"Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you." – George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

It's been a year and a half since New York. A year and a half and the city is rebuilding itself like it always does. And I had tried, key word here being tried, to make due with my new life. I was back home yes, Oma was doing better...But every night was nightmare after nightmare. My back ached, with the remembered pain of glass shards biting into the unprotected flesh. The wings...digging past muscle and bone to become one with me, but those I could handle. The worst was Camilla, oh yeah, she's still around, you would think she would be a phase, that if I left her locked up long enough again...She'd go away. Wishful thinking I know, she didn't in fact she's gotten louder. She and I have both recovered from our mind battle but she still torments me at night when my mind is weakest, when I know she feels the bars to her cage rusting.

They will take you away again, lock you up and finish creating their monster.

I try to ignore as best I can, and I've been doing well. Tony, Steve, and Nat they've all kept pretty decent tabs on me. I was almost under the impression that they cared. But slowly and very surely they got busy, Steve and Nat now in DC doing whatever the hell S.H.I.E.L.D is paying them to do and Tony...

Well Tony probably has some of his own demons to fight off. So I was left to ponder my life now that I was free and under...little to no surveillance. I was living in a fool's paradise, I signed up for some online classes at the local community college and would spend most of my days out of the house. Much to Oma's dismay, but I needed to be out and about. What I loved about living near a huge city. No one cares about another face in the crowd who is going about their business. I was just anonymous and no one cared about my past or what the heck was going on in my head.

But I guess my luck ran out when I met a group. They always stopped at the local coffee shop where I would sometimes sit and do my work on the laptop Tony had gifted me for my birthday a month ago. It was a decent piece of tech that I knew Tony had decked out. I used it for pretty much everything, and Tony had made it so it could tap into any wireless network without being detected by the network. And for your information NO I did not use anyone's wifi unless it was free. Any ways this group would always come into the coffee shop and they were pretty low key all of the looked like college kids and they all were there to study usually. But today I get a bit of a shock when a small cup of steaming coffee was placed by my typing hand. I glanced up and blinked at one of the guys, who had come over to my little corner and smiled...albeit a bit shyly as he caught my questioning gaze.
"You're always here and you never buy a cup so...Thought this would be an interesting topic of conversation."
Oh dear his idea of interesting table conversation doesn't begin to cover—
Shove it.
I smiled as sweetly as I could and took the cup taking a swing. I tried not to wince at the overwhelming straight coffee and he smiled back.

"So you got a name?" I shrug, and glance over to see his friends all talking amongst themselves. Well at least he wasn't bribed to do this.
"Cameron yours?"
"Jake." He gives me a wide boyish grin...and well bad things would follow it. We talked for about a week, before he invited me to some party. An end of the semester type gig, I should have said no. But I was bored and lonely and finally people my age were talking to me and...well I caved. But when Oma found out. Let's just say things didn't go smoothly.

"You know full well what happened the last time you did this!" I groaned in frustration attempting not to use my powers to make her leave me alone.
"Oma I was a kid then, I have my powers under control!"
"Mien liebe I love you and I know you have become better about your...powers—" She still was getting over calling it a curse. I sighed and relented.

"You're right Oma." She smiles and touches my cheeks with the tips of her fingers making me look at her.
"I know it's hard my darling, but as someone once said to me, the life of the siren is suffering." I blinked at that, but it was the end of the conversation. I watched her leave the room, even into her early nineties she still had a pose and grace to her posture, hell she still wore heels. Somehow she got up at six every morning to place her hair into perfect rolled curls, make sure she had the appropriate attire and make up for the day, she looked like she had never managed to leave the nineteen forties. Yet there was a reservation in her still. I knew she had seen and heard about what had happened in New York. That was why she wasn't wild about me going out...But for once I didn't have sense in my right mind. The night went as it usually did. Oma went to bed at seven on the dot.

"Gute Nacht liebe." She called from her room.
"Gute Nacht Oma." I replied and sat in my room for what felt like hours when it was probably only a few minutes. I heard the tell tale sign of her breath slowing and I made my move going to my dresser I found some old clothing that I had bought on an impulse. Tight fitting jeans with holes and frayed fabric, along with a tight fitted long sleeve shirt a dark burgundy, with a dark brown vest. I styled my hair as best I could...no idea what the latest trend was. And finished with some makeup and a bright red lipstick. Grabbing a plastic bag with my phone and some cash in it, I opened my bedroom window. Leaving a stick wedged between the frame and window pane. I slipped along the roof not very easily in my heels but I managed to reach the ground no worse for wear and looking up I shook my head attempting to relieve my guilt.
"Just for an hour..."
Right—
"Shut it." I mutter as Camilla snickers deep in my mind, I slip onto the street and head to the location.
God I never should have gone out...

My first instance of the place should have warned me, it was a ruined city block that the city had pretty much left to rot. Budgets and all that shit, even with Tony's company filtering in money some places just weren't good enough. I felt my heart drop down as I entered and basically the party was in full swing...I managed to find Jake, who waved me over his eyes an eerie shade of green.
"Hey glad you could make it!" I could barely hear him over the pounding bass of whatever music was playing. I could feel myself closing in, and Camilla was...shockingly quiet as well.
"I don't like this part of the city that much!" I managed back, he smiled and held out what looked like pills. I blinked and quirked and raised an eyebrow at him in confusion.
"It'll help calm you down!" He shouted. With my heart racing and my mind already so terrified I figured what could go wrong. I took the pills and the glass of whatever he was drinking and bing bada boom I took them. Taking a swing of the horrid alcoholic drink I winced.
"How long will it take to work." He smiled taking the glass from me.
"In a few minutes." I blinked at this but his smile was so...sweet and I just didn't want to think the worst of everyone right off the bat.
God I shouldn't have gone.

I had no idea what time it was, but the party was in full swing, and whatever pills Jake had given me had done their job. I had never been so happy or relaxed in...well forever. I took another swig of beer and swayed with whatever beat was playing, I could feel everything, my body was alight with new sensations. A small brush against my skin would send me giggling, and I never wanted the night to end. The current song ended and everyone called for another to play, I shouted along with the others.
"Looks like you are enjoying yourself." I turned smiling stupidly at Jake.
"Hell yeah!" He laughed and pulled me close, both of us slowly moving to the new beat. It started off quiet I almost didn't hear it. I froze though as the voice began.
In the crowd alone, and every second passing reminds I'm not home. M y happiness forgotten I looked up at the stage, not believing what I was seeing.
"Camilla?" I felt my heart hammering in my chest as she kept singing through her green eyes locked onto me.
"What?" I looked back at Jake and I couldn't breath his face, he looked like Loki. "Get away from me!" I shrieked stumbling back bumping into people as my mind raced.
Bright lights and city sounds are ringing like a drum unknown...Unknown. Oh glazed eyes empty hearts buying happy from shopping carts. Nothin but time to kill sippin' love from bottles.
She followed me, her voice still crystal clear in the throng of people who writhed to her seductive tone. I stumbled back terrified as my mind tried to reason what was happening. But I couldn't she was out somehow she was here, she would brush past the drunken and high kids all who watched her with a sicken revere.
Tight skin bodyguards, Gucci down the boulevard cocaine dollar bills and—

She reaches me her eyes flash and my breath won't slow, my heart feels like it's going to leap out of my chest.
My happy little pill take me away, dry my eyes...bring color to my skies my sweet little pill. Take my hunger writhe within, know my skin.
The tips of her fingers brush against the heated flesh of my cheek and I bolt again her hypnotic song losing it's hold for a few moments. I wanna get away but I can't find the way out like the whole place has closed in. She follows no matter where I go I whimper grabbing my head as it pounds painfully.
Like a rock I float sweatin' conversations seep into my bones. Four walls are not enough I'll take a dip into the unknown....Unknown. Oh glazed eyes empty hearts buying happy with shopping carts nothing but time to kill sipping love from bottles.
I run along rushing past people I know realize are not from the party yet my mind will not slow I still hear her voice like it's right behind me.
Tight skin bodyguards, Gucci down the boulevard, cocaine dollar bills and—
I slam into a wall realizing she's chased me into an alley way and I wanna scream but my vocal chords won't work...Nothing works nothing will help me. I collapse in a heap terrified as her shadow fills the already dim area.
My happy litte pill, take me away dry my eyes bring color to my skies my sweet little pill take my hunger writhe within, know my skin.
I press myself into the rubble of the wall, as she kneels down in front of me tilting her head.
"How the hell are you out?" I manage in my terrified state. She smiles, but doesn't reply only continues the song. I'm crying...better yet weeping I'm so scared my hand itches for my phone but...I think I dropped it some time ago...I should have stayed home. I wanna be at home.
Glazed eyes empty hearts buy happy from shopping carts. Nothing but time to kill sipping love from bottle, tight skin bodyguards Gucci down the boulevard cocaine dollar bills....
Her head tilts a little as she reaches out grasping my chin in between her fingers smiling wickedly. I feel so helpless...so alone she's going to win again. I lash out one last time finger nails clawing and ripping as I realize in my fit I'm not hitting anything but air...I fall back weeping against the wall as I realize I'm the one that has been singing...
My happy little pill, take me away dry my eyes, bring color to my skies my sweet little pill take my hunger writhe within know my skin.
I feel my heart slowing my brain stalling, I don't know where I am anymore. I curl up tighter the clothes I wear aren't keeping me warm. I'm losing consciousness...My blurring vision though picks up one last thing a figure in the mouth of the alley way I think it might be Jake? No whoever this is...I don't know, my mind is blanking all I wanna do is sleep. I pass out before they get any closer. All I hear is the music fading and Camilla laughing.

Alright here we are the first chapter of our next installment of the Siren stories. It will be following the Winter Soldier movie. Huge thanks to WinterLifeAmerica for the betaing. I do not own any of the Captain America or Marvel Characters, and am not making money off of this.