Memories Can Hurt Just as Much as Trauma

15: Discussions, Panic Attacks, And New Guests

Lydia POV:

Jolting awake from my dream, something inside me is saying that I should check on Melody. I used the inner voices to hone in on her location, and when I find her, I sit down beside her and ask, "What's Wrong?" Melody lifts her head up and responds, " Banner just insisted on seeing what's under my shirt, i.e, my scars, and without context, I'm worried that they'll assume the wrong things about me. I genuinely wanted to make a good impression, and I don't want that to be messed up." I put my arm around her and softly say, "Then you should probably explain it to them. They'll make the wrong assumptions about you if they don't hear the truth from you. And finding proof will make your side even more believable, right?" My traumatized cousin's eyes light up and she exclaims, "You're not wrong! I could ask Uncle Z if I can tell them, and I can ask Cousin Athena to help with corroboration. Thanks for the idea, Lyds!" I shout a, "You're Welcome.", forward to her as she runs off to get the permission and help she'll need. Walking to the kitchen for a snack, I hear outside whispers in a partially open room, so I turn my focus there and eavesdrop on the Avengers' discussion.

Tony POV:

"She needs to leave.", Capsicle says. Triple Imposter responds with, "No, she doesn't. She could be a recently freed Widow Assassin that's just looking for protection." Legolas retorts with, "Then what about the younger one? Lydia, she said that's her name, right? If we're going by your theory, then she's a former Widow too." Nat fires back, "She could be. I have no clue. Bruce, did Lydia seem to have a lot of training?" GGRM says, "No. At most, she has half a year's worth of training. Not at all like Melody, who looks to have, and this is a low-ball estimate, nearly 2 decades of experience. And her scars range from claw marks to bullet wounds, which tells me that she has endured torture and pain well beyond most of our human comprehension. We should let her choose when she explains her story to us." Cap' rolls his eyes and says, "Fine, but if we don't have an explanation by the end of the week, I'm personally throwing her out." I throw the old-timer the bird as I walk out of the room and head to the closest kitchen, surprisingly seeing Lydia in there, eating a ham sandwich. She says, "I heard everything.", and I stop in my tracks.

Melody POV:

Once I had the green-light from Drama Queen and Thea had arrived, I corralled the Avengers into the lounge room and walked up to the front of the room. I start by saying, "Well, I'm sure all of you, especially Bruce, since he saw my scars, are wondering why I have them." Mr. Patriot rolls his eyes in a rather spite-filled way, which only heightened my anxiety, but I take a deep breath and continue, "Well, it connects to my dad's side of the family." Just then, a crash sounds on the balcony and Thor, the dumbass thunder deity himself, runs in. As soon as he spots Athena and I, he asks, "Princess Melodía, Lady Athena, what are you 2 doing here in New York?" A shocked Tony asks, "Wait a damn minute: You're A Princess?!" I answer, "Technically, yes.", as Spy Queen asks, "Isn't your first name Melody?" I respond with, "No, actually. My mom just kept calling me her tiny melody and the nickname stuck." Thor then says, "She's Hades's daughter. Why don't you have slightly more respect for her?" Mr. Patriot spontaneously stands up and, just a millisecond later, my head snaps to the side and my ears start static-ing. The "most noble of the group" just slapped me because of Thor telling the truth, and he screams at me, "You seriously got Thor to lie for you?!" I touch the (now) handprint on my cheek, hyperventilating and unable to hear Steve's religious rambling, and I run off to hopefully calm myself down. Now leaning against a wall in my room, I can't seem to calm myself. Suddenly, someone wraps me up in a hug and I now have a heartbeat to focus on.

Luke POV: 60 Seconds Ago

In a taxi, on my way to the llama-shaped tower, a sharp pain shoots through the link Mel and I have. The irrational side of my mind immediately jumps to murder, but luckily for the cab driver, I'm able to tune that out and my rationality tells me that I should probably console her before anything else, since she's likely having a panic attack. Once I do that, the next step should be ripping the slapper a new hole. I throw the last of my pocket money onto the console and hop out of the still moving car, shout a, "Thank You.", at the cabby, and vamp off to the nearest shadow. Once in the same room as her, I can clearly see the extent of the panic attack. I sit down beside her and pull her into my chest, her head resting right in between my rib cage and I feel her relax into me. Whoever hurt her, you're about to get the verbal lashing of your nightmares!