Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel, just the writing and my OCs.

I slam the door of my school locker shut, dragging my feet as I make my way to my math class. Pre-Calculus. Not my favorite thing ever, but tolerable. Most of my friends are in the class, which makes time pass quicker and problems a lot easier.

I write down notes in my binder, but my mind is in other places, namely the sky. I can't wait to try flying again. All day I've daydreamed about the feeling. I haven't told my parents yet, it's too conspicuous for their tastes. I'll tell them eventually. I barely even notice when my friend Jayden taps me on the shoulder.

"Class is almost over, Alicia," he murmurs in his quietly charming fashion.

I nod and once the bell rings, Jayden and I head to lunch-or rather, the library. Both of us find the lunchroom too loud and annoying, and if I start hallucinating, the library is deserted.

Jayden is drawing in his sketchbook when the intercom comes on.

"Alicia Singer, please report to the Main Office," we hear.

I groan. Why do I have to go to the office? I didn't do anything wrong.

"Want me to come with you?" Jayden asks.

I shake my head no. "I'll probably be back before this period ends."

I step briskly into the office, wanting to get out as soon as possible. There's no way I'm staying in this stuffy old room for more than a minute or two.

Oddly enough, the secretaries are nowhere to be found, and I don't even think the principal is here. Weird.

I go further into the office, and stop in my tracks.

Oh, crap.

That guy in the suit is here. The exact same one. He's brought some friends too.

"Hello, Alicia. I'm Agent Meyers, and these are agents Grant, Barton, and Corso." He motions to a tall, baldheaded man; a shorter, dirty-blonde haired man with sunglasses; and a woman with tightly braided hair, respectively.

I say nothing. I'm not sure I want to know what they're here for.

"We're members of S.H.I.E.L.D, and we'd like to talk with you," Agent Meyers continues. "You're different."

"The kind of different that we deal with," Agent Corso adds.

I find myself becoming tense. Even though I can't tell what's behind Agent Barton's sunglasses, I know he is staring me down.

"Do I have to come with you?" I ask.

Agent Meyers starts to say something, but I don't stay around to find out. I tear out the door, and hear the agents scramble after me.

I may be fast, but I can't outrun these guys for long. They're agile, and trained for this kind of chase. I telekinetically topple trashcans over, causing the agents to hurdle over them. It's not much of a diversion, but anything helps. When I look back, I notice that Agent Barton isn't with them. Where is he?

A bullet rips right past me-no, not a bullet. It's a dart, probably filled with some sort of tranquillizer. Great.

Recklessly, I kick over the lid of a trashcan and jump on it, shooting into the air and weaving around the tranquillizer darts.

"Damn, she's better than I thought," I hear Agent Grant growl.

Of course, the moment he says that, I crash into a lamppost. I fall to the ground, dazed, and slowly regain my footing. I pass the lamppost, frantically sending it downward with a quick flick of my wrist. The glass and lightbulb at the top shatter, forcing the agents to jump back.

They're delayed for the moment, and I head toward a side-street.

Just one turn, and I'll have lost them.

Sshwing.

Something sharp sticks in my thigh. I stumble, looking down to find an arrow embedded deep in it. Where did...where did that come from? I didn't see any arrows before, who shot that?

So...dizzy.

I can't feel my legs.

Am I falling-

So cold.

Are there voices out there?

What happened...my head...

Where are my parents?

Got to get up...

I struggle to open my eyes. Everything is blurry and too bright.

"I think she's awake now, sir."

Oh yeah, I'm awake. Awake and feeling like someone stuffed cotton balls down my throat, not to mention this pounding headache.

"Where am I?!" I cry out, instinctively thrashing-only to find myself being jerked back. I'm sitting in a chair, with both arm and leg restraints. Lovely.

"I give you credit, kid. I don't think the agents you ran from have had a workout like that in a while. Even I almost broke a sweat," smirked Agent Barton.

I almost instinctively lurch forward again. "You were the one who shot me in the leg, weren't you?"

"Yes. Call me Hawkeye. And also, we patched you up too."

I look around the room, scanning everything-which isn't much. There's only the chair that I'm in now, and a table-that's bolted down. Great. Hawkeye is standing up, along with a curvy redhead and a guy with an eyepatch.

"Where am I?" I repeat, going back to my original question.

"You don't need to know just yet. What I will tell you though, is that you're safe here. Your parents are with other agents, and they won't be harmed." Eyepatch-Guy tells me.

I nod curtly, accepting his answer for the time being.

"Are the restraints necessary?" I ask, feeling uncomfortable.

"You, Miss Singer, are volatile. Had those agents chasing you not been so agile, you could've injured them," Eyepatch-Guy states.

I frown. I hadn't intended to hurt anyone, I just panicked. I can understand why they don't trust me, I guess.

"Fair enough," I reply. "What do you want with me?"

"We'd like to better your abilities, and have you join S.H.I.E.L.D as an agent."

"I have to politely decline. I'm not a fan of the whole 'work under the government' thing," I say, trying to convey respect. I notice Hawkeye and the redhead looking at each other, expressions unreadable.

"This isn't the kind of offer you refuse. We'll give you time, and when you're ready, we can formally start your training," clarifies Eyepatch-Guy.

"So...I'm just staying here? In this cell?"

"Yes." he nods to Hawkeye and Redhead, who follow him out. I hear locks clicking, and my face falls. I don't want to be here. I want to be out. This isn't negotiating, it's holding me and my parents hostage!

I try to meditate. Meditating is a good thing. It's a relaxing thing.

It's very hard to meditate when you can feel the pressure of cool, hard metal chafing your wrists and ankles.

I'm woken from a trance of staring at the wall when I hear locks clicking again.

Hawkeye steps in. "Dinner call," he says, placing down a salad on the table. "Your mother said you were vegetarian."

I respond only with a baleful stare. They don't even take the restraints off when I eat? Are they really that concerned over me breaking out?

Well, at this rate they should be.

"You're still capable of feeding yourself, right?"

I shrug, getting the fork to spear some lettuce, then propel it into my mouth.

Hawkeye watches in wonder. "Damn, that's cool."

"How long have I been in here?" I ask.

Hawkeye considers. "Well...you were knocked out for two days. And it's 7 P.M. now."

Inwardly, I groan. This is not fair, not in the slightest. A feeling of anger rises in me, as I try to look for anything that could help get me out.

Maybe the restraints are bolted. It wouldn't be easy to force the screws out, but it would be possible.

"Don't you have other people more capable than me?" I ask. Why am I so important? They have the Avengers, don't they?

"Well...we'd like to have as many people as possible as our allies. Especially ones with your skills." he replies.

"You guys have had deserters, haven't you? Agents gone rogue?" I ask, speaking quietly but assured.

"A small few." Hawkeye says, taking my now empty salad bowl away.

"Look, the longer you take to decide, the more time you'll spend in here. Just saying," he calls as he leaves the room.

As expected, the doors lock behind him. I sigh, and continue my attempts to telekinetically force the bolts out. It requires much more concentration than I expected-soon I'm near exhausted and barely closer to removing the first bolt.

I swear, I'm going to get a headache if I do this for too long. I'll just shut my eyes for a second and collect myself.

Except, I open my eyes and I'm still stuck in the chair, but I'm not in the room anymore- I'm in a lush jungle with giant reddish mushrooms that have...mouths?

Oh. Hallucinating again. Just great.

A.N: New update! School's finally out, which is great. Thanks to all who followed, and thanks to Extended Experience for reviewing!

New update coming next week! Reviews are greatly appreciated!