𝙳𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚌𝚝 | 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝟷

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗

𝚂𝚘𝚏𝚒𝚊

𝚃𝚠𝚘 𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝙰𝚐𝚘

☆═━┈┈━═☆

Plink. Plink. Plink.

The dripping water coming from the pipe echoed down the empty pathways as I felt my way around, constantly checking over my shoulder in fear of Bucky following me. My jaw ached from where he gripped my cheeks, my skirt sticking to my legs as I walked. I was uncomfortable, not only from my wet clothes or the skin being rubbed raw on my wrists from the tie. But every step that I grew closer to the next fork in the pathways, I could hear the chilling laughter of the Phantoms.

I never understood why they hated me so much. I tried to hide from Steve when I was younger, blending into the shadow and letting Logan direct me around parties and conventions we were forced to attend together. Logan always had me on his arm, while Steve always brought Mickey, Curtis and Bucky with him. Steve ignored me, Curtis made me uneasy with his rough demeanor, Bucky never failed to show his disgust with me, and well Mickey always seemed like the safest option. He was the kindest to me if I ran into them in public, offering me a smile and a friendly wave.

But Steve was always the safest option.

Maybe it was because I knew him and his family. I knew that if Steve ever tried anything that would make me cry, his mother would chastise him, tell him why Logan was always the perfect fit for me. But truthfully I think Steve ignored me because he loved his mother and couldn't bring himself to make her upset. So instead of being rude to me, his friends filled in the space that he couldn't. Bucky and Curtis were always the cruelest, searching me out when we had charity events just to leave me trembling with fear when they left. All it took was a glare from either and I let tears flow.

Plink, plink, plink.

The sound was getting louder, promising me a chance at my exit as I continued down the path set before me. The stones were damp as my fingers trailed over their rough exterior. I was a fool to believe they were done with me. When they sealed me into these tunnels the four were laughing, they had said it was ready for me. They were here to torment me, and honestly I don't think I'm able to withstand them. Steve is the only one I could trust to not physically hurt me, but I couldn't say that for the other three Phantoms. It was proven just seconds ago when Bucky gripped my cheeks so hard there were sure to be bruises. They weren't only there to scare me, they were set to scare everyone else. They were there to show how they could make the most innocent people bow to them.

It was all in the taunts: "sweet sweet Sofia."

That small taunt sent a jolt of electricity up my spine. While I should be disgusted at the way Steve poked fun at me for being a good person, I couldn't help but remember the way his eyes twinkled with a playful glare as he said it. Steve Rogers showed me just an ounce of attention and I was going to drink up every second of it. My entire life he was all I wanted and a beautiful thing was that Bucky said that I had always had his attention, I just never saw it.

If I played my cards right, I could get Steve to comfort me, he was sure to be the last one in this game of cat and mouse we were playing, a few tears and a tremor may actually break him in the dark halls of the tunnels.

I shouldn't have gotten lost in my thoughts, because as soon as I stepped into the light of the next three options, a red mask with a silver slash appeared in front of me, my blood running cold when a scream erupted out of my chest. The scars on his hands gave away who was going to be my tormentor this time, Curtis Everrett. Bucky could make me tremble, he scared me with his cold demeanor sure. But Curtis? Curtis petrified me with his neutral stares and ice cold laugh, not being able to read his emotions wasn't even the scariest part of the man. He towered over me able to over power me if I even tried to fight back.