"Wake up, June! It's time to go hunting!"
I let out a groan, stirring from my slumber. I reach up to rub my eyes slowly, muscles aching with every movement. Flying sure does hurt the next day. I wince as I sit up even slower, my back stiff and my arms sore. Each movement was its own tiny struggle. Would I even be able to move at all today?
I'm almost tempted to call in sick, but I know that the group needs me. I am their best hunter (not to brag). And with the cold of winter beginning to set in, it is only a matter of time before there is hardly any food for anyone to find, let alone me. Best fatten up now while we still can.
Pietro had insisted on flying every single day for the past week using my full body transmutation, although I'm not exactly sure why. Pietro claims that he wants to make my transmutations quicker and easier, but I can already fully transform into a bird in under a minute, so I don't really believe him. He also says he wants to make sure I can fly for longer, (Why? Again I do not know) after discovering the upper limits of my flying to skill to be flying for 45 minutes straight (just hovering in the air) and flying for three hours given 5 minute breaks in between to regain my strength.
Yeesh, it's almost like he wants me to get so exhausted I'll fall straight out of the sky. And there was that incident with one of the other hunters on Thursday who almost sniped me out of the sky with an arrow. Flying, needless to say, was beginning to take its toll on me, in both mind and soul.
Pietro was almost like a madman, pushing me and pushing me and pushing me, with hardly any rest, until I almost pass out. Feeling the deep aches in my bones, I'm almost tempted to tell him to shove it for today too, but Pietro said yesterday he had a surprise for me today, and I am curious for what he has in store for me. I'd always wanted to try something different. Maybe transform into something a little bigger than a bird. Wouldn't that be exciting? To transform into a wolf or an elk or a bear?
It's a far-fetched fantasy, sure. After all, I need to know what the creature looks like down to minute details to be able to transform perfectly. As of now.
I stand up and stretch my legs. They ache fiercely, and I bend them experimentally. They feel… weird. Is my transmutation having some kind of effect on my body? I frown, thinking. No. It couldn't. Could it? I mean, I'm no doctor or scientist, but I think I should be fine. My legs are probably just tired. I push the thoughts down and jump on the spot slightly, letting blood rush back into them, relieved to feel them turning back to normal slowly. I sure don't need anymore craziness this week.
Most notably, though, throughout all of the things that had happened these past few days, is that Peggy had been absent during all of their recent training sessions, always being 'busy' someplace else. It worried me at first, but Pietro was quick to diminish my worry, not by reassuring me, but by making me forget the other ghost was missing by making me fly the whole time they were together. Jerk.
I sigh, stretching upwards and feeling my spine crack nicely, easing some of the tension in my back. Stretching is very important now, apparently, because if I don't stretch, I become cramped up like I'm pressed inside the tiniest oyster on earth and I can barely move. So, I stretch my body extensively before heading outside to go on another hunting trip.
After news of my numerous catches had spread through the camp, I had been ordered to be on hunting duty for the rest of the week, having caught more than anyone else in just the first half of the day. It isn't a bad job, because I enjoy hunting, but it makes it particularly difficult for me to train with Pietro every day when I am expected to return with more food than the entire hunting party brings back. (Not literally, but a lot is being expected of me so it sometimes feels that way).
I slip through the crowds of people who are gathered to receive their jobs of the day, heading straight for the food tent. I step inside and the smell of cooking fish enters my nose; my mouth begins to water.
"You're up late," Laura comments, startling me. She is standing over in the far corner of the tent, in the shadows where I can hardly see her, sorting through what looks to be some kind of dried leaves.
I laugh awkwardly. "Yeah, well… I'm just really tired after yesterday…" I respond weakly.
Laura looks up at me and smiles. "Well, I expect you would be. That was a very big haul you brought in yesterday. Makes me wonder how you find it all."
I duck my head bashfully. "I'm quieter than a big hunting party is all."
"Oh. Is that how? Do you think we should start sending out individuals rather than groups?" Laura peers over at me curiously.
"I don't know." I shrug. "It works out, but I think I just concentrate better when I'm on my own…"
Lies. Pietro and/or Peggy are usually always chit-chatting behind me. It's a wonder I manage to catch anything at all, really. But I need the alone time with them, because at least when I'm alone, I can go off at them without anyone looking at me like I'm crazy.
"Right. Well. I might suggest it." Laura stands up, dusting herself off, before coming over to me to give me a hug and plant a quick kiss on my cheek. "Are you sure you aren't working too hard?" She asks, looking up at me with concern shining in her eyes.
I give the older woman a small smile of reassurance. "No, I'm fine. You know I'd tell you if it ever became too much, just so I could take the day off." I say cheekily.
Laura purses her lips, apparently not satisfied, before reaching up to pick a leaf out of my hair. Then, she sighs, walking over to the wall on their right to pick up a bag. I can see the bow and arrows poking out the top of it.
"Okay, well… if you're sure. Go and get us another big haul. Maybe try foraging while you're out? Make up for last time." (Pressure, much) Laura apparently didn't believe my lame excuse that I had gotten lost and been unable to find any berries before it got dark the last time I went foraging. Yikes. Laura gives me another quick kiss, saying: "There are some berries and some fish parcels in there for breakfast. I'll see you tonight?"
"Of course." I say warmly, slinging the bag over one shoulder, and nodding at Laura in farewell before exiting the tent and heading off in the direction of the woods.
People whisper around me as I walk.
"There she goes again. Off into the woods with the fairies."
"How does she manage to bring back so much food? She's insane."
"The trees probably tell her where all the birds are hiding."
I ignore them, stalking through the mass of tents and reaching the woods on the far side, before...
"Hey, June!" Leah's voice stops me before I can run off into the trees. I turn to face her, forcing a smile. Oh no. I don't have time for more healing lessons. Not right now. But Leah's returning smile quickly eases my irritation as she bounds over to me. The girl is… very pretty. She is 18 years old, has mousy blonde hair almost always up in a messy topknot, green eyes, a nice body… (although pretty much everyone here has a nice body, seeing as there are no sweets or anything to eat). Nonetheless, I find myself blushing as she approaches. I don't know what's wrong with me. Stop blushing goddammit!
"Yes? Is there something you need?" I ask, trying to stamp out the butterflies in my stomach. Leah's eyes sparkle in the morning light and she stops at my side, only momentarily, before grabbing my hand and dragging me back towards the tents. I yelp in surprise, but don't try to resist as she pulls me along.
"Yep. The plants work. We could use some more, so I'm just gonna show you what they look like again before you head out." She replies cheerily. I grunt when I trip over a tent peg, making the tent it was attached to shudder.
"Couldn't you have just brought the plants to me?" I ask as we slow to a halt outside the Healer's tent, the second-largest tent in camp. The young woman glances at me, pouting.
"Yes, but this way, we get to spend a little more time together. Come in!" She turns and pushes through the entrance, leaving me a blushing mess outside. Oh my god. Stop it. I take a deep breath, steeling my nerves before I push in after her.
The tent is relatively dark inside, but not gloomy. It has a warm kind of light filtering in, dimly illuminating the spacious area. Laura beckons her over to the far side of the tent.
"I actually talked to Dean. He said you could spend a few hours working with us today. With winter coming and us discovering all of these new herbal remedies, we need to go foraging before the frost kills off all of the growth." She rummages through a basket of books, while I linger in the entranceway of the tent. Dean is the 'leader' of our group. Everyone has to go to him for permission before changing up the schedule.
"Oh, hello June," Ben's voice pipes up from where he is seated in the far corner of the tent.
"Hi Ben. Whatcha doing over there?" I peer over at him curiously. He flashes me a handsome smile. Both of the Healers are good looking, actually. Ben is older than Leah, in his mid-twenties, and has brown hair and dark eyes; not well-muscled but not too lean either.
"I'm making more baskets," he replies, lifting up the one he was working on just moments ago for me to see better. "What are you doing standing over there? Come on in; you know you're always welcome." He gives me a warm smile.
I smile back at him and drop my bag on the floor next to the entrance, before coming to sit by Leah. She had apparently found the right book, and was flipping through it quickly, green eyes skimming the pages.
"Aha! There we are…" She places a finger on the page, before turning the book around so that I can read it. "Coltsfoot. Helps with breathing issues like asthma or congested chest. That'll help us when people get sick in the snow." She flips to another page. "Balsam Fir. Its sap can be used to treat all kinds of burns and cuts." Another page. "Sweetflag. Used to treat loads of coughs and aches." I struggle to absorb the images of the plants Leah is showing me as she chatters on about their uses. Ben seems to notice.
"Hey, hey, Leah, calm down. Let her read it at her own pace." He chides her, and Leah turns to pout at him.
"Sorry." She mumbles. "I'm, like, a hundred and ten percent energy. And it gets kind of boring being holed up in here." Then, her eyes brighten and she turns to look at me excitedly.
"How about you read the book while I braid your hair?" She offers, shoving the book into my hands without waiting for a response. The girl is very jumpy; I wonder if she calms down in the presence of a patient, or if she just runs wild all the time.
I smile, though, when she tugs my long, dark brown hair out of its usual ponytail and starts to part it. It was kinda sad, actually. My hair had gone from a fiery ginger into a darker brown as I grew older, and I missed my auburn locks. I know Leah had liked my hair that colour, too. But now she reassures me that my hair looks 'epic' being dark brown, and I'm grateful for her confidence.
I settle myself down into a slightly more comfortable position and begin flipping through the pages, reading about the plants that Leah points out to me before flipping the pages some more. After what feels like hours, Leah announces that it's time for them to go, and I shift and pull my legs out from beneath me. I stretch them out, allowing feeling to rush back into them. I had been sitting on them for far too long, and pins and needles prickle at my skin, making me wince.
When I am finally able to mobilise myself again, I tuck the plant book back into its basket and pick up my bag, ready to go. I wait by the tent entrance for Leah. Ben is apparently staying here to finish the basket.
Leah trots up to me carrying her own satchel, eyes shining.
"Took you long enough." I say mischievously; she swats my arm in response, a frown on her face. It quickly turns into a smile though as she suddenly tears away, leaving me by the tent to shout after her.
We sprint through the cluster of brown tents, racing towards the woods. I pant, my legs aching, but manage to keep up. I even begin pulling ahead as we break out of the crowd of tents and reach the flat stretch of grass between them and the trees. It is nearing midday; I would have to hurry if I was going to forage and hunt today. We run into the trees. I streak through the undergrowth, my feet a blur. My heart hammers in my chest. I know the woods here like the back of my hand. I fly through the towering spruces and pines, only aware of the wind streaming through my now-braided hair, not even realising that I had left Leah behind until she calls me back.
"Hey! Wait up!" Leah gasps, and I skid to a halt in surprise, turning to look at her. I am numerous feet ahead of the other girl, and she slows to a trot as she approaches, chest heaving.
"You're fast," she puffs, leaning against a pine tree, her breath billowing out in small clouds. It's getting colder by the day, here. I smirk at her winded expression.
"I thought you were a hundred and ten percent energy?" I tease. Her only response is a glare, but a smirk plays on her own lips, too. We wait together in silence while Leah catches her breath. But energy buzzes beneath my skin, and I am eager to get moving again.
"Okay, okay." She sighs, straightening up again. "There should be coltsfoot closer to the river. It's sandier and rockier there. Sweetflag too, maybe, if it's wet enough. In the meantime, keep an eye out for any dock or balsam firs."
I blink at her, raising my eyebrows. "All these trees look the same to me. How am I supposed to distinguish between a pine tree and a balsam fir?"
"You look carefully." Leah replies smoothly, narrowing her eyes at one of the trees nearby. "See, that one is just a regular pine. You can tell because the leaves are different." She points at it with her right hand, before shifting it further over. "That is a balsam fir." Without another word, she jogs over to it, pulling her satchel over her head, and leaving me to stare at the trees with narrowed eyes.
My gaze flits between the trees Leah had pointed out. Ah, yes! They are indeed both trees. And they look the exact same.
I let out a grumble of irritation, plodding after Leah, who had begun hacking away at the bark of the 'balsam fir' with a small knife. And people call me crazy.
Suddenly, a sharp pang twists in my gut. Ah. I should've known I'd find Pietro out here somewhere.
I glance around, eyes scanning the brush for the familiar glow of his ghostly body. I catch a gleam of white disappearing through the trees a little way away. I blink over at Leah nervously.
"Hey, Leah?" I call.
"Yeah?" Her voice is muffled by the branches of the fir.
"I think I remember seeing some dock somewhere over there," I say, gesturing in a random direction. Leah can't see me anyway. "I'll go and get it and bring it back to you." I'm already moving before the other girl can reply.
"Okay! Just don't go too far!" Leah calls. The loud hacking sound continues.
I glance around quickly, making sure they were alone and out of sight of the camp before plunging into the brush. I run down one of my well-trodden paths, feet almost flying over the leaf litter, pursuing the flash of light. I see it again, moving through the trees quickly, and away from me.
"Hey! Wait up!" I yell after the retreating figure. It doesn't stop. I see it veer sharply off the path and to the left, and I let out a huff of annoyance before leaping after it. The prickly hawthorn bush that the ghost had disappeared through scratched at my exposed flesh, and I wince. I am definitely giving Pietro an earful when I catch him.
But when I manage to fight my way through the tangling bush, I find not Pietro on the other side, but Peggy. The ghost woman is sitting on the ground. She glances up at me as I approach.
"Peggy?" I ask incredulously. "Where have you been! It's been over a week since I last saw you…"
Peggy gives me a wan smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes, silent.
"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about, June." Peggy says, beckoning me over to sit on the ground next to her. I glance around the small area there are in. A tightly packed clearing sheltered by the boughs of a towering aspen. It's actually kind of nice here.
I come to seat myself next to her, shifting slightly so as to face her better. We hadn't spoken since Peggy's apparent falling-out with Pietro, and I am curious to find out what it was about. I'd asked Pietro, of course, but he'd just told me that Peggy would tell me when she got back. Well, I'm done waiting, and, tired of being treated like a child, I think it's time for Peggy to spill the beans. If she doesn't, I'll make her. (Somehow).
"Long time no see." I say, for lack of a better greeting.
"Well, yes, if you consider a week a long time." Peggy replies, nodding in response.
"I do when you vanish without warning. Care to tell me what that was all about?" My tone isn't accusatory, but it isn't exactly happy either. "Pietro said you'd tell me."
But Peggy isn't listening. She's gazing off into the woods.
"Peggy!"
Startled, Peggy snaps her head around to blink in shock at me. "Yes, sorry?"
I bite down a hiss of frustration. "Where have you been? What's going on between you and Pietro?"
Peggy hesitates. I fix her with a warning glare. I'm not going to take any bullshit.
Sighing, Peggy looks away again, shaking her head slowly. "You're so young… Pietro wants you to do… something, but I think it's too early just yet." She murmurs absently.
I feel a flash of irritation. "Can you just tell me what it is? I don't have time for any cryptic information or any 'Oh but the weight of my words' crap. If it's nothing important, don't tell me, but you and Pietro have been acting weird lately." I pause. "Well, weirder. And if I'm involved I want to know."
"I think we should tell her, Peggy," Pietro's voice is surprisingly solemn. I whip around to stare at him in surprise. I'd been so focused on Peggy; I hadn't noticed the ghost man materialising in the clearing.
"Tell me what?" I demand, but Pietro isn't looking at me. My patience is wearing thin.
"She will find out sooner or later. Besides, I think she is ready." Pietro steps towards me and Peggy, mouth set in a stubborn line.
"She might die!" Peggy hisses back. "Don't you see? This is dangerous!"
"What do you mean 'I might die'? Can someone please just tell me what the hell is going on?" I exclaim, my frustration overflowing.
"Pietro…" Peggy warns, but Pietro ignores her.
"The Avengers are alive. They are being held on the other side of the mountains. You need to find them, and get them out." He tells me, his ice-blue gaze boring into mine.
I stare at him in surprise, jaw slack. It takes me a few moments to process the words, and even more to come up with a response. He's kidding, right? I glance at Peggy. The look she's giving Pietro is murderous. Okay, nevermind, maybe he's not kidding. A flood of questions enters my mind.
"What do you mean 'get them out'? Of where? And how do you know they are alive? And why do I have to be the one to find them?" I burst out, scrambling to my feet and glaring at the two ghosts disbelievingly.
If Pietro knows that Peggy is going to kill him a second time, he chooses to ignore that fact.
"The Avengers are being held in a facility on the other side of the mountains. You need to find them and break them out. The world has been silent for too long. And we know they are alive because we have seen them. And as for your last question, well, as of now, you are the only enhanced individual we know of that remains free. And, as of now, you are the only person left alive and free that knows that the Avengers are alive and where they are."
I stare at him. Any words I was about to say die in my throat. I can't go on some wild goose chase looking for the Avengers! I'm not a fighter. I'm not…
"You are the reason we are here, June." Pietro whispers, walking closer to me, ignoring the conflicted look on my face. "You have not one, but two powers. You are very special. And now, we need you to put those powers to good use. The Cerberus are already looking for you anyway. You don't want them to find them before you are ready."
I suddenly find myself fighting the urge to throw up. They're trying to find me? Hysterical laughter bursts from my throat instead.
"You're joking, right? This is all… some kind of sick joke! I'm not some… some vigilante! The Cerberus are too strong to fight! If the Avengers couldn't win, what makes you think I can? What makes you think I'm capable of something like this?" The images of my parents' lifeless eyes flash through my mind, and I recoil. This isn't fair. I know what happens when people stand up to the Cerberus. They can't just put all this pressure onto me!
"June, you're the only one capable of this!" Pietro insists, reaching out to me. Peggy is standing now, too. She watches the interaction with anxious eyes.
"I'm sorry, June," she whispers. "This is how it is."
I stagger backwards, shaking my head at Pietro and Peggy.
"I can't… no…" I rasp, before fleeing back in the direction of camp.
My blood roars in my ears as I leap over roots and logs, heart racing faster than my legs. My breath billows out in clouds in front of my face, blocking my vision. I can't I can't I can't. The Avengers… they're dead! And even if they're not, I will be if I try to find them!
I break through the tree line, bolting across the clear stretch of grass towards the brown tents that crowd the area, almost running into an older man and what seemed to be his wife. In my haste to stop, I accidentally trip over a half hidden rock and land heavily at the couple's feet, narrowly avoiding the collision.
"I'm sorry!" I gasp, trying to regain my feet. The man blinks down at me in surprise, and it is then that she notices the stars lining him and his wife's clothing. They are both dead.
The man leans down to me, an intense light burning in his gaze, and I scramble backwards with a yelp.
"You're the one they told us about, aren't you?" The man narrows his eyes down at me. "You have to find the Avengers, little girl! The world needs them!"
The woman next to him reaches out to me. "Please," she adds in a whisper. "You need to find my son."
I just manage to regain my footing and springs away, a scream threatening to tear itself from my throat. I weave my way through the rows of tents, but they are everywhere. The people. The ghosts. They watch me curiously from the shadows, and I let out a wail. Am I dead? Is that why I am seeing so many people now?
"June! Are you alright?" Laura's voice shocks me, and I jump away from the gentle touch she had placed on my shoulder. Laura's kids, Lila, Cooper and Nathaniel all stare at me from behind their mother, wearing similar looks of shock on their faces.
I gulp in a few deep breaths of air, trying to calm my heart, but a glimpse around me shows me the ghosts are closing in, walking slowly towards me with looks of interest on their shimmering faces. They're murmuring between themselves quietly, but their voices cut into my mind like knives. They might as well all be shouting at me through megaphones.
"Is she the one?"
"Can she see us?"
"Did they tell her like they said they would?"
"They must have."
I scream loudly, covering my ears to try and block out the whispers of the dead. Laura jerks backward with a shout of alarm, drawing her kids close to her, apparently to protect them from my seemingly manic outburst. Other people, living people, were coming out of their tents now, eyes round with perturbation at the disturbing noise. I stand in the centre of it all, a freak at a circus show.
I need to get out of here. I need to get out of here.
"Hey! June! There you are! I heard you shout and saw you running off…" Leah trails off, slowing down as she draws nearer to June. "Are… are you alright?"
I turn to face the other girl, and seeing her face, her concerned, green eyes… I realise I am a danger here. If what Pietro says is true… if the Cerberus truly are looking for me… Staying here would mean killing them all. Even if I can't find the Avengers… I can't stay here either.
I have to leave. But I am surrounded now. I can't leave without being chased down and caught almost immediately. My apparent madness has been revealed. No longer is my insanity a rumour. They will kill me. Or cast me out. I am a danger here, whether they know I am enhanced or not. Mad people are too likely to spill secrets. To do reckless things. My options are running out. I know what I must do.
"June!"
Laura's anguished cry slashes at my heart like a blade, and I turn around to face her for what may be the last time.
"I'm sorry," I whisper to her. "Thank you for everything you have done for me."
And then I did something I never thought I'd do. I transformed in front of everyone. I revealed my powers.
I let out a strangled howl as my body crumples violently into its bird form. I'd never transformed this quickly before. People all around me let out cries of shock and horror as my body seemingly explodes into a cloud of dark feathers.
When the transmutation is over, I am a little blackbird, gazing out at the crowd of people, dead and alive, who stare at me with looks of wonder, fear and in some places, anger. But worst of all is Laura. She stares at me with an expression of pure terror on her face, as she pushes her children behind her.
She's afraid of me…
All around me, people whisper and mutter angrily, their voices steadily becoming louder.
"… freak…"
"She's an enhanced! She could ruin everything!"
"Someone grab her! We need to lock her up before she exposes us."
"I knew there was something off about her the moment I saw her…"
The people are closing in. I stare at Laura, a feeling of despair welling up inside me, threatening to overwhelm me. Then, someone lunges towards me, arms outstretched as if to grab me, and I jump away with a squawk of alarm. People are pulling out weapons I didn't know they had. I see Dean, eyes wide with fear and anger, holding a shotgun. Our leader doesn't want me to live, either. My last hope withers away.
With one last, desperate look at Laura, I extend my wings and fly into the air, my mournful cry echoing through the clearing as I swoop toward the trees. Bullets sling past me, just barely missing my small body. I let out a trill of fear and fly faster, propelling myself with more urgency into the woods.
There is no going back now.
I fly for hours before my wings begin to tire. The sun had already begun to set, and I am exhausted. I haven't eaten all day, I realise, and I make a clumsy landing on the ground next to a wide, slow moving river.
I groan as my body returns to its natural form, my strength sapped. Pebbles crunch beneath me as I collapse onto the thin stretch of shoreline between the river and the trees. Night has almost fallen.
I am alone, hungry and homeless. I feel tears beginning to well in my eyes but I blink them back. No. I did the right thing. I saved them. So why do I feel so bad?
There is another twist in my gut, one not from hunger, and I know immediately the ghosts had followed me out here.
"Go away." I say hoarsely, angrily. The ghosts don't reply, but they don't leave either.
"I said go away!" I scream, standing and picking up a rock and hurling it behind me, straight at them. It passes through Peggy's body harmlessly.
I glare at them, breathing hard, before sinking back down to sit on the pebbles, head down.
"I want you to quit following me," I mumble, squeezing my eyes shut.
"Why? We're your friends, are we not?" Pietro tries to sound light-hearted, but I can hear the guilt plaguing his tone.
"No, you're not." I spit out. "Because of you I'm now a fugitive from the aliens and the humans!"
"Because of us?" Pietro repeats, annoyance entering his voice and drowning out the guilt. "You're the one that freaked out! It isn't our fault that you –"
"- Enough, Pietro." Peggy warns, cutting him off. He glares at her furiously, but remains silent, stalking over to the river's edge to sulk. Peggy sighs, watching him leave, before approaching me and sitting at my right side.
"I'm sorry about what happened." Peggy murmurs quietly. "But we are all you have left. We can help you, June –"
"Help me?" I cut her off, my words coming out laced with venom. "Help me? You two are literally going to be the death of me. Because of you, I'm out here on my own with winter approaching. I'm going to die out here and it's going to be all your fault!"
"That's not true." Peggy argues. "I can teach you how to fight. Pietro can teach you how to further control your powers, and, well, you know how to hunt."
"With a bow and arrow." I point out.
"You can transform into anything you want, at any time, and you're going to let yourself starve because you don't have a bunch of pointy sticks?" Peggy asks, her tone scornful. I duck my head, embarrassed. She's right. As usual.
"If it's any condolence, I gave Pietro a pretty nasty beating after you ran off."
Peggy gives me a tiny smile. I blink at her in surprise, forcing a small smile of my own. Peggy turns back to look over at Pietro, frowning.
"You don't have to do this you know. I understand if this is too much, but… I think you may be our only hope." Peggy tells me, her tone soft, yet pleading.
I blink at her, surprised. I wasn't expecting an offer of a way out so soon. I puff out a breath, shaking my head. It clouds out in front of me. I realise then how cold it is, and tug my jacket tighter over my shoulders. "I've thought about it the whole way here." I say slowly. I take a deep breath, steadying myself. "I'll do it. If I'm the only one as you say, then it'd just be selfish if I didn't do anything, I guess." Peggy perks up, but I ignore her and absently pick up a stone, turning it in my hands before tossing it into the river. The ripples expand outward, disrupting the reflections of the stars glittering in the water.
"I mean, what else do I have to lose?"
A/N: Hope you enjoy this chapter! The next one will feature the Avengers again, probably. I don't know if it'll always be alternating chapters like this, but I'll see what I can do. Please leave a review telling me what you think! I'd greatly appreciate all words of advice/encouragement!