Forbidden | Carol Danvers

Chapter 4: Distance (?)

10 years ago

I quickly became stronger and stronger. The extra training I was getting for my elements was really enhancing them and I didn't even have earth yet. 

The combat training I also received changed my body in a good way. All muscles and strength. 

I was so driven that I quickly rose to the top of the class, surpassing some older kids that had been training longer than I had. It earned me some jealous looks, but these kids knew better than to let that get the best of them. 

The day I turned eighteen, about one and a half years after I started training, I was promoted to Soldier. On Hala, the minimum age for a Soldier is eighteen, and the Kree wasted no time initiating me. They needed me as much as I needed them. I was a big weapon to them and they didn't want to lose any time using it. 

I wasn't stupid, I knew they mostly only cared about me because I was powerful, but I honestly didn't mind. They got what they wanted and I got what I wanted: a chance at revenge. 

So I went on small missions first. Missions that had a low chance of being dangerous. Jaa-Nus always went with me. Or actually, I went with him. He had become somewhat of a mentor to me. Being there every step along the way. He made me feel less alone, although I would never tell him that or admit it to myself. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now

After about six months, it was clear to me that Vers had permanently made her way into my mind. Whenever I had nothing to do, she surfaced and there was nothing I could do about it. 

And I tried, oh believe me, I tried. 

Training with her every day and being so close to her when we were fighting wasn't good for the mess that was my mind now. But spending time with her felt so right and I wanted to connect to her, but I couldn't, I just couldn't. It went against everything I was taught in all my training here. 

So I decided that she should find someone else to train her combat skills. 

I needed space, distance and I couldn't think clearly if she was around. 

So about seven months after the first time I saw her, I walked into the training room as usual, preparing to give her the bad news.

She turned around when I walked in, hearing the door slide open. Her instincts had gotten a lot better and she payed attention to her surroundings whenever she was fighting now. I had taught her well. 

'Hey Aayala', she said to me with a smile. I could see that she liked these training hours at least as much as I did, maybe even more. But her smile dropped quickly when she saw my face. Usually I would give her a small smile when I walked in, but not this time. She knew I was going to say something she wasn't gonna like. 

I didn't know how to say it, so I just threw it out. 'I can't train you anymore, Vers. I will keep doing your 'powertraining', but someone else will train you in combat from now on. I'm sorry' With that I turned around and started walking away, going to train on my own somewhere.

'Wait, what? Why?' I didn't react, just kept walking. But she wouldn't have any of it and ran up to me. Grabbing my wrist, she turned me around. 'What is going on Aayala?' She had started calling me by my name very early on in our training. I had corrected her at first, but she just kept calling me that, so I just left it. I kind of liked she way she said it, very gently.