My friends don't walk, they run
Skinny dip in rabbit holes for fun
Popping, popping balloons with guns, getting high off helium
We paint white roses red
Each shade from a different person's head
This dream, dream is a killer
Getting drunk with the blue caterpillar

-Mad Hatter; from Melanie Martinez

In Mary Elizabeth's twenty-eight years of life, she'd done plenty of things she believed were good ideas. Some of them did end up being really good decisions; others ended up being so wrong, it left her wondering how in the hell she messed up so badly. Joining the military was one of those decisions. Mary Elizabeth had barely graduated high school when she chose to join the army. She was convinced, wholeheartedly, that joining the military would be her "big step" into adulthood. Looking back at that, remembering all the ways she tried rationalizing it, Mary Elizabeth determined that her mindset was in no way correct. The military did not signify she was being a good thinking adult. It definitely did not mean she was capable of making right choices just because she was eighteen. Looking back at it, Mary Elizabeth was certain that the only reason she joined the army in the first place was because she felt like it. It wasn't out of a need to serve her country, or any other reason like that, she simply felt like it'd be a good idea to join the military because why not? That was the first mistake Mary Elizabeth made.

Mary Elizabeth's problem at that time was that she dove headfirst into so many things that she never bothered thinking of the consequences. She thought joining the army would be a piece of cake, that she'd be able to do what she needed to do without much trouble. That had been her second mistake. Mary Elizabeth didn't stop to think that maybe her arrogance was clouding her judgment. She didn't consider the stress and other pressures that came with becoming a soldier. Basic training had essentially kicked her ass, but she just barely made it through. It had been difficult in the beginning, something Mary Elizabeth wasn't prepared for. She had to come to terms with working hard and earning her place with the others. She had to figure out ways to earn their respect, and it wasn't going to be through her typical eighteen year old attitude. As time went on, Mary Elizabeth managed to earn the respect of a decent amount of people, at the same time working her way upwards in the army. The young woman knew that not everyone would like her, and she didn't hold it against them. She was starting to figure things out, starting to see the way things truly worked. After all of Mary Elizabeth's training had ended, she was deployed in her first tour, which would go for about a year.

For the most part, things seemed to be going over fairly well. Mary Elizabeth, pushing twenty years old at that point, was doing well where she was stationed. She had good relationships with the other soldiers, even managing to follow her orders well. Mary Elizabeth was, for the most part, comfortable with how things were going. She Until, of course, it was announced some changes were going to be made. It was announced that a special unit of the military would be put together, but it required very specific individuals. Handfuls of soldiers would be taken from their stations, told practically nothing on what was going on. Mary Elizabeth had been one of those people, and the results were nearly catastrophic in nature.

O.O.O.O

Six months. That was the amount of time that passed since Mary Elizabeth returned from the military. In her records, it said she'd been medically discharged, but that wasn't the whole truth. Yes, she did get injured during her time in the military, but it was due to her involvement in the special unit. An accident on base resulted in Mary Elizabeth getting terrible injuries, due to the severity of them, she had been discharged. But it was not because of any active duty she'd done overseas. It wasn't the result of any kind of terroristic threats she may have faced, it wasn't the result of any kind of accident − it was because of them. The ones who were in charge of the special unit.

Mary Elizabeth blamed a lot of what happened to her to them. The structure that she obtained in the military was suddenly gone. She had no idea what happened to her friends. Again, another one of Mary Elizabeth's great ideas went wrong. So, after being discharged, and after receiving medical treatment, the young woman was sent to live with her parents for a little bit. When that didn't turn out, Mary Elizabeth was sent to live with her older sister, Moira. It was because of Moira's firm attitude and no-nonsense way of going about things that helped Mary Elizabeth adjust back to normal life. It was better than the way the siblings' parents went about handling the young woman's readjustment. Still, just because she managed to regain some normalcy into her life didn't mean there weren't slip ups. Mary Elizabeth was capable of putting up a good front, at least on the good days. Other days, she struggled with the most basic things. But she did her best nonetheless. With Moira's support, things were bound to get better, right?

"I think you'll like it here." Mary Elizabeth's head turned slightly at hearing her sister's voice. "The apartment's nice, so are some of the neighbors. I'd be careful of Ms. Sanchez, though, she doesn't take too kindly to new arrivals."

"Well you can tell Ms. Sanchez I won't be much trouble," Mary Elizabeth muttered. "It's not like I'll be able to do much."

Moira snorted in response. "Blind or not, she'll still look for something to hold against you," she responded.

Mary Elizabeth's blindness was an after-effect of what happened during her stay in the special units. It left her devastated, almost like her wold was crashing down on her. Sadly, upon the loss of her eyesight, Mary Elizabeth was still told to fight in the military. The branch she'd been sent to required her services, regardless of any physical setbacks. It wasn't until the accident that she could leave. Mary Elizabeth's family was heartbroken over everything that had happened to her. But it was a reality they had to live with.

"What can she expect a blind person to do, anyway?" Mary Elizabeth scoffed. "Bump into things too much?"

"Probably," Moira chuckled. "I'm just saying, be careful with her. She's quick tempered and doesn't necessarily get along with most of the other residents."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The two sisters had been driving from the airport to Moira's apartment building for a majority of the day. When their parents decided Mary Elizabeth would be better off in the care of their eldest daughter, it caused a lot of problems. For one, Moira was going to school while working two full time jobs. Taking care of her blind little sister would be even harder, but she couldn't say no to something like that. Moira and Mary Elizabeth always had a relatively close relationship, and the two always promised to be there for each other should something happen. So when the youngest of the sisters came back from the military injured, Moira immediately stepped up when given the opportunity.

"I'm glad mom and Richard sent you here," the eldest sister said. "It made me nervous when you were sent to live with them."

"You know how they are," Mary Elizabeth said. "They're always trying to put up a noble front for the public."

"The loving parents who can't do wrong," Moira grumbled.

"Listen, I understand why I couldn't live with you right away. You're busy and I wasn't in a good place."

"That shouldn't be an excuse."

"Can you think of anything else?" Mary Elizabeth tilted her head slightly in Moira's direction. "You've got a life, too. I wouldn't want to mess that up."

"You're my little sister, you couldn't mess anything up."

There was a long silence between the two. Mary Elizabeth pondered on whether or not she wanted to tell Moira about her experience. Obviously there were things she couldn't talk about, despite every fiber of her being wanting to rant about it. But there was also the thought of whether or not Moira would believe her. Mary Elizabeth's time in the military may have given her some much needed structure, but it also showed her just how selfish and manipulative people could be. Her life wasn't seen as hers anymore, just as countless other individuals experienced the same thing. It opened Mary Elizabeth's mind to a more cynical outlook on the world. Mary Elizabeth came to understand she couldn't properly trust others the way she used to, regardless of their familial or friendlier status. Of course she wouldn't outwardly express it, it would cause for more concern. Instead, Mary Elizabeth chose to silently pick out the signs of selfishness in those she encountered, friends and family alike. It gave her something to do while she physically and psychologically healed. It gave her the opportunity to realize who was worthy of her time.

"Let's just see how this works out," Mary Elizabeth replied. "Hopefully D.C. is as good as you're making it out to be."

(A/N):

A long wait on this chapter, but I hope you guys like it. It may not be the best, but I hope you all can overlook it. If you've got any constructive criticism, don't hesitate to let me know, OK? That's important.

Nothing in the MCU belongs to me. All I own are my OCs and the subplots I put in. If you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, PM me or leave a review.

Again, I know it was a long wait for this chapter, but I'm hoping you guys can at least overlook that. A little help through this story would be awesome, and I'd appreciate any assistance you guys could provide.

This is set before CA:WS, so I'll try to make it as interesting as possible before I add that movie in. Also, if I get any canon MCU characters wrong, don't hesitate to let me know. I'd hate to find out later on I got them wrong and then having to rewrite the whole story. So, yeah.

Let me know what can be improved on.

Thanks.

Bella Lillis