Book One of the Shadows Series: Shadow of Redemption

Proving Grounds

The memories were more intense than normal. But no one came. Sera spent hours upon hours sobbing until there were no more tears left in her soul. She slept for a slow thirty minutes. She woke up before the sun rose, fully dressed before she heard Yelena's alarm go off. Within a few moments, Sera heard a knock on her door and opened the door slowly, having trouble due to the handcuffs that were still tight on her wrists.

Yelena held a key in her hand and nodded at the cuffs. Sera lifted them and took a deep breath when they were released. Yelena frowned when she saw the raw skin where the cuffs were. "They weren't on that tight," her accent thick in the early morning. Sera's British one was just as heavy. "The pain I could make with those was kind of distracting me from the other one," she said matter-of-factly. The blonde didn't know how to respond. She only felt guilty because the whole night she could hear the girl, but she was unsure of how to help. So she just tried to block out the cries.

"Hungry?"

Actually, Sera was still full after her meal last night. Bucky had brought her a filling chicken salad. It was hard to eat it at first, but she slowly ate it all, leaving the plate as clean as it had in the cupboard. But she just said yes to Yelena and followed her into the kitchen. Some of the others were there, too. The first person she noticed was Bucky sitting next to Sam and Clint. She thought that he would help her, at least in the beginning. But he never showed. So, she ignored his smile and sat at a lonely table in the corner of the room.

"What would you like?" the Russian asked. Sera shrugged. "Surprise me, I guess." It was interesting watching Yelena move throughout the kitchen. It was easy to see that she wasn't the most talented cook, but she made do with the skills she had. After a couple minutes, she sat across from Sera, two plates of pancakes in her hands. "What are these?"

"An American meal. Not originating here, but I don't think I've met an American who hasn't had one of these before. It's called a pancake."

"I'm not American."

"You will be after you try my world famous recipe," she announced boldly and Bucky looked up from a tense conversation. "I'm sorry, what did I hear you say? Those floppy things are mediocre at best, Yelena," he said jokingly. She flipped him off, smiling to herself. "Just eat your food, Barnes."

Sera allowed a small grin. Yelena turned her attention back to the girl across from her and pointed to the plate. "Eat up, kid. You've got a long and hard day ahead of you." Sera looked down at the pancakes, the golden-brown discs glistening with syrup and topped with fresh fruit. She hesitated, the lingering effects of her years with HYDRA making her cautious about something as simple as food.

Yelena noticed her hesitation. "It's okay, Seraphina. Food is good. It's one of the few pleasures in life."

Sera picked up her fork and took a tentative bite. The sweet, fluffy pancake melted in her mouth, and she couldn't help but smile. "It's... really good."

Yelena grinned. "Told you. And there's more where that came from."

At the other table, Bucky watched the exchange with a soft smile. "She's adjusting well," he said quietly to Sam and Clint.

Sam nodded. "She's a fighter. She'll get there."

Clint, ever the pragmatist, added, "We just need to make sure she knows we're here for her. No pressure."

As they continued their conversation, Yelena and Sera finished their breakfast. Yelena stood up and began clearing the plates. "Ready for your first day of training?"