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Chapter Three: Guilt
SALEM HAD HER BOTTOM lip pulled between her teeth as she looked over Clint who had a large gash on his side. Thor, Tony, and Steve were all talking as they looked at the scepter, Natasha and Bruce were talking, and Salem was standing there with guilt covering her features. If only she could've warned him in time. Salem found that her visions were starting to grow longer and more detailed the older she got, but they weren't long enough for her to remember for a long amount of time. She was hoping that would change on her next birthday which wasn't that far away. However, the pain only seemed to grow worse the longer the visions became. Tony and Bruce were both trying to find a way to help the girl, so far they had nothing.
"Stop it." Clint mumbled as he looked at the girl he considered his daughter. Salem blinked in surprise, having thought the man was asleep.
"Stop what?" She softly asked, taking a step closer so that he could see her face without having to strain his neck.
"Yes you are, I can tell." Clint told her, not wanting to argue with the girl. "Sal, me getting hurt isn't your fault. It happens to everybody once in awhile."
"But I saw it." Salem whispered with a frown, guilty tears starting to fill her eyes. "I saw it, and I didn't prevent it. I should've warned you as soon as we got on the field."
"Salem, stop it." Clint's voice was stern as he spoke, but it was still soft. No one dared to raise their voice at Salem. Not matter how tough she looked, being yelled at brought bad memories. She didn't like arguments. Yet, she could kill someone with the snap of a finger without even blinking and feeling sorry. But that was different. She was doing it for a good cause, not just because. "It is not your fault, do you understand me. Don't blame yourself for this, it was the stupid enhanced's fault. He knocked me to the ground and out of my hiding spot. And then I got hurt. You can't control what you see and what you remember, Sal."
Salem looked down at the floor of the jet, the frown still on her features and the tears still in her eyes. Clint reached out and grabbed her hand, making the teenager look back up at him.
"I'm going to be good as new before you know it." Clint assured her, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. Salem let a small smile cross her face in response as she nodded her head. "It'll be like nothing ever happened. So don't think too much about it, alright?"
"Okay." Salem nodded, her voice soft as she spoke to her father figure.
"Good." He smiled at her before letting go of her hand and allowing her to walk to the back of the jet. Natasha joined her side and wrapped an arm around the girls shoulders. Salem smiled before she leaned her head on Natasha's shoulder and closed her eyes.
