OOO another rewritten chapter! A couple of OCs in this chapter. Jut a heads up, there are probably going to be a lot of OCs in this story.
A flash of golden light lit up a field in Georgia and Loki hurtled to the ground at a terrible speed. He slammed into the dirt with a dull THUD, raising a cloud of dust that concealed his form for a few moments. A dull groan made it's way past his lips unbidden as he lay stunned in the crater his own body had formed on impact. Loki surrendered to the blackness, slipping into unconsciousness. The last thing he saw before falling into a deep sleep was a pair of emerald green eyes peering anxiously at him.
As Loki slept, he dreamed of his home and his childhood. Memories of his childhood with Thor rose to the surface, before slipping away in swirls of golden light. It was peaceful in this dream state. Scenes of glorious pranks and magic and danced across his mind as he watched through a haze. Even as his body lay ravaged by the fall, his mind pieced itself back together, healing all the hidden wounds and scars from a childhood in the shadow of Thor. But soon even this exhausted his meager stores of energy, and Loki fell into a dreamless sleep.
He finally awoke to unfamiliar surroundings. He lay on a bed in a small room, his body sore and covered in bandages. Ignoring the sharp pain, he struggled to sit up, suddenly wary. Where am I? What is this place? Then he remembered with a pang of horrified regret.
He, Loki, was now a mortal. Please let this be a bad dream. This can't be real. Please don't let it be real.
Pushing away the inner turmoil he felt, he gazed at his surroundings. He was lying in a bed covered with a dark purple quilt. The bed was in the center of a small, bare room with faded, yellow walls. There was a painting of a ship on the wall, and a chair by a large cupboard. The room was bare, but strangely cozy in a way that Loki secretly longed for.
He looked down at himself. He was bare-chested, wearing nothing but a pair of plaid pajamas that were huge on his slight frame. His armor and clothing were nowhere to be seen.
Alarmed, he swung himself out of bed and left the room. He limped down a narrow hallway painted the same shade of yellow that the room was. He ignored the closed downs he passed until he reached a kitchen. What he found astonished him. Who are these people?
A family gathered around the kitchen, all laughing and talking. Their chatter died away abruptly when they saw him. They looked mildly cautious, even though he doubted he was much of a threat to them in his weakened condition. 4 individuals sat at a faded wooden table, eating what appeared to be dinner. An old man with gray hair and wrinkles, a plump middle-aged woman with garish red hair, a balding middle-aged man with a paunch, and a boy with shaggy black hair who looked to be in his early teens gawked at him. The last member of the family stood at the sink, washing plates. A teenage girl with long brown curls, the emerald green eyes he had seen before and freckles splashed across her noses peered curiously at him, seemingly unconscious of the skimpy shorts and tank-top that adorned her body.
The family recovered from their surprise quickly, although the young boy had yet to budge from his expression of curiosity. The woman stared with narrowed eyes at Loki, who ignored her barely veiled hostility. The girl, however, wiped her hands on a towel and turned around fully to face Loki, unabashedly staring him in the eyes.
"Where am I?" Loki demanded. "And who are you people?"
"Well, look at who's awake," the middle-aged man drawled. "You, sir, are in Georgia, and this is my home. My name is John St. Pierre, and this is my wife Judy, my father Bill, my son Elijah, and my daughter Alicia. And who, may I ask, are you?"
"I am Loki Laufeyson, former Prince of Asgard," Loki said with a hint of regret in his voice.
Elijah gasped. " As in the Loki who tried to take over the planet, almost destroyed New York, and killed a bunch of people? Dude, I'm a huge fan!"
"Eli!" Judy scolded, with a nervous glance at Loki.
Loki was nonplussed. These mortals had heard of him and the boy was a...fan?
Eli plowed on, oblivious to his mother's discomfort. "The way you tried to take over the world was epic! And the way you fought Captain America and brainwashed those people..." He trailed off, noticing his mother's frantic gestures for the first time. "What? It was."
Loki stared. He only understood half of what Eli had said. "Thank you," he said, unsure.
"One moment, please," Judy said, dragging her husband and father-in-law into the hallway.
Loki stared at the two mortal youngsters. They stared back.
"I'm Eli, this is my sister Ali," Eli said, breaking the silence.
"I am Loki."
Silence then reigned, as neither Loki or Eli knew what to say. Then, the sound of the adults arguing broke the silence.
"He can not stay here! He has to go back to where he belongs! He tried to take over the planet! He's a murderer!"'Judy said loudly.
"We can't just kick him out," John protested.
"Yes, we can, and we will." Judy sounded angry.
"He is staying." Bill spoke for the first time. "He won't harm us. You saw his wounds. It'll be a while until he has his strength back."
Bill walked back in the kitchen, ending the argument. Judy followed, looking angry. John meekly followed his wife.
"You can stay," Bill announced.
Loki nodded at the man. "My thanks."
Judy cut in rudely. "Only until your wounds have healed. Then you're on your own."
What a rude woman. These mortals have no respect. Loki turned his gaze on the woman with disdain. "Of course. Who is responsible for healing me?"
The girl spoke up in a lilting voice with a hint of a southern drawl. "That would be me."
He nodded respectfully at her. "My thanks. You did an excellent job." For a mortal.
She smiled tentatively. "No problem."
Feeling pain stabbing at his ribs, Loki quickly excused himself and returned to his room. The girl followed him at a safe distance, pausing at the doorway.
"Do you need something for the pain because I could go find something..." she offered shyly.
He briefly considered her offer before dismissing it. He could deal with the pain, and accepting her help would show weakness. That was not something he could afford. Weakness was not an option.
"No, thank you. I am fine," Loki said brusquely.
She looked like she wanted to argue, but she shrugged and left. Loki gingerly lowered himself onto the bed, letting out a hiss of pain at the pain in his ribs. Should have accepted her offer. Running a hand over his torso, Loki pinpointed the exact location of the pain. The bottom rib on his right side seemed to be broken. Damn.
Knowing he could do nothing for it, Loki dozed off. Little did he know, nightmares lurked in the dark, waiting for the chance to pounce on his unsuspecting mind.