When class let out she was a nervous wreck constantly looking over her shoulder and flinching at every sudden movement. She knew she should've told her team that Carter was back but she didn't want them to go after him. He was her brother and she would deal with this herself but she didn't want to put her team in danger either. If Carter was tracking her then she would lead him straight to their base.
It was bad enough that he had tracked her down to her high school. She didn't want to put sweet little Cindy or Tucker who was like a funny younger brother in danger. And even if she didn't want to admit it outloud she didn't want to put Dylan who she really did care for in danger, or even Summer for that matter. The poor girl, although Sam didn't like her that much, did already have enough on her plate.
"I'll meet you back at the base. There's a soccer practice that was scheduled last minute." She explained to Zoom. He eyed her carefully. She tried keeping her usual cocky and self-assured persona in tact as Dylan's eyes looked her over for any sign that she was lying or that something was out of place. Jack sighed.
"Alright be back by 4:30 sharp or I am personally coming after you! Got it kid?" She rolled her eyes.
"Of course." She said strolling to the field.
When she was sure Jack had taken off with the rest of the team she sprinted past the field and back inside the school. She wandered the empty halls until she reached her locker ripping the yellow post it note off the shelf and crumpling it tossing it to the floor. This time she felt the same chill she did when she was outside on the bleachers. Carter was near. Faster than she had time to prepare for she had been slammed up against her locker and when she opened her eyes she came face to face with her brother.
"Carter!" She whispered. He smiled at her.
"Hey baby sister. Miss me?" His voice was unlike the one she knew to be her brothers. It was cold and icy and malevolant. His curly dark brown hair was slicked back and his brown eyes were reddish black. He wasn't her brother, not like this. His carefree attitude and warm brown eyes and usually disheveled curly brown hair had been replaced. She was frozen unable to move or speak even if she could. She was held up by her neck her feet unable to touch the ground.
His hand tightened around her neck crushing her windpipe unable to let her breath. Dark blue veins traveled through Carters hand and into neck making her own veins the same color and grip with such intensity that her eyes buldged at the pain. All she could do was look into his cold and soulless eyes while he chocked her to death. Any shred of hope that he was still the same guy had vanished. His hand came up to deliver the final blow when he was suddenly thrown across the hall into a pile of lockers.
Sam slid down onto the floor swallowing large gulps of air unable to control her sobbing.
"Sam, Sam, Sparky c'mon girl, look at me. Open your eyes!" She couldn't see her rescuer through the tears forming and probably already spilling down her cheeks and she couldn't concentrate after almost loosing consciousness. Her rescuer picked her up cradling her in his arms and her eyes fluttered shut.
"Sammy? Sammy where are you?" Carter had counted to 100 and it had given her enough time to squeeze her self under the sink drawer. She stifled a giggle and held her breath as she heard him enter the room.
"Sam?" He called and then listened for any sort of response she would make. Usually she would giggle or bang her knee against the surface of wherever she was hiding but at age 7 she was learning quite fast how to disappear without a trace. Carter was always better at it when it was her turn to count. He was older and had much more practice then her she reasoned.
"Hmm, Looks like she's not here." He would say and then leave the room. Sam stifled another giggle.
If Carter thought she was falling for that again he was sorely mistaken. She knew it was all a ploy to get her to leave her hiding spot and then when she would try making it to home base he would wait just outside the room until she came running past him and he would tag her. Nope that was not going to happen again. She was determined to stay right where she was until he gave up and she won.
Later she would sneak out of her hiding spot and run to home base but somehow he always caught her, but he was never able to uncover hre secret hiding spot and that always gave her pride. Carter would always chuckle at her and mess her hair up and she would glare at him for doing it. She likes to remember her brother as her knight in shinning armor, her hero. Carter always knew what to do. She likes to pretend Carter is her only family.
She likes to forget that her mother is a low life scum bag who completely broke after her father died. Joanna James nee Wiez was a dark haired brunette with blue eyes, now a 48 year old retired villain and pyhcopath who left her children in the hands of the government. Irresponsbile. Destructive. She hated her mother. The only good thing she ever did was marry the colonel. After she drove him away she became a wreck and it began to affect her children. Her mother dated a slew of mad men and Carter and Sam never felt safe again.
She remembers one night in particular when their powers manifested. Joanna stumbled from her room having been hit by her latest boyfriend Dale. She stormed out of the house after causing it to shake and tremble with her power. Carter had left his hiding spot and tried to intervene when he heard the commotion. Sam had screamed when Dale had slapped her across the face making her stumble back against the wall. Carter had stepped in front and held his hands up in fists protecting his little sister. Dale raised his hands chuckling and went to hit Carter.
"NO!" Sam screamed raising her hands at him. Her eyes turned back as Blue electricity crackled from her hands and shot out towards Dale hitting him square in the chest. Carter looked at her in disbelief and then back towards the lifeless body lying across the floor. She remembers her hands shaking the blue light gone from them. Carter never flinched from her. He grabbed her hands and held them with his.
"It'll be alright." He said looking her over.
"You're fine." She nodded composing herself well for a twelve year old. Carter checked the body turning him over to see blood seeping from a wound in his head. Carter looked back towards his sister. His body tumbled to the ground. Dale had grabbed his leg and flipped him to the floor. Carter outstretched his hands to shield himself from the blow. Dale went flying across the other side of the room the consequence of Carters latent fire and heat powers of manipulation.
"You always have me." Carter said squeezing her hand.
Their so-called mother had dropped them off at area 52 and drove off. It was last time they ever saw her. She was fourteen years old and she had lost both her parents. Her father had been killed when she was very little, she always kept a picture of him in her pocket. It was stupid really she barley knew the man, all she knew was that her life began to fall apart when he was murdered. All the tests and experiments done on them have been all a blur, yet she remembers what she felt. Disgust, dizzy, lightheaded, pain, worry.
Things she'd rather not remember. She holds the picture tighter and it creases. She remembers when she was four standing in the rain staring at the grey slab of stone in the ground.
'Here Lies Mark James, Husband, Father, Hero.'
