Toxic | Steve Rogers

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Escaping Hell

Adora’s POV
I had seen her dance like that. She had practiced it for me several times a day, and the last time I had seen my sister dance, was September 16th, the year of 1990.

The day I had made it out of hell alive.

It was a warm day, the flowers were in bloom, and the trees were luscious and green. Natasha and I were waking up, and I was helping her un-cuff herself from the bed.

She hadn’t known about my powers.

I had always had them, and I thought they were normal. At least, until the day our parents sent us off. I had said goodbye to my mother last.

“You mustn’t tell anyone, do you understand me, Adora? Your powers have to stay a secret” I remember my mother’s voice that day, how urgent and fearful she was. To this day, I still didn’t know why she was so scared. Maybe she had known about Tiana, and knew people would come after me.

Well, she was right on that one.

The day of my escape, I had known I would leave Natasha behind, which is something I’d regret for the rest of my life.

September 16th, 1990
There is no sound when I wake up. No sound of bird chirping, no bright sunlight to greet my eyes. That was the one thing I missed the most about normal life.

And the fact that I was handcuffed to the bed.

We always had to wait for Madam B to un-cuff us from the beds. It was routine, really, and today was the day I looked forward to the unpleasant sound of clicking metal, the feeling of it suffocating my wrists.

Click.

I was released from the bed, along with Natasha. Throughout all our years here, it was her that stayed the same. And it was her that kept me here until now. I promised myself I would get her out before she had the graduation ceremony. We had one short month until then, and now was the perfect chance.

The perfect chance to escape.

I got up from my cot, quickly changing into my uniform. It was well-worn, but had always managed to fit. I pulled on my flats, and walked out to the Great Hall. I sat down next to my friend, Dottie. She greeted me with a brisk smile, which I returned, digging into my breakfast of stale bread, lumpy oatmeal, and a carton of milk.

“Awfully quiet this morning” Natasha’s voice came from above me, and I looked up innocently. I had a feeling she would catch on, but I knew how to deceive my sister.

“Just not in a good mood” I reply casually. She nods, settling down besides me. We don’t speak until our training session.

Every other year, we have a “ceremony” of sorts, where two girls are chosen to go against each other to prove their worth, whether they have to kill, or not.

And I knew who they had chosen.

They knew we were sisters, and we’d never kill each other. And I had no other choice. I was her only equal, and she could win against anyone else. I could hear it in their minds, brewing like a storm I didn’t want to suffer through. And it was happening tomorrow. I knew I could escape in the middle of everything, and I once I got far enough, I would have some help. The leaders were excited, and they wanted to see which sister would break first.

But Natasha was made of marble.

I knew she was the best they’d ever seen, and she would be their star pupil. I also knew that’s not what she wanted. Natasha and I had been here for about for as long as I could remember.  She wanted a normal life far more than I did. And if my plan worked, I would come back for her and make that happen.