The Winter Wraith

Chapter 18

The flash of blue she saw turned out to be Pietro Maximoff, the enhanced she had briefly and unknowingly met a couple of years ago. Unfortunately for her, Pietro used his super speed to surprise her and quickly latch a set of power dampener handcuffs on her. After this, he sped back to the Compound with her in his arms.

This leads to the present situation of Adina. She was currently getting the 'I'm not mad, just disappointed' lecture from Bucky for her actions. She didn't believe him though. A certain vein in his forehead was bulging a bit, as she saw this before when he had been furious at Hydra.

She actually agreed with Bucky, not that she'd let him have that satisfaction of knowing so. She was stupid to run away, especially without a real plan. Once the adrenaline rush was over, she took a real look at the last 36 or so hours. Not once, except when her actions permitted it, had someone physically hurt her. They had given her a nice place to stay, a change of clothes, and a warm meal.

Trust was a finicky thing for Adina. It was once something she would freely give out, until it stabbed her in the back again and again. She would take the second chance Bucky offered to her, but she would still keep her cards close to her chest. After making up her mind, she tuned back into the long winded and one-sided talk with Bucky and interrupted him.

"Can I try again?" she murmured, so quiet Bucky almost missed it.

"What?" came his confused reply.

"Um, I'm sorry for my actions and not thinking. Can I have another chance at this?" she asked, this time slightly louder.

Bucky sighed through his answer, saying that of course she could have a second chance, as he unlatched her handcuffs.

"However, you'll have to keep the power dampener on for a bit longer. Some people don't trust you."

Adina nodded along while reaching up to rub her bleary eyes, an action that was not missed by Bucky.

"Let's get you to bed, Wraith," he said and reached out an arm to pat her on the shoulder, eliciting a small flinch from her small frame that she failed to completely mask.

As the pair approached the door to her new bedroom, Adina found herself happy with the way things turned out. Maybe staying here wouldn't be so bad.

"Goodnight, Wraith," Bucky said before he turned to go back to his own room.

The Wraith watched his retreating figure for a few seconds before making a bold decision.

"It's Adina, by the way," she called out.

Bucky turned around, his face masked in a pleasant surprise at the reveal of her true name.

"Well, goodnight, Adina. I'll see you in the morning," he replied one last time before continuing on his way down the hallway.

Adina bid him goodnight too, and she entered into her room with a sigh. She truly was tired. The day's events had worn her out, along with the big decision to take a chance by staying here. Plus, using her powers always took up a great deal of her energy. Nothing sounded better than just plopping on the bed and falling asleep, but she felt a bit gross, so she quickly washed up. A few minutes later, she was all cozy and bundled up in a fluffy blanket on the hardwood floor. She hoped that a deep and dreamless sleep would pull her under.

Unfortunately, luck seems to never be on Adina's side. Her sleep was plagued with nightmarish memories, but she was fine. This was just her reality. There was no way to avoid it, besides never sleeping, so she would just have to live with it.

~~~~~~

Apparently, Adina's stay at the Compound included waking up at an unseemingly hour to run with the one and only Steve Rogers. She was trailing a few paces behind the unnaturally fast man, glaring into his back to express her dislike of the situation.