VINDICATION- MARVEL

• SEVEN •

2014

Cassandra woke up halfway through the frantic drive. She was sprawled across the back seat of the "borrowed" truck, while Steve was driving well past the speed limit in the front seat. Her head ached, and it hurt to move at all. It was dark outside the windows, and the time read 5:52 a.m. She groaned, letting Steve know she was awake.

"Where are we going?" She asked, her voice scratchy.
"A safe house."

She was confused by the answer, all the safe houses being property of S.H.I.E.L.D. or, Hydra, whatever it was now, but her head hurt to much to speak anymore, so she laid back down. Everything felt better if she closed her eyes, so she did, making sure she didn't fall back asleep, but just closing her eyes.

Cassandra couldn't tell if Steve was angry at her, Zola hadn't said anything that could make him angry at her. But then again, dying for nothing would probably sparked anger somewhere.

Thoughts floated around in her head, flashes of nightmares and memories sparked in front of her eyes. She focused in on one of them, letting it fully expand until it took up her entire head space.

"You look like a princess."
"You look like father."
"I do not!"
"You smell like father."
"That's because I do."

A boy held up a bottle of cologne, waving it in front of the girl's face. Her brown eyes widened, and she tried to snatch it from his hands.

"James! You'll get in trouble for that!"
"Oh please. It's not like he ever notices us enough to care. You should know that Cass."

She glared at him, and he smiled, bursting into laughter. She tried to keep her face serious, but found it increasingly difficult. Her face slowly broke into smile, and she started laughing. The five year old glaring was quite a funny face.

The memory stopped, and she felt her eyes burn with tears. She shook them away, quickly regretting the motion when she had to sit still for five minutes to get it to stop hurting. Headaches are the worst.

Against her will, she fell asleep for the second time, and when she woke up, Steve had parked them in a residential neighborhood. She sat up, expecting pain, but thankfully, nothing happened. Steve helped her out of the truck, letting her lean onto him, because it hurt to walk.

Cassandra didn't know where Steve was leading her, it could be a trap, it may not be, she didn't know. It's not like he was telling her anything.

The pair limped up the steps, and Steve knocked on the door. Cassandra was staring blankly at the wall, her head rocking back and forth. A dark skinned man, the same man Steve had been running with a few days ago, opened the door.