These Feelings

Chapter 7

He scoffed, my back up against the far wall. "You mean nothing to me. I need only your powers. The moment I take you with this scepters' powers, you're mine. No one would stand a chance, isn't that right?" The scepter was pressed in enough and I felt it draw blood.

I dropped my eyelids halfway and dulled my expression. "I was told under circumstances I cannot escape, I am to kill myself." Having emotions now, when I had to actually kill myself, was not pleasant. But it was an order and I cannot reject an order.

"What? You mean to kill yourself as so I can't ascertain your powers for myself," he asked with surprise. "What resolve."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I am not afraid."

He smirked. Loki knew something that would obviously gain the upper hand on me. "Not afraid, are we?" I nodded. He stepped back and released the scepter from my chest. "Then why are you crying?"

"I'm... crying?" I reached a frail, shaking finger up to my face and touched a warm spot on my cheek. Pulling my hand from my face, I saw that it was true. I was crying, real tears, for the first time. "Why...?" I fell to my knees, barely managing to catch a glimpse of the hurt expression on Loki's face. My shoulder shook and I felt my breath shudder. "I am... afraid of dying...?"

His voice broke my thoughts. "It is a normal reaction when facing death head-on." But at the moment I didn't care that he was the bad guy. I felt scared. And it wasn't of him.

It was of dying here, when I just began to experience these things. It was unfamiliar and new but I didn't hate it. It made me realize that there's still so much in this world that I have yet to discover. So much to explore.

So, I ran to him. I ran into his surprised arms and cried. He stood there for the first few minutes without reacting to what I was doing. But then he suddenly became more open and inviting. He hugged me.

"I-I'm sorry," I stammered. I felt out of control. Emotions were a handful and I praise the people able to hide them. I dropped from his arms and pulled my knees into my chest before hugging my arms around them. "I don't know what came over me."

He knelt beside me and rubbed my back comfortingly, "It's alright. You're different."

I frowned at hearing him say that. "I know I'm just an emotionless, fifteen-year-old girl who was raised to become this super robot agent. I know that's different, at least I should hope it is. I've never experienced this kind of thing. All these feelings are strange and it all-"

"Hush, child." I looked up at him, seeing his eyes flickered from a cold blue to a deep color of emerald. "I changed my mind about you. It is alright. I will be here. I won't be like your father, the Director, or the others. I'll protect you, let you live a normal life." I felt the sincerity dripping from his voice. I knew he was the God of Lies and Mischief but I felt, in this moment, that he was telling the truth. "I promise." Loki outstretched his hand towards me.

I snorted lightly. "Ten minutes ago you were trying to mindwash me." Taking his hand, he helped me stand.

"Brainwash," he corrected.

"What," I asked him in confusion.

He smirked. "The term is brainwash." Loki chuckled softly and looked outside towards the people and aliens fighting. "My army of Chitauri will fail. I know it will. That was my plan since the beginning. I was also being brainwashed. My mind was destroyed by him but meeting you allowed me to become normal again."

"Who's him? Chitauri? You're no making any sense," I frowned.

He looked at me and hugged my tightly. "Here. Take this." Loki waved his hand and a scepter appeared. The one in his hand flickered and disappeared. Carefully, he pulled the blue shard out of it. "This is a fragment of the Tesseract. I suspect it has something to do with your emotions. I've kept it on me since I'd gotten it and gave your Avengers a decoy."

"Wait, I have an idea." I raised my hands up and pressed them over his. A flash of blue and gold was seen before I removed my hands. "There." Now in his hands was a necklace of a gold-steel chain. Loki smiled gently at me and uncoupled it. His hands were cold as they linked around my neck. I heard the clip snap into place and his hands drew away from my body. I felt as if I craved it more and more. His hands were so cold, it made me want to hold them forever.

"Thank you," I smiled. "Look! I'm smiling!"

He laughed and looked out the window with a serious expression. "Disappear." I nodded and waved my hand to turn myself invisible.

The Hulk came up the tower and I took that as my time to leave. I rose up and flew out the window hastily. I aided those below us with small blasts of power or suddenly making their arm become their leg. I took in this fight with a smile. It felt so good to finally feel, to be able to enjoy something. I flew over to Steve with a wide grin plastered onto my face.

"Cyral?" I waved with a grin. "You're actually alive?"

I scoffed. "Why is that always the person's reaction? Is me not dying really such a major ordeal-"

"What? Tony, she can close it!" I neared him and leaned in, using my reality-altering powers to allow me to hear.

"I gotta nuke coming in hot." Tony's voice was loud but muffled. Was that wind? I heard cars honking and water rushing in the background as well. It sounded as if he was over the bridge. "And I know just where to put it." I widened my eyes as I snapped my gaze up to the portal above.