Universal Headaches

Chapter 16

A force yanked her by her hair violently back. Sutton let out a shrill cry and opened her eyes. It was red. Everything was red. She cried out again as she was thrown back and away. She knew she was moving, could feel the force, but there was nothing to gauge herself against. It was just red. All red. No, wait. A line of green. Loki emerged against a curtain of blood red as he stalked toward her prone form.

"You dare," he seethed. His eyes were wild and his teeth bared. "What have you told them?"

Sutton scrambled to her feet and kept a good distance between them.

"Back off," she shouted. "Do not mess with me, Loki Odinson!"

Loki ignored what he considered feeble empty threats and continued towards her. Sutton in turn continued to back into the red. Where was the black? Why red? She didn't like it. She felt somehow more isolated. It felt almost like she was starting to sweat. Heat rose up from beneath her and wrapped around her legs, climbing up her torso to settle in her hair. Loki still moved forward, an icy pillar coated in malice and...and...was that fear in his eyes?

"I didn't bring up anything," she told him. "So you better just calm down!"

"Do you believe me a fool," he hissed. "Did you believe that I would not notice anything? I am the trickster! And I know an attempt at subtly when I see one!"

They were both frayed, sparking wires just waiting to connect. Sutton was doing her best to maintain a safe distance but she could feel her nails curling towards her palms. She felt wild herself and sick to death of feeling helpless and afraid. Couldn't she just get over it already? Couldn't she just be brave and stop falling onto this roller coaster of erratic emotions?

She bent slightly at the knees, elbows up, as Loki insisted on approaching her.

"Are you looking to embarrass yourself at another attempt of physical prowess," Loki mocked. "Such an athlete, you are. Well, nothing you do can save them now. I believe I made you a promise."

Sutton snapped and leapt at him. He caught her easily, but this was her mind. Hers, hers, hers! And he wasn't allowed to control the parameters of it anymore! She was able to make him stumble back and Loki's face flashed in confusion.

"I sympathized with you," Sutton shouted. They were suddenly rolling around the red, tumbling over and over. Sutton was spitting and hissing and clawing like the caged animal he'd made her feel like. Her arms and legs lashed out to strike him anywhere she could and he grunted in response. "I liked you! I was the child of a monster and a monster's child to my mother for the entire first two years of my life! But you know what? I let it go. I forgave. I got better. And I will not let you put me back in that place!"

He was starting to gain the upper hand again as Sutton began to pant and gasp for air. It was hot, so, so, hot. And the red was so bright. Loki ground his teeth as he gripped around her elbows.

"You will regret this," he spat.

Sutton didn't know what she was going to do, because she'd used up almost every drop of energy that her body could hold. She tried to push back as much as her muscles would allow but was quickly losing ground. Her heart thudded a few times faster than it should have. And then a voice drifted over to her from memory.

A door opens both ways.

Her eyes connected with Loki's and she let her body go limp. He hadn't expected the loss of resistance and she fell into him. As rapidly as she could, Sutton threw her hands up and locked them onto either side of Loki's head. He almost got a cry of anger out before Sutton closed her eyes.