𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕨 || 𝕆ℂ 𝕩 𝕆ℂ

Prologue

Grace Monroe had many dreams as a child. Becoming an astronaut, a professional softball player, a firefighter, but her main goal was to become an engineer. She worked hard, studying every book she could get her hands on. But that all changed one night, December 14th to be exact. 

Outside her bedroom window, the snow was slowly falling, covering the ground like a soft blanket. It was always her favorite time of year, everyone seemed more cheerful and happy. Grace was laying on her bed reading a book she had just got about aerodynamics, listening to the music that was playing through the radio by her bed, when she heard pounding and screaming downstairs. Scared for her parents, she quickly threw her book down, got up, and ran down the stairs. 

The sight in front of her would forever haunt her nightmares. On the ground, covered in blood were her parents. Their eyes were open/clouded and their expressions were vacant. Their bodies were bruised and she saw that they had been beaten with a bat. The same bat she used that morning to hit a home run at her softball game. 

She stood frozen in fear and sadness, until she heard a loud thud and someone quietly threatening someone else to be quiet. Grace was suddenly alert, fearing that the people who killed her parents were still there. She sprinted up the stairs to her room and quietly shut the door. She backed away from the door slowly, glancing around her room to find a weapon. Her eyes landed on her spare bat that was leaning against the wall, but she couldn't bring herself to grab the object, fearing that even touching it would kill her too. 

Hearing soft footsteps travel up the stairs, her searching became more panicked. She looked over her night stand and across her shelves, losing hope she grabbed one of her softball trophies and hid in her small closet.

Her body was shaking and her hands were turning white as she held the trophy above her head, preparing to attack if someone opened the door. She tried to muffle her whimpers when she heard someone open the door to her bedroom. She pushed herself further against the back of the closet as the footsteps stopped on the other side of the closet door and the door started to creak open. 

Without a second thought, Grace quickly swung her trophy at the intruder, but before it could hit the person they caught it. Grace's eyes widen and she looked up at the figure. Tears were still clouding her vision, but she could see a small Asian woman holding the trophy. She had a comforting smile on her face and she made no move to disarm the girl. 

"It's okay," the woman comforted, "I'm not going to hurt you." She let go of the trophy and let Grace hold it out in front of her again. "I know your scared and I want to help you," she continued. Grace started to soften under the woman's welcoming gaze and soft words, but still didn't lower the trophy. "My name is Melinda. Can you tell me your name?"

Grace let out a small whimper, before quietly answering, "G-Grace."

"That's a beautiful name," Melinda complimented, just as quiet. 

"Thank you," Grace whispered, lowering her trophy slightly. 

"Hey, you can trust me. I won't let anything happen to you," Melinda said, cautiously placing her hand over Grace's.

At the contact, Grace let out a loud sob and collapsed into the woman's arms, tucking her head into the crook of her neck. Melinda softly wrapped her arms around the shaking girl body, rubbing her back comfortingly. 

After a few minutes, grace's loud sobs, turned to soft whimpering and Melinda pulled away slightly, looking into the girl's eyes. "I'm gonna take you somewhere safe, okay?" she asked, pushing some of the girl's hair out of her eyes. 

"What about my parents?" Grace asked quietly, tears gathering in her eyes again. 

"I'm so sorry, honey," Melinda started. Grace let out another sob and fell into the woman again. Melinda quietly stood up, holding the girl and walked her downstairs. She softly put her hand on the back of Grace's head, pushing it into her neck to block her view of the bodies. 

Once they were outside Melinda moved her hand and Grace looked up, seeing two black cars parked by the street and four men in bullet proof vests. She let out a cry and tried to scramble out of Melinda's arms, but Melinda held on tighter. "Hey, hey. It's okay. They're with me," she reassured, making the girl relax again. 

When they reached one of the cars, a man walked up to the pair. "Hey, May. Who's this?" He asked. 

"I'm- I'm Grace Monroe," Grace said before Melinda could respond.

"Well, hi. I'm Phil Coulson," he said, sending her a small wave and a comforting smile. 

"Let's get going," someone yelled from ahead of them, scaring the girl. Melinda turned so Grace was facing away from Phil and whispered something to him, before opening the car door. She softly set Grace into the car and got in the seat next to her. Grace immediately tucked herself into Melinda's side after they got strapped in and the woman smiled sadly at the girl. 

"Where am I going to go now?" Grace asked worried. 

"I'm gonna take care of you. I promise," Melinda said with no hesitation.