Avengers: A New Age

2

AMERICA

My portal closed, the feeling of power gone, and exhaustion took over my body as I took in my surroundings. It was so dark, so cold, so lonely. I was in some city with tall intimidating buildings leering down on me. I was only 10, I felt so small,  so tired, so scared, and alone. It was freezing, I shivered with every step I took praying and hoping to find something but I was not entirely sure what. 

 Despite my aching feet begging me to lie down and rest, I continued walking. I found nothing as I kept searching though it was just dark and empty- completely devoid of anything except those tall buildings and the strange marble streets. At this point, I had traveled to many different realities and knew that time worked differently in some realities, and that I could not trust the things I had learned in other worlds. I had no idea what time it was, where I could go, or what I should do. Then I saw a person, I wanted to run but I didn't think my body physically could it was just so cold. The person came closer and closer, they marched at a steady pace never missing a beat. when they came close enough they saw they had some sort of uniform on, one that almost resembled a bee-keeper uniform

"Help me" I tried to yell but it came out weaker than I expected. I felt tears forming in my eyes, I had never felt so helpless before.

"Please" I tried again "I-I'm...lost" My knees gave out as I crumbled to the marble streets, the hours of walking finally catching up to me. All I wanted to do was close my eyes and disappear.

"In disregard of conduct 46 you shall be eliminated" the person spoke, their voice sounded odd and robotic but then they pulled out a gun and placed it against my forehead. I completely froze in fear and then the familiar sensation came rushing towards me. The sadness, the fear, the loneliness, the cold, the exhaustion all disappeared for only a second then-

I jolt up out of bed screaming and sweating from the nightmare, I notice my hands are glowing their blue color so I take shaky breaths trying to calm myself down. I have been working with Stephen on controlling my power and using it on command but I could still accidentally open portals after particularly bad nightmares, ones where I can't tell the difference between now and then, where the feeling of opening a portal blends between now and then. 

I hold my breath as I wait for Stephen to come running down the stairs thinking I am hurt, I have been staying with him in his gigantic mansion and while I didn't always wake up screaming my excuses for doing so the few times I have are becoming lamer and lamer, ranging from 'i saw a spider' to 'i stepped on some legos' (the latter one completely unconvincing seeing as I don't have any legos) 

I told Stephen I didn't dream and that is only partly true because I do dream, just not in the way everyone else does. When other people dream it is of alternate versions of themselves across the multiverse. I don't have a multiversal counterpart in any realities so, instead of visiting other worlds like everyone else I relive whenever I have ever opened a portal. The dreams rotate between times I have intentionally opened one, unwillingly opened one or even unknowingly opened one. They are vivid and in dreams where I couldn't control my powers I feel the loss, fear, anger, and loneliness making it so that when I dream of one of the worst ones I can accidentally open a portal in the present while I open one in my dream.

I sigh and lay back in my bed, my heartbeat slowing to a normal rate. I was not training with Stephen today or for the rest of the month due to something that I'm apparently "not ready for".I knew that brewing about why I 'wasn't ready' was just going to unmotivate me so I decided not to give a fuck what anyone else thinks about my abilities and spend this month training by myself relentlessly so that when everyone came back I could prove to them that I am ready.