Red

The Awakening

Kamila's POV

I awoke with a sharp pain in my head. I groaned and placed my hands to my head. Blood roared in my ears and my eyes rolled with colors. All the colors faded to red as I felt a warm breeze pass over my head and a memory flashed before my eyes. It was right before the battle, when we were still at the base. My heart fluttered at the memory. I opened my eyes. Around me were many confused faces.

"Kamila? Can you hear me?" Clint asked.

"Unfortunately..." I replied. Everyone chuckled and I looked at the faces of those gathered here. Clint, Steve, Natasha, Wanda, and Pietro. He survived.

"What happened? Did we win?" I asked, my voice sounding forigen in my own ears.

"Yeah, we did." Pietro smiled down at me, and I studied his face. His eyes had dark circles under them, like he hadn't slept for days. "What do you remember?" I think back.

"I remember you saying goodbye and running off. I don't remember what happened next. Only a green flash. And then maybe..." I trailed off.

"What else?" Pietro asked softly.

"I felt my feet lifting off of the ground like I was flying." He nodded. I looked across the room at the others, noticing weird looks on their faces, Steve especially. He had this look like he was trying not to look me in my eyes. I looked over to Wanda, a question in my eyes.

"We had to tell them." I inhaled sharply. "I'm sorry." I made a move to sit up, ignoring the pain in my abdomen.

"Woah there, kid." Clint said. "It isn't good for you to be sitting up." Ignoring him, I looked over to Steve.

"I can pack up my few things. Be out in an hour."

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"I understand if you don't want me on the team."

"Where is this coming from?"

"They told you my past." I shrugged. "You now know what a monster I am."

"Kamila." Wanda scolded.

"What? It's true."

"Kamila, no it's not." Steve said.

"Really. I have over two hundred scars on my back that say otherwise." I pulled down the shoulder of the hospital gown, exposing the thin white lines that covered it. "One from every completed mission. All my 'missions' were all kills. I was the greatest teenage assassin to ever live. Some of those scars," My voice caught. "Represent up to a few dozen kills."
The pain in my head flared. I placed my hands on my temples. Wanda sent another memory, this one of Natasha and I in one of our lessons in the Red Rom. We were having a tickle fight and I was giggling, lying on my back. My vision faded back to reality.

"I'm sorry." I said, looking down at my hands. Tears began pouring down my cheeks. I internally cursed myself for crying, hating this action of showing weakness. I felt a hand intertwine itself with mine. Pietro began rubbing my knuckles.

"Kamila, that wasn't you," Steve told me. "HYDRA had control over your mind."

"I know, but I still did it."

"Lucky for you, we don't judge people by their worst mistakes." Nastasha said.

"Why would you want such a," struggling to find the English word I said, "Свободная пушка."

Natasha began laughing.

"Kamila, you aren't a loose cannon." She said, when she had stopped laughing. I pursed my lips, holding back my objection.

"Guys I think we should let her rest for a bit." Clint said, and I gave him a grateful smile. Everyone gave me well-wishes as they said their goodbye. Soon it was just Pietro and I. He had a troubled look on his face.

"What's on your mind?" I asked. He hesitated before saying,

"Why would you stop those bullets?" The question caught me off guard.

"I don't know what youre talking about." He sighed.

"Right before I would have been hit by Ultron's bullets, somehow, you caused a green wave that stopped them." I closed my eyes to try and remember what happened.

"I don't remember that at all. But what I do remember was feeling afraid to lose you."

"Why? You could have just stood by and done nothing and you wouldn't be in this hospital right now." I stared at him.

"Because I care about you, dummy." I replied. "And if I had done nothing, right now instead of being in a hospital, I'd be helping your distraught sister with your funeral arrangements." He winced.

"I just hate that you got hurt, protecting me. It's supposed to be the guy who rescues the girl, not the other way around." I smiled up kindly at him.

"You've already saved me." He furrowed his eyebrows. "You saved me from myself."