THE MARVEL GAMES: THE NEXT AVENGERS

Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Time for Goodbyes

Allie's Point of View

I was pulled into a room that was about three times the size of my tiny bedroom. I was furnished like an old sitting room from pre-Invasion times.

I sat nervously, wondering if I'd have any visitors besides my family.

It took a while, but finally, I heard the door open and Ren sprinted in.

"Allie!" He cried, tears streaming down his face. "Why? Why would you do that?"

He was sobbing uncontrollably clinging to my dress for dear life, not letting me go even when I knelt down to his level and looked him in the eyes. I started wiping tears off his cheeks and I tried to smile for him.

"Because I would rather die than see you die." I squeezed him in a hug.

"But what will we do without you?" He cried, loudly. I knew we only had limited time. I was pretty sure I only got five minutes with each person which visited, and I had a limit of ten visitors.

"Listen, Ren. I love you okay, and I would have never, ever been able to live with myself if you got hurt and I could have done something to have stopped it." I smoothed his hair down and told him the biggest lie I'd ever told anyone, "I'm going to win for you, okay? I promise, I'm going to come back."

Ren nodded as he was escorted out from the room and my parents peered in through the door.

"Sweetheart..." My dad walked up to me slowly while my mother literally ran up and swept me off my feet in a hug. "Remember what we taught you, okay?"

I nodded firmly. "Hide, ally, don't attack unless necessary, survive."

Dad had always told me what to do if I ever, by chance, was drawn into the Games. He'd even taught me how to use a bow and arrow -and thankfully, I'd gotten the good side of the gene pool and I had his aim. I was almost as good as him, and I would need to use that now.

"Good girl." Dad ruffled my hand and took over from my mum so he could hug me.

"Allegra." My mother took my hands in hers and let some tears slide down her face. And that made me start crying -my mother never cried. It was against her moral law. And now that she was, I felt guilty that it was all my fault. "Allie, don't let them change you okay? Stay yourself. And do everything you would if you weren't in the Games -I had to make some tough decisions in my Games, and they haunt me to this day-"

"Stella..." My dad rested his hand on the small of mum's back and looked at her lovingly.

"No, Clint, she needs to hear this now." Dad nodded in response.

"I had to kill some people that I was close too, and I want you to know, that if I ever see you again after this, I will still love you. I will never stop loving you." Her voice cracked on that last sentence and she reached out to me as a peacekeeper pulled her away from me.