"Aw come on man just one more round!" I whined at the two college boys, slurring my words a bit in an effort to seem more intoxicated. They both wore grey T-shirts sporting their school's football team, the Red Hornets. The taller one, whom I was playing against, had short blond hair into which he dumped a pound of gel so the wispy strands would stick up like a hedgehog. He had bright blue eyes and quite large shoulders. His friend was a bit shorter and had black hair that hung down to his shoulders. His Hispanic roots showed in his slightly tinted skin and dark brown eyes.

"Alright, one more round, but don't say I didn't warn you." The blond set down a twenty next to the already eighty he had accumulated.

I blew my long green hair out of my face. It was buzzed on the right side of my head, but the left side hung down well past my shoulders. My hair was originally black, but it made my pale skin look sickly so I switched to a light green that matched my eyes.

I blindly shuffled my money. I didn't need to count it, I've known from the beginning how much I have. Throwing it down on the table I said, "Yah know what they say, all or nothing. Let's go a hundred."

Okay I'll admit, I was sharking these guys, but I needed the money more than them. He thought it over before looking at the way I weaved, and rummaged through his pockets, adding some of his friend's money to the pile.

"Fine, all or nothing."

Smiling I set up the billiards and got ready to take my shot.

"You bitch!"

"Tell yah what boys, have a round on me."

"You played me!"

"Yes, and I think I helped you learn a valuable lesson today. Never bet more than you can spend." I waved my money in his face before turning on my heel. He grabs my arm as I turn to go and I spin, socking him in the mouth.

"Touch me again and I'll break your arm." I glare at him as his face turns a lovely shade of red. Trying not to laugh at the sudden resemblance he had to a certain garden vegetable, I continued on my way out the door.

Leaving the noisy and bright bar behind me I took a breath of fresh air, well, as fresh as New York can be. After losing my job at an old blues bar called The Blue Room, I'd been wandering around the state living mostly in abandoned warehouses. What I wouldn't do for a soft mattress and a good blanket.

I was originally born in Stafford, a small town in Missouri. Through High school I had always gotten good grades. I did have a problem with spray painting everything in sight, so the teachers and cops hated my guts. They were never able to catch me in the act which only seemed to anger them even more. I tagged bridges, buildings, cars and even lockers. Never with rude pictures though, mostly just band names and punk albums.

The thing they didn't know was I had a partner in crime. Danny Desalvo, the school's "druggie". He wasn't the smartest person in the world, but we had a lot in common. We both liked music, playing and listening to it. We even tried to unsuccessfully start a band called 'Rice Rockets'. Needless to say that didn't really work out well.

His father had left before he was born and his mother didn't give a crap about him. This made it easier for us to sneak some pot in their basement every once in awhile. I was never a hardcore user, but Danny got into Heroin and fell in a rut. I didn't realize how bad it was until that night I got a call from the sheriff's department.

Since Danny's mother was always out of town my family was kind of like Danny's guardian, and everyone knew it. So when Danny's body was found in a ditch we were the first to be notified. He had overdosed while hanging with his dealer and rather than report it to the police they thought dumping his dead body would be easier. .

When Danny's mother finally showed up three days later we told her the news. At first when she didn't react, I thought she might have been in shock. She didn't say anything, just sat there and looked at me. Then silently standing, she walked out of the room and I didn't see her until the funeral.

She showed up just as the casket was being lowered into the ground. Striding over the plain tombstone in a pink dress suit, she blabbed into her phone. I don't know what finally set me off, maybe it was the way she loudly popped her gum or maybe it was the obvious way she refused to acknowledge the fact that her son was dead. Whatever the reason she deserved what she got, a broken jaw. Of course she pressed charges, but looking back I would have done everything the same.

As soon as I graduated I left that hell hole and moved into a nice apartment above The Blue Room in New York City. I got a job waitressing and on occasion playing live music (On account of my singing ability) at the club downstairs. I worked there for three years before I got fired for mouthing off to my boss when he wanted to lower the pay rate. I probably wouldn't have been so pissed, but it was my 21rst birthday and he ruined my first drink, well, legal one anyway.

I hear the door slam behind me and I'm pulled from my thoughts. Turning I find the blond and his friend looking rather peeved. "We want our money back." The blond growled.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have your money." I smiled sweetly. "I have my money."

He looked like he wanted to kick my teeth in. "As far as I'm concerned you stole that money and we don't like thieves." My face pales a little when I hear the flick of a switch blade.

"No need to get violent." I give a nervous laugh. God, what deep shit have I gotten myself into this time? Inching toward the door I fought the urge to run back to the safety of the bar. Even if I tried I would never make it, he and his friend was blocking the way to safety. An inch a orange light fell through the cracks, taunting me with it's promise of safety.

"Give us our goddamn money!" He raised the knife. The warm glow from the bar glinted of the metal causing it to shine on his face. Seeing his expression I sneered.

Stepping forward with newfound courage I growled, "Put away that knife before you hurt yourself." He stepped backwards as I approached, his hand lowering slightly. I could see in his eyes the one emotion that was the automatic override for everything. I knew he wouldn't stab me because he had that frightful look in his eyes, the slight twitch in his fingers. He was scared of me.

I patted my left pocket. "This here? This is my money and there's nothing you can do about it." I tapped my chin in thought. "Though I think if I sue you for assault and battery I could get a lot more money." Looking down at the arm he grabbed I smiled. "I think I can feel a bruise starting to form already."

Smiling, I took a step back toward the bar. That's when I made a fatal mistake, I had forgotten about the friend.

I didn't hear the swish of the knife or a 'thunk' when it was plunged into my lung. I didn't even feel the pain. What I did feel was a warm liquid dripping on my feet, and for a moment I thought, "Oh Fuck, did I just piss myself?" before I fell to the ground, feeling the cold hard pavement on my back.

I could hear faint voices in the background, but I couldn't comprehend what was being said. I looked at the stars and pictured them dancing and swirling around, recreating the famous Starry Night. I briefly thought of the show Dancing with the Stars and I tried to chuckle.

It came out as a gurgled choke and I realized I couldn't breathe. Letting out a strangled cry I pawed at my throat, warm blood coating my grasping fingers. With burning lungs I tried to scream as my eyes started to darken. All I could think was, "Oh My God! Oh my God! I'm going to die!"

Suddenly I was so full of rage. I felt my hands form into fists, cold fingers warming to the slowly chilling palms. My toes curled in my shoes, socks bunching. I ground my teeth and clenched my jaw, preparing to push myself up. I will not die lying in the dirt like a scared little child.

Using my sudden burst of rage to fuel my body, I pushed up onto my elbows. I slowly turned my head, looking for my attackers. Seeing no one I assumed that they had run like the cowards they really are. This only fanned my flaming temper. They had stabbed me, risked losing everything and they didn't even bother to take my money.

That's when I heard it. The loud roaring, like the waves crashing against the rocks. I could picture thunder clouds and lightning dancing over raging seas as a lone lighthouse braced itself against the winds. It's red and white stripes continuously being swallowed by water only to be shown again like a giant game of Peek-a-boo. Except, we weren't near the ocean. We were in New York and I was bleeding out on the sidewalk of a bar that smelled like piss.

That thought entered my mind and immediately after a bright flash swallowed my world. I felt the knife being pulled from my chest and let out a full on scream, loud and clear. Then everything went black.

I woke to the sound of air whooshing by. Beeping filled my ears along with sudden panicked voices. Opening my eyes I saw blurry shapes that could have been people wearing white uniforms.

I tried lifting my head only to have someone push it back down. God, I was so tired. Turning my head to the side I saw a window and peering out I started crying. We were high above the town that was now burning with green flames.

I shut my eyes against the horrid sight and fell into a dreamless sleep.

A steady beeping pulsed to my right and I groggily opened my eyes. A scratchy blanket covered my bare legs and arms, it felt new and stiff. I could feel my hair tickling the left side of my face. Faint footsteps echoed around me.

I felt something in my throat and started to cough, trying to dislodge whatever it was. My hands flew to my mouth and I felt a plastic tube taped to the right side of it, leading down my throat. Ripping off the tape I yanked the tube from my throat and gulped for air.

The beeping had steadily gotten faster and I looked over to my left seeing a machine that no doubt was tracking my heart rate. An IV was sticking out of my left arm, the needle held down with medical tape. The bed I was in angled slightly upward with a pillow and a scratchy blue blanket. The walls were a bright white that loudly screamed hospital.

A short dirty blonde woman came in wearing snoopy scrubs. She was holding a clipboard and looking down at some paperwork.

"Where the hell am I?" Startled she dropped the clipboard and stared at me like a deer caught in headlights.

"Oh my god! You're awake!" She ran out, leaving the clipboard laying on the floor.

Frowning I sat up and felt a tug on my arm. Looking down I saw the IV and pulled it out of my arm in one swift motion. I threw the blanket off and saw that I was wearing a pair of blue sweats and a black t-shirt. Why am I not wearing regular hospital garb? I mean I'm not complaining or anything, god knows those things are unflattering.

Looking around my room I realize that it's quite nice, in fact it's better than anything I've ever lived in. There was a green plant lounging in a wicker basket on the far right corner behind a comfy looking tan sofa. Behind my bed sat the IV and heart monitor that was hooked up to me along with several other machines. The door was to my left and I could see a brightly lit hallway with matching white walls and tile floors.

The thing that was really fascinating was the wall to my right. It was made up entirely of glass. A bright noon sun shone through the window and landed on my naked arms, warming them. A busy New York City that was only recognizable because of the giant ass Stark tower looming above all the other buildings, looked back at me.

Swinging my legs over the side of the bed I winced, my back cracking from lying stiff for so long. Touching my feet to the cool tile floor I thought about the knife wound that I had received from my attackers. Franticly lifting the hem of my shirt I felt my abdomen searching for any sign of the wound. My skin was smooth, no scares or bandages.

"What the hell?" I huffed quietly. "Okay, okay, let's look at the facts. Well I know I'm in hospital in New York." Remembering the sight of the blazing green fire I clenched my jaw. "I was probably airlifted, but how and why? Was it some kind of explosion?"

"That's exactly what it was."

My head snapped up at the sound of a male voice. A black man dressed in a long trench coat met my gaze. The sun glinted off his bald head and I almost had to shut my eyes against the brightness. The thing that stuck out the most though was his eye patch, like so kind of a bald pirate with a leather fetish.

"Who the hell are you?" I furrowed my brow.

"That's not the question we should be asking. What we should be asking is, how did you manage to avoid an explosion like that? Especially since you were laying right on top of the bomb?" He started to take slow steps toward me and it took all my willpower not to jump up and hide behind my bed. I'm not usually one that's easily intimidated, which tells you a lot.

"There was a bomb? Who the hell would blow up such a useless little-I was cut off as a brown haired woman came rushing into my room. She was about average height with icy blue eyes that matched the dyed ends of her brown hair. Her bangs were swept to the right. She wore faded blue jeans along with a black tank top, a leather jacket and combat boots. A silver stud that shone almost as much as eye patches head sat on the right side of her nose.

"Umm... Sir we've got a little problem."

"What is it agent?" He almost growls out the words, biting off the end with a snap. I could taste the dislike he had for this 'Agent'.

"They know she's awake."

"Well then get a team in here so we can move her. We will have to continue this interrogation elsewhere."

I looked back and forth at the two. "What in holy hell's name is going on? Why are you trying to interrogate me? Who are you? The police?"

The woman smiled and her eyes lit up. "We're-"

Her boss cut her off with a glare. "That will all be revealed in time." Her eyes fell and she looked like a sad, kicked puppy.

"No, I want answers and I want them now!" I pushed myself up of the bed, planning to confront my 'interrogators' standing. As soon I left the safety of my bed my legs gave out and I fell flat on my face. "Fuck..."

They both just stared at me for a few moments before the woman huffed and came over to help me up. Eye patch exited as soon as she knelt down next to me. "That was really stupid of you, you know."

"What? Trying to protect myself from strange people with eye patches and combat boots?" I scooted away from her and used the bed to try and pull myself off the floor. For some reason my legs just didn't seem to want to hold me up.

Laughing she shook her head, her hair flying out around her. "No, trying to walk after being in a coma for so long."

I froze. "What?"

Her face fell and she stared at me. "You've been in a coma for the past six months."