a soldier," I snorted. "An American Soldier. No wonder why he calls himself War Machine."

Sam sniggered, Maria giggled, Helen shook her head and smiled at me. Tony swatted at me. "Be nice, he's a friend."

"Oh," I feigned surprise. "Well, that is a different matter all entirely."

I stood, holding my hand out to him. "Katyusha Dreykov."

He shook my hands lightly before turning to Helen and Maria. I rolled my eyes. "Which of your friends aren't over self confident human males who like to swoon over girls, Tony?"

"Happens to the best of us," He laughed taking a sip of champagne. "By the way, looks like Bruce has something for your girl."

I turned round to see them laughing, Bruce leaned forwards and Natalia cocked her head to the side, looking at him with soft eyes and a small smile.

It made you feel like someone just sat on your chest, and was hammering at your insides, which twisted in anguish and hurt, determined to let you drown in pain.

"Need a drink? It kills the pain." Sam passed me a glass. I took it and eyed it suspiciously, sniffing at the liquid.

"If it's her first time...." Helen tried to defend me by swapping the strong smelling liquor with beer.

"No, no." Thor interrupted, sauntered over to us, booming with laughter as he swept the beer off my hand. "Lady Katyusha, come, try some Asgardian ale. 'Tis much better than mortal beverage."

Helen shook her head at me, but I shrugged and gave her a tight lipped smile. Another look at the pair of new love birds and I downed the liquid. It tasted like sour wheat, but there was a strange underlayer of sweetness to it, as well as the bitterness of the fermented wheat itself. It was not a taste that I liked.

"How do you feel?" Thor asked, excited.

I frowned, feeling a slight pang in my head and a tingling sensation all over me, my eyes finding Natalia as she poured Bruce a drink. "It tastes bitter."

Helen looked slightly worried whilst Maria and Tony laughed and Sam choked on his drink. "Clint passed out after a sip and all you can say after drinking a whole pint is it's bitter?"

Clint, who was trying to lift Thor's hammer, having just woken from his nap, looked over offended. "Hey!"

"My turn." Steve said, steadying himself over the immortal weapon, a smirk on his face.

My head was feeling dizzy and light, and I decided that I didn't like the feeling. I frowned at Sam, then peeked at Natalia again. She was happy, glowing under the light, and I was growing smaller and smaller. "I don't like bitter things."

"Alright, kid." Tony clapped his hands together, winking at Sam. "Now you are drunk, we get to play some games."

My head swimming and splitting in pain, layers and layers of memories catching up with me. Faces, scenery, flashing past my eyes. I was not really listening, but nodded.

"Sit." He pointed at the sofa and I sat, my back straight and my posture stiff. His voice, their voice.... Yet it shouldn't be... I killed them....

"Oh, she is like a puppy when she's drunk. Jarvis, start recording." He motioned for Maria, Thor, Helen, Sam, Steve and Clint, then waved Bruce and Natalia over. Their faces shifted too, into faces of others.

Except for Ilya's. I would never have trouble recognising Ilya.

"Ok, let's start with the easy one, who are you?"

"I am Runt." I said mechanically back. It was Tony, then them, then Tony again. I was slightly confused.

"Runt?" Tony looked at Maria, raising an eyebrow. She shook her head.

"What did you do to her?" Natalia frowned.

"Alcohol," Tony waved his hand nonchalantly. "Now, continue."

"Tony," Steve frowned. "Katyusha is drunk, We shouldn't be prying."

"Don't act like you don't want to know her past, Cap." Tony waved him off. "We won't do something that bad."

Natalia suddenly sat up straight, her face blank and serious as she looked at me. "Where are you now?"

I blinked.

My surrounding started morphing, changing. Faces again, familiar and unfamiliar faces, they surrounded me. The air was stale and stuck to my skin. The floorboards below me was covered with a layer of grime, dirt and blood.

There was a sickly sweet scent in the air.

I looked back at Natalia.

"You shouldn't be here." I told her.

Then, the world spun again, the air colder, fresher, the floorboards turning into smooth, white tiled marble, I was sitting on a sofa, rather than a small box caked with dried red flakes of paint and blood.

The unfamiliar faces were gone, and some familiar ones too.

"I shouldn't be here." I whisper.

"What?" Tony asked, leaning forwards to catch my answer.

"The drunk is now sober, Stark." I stood, stared into his eyes, which widened with shock. "Show's over."

"Katya..." Natalia stood, her face serious as she scanned over every inch of me. "You...."

I raised a brow.

She dropped her gaze then shook her head.

"I think I should call it a night." My hands were twitching, my fingers curving as I relived my past. I needed to....

"I'll come with you." Helen gripped my shaking hand. I smiled at her. "Thank you, I...."

A loud, piercing noise rang through the room, the sound seeming to want to split my skull.

"What in the name of...."

More screeching, footsteps, metal grinding against stone.

I fished out three familiar cards, twirling them between my fingers.

"Show yourself." Thor boomed.