A Chilling Touch

Disclaimer: I don’t own Marvel (although I wish I did).

A Chilling Touch

Chapter 2: A Reluctant Kidnapping

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Thirteen-year-old Adelaide counted sheep, trying to fall asleep. Her mind would not let her, however, instead giving her visions of failed tests and F—‘s on every paper.

She counted a total of 1,637 sheep before her fatigued eyelids drooped, and she started snoring like a chainsaw. From the open window, two figures, both men, dropped out of the shadows and landed with a small thud on the soft carpet.

“Can anyone snore so loud?” the first man whispered.

“Shh! You’ll wake her, and then we’ll have to go to Plan B,” answered a different man.

“Okay, okay. Don’t get your underpants in a twist. You ready?”

“Yeah. Hand me the thing.”

The “thing” was handed over to the first man, and he gently clamped onto Adelaide’s wrist, which sank into her wrist, turning the color of her skin. Even with close examination, no one could tell it was there.

Perfect.

“Let’s get out of here before—”

Adelaide shifted, moaning softly. Her eyelids fluttered slightly. The two men froze in their places, not daring to move. She moved onto her side and snuggled deep under her blankets.

The second man let out a sigh. “That was close.”

“Too close,” the other man agreed. “Okay, let’s go.”

The two men left as quietly as they came.

Adelaide stared intently at the school clock on the pea-green wall. It seemed like each second took eternity.

She chewed on the eraser part of her pencil, silently willing the school bell to ring. Two more minutes and she was free from the tortures of school for three whole months.

The bell rang, signaling the end of school. Adelaide jumped up from her seat and snatched up her backpack, so excited to get the hell out of there she didn’t notice that no one else was getting up.

“Adelaide.” Her writing teacher gave her a look. “Please sit down.”

Cheeks red, Adelaide sat back down in her seat. God, that was embarrassing.

“Alright, before you go, I have one last assignment for you.”

The whole class groaned simultaneously. Wasn’t summer supposed to be about no school? Teachers seemed to like giving out homework in the summer.

“I know, I know,” he said. “But it’s only reading. Please read Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, and give me an essay explaining your favorite part. You may be dismissed.”

With a whoop, Adelaide sprang up and ran out the door, down the school hallways, and out into the warm New York sunshine.

“Yeah Summer!” she sang, sprinting down the sidewalk, weaving between pedestrians, earning annoyed looks as she barreled through downtown Manhattan. “Summer!”

“You called?” yelled a girl, giggling as Adelaide ran past.

“Sorry!” she shouted over her shoulder.

Adelaide bounded up the stairs in the apartment she lived in with her mother, too impatient to use the elevator. It was the first day of summer, for Pete’s sake! There was no time for sitting around when there was so much to do.

She quickly unlocked the door and stepped inside.

“Mo-o-o-o-m!” she called. “I’m home!”

There was no answer. Adelaide frowned. Huh. Her mom usually greeted her as soon as she stepped inside and asked about her day at school.

“Mom?” Adelaide asked, setting her backpack on the floor and walked through the kitchen. Her mom wasn’t baking chocolate-chip cookies, as she usually was doing when Adelaide came home, nor was she watching the news and sipping tea in the living room.

She walked through the house, looking for her mom. She entered her room, and Adelaide’s call died on her lips as soon as she noticed the two strange men in her room.

One was sitting at her desk, flipping through her favorite book, Pride and Prejudice, looking very bored. He had light skin, mussed dark hair, and a lean figure. He wore a pair of jeans and a black shirt with Black Sabbath printed on it.

The other one was big and bulky, with long blond hair. He was sitting on her bed, looking disdainfully at the purple decor. He had full body armor on, with a red cape attached to the back. A very large hammer was sitting by his side, and intricate patterns were carved into the metal.