Previously:
"You can't take my blood. It's unconstitutional. Besides, you never told me what favor you want," she tried to distract them.
"The favor isn't from you, girl. It's from your brother," the scientist replied this time. Via noticed that he had a very unpleasant, nasally voice and his dark hair was damp and oily. He smelled like coffee and the top of his head was almost bald.
Via shuddered. For some strange reason, she wasn't convinced that he was licensed to take blood; hers or anybody else's.
Then the room exploded.
As she staggered away from the wreckage, Via realized how lucky she was to be alive. After the first explosion had destroyed the walls of the room, knocking the scientist and Wendolyn unconscious, Jack had lunged for her. He managed to grasp her wrist; consequently pulling on her arm and nearly dislocating her shoulder.
She shook him off after a second explosion rocked the building, bringing down even more walls (and a chunk of ceiling that fell on Jack's head). The door that had eventually let Via out of the building was as plain as the rest of the gray, metal doors in the building. Strangely, Via had passed no other individuals during her escape from the inferno that swallowed the building, most likely killing everyone left inside.
She managed to stagger another mile or so in the next hour, finally coming to the edge of a small town. The dense foliage and cool temperature suggested that she was in a northern part of the United States. Her theory was confirmed when she spotted a sign in the town stating that the town she had stumbled upon was Dormest, Massachusetts, located about an hour away from Boston in the direction of Salem.
The town appeared to be small, containing only a small motel, a convenience store, and a health center right at the town line, but thankfully not too small for a taxicab, which Via hailed. She always kept spare cash in a little compartment that she sewed into her shoes. Her black ballet flats were thin, well-made, and shaped to her feet (hence the reason they had survived her ordeal and stayed on her feet). Right under the arch of her foot, Via had added a little pocket, where she stored five, one hundred dollar bills that were folded flat inside their silk pouch.
The taxicab, driven by an older man who was kind and very chatty, carried Via to Downtown Boston, where she paid the man an even $150 for the ride.
The taxi had left her on the steps of the Boston Public Library. A recognizable landmark with plenty of witnesses, just in case. Unfortunately, the people were also witnessing Via's hair (which was a wreck) and her clothing (which had unrecognizable stains and smelled like smoke, kerosene, and coffee).
Via stepped into a small gift shop located across the street and requested brief use of their phone. The girl behind the counter had bright pink hair and shrugged at the question, gesturing towards the phone on the counter to her right.
"Help yourself, kid."
After three hours of no progress, Natasha was in the middle of threatening to walk out of the building to look for Via on foot, when her cell phone rang. Glancing at it, and seeing an unknown number, she ignored the rings and continued her threat. Then the phone rang again. It was the same number.
Now somewhat curious, Natasha picked up the phone and answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Nat-"
"Via!" Natasha exclaimed. All chatter coming from the gathered Avengers ceased. "Where are you? What happened?"
"I'm fine, though I was kidnapped. I'm in Boston right now, across the street from the Boston Public Library."
"Boston," Natasha echoed. Across the room, Tony nodded at her, ordering Jarvis to ready a jet immediately. "Just stay where you are, Via. We're coming to get you."
Static was heard on the other end of the line.
"Via, are you still there? Via?" But nobody answered.
Natasha hung up the phone in frustration.
The phone cut out. Annoyed, Via set the phone back down on the counter and nodded her thanks to the girl. The girl ignored Via, though, and didn't even look up as Via left the shop. She crossed the busy street again to the library, realizing only to late that the day on the calendar in the clothing shop said "Friday," meaning that the library closed at 5:00. It was 5:07.
Sighing, Via planted herself on a bench in front of the library, a little disappointed that she wasn't going to be able to see the library. Other than children, there was nothing Via loved more than books. Books were her peace of mind, her escape.
Via lost herself in thought over a wonderful book she had read just the other week (Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen) for what seemed like an hour. Then, a man sat down next to her on the bench. Via, startled from thought, glanced at the man. He did not appear to be paying attention to her. His focus was held by the tattered pair of shoes on his feet.
He had dull blue eyes and a gaunt face. The brown jacket that covered a gray Tshirt looked as if it could join the shoes in the garbage. His hair reached his chin, and was brown and dirty. He had a fairly unpleasant odor to him, maybe owing to the fact that his skin was not the cleanest.
Via looked away from him, feeling guilty from the small burst of pleasure from his appearance; though it was a little mean, she knew that the scraggly appearance of this man would help distract from her own grungy clothing.
He slouched a little as he sat, his gloved hands resting on the bench next to him. Via, between glances, noticed that he held his left arm stiffly, suggesting an injury of some sort. After a few minutes, he finally lifted his head. Via looked away quickly.
"Lost?"
Via looked back to his dirty face in surprise. Was he talking to her?
He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I mean… Are you lost?" His dull blue eyes refused to meet her's.
She shook her head. "No, I'm not. I'm just waiting for a friend."
They sat for another several minutes in a rather awkward silence. As they sat, people passed the bench where they were sitting. The few that spared them a glance, had a sort of pity in their eyes. Via almost smiled, thinking of the way they looked sitting next to each other.
"I hate their eyes," the man said gruffly. "The way they stare, yet pretend not to."
Via shrugged. "They're curious. I'd be, too."
"But the do it so openly. With pity. I don't need their pity."
"Neither do I, in fact, I'm the last person to need pity," Via rolled her eyes. "But most people in this world aren't entirely willing to look past someone's appearance before judging them. I mean, come on, if I asked you where you thought I lived, what would you say?" She questioned him.
Now he shrugged. "An apartment? The streets?"
"Nope," Via said with a small smile. "I live in a huge house, mansion really, with a live-in housekeeper."
"Right," he scoffed, "and I'm FDR."
"No, really, I do." Via paused. "I'm Via, by the way."
The man finally looked back up at her. He didn't answer for a moment, and the silence became uncomfortable.
I'm such an idiot, Via thought to herself, he probably doesn't even care.
Just as she was about to get up and move to a different bench, the man spoke to her.
"I don't know what my name is anymore, but I suppose you could call me James."
"Alright, James," Via said. A helicopter flew overhead and Via saw the name on the side. "My ride appears to be here. Maybe… I'll see you again sometime."
He didn't answer her.
Alright! Another chapter out!
I apologize for the delay, but here it is anyway.
Let me know what you think, and keep the guy you met in mind. He might be kind of important later…
(This is kind of easy, but can anyone guess who he is?)
Thanks for reading!
TMG4899