Years Beyond - Old Soul Sequel

7

<Avalie's Pov>

The guards grabbed Steve once they had thrown me into my cell. He wiggled in protest and shouted on my behalf, but I shook my head at him, silencing him. He stared at me with confusion as the guards dragged him out the door, and I could only hope that he would see the look in my eyes, the look that told him that I had a plan.

Feeling refreshed, I began to pace the floor of my cell. With my sickness gone, the small prison room didn't seem quite as dark. It didn't feel quite as cold. Slowly, my regenerating ability was pushing the rest of the illness out of my bloodstream, and until it did, I would have to think of all the ways I could use it to bust Steve and me out of here.

The obvious thing to do would be to teleport. But without my full strength, I wouldn't be able to carry both Steve and I. I would have to wait 12 hours to jump the both of us. Unless, I wondered. I can leave now, alert S.H.I.E.L.D. and come back for Steve.

No. That was too risky. They could notice I'm gone and kill Steve out of frustration. Besides, I won't leave Steve. I can't.

And jumping was still too risky. I haven't travelled in weeks. I needed to get reacquainted with my abilities. So, doubting I would be able to calm down my racing nerves, I laid on the concrete floor of my cell in an attempt to sleep.

Sleep came slower, now that I was fully healed and restored. But when it did finally come, I found myself in a place aside from blackness. I was in a schoolyard that I knew all to well. With the white edges clouding my vision, I knew that I had achieved my travel. Yet once I saw the snow sticking to the ground, I wanted to be anywhere else.

As the bell rang from the school walls, I ran and dove behind a vacant bus, thankful that my muscles didn't forget my training with Steven during my sickness. As I panted from behind the bus, I prayed that I wasn't where I thought I was. But I heard the voices just behind me, and I hung my head.

"Just shut up!"

My heart squeezed in my chest. I risked a glance over my shoulder, peering up into the rearview window of the bus. In the reflection, I saw my own face, only eight years younger. I stood, pale, looking at my best friend as he yelled at me.

"Landon," young Avalie whispered, a cloud of her breath forming in the cold air. "I'm sorry."

Landon shook his head, his caramel hair falling into his eyes. It was before he had gotten his haircut. The length had annoyed me, because it hid his dark intelligent eyes, and I had always wanted to push it off his forehead for him. But now, watching him from behind the bus, so boyish and skinny, I just wanted to hug him.

As Landon lifted his head, I could see the red painting his upper lip. He wiped at the blood in disgust. "You just don't understand," Landon said. "Jake... He isn't nice, ok?"

"Of course he isn't," young Avalie said without hesitation. "He punched you." Seeing myself from this view, so small and determined, I wanted to cry. I held a laptop against my chest, probably containing hard drives filled of college applications and coding hacks. I had everything figured out, it seemed. She doesn't know yet, I thought sadly. How things will go downhill.

"He only punched me because I was trying to protect you!" Landon exclaimed, unusually abrasive. Young Avalie stepped back in shock, but Landon didn't notice. "He messes with you everyday. I'm supposed to let that happen?"

Young Avalie shrugged, biting her lip. "He just flirts, Lan. It's nothing to get into a fight about."

Landon turned his head away from Young Avalie, but I could see him clearly now where I was never able to that day. There was a strange look in his eye. He was blushing.