From now on, there will be scenes of torture in some of Salem's Flashbacks. Perhaps even some scenes will disturb some viewers so be warned. Mental illness will be addressed throughout, along with unhealthy composing mechanisms such as Self-Harm. I won't say when these scenes will be because it would spoil chapters.

)()()(

Chapter 14

Salem just floated on the ocean water. Land was nowhere to be seen and the water was calm, and clear, and kind. She didn't need to move, didn't need to think, to touch, to feel. It was pure heaven as she floated. Her body, mind, and spirit completely numb to the touch. She could have just stayed there forever.

The water enveloped her, pushing her within its depths without a care. She started treading water as soon as it hit her nose. The waters around her mocked her as she tried to keep her head above the water, kicking her legs as fast and as steadily as she could. It was to no avail as the water consumed her.

The icy temperatures stung her nose and eyes. Once again, her head reached the surface and she took in a deep breath, settling the air into her stomach before she was dunked back under the water. Something held her down as she struggled to reach the surface, barely getting another breath before plunging back in.

Why was there ice?

It wasn't there before.

Why would it appear so suddenly?

The next time she hit the surface, a thin layer of ice, almost invisible, covered the surface but she couldn't break it. She banged her fists against the layer, wanting to get out and see the sky. It did nothing as she curled up against it, trying to use her knees, and elbows, and hands, and head, and nails, to get out.

A vibration in the ice made itself known when a large snake slithered across the area of ice she was stuck under, watching her through it as it circled her above the ice, almost mocking her as she couldn't break the ice.

As the dark snake curled around the top of the ice, settling right above where she struggled, Salem fought against the ice and her fight renewed itself, almost making her hands bleed with how much force she extorted.

Salem tried to scream, finding her voice muffled by the water around her. She tried to grasp the thousands of tiny air bubbles that reached the ice and phased through.

With the scream, her breath was gone. Water filled her mouth but she was quick to spit it out.

She paused, her energy depleted for the moment. She was dragged down, her limbs too heavy to move anymore.

As she went further and further away from the surface, the waters darkened dangerously. Her will to fight just made her be dragged down further but she couldn't move. She didn't want to. Why was she becoming tired? Her eyelids wanted to drop and there was a strong desire to just stop moving and let go.

Her breath was now gone.

The waters had their icy grip on her limbs and she just sank.

There was no need to think as her mind became numb with the cold.

She just wanted to stay in the water forever, not leaving its stiff condiments on her limbs as her eyelids closed for the final time.

Salem woke up with a gasping breath, halfway floating off the bed before she plummeted back onto it with a gasp of shock. She groaned as she hit the bed, sitting up a little as she yawned.

"Lights,"

LILITH turned the lights on dimly in her room, enough to not burn her eyes suddenly but she could see.

She put an arm over her eyes, as she counted out a couple of numbers to try and regulate her breathing.

"Time?" She asked before getting out of the bed, knowing she wouldn't get any more sleep.

"Four thirty-two in the morning. You've been asleep for an hour and forty or so minutes,"

"Fuck," She rubbed her hands into her eyes, yawning again before leaving for the bathroom.

LILITH turned the shower to hot as Salem got in, showering quickly since she had showered the night before too. She got out of the shower within minutes, quick body and hair wash instead of the lavish amount of time she used to spend. Short and effective showers were something HYDRA preferred and she had yet to condition herself out of.

Salem stood in front of the sink as she brushed her teeth, looking into the mirror as she observed herself again.

There were a couple of changes from her time at HYDRA, some more welcome than others.

She still had her usual grey eyes, though they seemed a shade or two more purple in recent weeks after coming back from the kidnapping. Her hair now barely reached her chin, and instead of the completely blue-black hair she and her father shared, her hair was white at the roots, with grey colouring the most with blue-black ends.

It seemed like she had Marie Antoinette Syndrome, hair turning white being of stress or fear, but it was probably from the last seven months' trauma piled into her mind at the quick rate of only weeks.

Since she was no longer in danger, her mind decided it was time to face her fears and traumas in the last couple of weeks. It made it so she became overwhelmed a lot quicker, making her more sensitive to sounds, touches, textures, and especially smells and tastes.

Since HYDRA didn't feed her meat when she was in its clutches, the thought of eating it put her off which she was sad about. She missed cheeseburgers and kebabs and bacon and sausages and wraps. There were several vegetarian opinions so she didn't complain too much but it was sad.

She spat the toothpaste out, rinsing her mouth with mouthwash before spitting that out too. She wiped her mouth before cleaning her face, looking into the mirror before her eyes fell to the brand on her sternum.

The HYDRA brand was starting to heal up. Nothing they did could have kept it there if she didn't want it but the energy it took to heal it was draining. Salem didn't use her powers because she needed to heal this before anything else. It wasn't like she needed her powers, she didn't always have to use them.

She found out her heritage a week after coming back, reading everything she could, every tome, book, journal, diary, paper about Darklings that Doctor Strange and Wong had. Both men were understanding in her thirst for knowledge, letting her come to the sanctuary under their watchful eyes because they knew Tony would do damage if she wasn't safe.

There wasn't a lot of information about her abilities but at least she had an idea of what she was. It didn't really matter that she knew because she wasn't using her abilities recently.

She was just glad she wasn't thrown out into the world by Tony when he realised she wasn't actually his daughter, or this reality's Salem.

Hopefully, the fear of abandonment would stop looming over her.

)()()(

The mansion the two Starks now lived in used to be Tony's childhood home and used to belong to Howard Stark. After being abandoned when Howard Stark's tech was stolen, Tony completely reinforced the place and added FRIDAY into the place.

They'd been living there a month and the place still wasn't up to Tony's standards of safety. He didn't like how this place had a similar feel to the Malibu mansion with how open to the sky it was. There weren't a lot of houses around as Starks valued privacy in their homes, so it was only a couple of other spaced out mansions around them.

The mansion was huge and beautiful with a much older, less technological feel to the inside. It was warmer with wood covering many parts of the inside, right over the reinforced steel frame of the house which Howard Stark had insisted on. All the doors had reinforced steel inside, covered by wood to make it look weaker than it was.

Safety and security was a big thing in the Stark household.

Tony had repurposed a room into his workshop, turning the living room with the largest windows that went onto the huge balcony area. Recently, he began working on a new inner suit to wear under his actual metal one. Proper clothing didn't insulate him enough and could interfere with the joints and inner plating.

"Oi, Dad," Salem said, coming into the cleaned out living room where Tony was working. "Have you finished with my jeep yet? I got school and need to drive. Ain't no way I'm taking public transport."

"Shit," He said, pausing his work on the tiny wires. "I still haven't finished with the interface yet. Still need a new part to come so you'll have to make do with one of my cars. The keys are in the garage. Code's 1347. Stopping stealing my hoodies and cutting them up."

"The exact time I showed you U," Salem hummed. "I'm taking the Centenario."

Tony looked up at that, glasses on his nose as he watched her turn on her heels and strut away. "I WANT THAT CAR INTACT, SABRINA STARK!"

"NO PROMISES!" She grinned. "You're stuck babysitting Duke!"

Tony stared as the snake slithered from where she dropped him, going straight to the large tree branch under a heat lamp in the corner of the room. "You behave and stay there. FRI, when did she wake up?"

"She awoke at four thirty-two in the morning, getting ready soon after," FRIDAY said. "LILITH is controlling everything in her room but has given me data for safety reasons Salem has agreed to. LILITH reports that Ma'am woke up tired and suddenly."

"Did she have a nightmare again?"

"It would seem like she did,"

He stopped his work on the thin, almost hairlike wires that could be sewn together to make as he took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. "How bad do you think they were?"

"She woke up gasping and took hours to calm down, though she masked it well that it couldn't be seen unless looking at their physiology," FRIDAY continued. "She hid her symptoms even when she was speaking to you."

"I know she's been talking with Barney Boy about stuff, what's their conversations about?"

"I can't inform you of that,"

"Damn."

)()()(

She giggled on the way down to the garage.

Looking through the huge reinforced glass box of all types of car keys, she plucked out the set for the Lamborghini Centenario Roadster.

It was the classic red and gold of Ironman with the inside being a cool black. It was a convertible and since the weather was nice, Salem kept the roof down as she drove with her circular sunglasses on.

Finding Midtown School of Science and Technology wasn't hard when you had an AI to guide you there with GPS.

Salem parked, finding a space in the parking lot without too much difficulty. Grabbing her dark red backpack from the passenger seat, she slung it over one shoulder as she got out of the car. She ran her hand through her white, grey and black hair.

She wore a grey spaghetti strap top tucked into a pair of dark wash jean shorts, and since she knew she wouldn't be allowed the top by itself, she put on one of Tony's old black hoodies with the bottom cropped off so it was short and cool. A pair of her favourite black boots finished the look off as she hauled the backpack over one shoulder after putting her leather jacket on over the hoodie.

She was not happy about being forced to bring textbooks and notebooks instead of her laptop or even a StarkPad to take notes.

It took only a moment of observation to find out where the main entrance was, Salem used the training from HYDRA to deduce where it would be easiest to get into the school with the least amount of people around her. There was another entrance near the side, one that was far less used.

She kept her displeasure of having to attend school to a minimum as she watched the students go about their way around the school's campus. Midtown School of Science and Technology was, in Tony's opinion, the best school for her because of her 'academic capabilities'.

Simply put, Tony thought it best to send her to a school with a good reputation where he could keep an eye on her and keep her busy. She needed the distraction and the socialisation it gave her since she was used to being around people all the time.

Salem glanced at the school map-projected out of her watch, not caring if other students saw her use her technology. Tony didn't care so she didn't.

Hundreds of lockers lined the walls, classroom doors hidden between them. Students mulled around, weaving between each other to get to their lockers and classes. Most of them loitered around certain lockers and spoke to their friends.

She found the quickest route to the Head's office. Her hand clenched the strap of the backpack, boots silent against the tiled flooring of the building as she prowled through the halls.

The office wasn't much, a desk with three chairs, several bookcases and a trophy cabinet full of meaningless statues.

"I presume you are Miss Sabrina Stark?" A man, Mr Morita, sat at his desk and finished whatever he was doing by turning the computer screen off.

"I am," She said, sitting in the chairs before his desk. "But I prefer Salem, it's a nickname."

"I've been sent your records and qualifications. It seems like you have started an undergraduate at MIT yet you're here? Why's that?" He asked. "If you're capable of studying at MIT at your age, why come to high school at all?"

She forced a smile onto her lips, one that was convincing and yet showed an ounce of sheepishness. "I'm still at MIT but I need to get a high school diploma to properly be allowed to attend there. I'm doing both my degree and work here so it'll be fine."

"What courses are you doing at MIT?"

"I'm not sure if that's any of the school's business. That's between MIT and I,"

He frowned but nodded. "Okay. I believe my secretary sent your schedule through email to you, do you have it with you?"

"Yes, I do," She wiped a hand on her watch screen, letting a small schedule of classes with room and teachers appear. "I've got a couple of frees and then Gym, I think."

Mr Morita looked impressed and jealous by her use of technology but didn't comment on it. "Good. I best let you go then. Have a good day at school, Miss Stark."

"Thanks. Will do."

)()()(

Salem grimaced inwardly as she entered the female changing room. She wasn't a fan of PE. While she loved working out and doing exercise, PE or Gym, as they called it here, was never going to be her favourite.

She took a place near one of the corners, away from the other girls as she quickly tugged her top off and pulled the sports bra over her bra before the gym top. She didn't want to be reminded of the healing HYDRA brand nor did she want the others to see it. She pulled on black, breathable sports leggings that compressed her leg muscles as needed.

There was no way in Hell that she was going to wear that hideous yellow pair of shorts. Her matching black trainers were next, the logo matched her sports bra.

"Isn't that brand expensive?" Another girl pointed to her leggings and trainers.

Salem looked at her like she was asking why she was speaking to her. It took a moment of blinking and realising she could respond before Salem did. "Yeah, that's why I was only allowed to buy two of each product."

She pulled her hair behind her ears, dabbed a bit of lip balm on using a compact mirror and chewed a bit of gum.

The class piled into one large gym, Salem walked towards the teacher.

"Hi, I'm the new student," She greeted him. "I have a Doctor's note for my leggings."

"All right, Miss Stark. Join your classmates now." He brought out a portable TV, though no one wouldn't have called it a modern TV by any means. He turned it on and Captain America was on screen.

The class was going to do the 'Captain America Fitness Challenge', or whatever the hell the Government thought was worth the effort to waste an hour.

She observed the class as they began their exercising, a couple quickly giving up before long. Putting her headphones in, she began to jog the length of the gym, taking her time to warm up and wake her muscles. After about five minutes, she went for a mat and started a set of push-ups.

It wasn't long before she was interrupted.

"Hey, you're the new girl, aren't you?" A boy appeared in front of her, waiting until he got her attention. "I'm Flash Thompson."

"Salem,"

"Salem what?"

"Stark, Salem Stark,"

He snapped his fingers. "I knew it! You looked familiar. I saw you on that conference you did with your dad. You had long hair back then, and it was darker then too."

He referred to the conference a couple of weeks before her kidnapping, the one where she announced LILITH's creation to the world.

"There's only one Salem Stark," She said.

"So," He began. "Is it true then?"

"Is what true?"

"That Penis Parker doesn't have an internship at Stark Industries?" He almost laughed at the thought.

Tony had spoken to her about this before school started, asking her to go along with the story of him being an intern.

"No, he does have an internship with SI," She calmly said, standing up as she put away her headphones. His eyes trailed to her wrists where her glass watch and nanobot bracelet sat, watching as she allowed the nanobots of the earbuds to reform themselves into the bracelet.

He reached for her hand as he grinned, "That's so coo—"

The way his hand encased her wrist brought back memories, of memories she repressed and got rid of, of pain and sharp hotness around her wrists.

The blade was white-hot, sliding against her wrists as Niver held them tightly. He was steady in the way he cut across them, making sure that it was in an area that would push the wound against the gloves and hurt even more.

Niver did this every time she refused to take off the bracelet and watch, refuse entry to Stark level stuff, entry to SHIELD files which she couldn't even access legally. The knife was less a knife and more of a molten piece of metal that would be pressed into her skin and made her scream as he dug it in more.

Flash made a sound that he would insist was not him screaming like a girl as he was manoeuvred to the floor

Salem's instincts told her that a threat was coming towards her, making her act without thinking to keep herself safe from the would-be attacker. It was less offence than defence, as she recognised that he wouldn't be a threat if he was on his back so that was how he landed, her foot firmly planted on his chest as he gasped out in fear while her hand held his offending one up.

Flash stared at her with fear and surprise as Salem stepped away, her eyes once a light purple now back to their grey.

"Don't touch me, Thompson," She said, emotion gone from her voice and making her sound slightly monotone.

"Hey!" The teacher came running over, halting to a stop. "What happened here?"

"Teacher, she attacked me like a maniac!" Flash shouted, jumping up from the floor with a frantic gesture. "It was unprovoked!"

"Well?" He turned to Salem who just stood like a statue as that was what she was supposed to. "What do you have to say? Did he provoke you?"

She got to the point. "I don't like being touched and he decided to grab my hand."

"She had her headphones in! We're not allowed them," Flash said.

The teacher looked between them, "Do you have your headphones on you, Miss Stark?"

"No," She patted her pockets.

"Okay then," He turned back to Flash. "Why did you lie about that, Thompson? Both of you are getting detention anyway, tomorrow after school. Just keep away from each other now."

The teacher walked away, shaking his head as he muttered something about teenagers under his breath. Salem heard but didn't acknowledge it, swiftly turning around and leaving the gym.

)()()(

She burst into the changing room, feeling the way energy crackled on her skin as a way to try and alleviate her panic.

The weight on her chest increased tenfold, feeling like rocks crushing her.

The slabs of metal started to close, coming down onto her as she felt her bones crack under the pressure. She screamed, thrashing against the restraints as the minimal amount of energy needed to fuel her healing kept her alive.

Clawing at the collar of her shirt, she pulled at the golden necklace Shuri had designed for her.

From the tiny Medusa encrusted medallion on the thick gold chain, a suit appeared.

It was skin-tight, expanding from the medallion like it did with Black Panther's claw necklace. The suit was such a dark purple that it seemed black with black additions in areas such as the hips, knees, elbows and shoulders for protection. It came with boots that would appear.

It could be used as a superhero suit, Shuri said, and that Salem should have it just in case.

It compressed her body enough that she could feel the endorphins and serotonin enter her bloodstream. The pressure and warmth of the suit helped keep her grounded, taking the energy that cracked against her skin and rerouted it so it can be later used if desired.

She sprinted over to the sinks as soon as she felt like she wasn't going to be sick or faint or panic even more. Splashing water onto her face, she deactivated the suit. She washed out her mouth, wishing the water around before spitting it out because the taste of vile kept on her tongue.

"What the…?"

Salem looked up, eyes purple as instincts detected another enemy but she forced the condition away.

It was a dark-skinned girl, one Salem hadn't met yet but knew went by the name MJ.

"Dude, are you okay?" She asked, coming over. "You look like you've been put through the wringer. Do you need the nurse?"

"No," She was able to say, brushing her hair out of her face with a sniffle. "I'm fine."

"You sure about that? You look half dead just standing,"

"I'm sure. Didn't get a lot of sleep, that's all,"

MJ didn't look convinced but didn't push it. "I saw what you did with Flash. Great entertainment there. I'm Michelle Jones, but I go by MJ."

"Sabrina Stark, Salem's good for me," She said.

"Yeah, so are you sure you're alright?"

Salem nodded, rubbing the HYDRA insignia which was hidden by her blue shirt. "Yeah, just a panic attack or something."

"You get them often?"

"Moreso recently. Stress."

MJ hummed. "Come on, let's get dressed. We got lunch next. Want to sit with me and make fun of Flash?"

"Of course," Salem smiled. "Of Human Bondage? Sounds kinky. Is the book any good?"

"Eh, it's alright. Rather do anything to not have to do gym,"

"Fair."

)()()(

I know Medusa is usually associated with SA victims and survivors, but I will not say if Salem has been S assaulted or not. I don't want to create a character where all their growth comes from being assaulted and they have to 'get over' it. It is a serious matter and a problem in our world.

This story will not go through that plotline as it would not change anything.

Salem is traumatised by HYDRA, but to include AS, it is up to the reader to include it in their mind if she has been or not.