Chapter 18

"You want me..up?" I ask, and he winks at me. I hesitantly get up and onto the creature. He stands, and I hold tight as he begins a steady trot, then a gallop, through the forest.

The wind blows through my hair and I find myself progressively feeling weakened. I close my eyes and rest on the horse, momentarily not caring about where the horse will take me.

I open my eyes when I feel us slow to a trot. I find us to be approaching an open field with a few children playing happily in it, but beyond that stands the main city of Asgard.

"Woah," I say, in complete amazement at the beautiful city, but quickly snap out of it when I realize the horse is headed towards the city. As we move through the field, we maneuver over and around people and children, all who look on with awe at us. As we approach the city, I suddenly get a bad feeling, and as we move through the streets, I attempt to make him stop, but he refuses. No matter what I do he keeps going, and I begin to freak.

I attempt to throw myself off, but he bites my shirt and throws me up into the air, and I land back on him. A few more failed attempts to escape later, we reach the city square, at the foot of the steps to the palace. The horse suddenly stops and bucks, throwing me off and onto the hard stone. I roll for a few feet, but I scramble up, muttering a few colorful words. Turning around, I find a large crowd has gathered. Butterflies in my stomach turn to ravenous beasts and I begin to shake. What the hell is happening?

"Sleipnir, you beautiful child." I turn and watch as green light washes over the horse, revealing him to have eight legs instead of four.

Loki stands there, stroking the horse's muzzle. I stumble backward, intent on running, but I am blocked by a wall of armor. I turn to find armed guards blocking my path, and I meet the eye of one of the guards I had flirted with and asked directions from. This time though, he doesn't smile.

The horse begins to make weird noises that I cannot brush off as animal noises. They sound like words this time, though rough and odd.

"She found me, healed me." The horse, Sleipnir, says, and Loki continues petting him.

"Oh?" is all he says, and the horse continues.

"Would have been fine, but-" The horse begins, but my dumbass interrupts.

"You were about to die!" I say, then immediately regret it as a mutter ripples through the crowd.

"She understands!" I hear from the crowd, along with a few statements of "It must be true!"

I turn and look at the crowd, all watching me now. I feel my face go bright red, and I wish for the familiar cloud of color. As I try to summon it again, I feel my nose begin to run. I swipe at it, and pull my hand away smeared with blood. Shit. Loki's voice pulls me out of my thoughts.

"I thank you for saving this foolish foal," he begins, looking to me and making eye contact which I quickly break, "It seems no matter how confident Sleipnir may seem, his life could have been lost if you hadn't left when you did."

Sleipnir snorts, and I swear I hear him say, "Coward."

This draws Loki's attention, and he says sternly to the horse, "Now, I'm sure if you would have been in her position, you would have done the same. We all know you have run before, don't pretend."

I try to think back to the books I had read, trying to figure a way out. I remember a chapter on accessing energies, and the best place to look for mass-energy is a crowd. I look to the nervous energy in the crowd, and I imagine it floating in a giant orb and coming to me. I allow it to come over me, and immediately I feel a vibration in the air, and I begin feeling like I've had an entire tanker truck of coffee.

"Well, I'm glad to have returned him safe and sound, and this has been all well and good but, uh," I start, but he interrupts, "What are you doing?"

He has turned his whole body towards me, and I realize I don't have much time.

"I am glad I could help but, I have to go..." He raises his hand, and I mirror, expelling energy to him, enough to just knock him a few feet, to throw him off whatever he was doing. While he stumbles, I summon the cloud, screaming to return home. The cloud builds around me and just as quickly it formed, it dissipates and I find myself back in my apartment. I run quickly to the trashcan and heave up whatever remains in my stomach, then sink down to the floor.

I sit there for a while, switching between vomiting and dozing off. After the sun has set, I drag myself to my bed with the trashcan in tow, and I try to sleep this nervous energy off.

I wake up in the early morning light, feeling like I just got hit by a bus. I slowly get to my feet and grab my phone from the bedside table. Checking the date, I find that I am officially five days into the summer break. I groan as my stomach rumbles and I double over in pain. I walk to the fridge in hunched over pain and pull out the nutcake. I devour it ravenously, but it doesn't settle my stomach. I grab out the few groceries that I had bought and eat everything. Eventually, my hunger subsides, and I stumble to my room to go lay down, but I pass a mirror and for a second I can't recognize who I see. I'm in tattered and shredded clothes, caked in mud and blood. My hair is wild, the braids frizzed and covered in twigs and leaves. I head for the bathroom, but my phone rings. Am I not allowed to take a shower?

"Hello?" I answer, confused about who may be calling.

"Oh, Hi, uh, Onya? It's Rob, the guy that drove you here. How are you?" The male caller says.

"Yes, hi! I'm alright, how are you?" I ask. Why would he be calling?

"I'm great! Look, I just wanted to offer you a, uh, free lunch! Since it's summer break, I figured you were slightly bored, so I figured I'd give you a pick-me-up."

"Oh, okay."

"I own a hotdog stand here in central park, and I just wanted to let you know that there is a chilidog sitting here with your name on it." He laughs, but something seems...off.

"Alright, yes! I'll get headed there." I say, trying to sound cheerful.

"I could call a cab for you if you want."

"No, no. I'll be over soon."

"No, I insist, I'll pay." He really wants me to use a cab he orders... Maybe he's just being kind?

"No, it's ok, I can make it there," I say. "Hey I gotta go, someone's at the door. I'll see you in a bit." I hang up and head to the shower. Something about the whole 'insisting upon calling a cabby and him just randomly calling me after how many months' seems off. Something's up.

I take a long, hot shower, taking care to be careful of my wounds. Gently I peel back the bandages and find there are already scars forming. Even the deepest of the wounds look a few weeks old. At least I wouldn't have to visit a hospital for them.

I jump out of the shower and get dressed in a long-sleeved blue shirt. I throw on capris and my tennis shoes. Looking in the mirror, I realize I'm too noticeable. I throw on a hoodie and a ball cap, but my butt-length hair doesn't look right. I pick up a pair of scissors from the kitchen, then get to work on my hair. I cut it until it is down to my shoulder, then I put it into a ponytail and thread it through my hat. Taking one more look at my reflection, I hope my disguise is enough. I grab my phone and head out. When I reach the lobby, I look through the glass door and see a cab sitting by the curb, and a sense of danger overwhelms me.

I walk out of the door, and the feeling gets stronger. I wave to a woman a few feet away, and when she pauses, I jog to walk with her.

"Hey! Haven't seen you in a while." I say, walking with her.

"I-" She begins, but I interrupt. "Bro, remember that video game you told me to get? You were so right that I would love it." I say, and as I do, I type on my phone, then discreetly show her. She looks down at the message that says, 'I'm being followed. Please act along I will leave in a minute.'

We turn a corner and she shakes her head. "I don't want mixed up in this." She whispers.

I nod, and we walk a few more blocks before I thank her and say goodbye to her and turn into a small bistro. I walk towards the bathrooms and turn a corner, then I attempt to make myself invisible. Glancing in the mirror and finding no one, I walk out and into the kitchen and out the back door.

Super spy, super spy, I'm the best dang super spy.

I hold my invisibility with a slight bit of ease as I make my way to Central Park. After about ten minutes of walking, Rob calls me again. Ducking into a back alley, I drop my invisibility and answer, swiping the blood that begins running from my nose.

"Hey, I was just making sure you didn't die." He laughs, and I chuckle.

"No, I didn't die. Just had to clean up a water mess under my sink, before it leaked into the apartment below. Can't afford that."

"Oh, I gotcha. Well, when you get here, go ahead and call me and I'll help ya towards me."

"Alright, I will. Thanks again!" I hang up and take out my pouch.

"Mr. Pouch, I need some help. Is it possible to teleport discreetly?" I ask it, feeing like Dora the Explorer. For a moment, the pouch doesn't do anything, but then it spits out a folded paper. I thank the pouch and set it in my pocket, then open the note.

'Teleportation,' it reads, 'is a very delicate art. With practice, you can master it and force the power to obey you, but in young children, it is quite harmful. They will pop in and out of places without really knowing what they are doing. To best contain them, it is wise to drain their energies.'

'When teleporting, you must first focus on where you wish to go. If you wish to pop into your home, you must be careful you do not appear on a table or atop a rafter. You must focus, and imagine the exact spot you want. Feel yourself going there, physically and spiritually. Work and be patient with yourself.'

Alright, it sounds slightly complicated, but I can try. Folding the paper and putting it into the pouch, I close my eyes and visualize myself in the park. I see myself walking along, and finding a small playground, complete with a covered slide. Perfect.

Opening my eyes, I find myself still in the alleyway. One more try, I can do this.

Shutting my eyes, I imagine myself in the slide. Suddenly, it feels like I've been slingshotted at a million miles per hour, and I jerk and smack my forehead against something hard and warm. Opening my eyes, I find myself in a slide. Sliding the rest of the way down, I pop out into the warm summer sun.

I sit up and brush myself off, thankful that the remnants of the energy I stole gave me a boost. I walk off of the playground and towards a group of vendors a little ways away, but seeing that the vendors aren't Rob, I walk on. Eventually, find him, and he greets me with a grin.

"Hey," I say, "Long time no see, huh?" I return the smile, though I keep my eyes peeled for any suspicious activity. So far, so good.

"Yeah, I know. It's been a bit, huh?" He laughs. "You hungry?" He begins to put together a chili dog. My stomach growls as he makes it and then hands it to me. I take it gratefully. I thank him and try to pay, but he waves me off.

"Kid, no problem. I heard about your parents a few days ago and tried inviting you out here earlier, but I kept getting your voicemail. It's ok, kid. I just wanted to send my condolences. Go enjoy your day."

How did he hear about my parents so soon? I'm sure with their deaths being involved with alien beings, what remains of SHIELD would have been all over it like ants to a puddle of ice cream. No way would he have known about it, especially this soon. I look at him for a moment but then decide to play it cool.

Thanking him one more time, I walk off in search of a bench to sit down and properly enjoy my hotdog. I walk a ways until I come across an empty bench across from a man feeding the pigeons. I sit down and wolf down my food, watching as some of the pigeons take notice of me, turning from the seed that the man feeds them. As I wipe off my hands, I watch him out of the corner of my eye. He looks really familiar. He wears a hat and glasses, a slightly baggy sweatshirt, despite the quickly rising temperature. Like me.

He's in disguise.

Alarm bells ring in my head, and I realize I may know who would dress like this in public. I glance at his left hand, which is concealed in the pocket of his hoodie. Panic shoots through me, and I know I need to leave. Now.

As I stand, my phone falls out of my pocket. I stoop to pick it up, and as I stand, I glance at him and see that he isn't looking, though his glasses block my view of his eyes. I turn and walk away, trying to maintain a casual pace, but find myself panicking. About fifteen steps from the man, my cellphone rings. I check the now cracked screen and see it is an unknown caller. I deny the call and a few seconds after that, the same call comes through. This isn't good.

I answer it, praying for it to be a telemarketer, but as soon as I hear the voice on the other end, my heart drops.

"Hello, Asta. Nice talking to you again." Nat's voice rings through my phone. I freeze on my path and scan the park, searching for her, or anyone else.

"You know, you owe me after you hurt me and my friends."

"You were the ones to kidnap me. I called for help and you put me into a fish tank." I hiss, walking towards the edge of the park. "Besides, I didn't mean to. It was an accident. It seems where ever I go, death and destruction follow."

"All the more reason you should surrender and stop trying to leave the park." My heart jumps into my throat and I hang up, snapping the phone in half and dumping it into a nearby trashcan. I look around, but I don't find anyone. I walk a few more paces before a man in a suit turns to me.

"Kid, there's a phone call for you? They say that they want to talk to the girl in the hat, jacket, and capris." He hands it to me, and I take it.

"You probably don't want to break this phone in half."

"Yeah, I don't, but I do want to go home, so leave me alone."

"Listen. Just kindly surrender and go with the guy behind you and all will be well. No one has to get hurt." I spin on my heels and find Bucky a few feet from me, pretending to check his phone. I hang up on her and thank the suited man, and hand his phone back to him. I take a small step towards Bucky, then another. He stands calmly and as he does, I catch a glimpse of his metal hand.

They can't take you if they can't see you.

He takes a step toward me, and as he reaches for my arm, I turn myself invisible. He lunges for my arm, but I jump out of his reach and run in the direction of the road. Looking over my shoulder, I see him following and getting closer and closer. How does he know I'm- I look down and realize I am not, in fact, invisible anymore. Shit.

I hurtle over benches and dodge people, but glancing over my shoulder to find him no longer there causes me to collide with someone. We tumble to the ground, and as I try to get to my feet, I am thrown back down and face-plant into the grass. My arms are bent behind me at painful angles, and I quickly realize who I had collided with.

"Ok! Ok, you win!" I yell, turning to see Bucky holding my arms with one hand and a gun in the other. Who knew that today I would eat an amazing chili dog and get taken down by the winter soldier?

This day sucks ass I think as I spit grass out.

"You're a real pain, you know that?" I turn to see Natasha walking towards me, also wearing a hat and hoodie. I am yanked to my feet, and I smile at her.

"You sure that pain isn't just hemorrhoid, grandma?" She doesn't look too amused.

Hi, it's ya boi, uh, idiot with a fucking death wish, back at it again with another dumbass moment.

"Cuff her. The van will be here shortly." She says, pulling out a small, oddly shaped metal device.

Oooh shit. It's time for another escape attempt.

As she extends her arm to hand him the cuffs, I focus my energy into my chest, then...Boom. They are both thrown backward and I am left swaying on my feet, but I begin running from the quick-recovery super assassins. I turn sharply and run to the edge of the park and into traffic, dodging cars and getting honked at, but easily making it to the other side.

As I try to blend in with the people of the sidewalk, I hear a screeching of tires, then gunshots.

"Are you kidding me?!" I yell, and run with the people as they scream and scatter. I run but am quickly met by a roadblock consisting of a black van and armed people in black. As they approach the crowd of people I hide in, I see the hydra emblem on their arms. I blast another surge of energy to the van and cause it to explode, sending the hydra forces scrambling and giving the bystanders an escape route.

"Run!" I scream, and most manage to get away through the opening or up into buildings.

As I try to run with them, I stumble, and that's all the time the armed men need. I hear shots ring out and I fall to the ground, not understanding what just happened. I try to stand, but I find my right leg severed in half.