The Secret Rebellion (Book 3 in The Secret Series)

Chapter 4: Getting Orders

Chapter 4: Getting Orders

I jerked awake, panting slightly. I shook my head, trying to shake away the remnants of my nightmare. Loki’s laughing face was still clear in my mind.

“Eldrid?”

Looking at the clock, I was surprised to see that only an hour had past, as it was now four o’ clock in the morning. I swore I’d been asleep longer. I certainly felt refreshed.

“Who is it?” I called, croaking slightly.

“Agent Hill. You need to get up now.”

“Why? I’ve only been asleep an hour,” I complained, sitting up fully. There was a pause, before she answered again.

“Actually, you’ve been asleep 25 hours.”

“Really? That’s certainly an achievement,” I replied, impressed with myself but also very concerned.

When Odin went into his Odinsleep to replenish his powers, I’d heard that he could sleep for over a week solidly – maybe I’d just experienced my own version. Gods, prison must have really tired me out, more than I’d thought. Or maybe sleeping for so long was an after-effect of the Spider-Venom cure Nick had administered…

“Director Fury’s decided that you’ve had enough sleep. He wants to discuss his plan with you and give his orders, remember?” Maria sounded slightly impatient, so I took my time in walking leisurely to the door, but I didn’t open it.

“I’ll be at the bridge in half an hour,” I told her, stretching my arms tiredly.

“Half an hour? But you’ve already had-” she began indignantly, but I cut her off.

“Half an hour. You should be grateful that I’m only taking thirty minutes – I could really do with another hour or so of sleep…”

There was silence, before I heard the click of her boots’ heels as she marched away. I yawned, and headed to the ensuite bathroom.

In the moderately sized bathroom, there was a bath and shower rolled into one, along with a pristine toilet and matching coloured sink. Hanging above the sink was a large mirror, and I stared into my reflection for a few minutes, a puzzled frown forming on my face as I did.

My black hair was lank, and my cheekbones stood out more than usual. My skin was even paler than usual, highlighting the shadows beneath my eyes. I wasn’t too surprised by this – I had been in prison for a month. I’d hopefully look normal with a few days of rest and decent food - not that Nick would let me rest.  

But it was my eyes that concerned me most.

Looking into the deep green, I saw a striking resemblance to my father. Within them, there was a deep bitterness radiating out, a hidden resentment. There was also a fire burning deep down, a smouldering anger, and the steely glint in my eyes confirmed my thirst for revenge. I raised an eyebrow sarcastically, wondering if Loki ever saw himself in me. But this made it worse – the raised eyebrow and dark humour in my expression made the likeness more striking; more complete.

I gripped the sides of the mirror and yanked it off its hook, feeling scared. I placed unceremoniously on the floor, almost shattering the glass. I left it there, leaning against the wall and facing away from me.

***

Donned in black jeans and a casual jumper, and feeling refreshed by my shower, I finally felt relatively comfortable. It had been tricky the first time I started dressing completely as a human, but by now I was used to it. In fact, it would probably feel odd to wear my old Asgardian armour again, which was another reason why I decided not to.