Guardians Of The Galaxy

P1 : C17

Over the course of two days, after Peter and I went down to the lake together, I heard Thanos's voice more frequently. But I told no one about it. I didn't want to freak anyone out. I never responded to anything that Thanos said, even though I knew that that was what he wanted from me.

Professor Xavier continually had me checked over, ensuring that my ability to change my skin color, hair and eyes, still did not make me weak. Of course Peter was there, just being as friendly and close as he was, he never really left my side. Rocket and Groot were always nearby. Gamora and Drax would sometimes appear but not as often as they did when they were first here.

We all sat outside together, I was sitting up against the trunk of a thick tree, Peter told me it was an old oak. My fingers tugged and twisted the baldes of grass,

"I think you all should leave." I said. "And I do not mean it as I don't want you here, it's just that I don't want to keep you here. I know that you are scavengers, junkers, and you have other obligations."

They said nothing and the silence made me very uncomfortable, to say the least.

"Thanos will be here soon and we all know that we can't out run him." Gamora said. "Besides, if anyone should stay behind with you it should be me. I was once his daughter, I can keep you alive long enough to board his ship."

"No, that's not what I mean. I don't want just one of you to stay, I want you all to leave. You all have lives and I'm just holding you back. I don't wish to be that kind of person to you." I looked at each of them, their eyes on me, except for Peter. "It isn't that I am not grateful for all you have done for me, I very much am, I just thought that it was time for me to brave the rest of this storm alone."

"So, you're saying you don't want us around anymore?" he asked after a moment.

"No, what I'm saying is that I don't want you all to be here when Thanos arrives for me. I cannot outrun him no matter what now that he knows where I am located on Terra, Earth." I answered him. "It isn't that I do not want any of you around, believe me when I say that you have all been like family to me, I just want you to be safe."

"You're not safe here alone." Rocket said, he had been sitting in Groots lap quietly for the past hour. "I know this 'cuz Earth ain't a safe place to be. Yeah, you might be at a great institution but it's not a safe place to be alone. You got plenty of mutants here would much rather like to test out their abilities on you than become friends with you."

"Rocket, don't threaten her." Gamora mumbled. Clearly I was upsetting all of them, maybe I shouldn't have said anything about it.

"I can't just leave you here alone. You don't know Earth customs, geography, expressions, beliefs, traditions, foods, laws-"

"You don't need to explain every little detail to her, Peter." Gamora raised her voice and glared to him.

"What's got you all pissed off?" Rocket asked.

"I am Groot?" Groot tilted his head a little, throwing Rocket off balance.

"Thanos is coming. I can feel it." She answered. "I have to stay here, to help Vele have a fighting chance against him, give her a while to convince him to let her live."

"He's going to kill her? How do you know?"

"He's Thanos, he kills everyone and everything to get what he wants." Rocket answered.

As they spoke between each other I kept my head down. I didn't want to hear that I would soon die at the hand of my own father, although the action was quite expected from a man such as him.

It's not over, this torture. Thanos was back. My fingers had stopped tugging at the grass, just barley holding on. It will continue and not just by my hand alone. I may be in your thoughts, I may know know where you are, but I am not the only thing that you should be worried about.