Chapter Sixty-Nine

968 25 0
                                    

"Do you ever sleep anymore?"  Bucky teases the next morning as I get up around 4 a.m. 

It was a rough night but I have training at 5:30 and then I'm supposed to meet the track team for a run.  Following that is more training with Ryan.  Sleep is probably going to feel optional in the next couple weeks, especially after school starts up again.

"What's sleep?"  I joke, hoping he wouldn't ask anymore questions.  It's too early for my parents to be up anyways.  "Why are you up this early?"

"Fury called and wants us on the helicarrier by noon."

"Us?"  I ask as I pour myself some orange juice.

"Nat and I."  He replies.  My heart sinks thinking about being alone in the house tonight.  I don't want to sound needy, but I need my parents right now.

"Oh..."  I attempt to hide my disappointment by focusing intently on making my breakfast.  

They're never going to be around if Fury keeps calling them for a new mission.  I guess I should have expected something like this to happen especially considering I only came into the picture less than a year ago.  

"We'll be back in a couple days, I promise."

"I know."  I can't force a fake smile, so I decide to take my breakfast to go.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I attempt to hide my emotions from Yuri, but it becomes apparent that something is bothering when he switches me onto the punching bag.

"Are you going to tell me what's bothering you, or am I going to have to figure it out on my own?"  He asks after I punch the bag a little too hard. 

"They're leaving again."  I grumble as I rub my wrist, hoping it would elevate some of the pain I was experiencing.  "You would think after all these years of us being apart, they would want to be around me.  But, every time I think we're making progress, Fury calls them off on another mission."

"Could this one be related to the newest threats?"

"The threats have always been there."  I counter a little too quickly.

"You didn't watch the news last night?"  Yuri looked concerned as he motions towards his office.  I reluctantly follow him, knowing I would end up hurting myself if I kept training with all my emotions running high.

"They won't let me watch the news anymore.  They said it's not productive for me to hear what people are saying about me."  

"Everyone's more concerned about you running away."  Yuri responds as he starts tending to my bleeding knuckles.  I hadn't even noticed that they had broken open while I was training.

"Kinda hard to run when your face is plastered on every news station around the world." 

"So, you've given it some thought?"  He asks but I don't respond.  I'm not sure this is one of those times he's actually expecting an explanation.  "We need to discuss the threats that have arisen in the last 24 hours."

"Is the CIA coming after me?" My voice quivers despite by best efforts to hide my fear from him.

"No, but there are other people out there who want to get ahold of you." 

"Yuri, just tell me already."  

"There isn't one specific group after you right now, Serenity.  There's a price on your head right and people will pay a very high price to use you in their experiments.  SHIELD's doing their best, but there's too many groups who want you."

"So, you're telling me that after HYDRA spent years torturing me for their research, people are now hunting me down to auction me off to the highest bidder so they can use me for spare parts."

"Why do you assume they're going to take you apart?" 

"Because everyone knows that as long as I'm alive, my parents will find me and the cycle will continue until someone finally ends up killing me."  

"I pity the poor soul who tries to take you from us."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I cling to Jason's arm as we approach the group of people who I used to feel comfortable around but now I keep anticipating their anger at my past and the fact that I hid all of this from them.

The track team falls silent as we approach them.

"When were you planning on telling us?"  Henry demands before I even have time to react.

"No, we're not doing this to her.  She's already has the world pulling her down."  Luke counters before I can even find the right words to say.  "Can we really blame her after what the media's already saying about her?"

"Maybe if she wasn't so willing to pull the trigger, we wouldn't be in this mess."  I didn't recognize the guy who said it, but it seems that the team grew in my absence.

"Willing?"  My voice falters for a brief second.  "You think I wanted to do those things?"  I demand as my anger at the world swells up inside of me.  I slip off the warm jacket I was currently wearing to reveal the scars that covered my arms.  "They tortured me when I wouldn't comply.  But hey, what the media shows you is always right?  They're can't possibly be another side to that story."

Heat rises in my cheeks as I think about everything I've seen posted about me.  

"Well now that we know, what's the plan?"  Evelynn asks as she offers me an encouraging smile.

"To keep her hidden from the world."  Luke takes control of the conversation which gives me time to focus on something else for a change. 

I allow my thoughts to drift the guy who allowed me to cling to him so desperately as I attempt to avoid another flashback today.

Bruises dotted Jason's arms and as I studied him more, I realize that he's not the same person I fell in love with.  None of us will ever be those people again and now after everything that's happened, I know he's going to be the one I need by my side for years to come.  

"Well, I'm glad your finally being honest with us."  Troy, one of the senior members, informs me.  "I'll admit I was furious when I saw the news since I would have rather heard it from you, but I know it must be hard having people know so much about your past."

"It is,"  I pause as I consider my next words, "but I now know I have people who will be there for me when things get rough, and thank you for that." 

"No problem.  We're family after all."  Evelynn jokes before we all start our run.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ryan lead me down into the basement as Jason showered upstairs.  I'm curious what Ryan wants to teach me.  I've tried to come up with a list of possible things that he knows how to do that I don't, but I can't really seem to come up with anything.

The basement has been remodeled since the last time I was here.  The weapons were still hung on the walls but the center of the room was clear of any equipment Ryan used to train.  

"What are you planning on teaching me?"  I inquire as he smiles at me.

"I watched you at the dance and I realized we needed to start teaching you other skills of the trade.  My father suggested I teach you how to dance.  That way when you finally reenter the intelligence world, you will be able to fight and navigate the political scene."

Bucky Barnes' DaughterWhere stories live. Discover now