I hurriedly pull on my sneakers and rush towards the door. I can't be late. Can't. It's already 3:54 and I might need more than 6 minutes to find the right place. Shouldn't have taken the damn nap.
I run through the hallway while trying to tie my hair up. Yes. I found it. I try to catch my breath before opening the door.
There is a couple of people talking in a group, but definitely not everyone is here yet. The clock on the wall shows 3:58. Thank god I am already dressed. Though, I should probably thank Bobbi for that. I woke up to a big pile of clothes, water bottles and a couple of protein bars by my bed.
I automatically straighten my back as agent Hall steps in. And Daisy behind her. What is she doing here again?
I walk to stand in the line with the others, focusing on Hall. Whatever Daisy's here for, it's none of my problem. Perhaps, if I pretend she's not here, I won't be bothered. Hall gives us a short introduction to today's class. Apparently the same thing as yesterday. Yay.
I choose the same spot as last time. From the corner of my eye I see Daisy coming towards me. Right as she opens her mouth to speak, the door bursts open. Everyone in the room turns their head to find the source.
In the doorway stands Bobbi, eyes filled with horror. She scans through the room til her eyes meet Daisy's, flickering to mine for just a second. My heart skips a beat as I search her face for answers. What is going on?
She gestures Daisy to follow her and they both run out the door, Bobbi quietly mumbling something to the other. I want to run after them. I have never seen anyone so terrified. It's like someone had died. Maybe someone did die.
Nobody else seems to care much. Agent Hall looks more alert, but even if she is worried she doesn't show it.
After a quick decision I sprint towards the door, not wanting to give Hall the time to react. I don't know where they went, I suddenly realize. Well. Too late to stop now.
I try calling for them. Can't have gotten that far. No answer.
I turn left and jog through the halls, checking as many rooms as possible on my way. Unfortunately, a lot of the doors are closed.
After 20 minutes I give up. I'm totally out of breath, legs turning into jelly. Feels like I ran an entire marathon.
There's a problem now. How do I get back? I switched floors so many times that I have no idea where I am. My gut tells me I'm somewhere on the lower half. There aren't many doors here, plus the entire floor is giving me weird vibes.
As I walk back to the stairs I hear familiar voices behind one of the doors. I press my ear against it, hoping for any clues to what's going on.
There's Coulson. Arguing with someone. I don't recognise them, but I've definitely heard the tone before.
Then I hear Daisy's voice. It's.. weak and empathic.
There's an internal conflict going on in my head. Go in or not? Maybe there's a dead body in there. I shouldn't mess with stuff like that. I'm here for one reason. This is none of my business.
But maybe I can help. If the person isn't dead yet, I can heal them. I can save a life. Might as well give it a go.
I grab the link with a shaky hand and push the door slightly open. I do this as quietly as possible. But it's enough for everyone in the room to turn their attention towards me.
I scan the room for anyone laying down, needing my help. But there's no one. Besides all the people, there's a big glass box with a weird stone in it.
I then turn to the people. Looks like the entire Coulson's team is here. Except Jemma and the woman Bobbi told me about, I think it was May?
Daisy says something to Coulson and then turns towards me. She gestures me to step outside.
"How did you get here?" she asks me, both of us standing alone in the hallway.
"Sorry, I just- The look on Bobbi's fac- What's going on?" I can't keep the question in any longer. It's eating me away.
"It's a long story. I can't explain anything to you right now. I'll take you back to-"
"No," I stop her. "I need to know. Please."
She looks very tired and annoyed, eyes red from probably crying. But I can't give up now. What is that terrifying to an entire team of agents?
"As I said, I can't tell you. I'm sorry. It's too difficult to even think about right now," her eyes suddenly fill with tears. She tries to hide it, but not well enough.
Without a second thought, I step closer and wrap my hands around her. She takes a second and then does the same. We just stand there in the silence, not daring to move.
After some time, she slowly pulls away. Her eyes are red, but she looks better.
"Thank you," she whispers.
I slightly smile at her. "It's okay. You'll be okay," I try to ensure her, not really believing my own words. Something horrible must've gone down here.
"I better take you back to the gym now, if that's okay. Unless you want to go to your room..?"
I'm between the two. Obviously it would be better to go to practice, but I am not sure if I'm in the right mindset for that now. Though, if nobody tells me anything anyway, might as well go punch some bags to get my mind off of it.
"Yeah, the gym's just fine."
* * *
I hop in the shower and let the cold water run down my body.
It felt nice to throw some punches. We didn't try anything new, but it's probably going to take time until we can go to fighting an actual person. I don't mind it, though.
I definitely did better than last time, even Hall seemed impressed. She didn't question my motives for leaving, just looked surprised when I came back.
Thanks to the practice I was able to ignore my thoughts about what had happened earlier. It's interesting how training takes my mind off of stuff. All I cared about was how to do better. Punch stronger. But I guess that's the good mindset I need.
I turn off the shower and dry myself with a towel. Then I change into clean clothes and braid my hair. Stays clean way longer like that.
I pick up my stuff but right as I'm about to leave the gym, agent Hall gestures me to wait. "Hey, Miller. Just wanted to say, good work today. You did a lot better than yesterday."
"Thank you. I was kind of distracted yesterday, sorry. I'm trying to do better," I explain, glad she noticed my improvement enough to point it out.
"Yeah, we all have these days. But it's important to control your emotions and thoughts and not let them bother you. You are the one in charge. That's what makes you a good agent."
If I wanted to become one.
I just nod and smile. It actually makes a lot of sense, I've always known I'm not the best at controlling my feelings. Don't know how to fix it though.
Damn, I'd really like some food right now.
* * *
I lie on my bed, staring at the concrete ceiling. It's been about 5 hours since I decided to go to sleep, but, as we can see, I haven't really succeeded.
The looks on their faces haunt me. Daisy's face. The arguing. Big ugly stone. Why was it in a box? And why were they all standing there? As much as I saw, there was almost nothing else in the room.
Maybe the stone is important somehow? Can't really understand why. Magic stone? My mind is full of questions and there's no one to answer them. Well, there is. Just no one willing to answer them.
'You are the one in charge' Hall said. Then why is it so hard to turn it all off? I can't even do such a simple thing. Meditation could help. Although, I'm not a big fan of it.
I close my eyes and concentrate on my breathing. How on Earth is this going to help me sleep? I take deep breaths and try to not think anymore.
Just.
Deep.
Breaths.
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A/N: Maann I'm so sorry yall i haven't updated for a month, i'm just so tired from everything that's going on in the world right now. I hope you guys are staying safe. If any of you have any fam in Ukraine I'm praying for them all:( I live around 40km from the russian border and I'm fricking terrified of what could happen. He wants to supposedly rebuild the soviet union and living in a post ussr country has made me scared af. Sorry for the rant or whatever. Stay safe!!