Secret World

15

    The sun started to set as the world around me slowly became dark, haunting laughter rang in my ears as I reached the compound flinging the door open. My lungs felt like they were on fire and the sounds of my foot steps echoed through the vast room, bouncing off the cement walls. I hit the button for the elevator just as Friday welcomed me. I looked over my shoulder to the outside, I could see their eyes as the ding on the elevator cab announced its arrival.
    I walked in and pressed the button for the next floor down to the common room. To where everyone seemed to gather, a place I could feel safe for the moment. Somewhere I could catch a breath, away from the British man and Aunt May, away from Peter so I could wrap my mind around the events of the day. I could stop and try and figure out why they shadows creatures were talking when they never could before. My life had been upended again for what felt like the millionth time.
   My reflection stared back me, alone tear slowly tracked its way down my cheek. My hair a mess, my cheeks flushed and burning from the run back. Why was all this happening to me, I didn't want this. I wanted what everyone else did. To live a normal life, one where I could of gone to school, to have friends, to not have to run every single day of my life. I loathed this gift, this curse.
   The cab dinged as the doors rolled opened. The warm light from the common room greeted me with scents of chicken marinating in spicy sauces and apples enveloped me. Slowly I stepped out, I closed my eyes for a brief moment just to allow myself to be comforted in the fact that I was no long out in world but safe in here.
   "Echo, where have to been?" Wanda's worried voice questioned.
   I opened my eyes to see her rushing towards me, her brows pinched together. I let out the breath I had been holding as I tried to figure out what I wanted to say. The truth? A lie? No doubt Peter called everyone. I watched as she pulled a phone from her pocket and her thumbs tapped against the slick glass.
   "I'm fine." I stated weakly, even I could hear my voice waver as I said it.
    "You maybe able to lie to everyone else, but not to me." She said, as hooked her head toward the kitchen table. "You are different, and I don't want to press but Peter was very worried when he called. What happened?"
   "I...I..." I stammered as I stared in her eyes. I felt another tear streamed down my cheek as I looked into her worried face. "She looked like my Auntie, she is her, just not her. Just like everything else on this planet, it's the same and different all the same time. And then the guy, I know him, I can feel it but I don't know from where."
   "What do you mean?" She asked as I paused to take a deep breath to calm myself back down.
   "I'm not from here!" I bursted out as the dam opened and the tears fell.
   For the next hour I explained everything to her, between the tears and sobering moments, I let everything out again. Wanda was patient, and listened as she bustled around the kitchen finishing what I presumed to be dinner for the team. She asked questions once in a while for clarification. And when I had let everything out, including the events of today the tears had completely stopped. She nodded for a moment and then looked back up to me.
   "So, we have to figure out who this man is, with everything that you have told me then he is going to be a problem." She stated. I nodded in response before laying my head on the table feeling drained. "The shadow creatures, you said they attacked that boy, right? After he poked fun at Peter."
   "Yes." I croaked out staring over at the wall.
    "You said it's not the first time they have done something like this?" She asked as she sat down on the stool opposite of me.
   "I've never seen it." I replied.
   "You said when the government had you, the locked door was some how unlocked? It was dark, could they have let you out?"
"Wanda, these things have scratched me, and drew blood they have tormented me for years. I doubt they are trying to help me." I told her flatly as the ding of the elevator behind me announced the arrival of other people.
"Girl, you sure scared the daylights outta the kid." Sam stated as I could hear him walk towards me.
"Sam, be nice." Wanda warned him.
"Hear that, she's telling you to be nice this time." Bucky spoke up, the feet of the chair next me scraped as it was pulled back and groaned from the man's weight as he sat down. Sam walked around the edge of the table and looked to see what Wanda was cooking. His eyes drifted over towards me, a hint suspicion in them.
"So what got ya so spooked?" He asked me, slowly I left my head, my eyes tracked his movements as he slowly moved from pot to pan.
"Sam!" Wanda scolded.
"What? It's a legitimate question." He stated turning to face her. I could feel my heart start to race in my chest, this was exactly what I didn't want.
"She doesn't have to tell you." Wanda snapped at him.
"Like hell she doesn't." Sam snapped back, turning to face her fully. "We don't know her, Peter barely knows her. We've completely let her into the compound, and for all we know she could be someone like hydra was."
"Dude, settle down, she isn't hydra." Bucky finally spoke, leaning back in his chair as he stared the other man down.
"And you would know, how?" Sam retorted his head snapping toward Bucky.
"For starters, she isn't very stealthy, nor is she attempting to hide herself." Bucky spoke calmly as he crossed his arms.
"But she is hiding something." Sam stated looking for him to Wanda.
"You're right, she is." Bucky stayed, looking over at me and then back to Sam. "But it's nothing sinister, otherwise you wouldn't know it. Whatever she's hiding, I think don't she poses you or any of us a threat. I think she is hiding is more like it."
"Man, you are seriously not going to argue with me on this? You of all people." Sam responded.
"Look, if me being here is a problem I'll leave." I announced growing tired of everyone talking about me like I wasn't even sitting there. "It's not like I haven't been on my own for years, I can take care of myself. I don't need this."
I stood quickly, my chair scraped a crossed the floor as Sam glared across the table at me.
"Echo!" Wanda called out as I turned and started heading toward the elevator. "Dammit Sam!"
I heard the other chair scrape, and the sound of heavy boot fall coming up quickly. I didn't waiver as I continued to walk to the elevator, pressing the button down watching it turned green. Someone had put me in for access this time. I felt Bucky's hand only moments before the world around me changed.
Snow everywhere, it is cold, so cold. The pain in my left arm was intense, I looked over to see it gone, flesh ripped up and bloody. Fear echoed its way into my soul as I laid there in the white snow, blood spattered around the left side. The world was growing dark as people walked up, speaking in another language. Fear, so much fear.
I jumped away from him, sucking in air as fast as I could, my body trembled uncontrollably. I had never had a vision so intense, so real, so life like as I had that time. I felt the tear slowly track down my face as I stood facing Bucky three feet away. The room was silent for the first time since the two of them had walked in. A dull throb in my left shoulder, remnants, something that never happened to me. Something I couldn't explain.
"What the hell?" I whispered to myself.
********
"Sir, you want me to do what again?" A man in tactical black suit asked, looking over his shoulder from the computer.
There was a girl on screen, standing next to his boss, fear in her eyes as she stared at him. His boss walked over to the computer and point at the girl on screen.
"I want to know who she is, and where she is." He stated, his accent filling the room as he spoke. "She recognized me, and I don't know who she is. So find her, I don't want to risk her ruining the Livatech program."