The first time she was awake, there was no one there; all she saw was a light bulb hovering above the ceiling.
A strange beeping noise.
The smell of infirmary.
Numbness.
She closed her eyes again and before another sleep got to her, she remembered the heat, something bright, the feeling of her flesh being cut. And in that piece of memory, she could here somebody calling her Jane.
September, 1933
Three knocks on the door. One step back. Count to 10.
"Good morning, Jane, my dear! You're always on time, aren't you?" The door swung open as soon as the 15-year-old girl finished counting, revealing a lovely woman in her apron.
Jane Carnahan smiled at the lady whom she adore as a second mother, knowing that she was always welcomed here in the Rogers household.
"Good day, Sarah." Jane looked over Mrs. Rogers' shoulders. The smell of healthy breakfast was all over the small house, however, a certain someone was still nowhere to be seen. "Steve isn't up yet?"
"Is that a question or a statement?"
"I'm pretty sure that you and I both know the answer for that." Chuckled in delight, she said. The woman beamed softly at the small girl's response. Not a truer one, indeed.
Without having to ask for direction, Jane started marching upstairs as Sarah closed the door and got back to her humble kitchen. Ten years was an awfully long time and it had been ten years of her waking the boy named Steve. So long that it had become a lovable habit.
"Steve, are you up yet?" The redhead called to the door. Instantly, it came a loud thud as something, or in this case, someone had hit the floor in their half-sleep. Jane muffled a laugh when she heard a guilty soft curse inside and exactly five minutes later, a blonde boy staggered into the hall.
"My, my... Look who's finally rise and shine." Jane's lips curled up into a smirl while reaching out to fix Steve's collar. He was short but she wasn't tall either, therefore they were about the same height. Her delicate fingers carefully smoothed off the angles of the fabric while humming happily to a familiar jazz song.
"Sorry, Jane. Sleep wasn't on my favour last night." Steve ruffled his hair bashfully, letting out a tiresome yawn by coincidence.
Jane looked at her best friend and wondered if she could ever get mad at him. She simply didn't have the heart to. They had been friends since her family moved to Brooklyn, New York and Steve had been a sick kid even before that. To the poor boy, spending half of his childhood in bed as a result of a common cold or an unexpected fever was a norm. However, that was only the tip of the iceberg. The number of times Steve got himself into a fight int the name of defending someone from the jerks in town and ended home injured was getting out of hand.
All Steve Rogers wanted and believed in were justice and kindness but God didn't even give him a chance.
"Hey, I get it. You were ill last week. Still need time to recover." Jane assured the guy with a smile. "Come on, I bet Bucky's still sleeping like a baby in his cot. Mr. Larsen swore on his mother's grave he'd kick Bucky out of class if the guy's late again. And with this pace-" paused Jane as she took a quick glance at the watch strapped around her wrist "- yeah, chances are that he will."
Steve rolled his eyes amusingly and followed the redhead downstairs to his mother's toasts. He couldn't say the difference, listening to her silent singing, he shook his head, Jane's always right.
And yes, yes she was.
Despite all their effort of shoving breakfast down their throat (more like Bucky) and running like madmen, the trio still ended up late. They reached the door as soon as it had been closed behind the teacher's back, panting breathlessly. Students like Jane Carnahan and Steven Rogers who were usually on time and not so much of a potential troublemaker were forgiven; however, the other guy wasn't that lucky.
"James Barnes! My office, now!" Yelled Mr. Larsen the moment he laid eyes on the male's head poking in at the front door. "Rogers, Carnahan, take your seats. And mind the clock next time."
Mumbling apologies to the fuming teacher, the two ushered to their desks. Steve went first and Jane followed him right behind. Befor she claimed a chair of her own, the redhead noticed Steve mothing good luck to Bucky and the boy shot him back a funny grin with two thumbs up. Boys.
"Janey? Your parents are out of town again, right?" Steve popped the question while she was in the middle of
"You got that right. Why?"
The fact was that:
Jane Carnahan's folks were always out of town. Her dad - Greg Carnahan was a busy business man who worked in steel industry. Going on business trips here and there was an essential part of his job. Jane usually didn't get to see her dad for weeks, even months and only there were short stayings that lasted less than a week. But even that, the daugter still loved her father dearly, much more than her mother for sure.
For Lillian Carnahan, staying in a big house all day long with the only thing to do was babysitting her child, who obviously wasn't in need for that, was the most efficient way to kill the joy. Being a 35 years old, socialise woman, Lillian realised she couldn't lead such a boring life anymore. Grand evenings in the the bigger cities, parties and clubs were what she took interested in, not a daughter who took after her husband so much that became nothing more than a little miss president. Luckilly, as they has always said that the fun never dies, neuther did Jane mother's fun. Occasional meetings happened almost everyday in anywhere but Brooklyn. Turned out, while Jane spent her dad's miney on the means of life, her mother burned it on her means of entertainment.
"Mom wants you to join us for dinner. You're welcome with us, Jane. Anytime. Especially when they are away."
"They are always away, Steve. And I should be the one to invite you guys. Sarah and you have done so much for me. Even Bucky sometimes does, too. I owe your family."
Steve reached out and slightly enfolded Jane's hand in his, squeezing it gently. The gesture was small but bore so much love and kindness. She could never be afraid of anything if it he would always be their to hold her hand like that. The blonde boy looked at the peer, saying determinedly, "You are family, Jane."
Far over there under the rusty streetlamp stood Max Kinkey and his ridiculousness of a gang with his big mouth chewing an apple arrogantly. As if he owns Brooklyn, thought Jane.
"Well, well! Look who's here with his girlfriend? Hey Rogers! Tell Janey to feed you more! Aren't you a bit too scrawny?" Laughing rudely, the older boy shouted from across the small street.
Steve tensed up almost immediately, his bony shape braced up like a hard log of wood with anger swelling inside his blue eyes.
"Ignore them Steve." Muttered Jane as she quickly tugged the teen's sleeve, but not before shooting the bully's a murderous glare. Steve lifted up his feet to her words, sped up his pace home before something serious should happen.
But of course, those losers didn't want to miss the fun. Max Kinkey left his spot and swayed towards the two friends, his two minions trailing behind.
"What's the matter, Stevie? Running home to your momma?" He mocked.
Gritting her teeth, Jane snarled. "Sot off, Kinkey."
"Girls should go home and,... I don't know... sew handkerchieves? But I bet you don't know how. Your momma's probably moaning on some old dude's bed!" Laughing again, this time only louder and more indecent.
Jane quickened her breathing. Nobody insults her family!
The girl was to retort something smart to defend herself and the name of Carnahan when Steve launched forward angrily. "Yoy take that back, Kinkey. You take that bad and you say sorry to her!"
Max Kinkey snickered and his minions exeggarated the action like a bunch of maniacs.
"Or what? Are you going to hit me, Rogers?" Steve became fuming. He was a volcano ready to explode any time now. Yet, a better idea lit up like a spark of light in Jane's mind as she balled up her fist and swung it straight into Kinkey's face.
Her knuckles made contact with the older teen's ugly nose under the bewilderment of the witnesses. In one quick move, the small girl had left the town's bad boy a bloody nose and shattered his pride into a bundle of broken glass. Jane could swore when that very moment of victory came, she heard a small crack in her joints, whuch turned out to hurt a lot, but felt a hell lot right!
"Not him, I did." She declared proudlyas her mind was trying to ignore the throbbing fist. Jane had never hit anyone. Her dad had taught her that a pen is always mightier than a sword; her mother would never approve such an unladylike behaviour either.
Max Kinkey touch his nose and his eyed gawked intensively at the thick, red liquid stained his fingers. "You... you little... "So caught in his own surprise, the bully found it hard to finish the insult.
"Steve?" Hissed Jane secretly to the the boy on her side. Cat had got Kinkey's tongue and his veins was threatening to popm "How fast can you run?"
"Depends... I can run fast in a life or death situation... Like that time when that dog chased me."
"Trust me, this is it." Jane said with seriousness and then grabbed Steve's colour to start running.
Waited no longer, the blonde picked up his feet and followed the girl in full speed. Begind them, the two friends could hear Max Kinkey's frantic order: "Get them! Get them!" fading away.