Prologue

Dear Mom,

When you find me, don't blame yourself. There's nothing you could've done for me, trust in that. I accepted a long time ago that there was something wrong with me, something deep inside. And you know what, I'm done coping with that knowledge. I've reached the end, mom. The pain is unbearable. These voices inside me, they tell me to hurt people. I don't want to hurt people, mom! If I let them talk to me any longer, they'll take over my mind. I'm sure of it. If I don't stop them now, I will never manage to ever again. So don't worry, your daughter is going to a happier place, mommy. I love you.

Elle Daring

The red-headed girl signed the note carefully as tears rolled down her face. A few drops landed on the lined-paper and she quickly tried to wipe them off. It didn't work. Oh well. She didn't care anymore. In fact, she didn't care about much of anything anymore.

Elle sighed again and went over to her dresser. Pulling out the bottom drawer, she fished through her underwear until she came upon a sharp razor. Slipping it in her pocket, Elle quickly went to her bathroom. Reaching up to the medicine cabinet she opened up the mirror and took out several bottles of medicines. Putting ten of each kind into a baggie, Elle put the bottles back where they were.

Her plan was fool-proof. Several days previous, Elle had scouted out how far the stream in their backyard went, finding that the source was about a mile away at a small spring and shallow pool. There she would take the pills and slit her wrists, ending the voices in her head for good. She didn't care anymore about how it would hurt her mother; she'd get over it.

Walking downstairs, Elle snuck out her back door and into the yard. It was about a twenty minute walk to the source of the river, and she got their without a hitch. Elle breathed in deeply; it was almost over. At last she saw the bubbling spring and little pool of clear water.

She could hear the voices in her head telling her both not to kill herself and to kill herself. It was so confusing. She couldn't figure out which was HER voice and not these unfamiliar voices. Elle let out a frustrated scream before she remembered she was only a mile from the nearest house!

Pulling off her shirt and shorts, she waded into the water in her bathing suit. It was a deceptively deep pool of water, about five feet in total. Maybe at one time it was created by some well digger who abandoned the project after not very long. Whatever the case, Elle shoved the pills into her mouth and took a drink of the spring water. It tingled, which Elle felt was a little odd.

Next she pulled out her switchblade and slowly cut vertically up her arm and horizontally across her wrists. It hurt like hell, but that didn't stop Elle Daring. She wanted the end to come, swiftly and without hesitation.

But again, she felt a tingling sensation in her body. Something was wrong? Nevertheless, before she could do anything, Elle blacked out. Finally she was going to meet her maker.

But then she woke up.

When Elle opened her eyes, she was staring up at a stark white ceiling. As her eyes journeyed around the room she found that it had grey walls and a single grey and glass sliding door with a small, nine button panel lock. She was sitting on a medical bed, a white sheet covering her body. On her wrists were two small bandages and she had an IV sticking out of her right arm. Machines were beeping all around her.

But in all this, Elle noted only one thing- her voices were still there, but they were new, different. It was more like she was listening to people around her than voices inside her head. But that couldn't be of course.

"She's stable, Director. Would you three like to see her?"

"Yes Doctor."

"Right this way, sirs."

They weren't even talking sense! Doctor? Director? See who?

Moments later her door opened up and in stepped four people. One was black, one of his eyes covered in an eye-patch. The second was a woman with short red hair and a serious expression. The third was a man with light brown hair. Finally the fourth was a doctor of some sort.

"Miss Daring," the eye-patched one said, "I'm Director Fury, of SHIELD."

"Why am I here," Elle whined, making herself small.

Men intimidated her- she'd been abused by her father as a young girl, leading to her developing voices. She'd never shaken her fear of men, even after her father abandoned Elle and her mother.

"You were exposed to something dangerous, Elle," the Director revealed, "Something that concerns me and my colleagues."

"What is SHIELD?"

"SHIELD is an international government peace-keeping organization," the blonde told her.

"Who are you two," she asked shyly of the blonde and the red-head.

"I'm Agent Barton."

"Agent Romanoff."

"Why am I still alive? Why couldn't you let me die!"

Elle had tears streaming down her face as she shouted this. She ripped out her IV and got off her bed, cowering into a corner, shaking with anger and fear. The government had her. What did they want with her? Why wasn't she dead? Or at least back home with her mom in the hospital. Where was her mom? Was she here somewhere?

Suddenly things around the room began to shake. The door slammed of its own accord, shutting in the four SHIELD members. The female doctor scrambled forward.

"Please, Elle, you must try to concentrate."

"What's happening," the girl whispered in fear, "What is going on?"

"Listen, Elle," the Director stepped forward, "You were exposed to something called the Terrigen Mists. It altered who you are. It gave you special gifts- that's why you're here. To learn to control them!"

"What?!"

The IV tubes began floating in the air. Elle screamed, jumping back.

"Concentrate on my voice," the Doctor told her patiently, "I'm going to keep talking to you. Just listen to me."

"This is never going to work."

"She's insane."

"The Terrigen Mists altered her too much."

"Could this girl really join our team?"

"Pass me the needle over here, Agent Brandy."

"So me and Sharon went on a date last night."

"The latest one I've created is the Mark 52."

"It's hard," Elle whined, "There are so many other voices."

"If you listen to my voice, the voices will die down, Elle," she said.

Elle did as she was asked and slowly the items in the room returned to their original positions. The voices in her head did die down and turned into a slow, quiet murmur like that of white noise. The last thing she remembered before fainting was Agent Barton telling her something about the Avengers.

It was Natasha who caught the girl.

Clint rolled his eyes, "This is never going to work, Director."

"She's insane," Natasha nodded.

"The Terrigen Mists altered her a lot," the doctor told them.

"When Coulson found her she was just beginning to regenerate," Director Fury told his two agents, "We believe her mutations so far to be telepathy, telekinesis, and spontaneous regeneration."

"So," Clint shrugged, "What's that got to do with us?"

"When she finds out about her mother, she's going to need guidance. I'm placing her under both of your supervision."

"Have the cry- wait what," Natasha asked in surprise.

"Under OUR supervision," Clint was stunned, "Like, with the Avengers?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

"No way Director," Clint shook his head.

"Sir, is that really the best idea," Natasha protested.

Director Fury eyed them seriously, "It's an order, is that understood?"

"Aye, sir," they both nodded.

"Now, what were you going to ask, Romanoff?"

"I was wondering if we'd returned the crystals to the Inhumans yet?"

"Yes, they received their crystals and have left for Attilan already," Fury nodded.

"And they agreed to leave the girl here," Natasha was surprised!

Fury nodded, "She may be an Inhuman by birth, but she's a Terran by culture," they told me."