It was now lunchtime on the last full day at camp. Tonight would be your last night so you wanted to enjoy the day as much as possible.
You'd spent the morning learning about all the wildlife and food around the area. Including the poisonous ones. And despite it sounding a bit boring it was actually very fun. You learnt the colourful bird you saw a few days ago could have been a painted bunting. Cool name for a cool bird.
You all wanted to talk again so you snuck slightly into the trees to the same place you were the night before last.
"Did you see those dark red berries?" Cooper asked, "apparently if you eat them they make you poop really bad, that's what Sam said".
"I am sooo glad I didn't eat any" laughed Peter.
"Yea it's your birthday tomorrow you don't wanna be pooping then!"
In the middle of your laughing there was a noise of a twig snapping. You all immediately quietened and looked back to camp to see Gianna walking towards you. She didn't appear to have seen you and she was walking with one of her friends who had the same long blonde hair, talking intensely.
Not wanting another confrontation you all snuck away further into the forest. They kept walking to but you had already walked quite far.
"We should try and go around them and go back" you whispered and everyone nodded.
Unfortunately someone stood on a branch and it made a loud crack noise. The two girls looked up and made eye contact with you, showing an unnerving smile.
"Well hi freaks, Did you know you're not allowed out here"
"Neither are you"
"No one will know, did you know you're not allowed out here because if someone got hurt no one would notice for a long time". It sounded menacing and she took another step forward.
Every time you all stepped back, she stepped closer. It would be impossible to go around her now so you would have to go further through the trees. She picked up her pace so you turned around and ran. Branches flung at you hitting you in the face and one of the others nearly fell over a stump. Slowly you could hear water and you started to panic. "Guys we have to stop the rapids are close".
"What how do you know" asked Sarah breathlessly.
Before you could explain you suddenly appeared in an opening. You all stood in the tree line with raging water one side and two bullies the other. All of you could easily beat them but it was risky, what if you hurt them or what if they tell on you, you would definitely be expelled. Or what if one your friends got hurt, it wasn't worth it.
The water was much louder here you could barely understand the blonde girl. "Looks like your stuck, I've been thinking a lot about the library and how much you all embarrassed me. I think you need to learn your lesson".
She quickly ran forward and punched Sarah around the face. You were about to help when Sarah put her hand up to stop you.
Gianna continued talking, "you're all freaks. You've got no friends and you only sit with each other because no one else will talk to you. You don't understand that I'm the one you should be listening to or there will be trouble. From now on you will all listen to me, got it?"
She was met with silence and as she got angrier you spoke, "we will never listen to you, you're not leader material. People are just scared of you, but we aren't. So leave us alone".
You'd barely finished when she grabbed you by the throat and started dragging you down the tree line. Your friends stepped to help but the other blonde stood in their way. "It's ok" you choked out.
You were now at least 10 metres away and she finally let you go. You fell straight to the floor catching your breath before she pulled you back up by your collar. She hit you in the stomach and you stumbled back clutching it. The edge of the river was now a few steps behind you.
You watched your friends shocked faces as Gianna held her hand up above you again. But before she could hit, you felt a sudden gust of wind and the girl was toppling into the river. She screamed as she tried to grab you but missed and fell into the water with a splash. You turned to see everyone still far away watching in horror but Sarah stood right next to you with the same face. How did she get over here you didn't even notice. You could tell she didn't mean to push her into the water though as her pleading eyes started filling with panic.
Not a single word had been said between you but there was a lot to ask. Before you even realised what you were doing you felt the cold water engulf you. You'd jumped in after the spluttering girl, she was panicking and choking trying to stay above the water with little success.
Invisible hands from below grabbed at you enticing you to go under but you fought with all your strength to stay above. No wonder the bully spent most of her time under the water, even with super strength you could barely hold yourself.
Your arms pushed at the water swimming as fast as possible to get to her. She was appearing less and less so you fought harder. A sudden rush sent you under, flipping you over and over again into rocks. By the time you reached the surface again blood crept into your eyes.
The girl looked weak and you could also see blood, though not as much.
You got close and grabbed at her pulling her up so she could get a decent breath.
But now it was impossible to swim to the edge with her in your arms. You had to hold her and endure the battering from the rocks.
"Over here!" You turned to see Peter running down the river bank. He shot a web to one tree and another to you, slowly pulling you both. The water so strong it snapped three times before he finally got you to the edge. You passed up the exhausted body before he pulled you up.
You'd barely hit the grass when your teacher and the instructor came hurtling through the trees with Giannas friend. "OH MY GOD! ARE YOU OK?! YOUR BLEEDING! And you need to be warmed up immediately before you get hypothermia".
You were picked up by someone and basically ran through the Forrest to the camp building. Both of you were thrown onto first aid tables and covered in foil blankets. The other girl just had a cut on her cheek but you had grazes everywhere. Your face was covered and you could feel them on your back and arms to.
"What happened?!" Asked the instructor.
You didn't answer and you thought Gianna would tell on Sarah for pushing her but surprisingly she said "we were in the forest where we weren't meant to be and I fell in the river. Y/n jumped in after me to help".
You looked in surprise but she didn't make eye contact.
When the two adults had left to call parents she finally talked to you. "I don't know what happened out there with that weird friend of yours and I may not be a genius, but I know you shouldn't have been able to swim there. The current was too strong for me so how did you swim! How did you even get us out? You really are some kind of freak. Just stay away from me from now on got it?!"
You just nodded as the teacher came back in.
"Ok girls I'm going to drive you home now, your parents are very worried bring the blankets with you and get in the car".
Unfortunately you had to share a back seat, the only good thing being you both hated each other so much you didn't speak.
The entire time you were shivering and terrified she would find out about you. If she did was Tony right when he said you'd have to go into hiding for years. You'd lose all your friends. Your mind and body kept swapping to torture you. One moment scared of losing everyone and the next you couldn't feel your legs.
You recognised your surroundings and knew you were coming up to the school. The car had barely stopped when the back doors were flung open. Giannas parents pulled her out shouting to each other, "we need to go to the hospital now to make sure she's ok! Hurry up!"
You felt big hands pull you out and looked up to see Happy. "Hey y/n I'm taking you back to the compound Bruce and Tony are waiting to check you over so you don't have to go to a hospital".
He quickly put you in the back of his car and drove off.
He hastily grabbed you again still covered in blankets and ran upstairs to the main room. Everyone was waiting and your dads rushed up just to be pushed away by Tony and bruce.
You were so cold your eyelids were drooping and everytime the shivers racked your body the cuts would sting against your clothes.
"Put her on the rug" said Bruce, "it's warmer than the Med bay hopefully we won't need to go there".
"Why the hell is she still in her wet clothes!!" Screamed Tony. "She could get hypothermia any idiot knows your meant to change the clothes!"
Your way to cold to protest when someone quickly takes your clothes off leaving you in your underwear. Tony's about to dry you with a towel when everyone pauses seeing the cuts and grazes all over your body. They not only litter your back and arms but your legs are covered.
Bruce quickly changes the plan. "Ok you hold these blankets ready, you get hot water bottles, Tony help me with the bandages while I put the ointment on the grazes. We'll clean and cover as much skin as possible".
He quickly and as gently as possible drys you and then rubs antiseptic everywhere whilst Tony wraps bandages around the newly clean cuts. Within minutes your covered in them but you still have a lot more uncovered. "We can't do any more" says Bruce, "she needs to be wrapped up. Steve come here body heat works best".
He lunges forward taking his top off and lifting you up against his bare chest so you could get the warmth from it. He sits on the sofa and hot water bottles are placed around you. Bruce and Tony cover you both in foil blankets locking in the heat. It's only a few minutes before you stop shivering and not long after you start to move. The entire time everyone has been closely monitoring you and they seem sure that you'll be fine. Aside from the stinging and aching coming from your entire body you feel back to normal though extremely tired.
Steve holds you for another hour before you mumble, "sleep"
"You can go to sleep baby girl"
"I want my bed"
He looks conflicted but eventually gets up and walks with you to your room with Bucky following close behind. He places you in your bed, "do you want us to stay?"
You shake your head, "just want to sleep".
You know it was hard for them but they say goodbye making sure you've got enough blankets and leave, with you falling asleep almost instantly.
"I know what you are!" A girl shouted. You turn to see Gianna stomping towards you. Everyone else around stopped to listen. "You were made in a lab, You aren't even real! You're a winter soldier. Everyone thought they'd all died. But they're coming for you! I'm going to tell everyone". You turned to see hundreds of people frozen with fear, all staring right at you. You spun in place but everywhere you looked, the same faces stared back. Harsh whispers filled your ears.
"She belongs with hydra"
"She's not even human"
"I'm going to kill her!"
The voices got louder as you turned to see more of them stepping closer and closer until they engulfed you. You fell into a dark pit, looking around but not seeing anything.
"You deserve this you know?" A voice called out but nothing could be seen.
"This is all your fault"
"What's my fault?!" You shout back but get no answer
"If it wasn't for you, they would still be alive"
The lights turn on and Peter, Sarah, cooper and Lila appear covered in blood.
"You did this" the voice says.
"I-I didn't!" You yell back almost hysterical.
The more you look the more you see. Photos appear on the walls, of other people covered in blood but you don't recognise them. Wanted posters of your face scattered everywhere. But it doesn't look like you, the eyes are dark and your grinning evilly into the camera.
"This WAS you!" The voice practically screams into your ear. "And now you'll do the same to captain America and the winter soldier"
"NOOOOOO" you scream yourself out the dream. Your dads both rush in seconds later but your still screaming, thrashing around. "NO I DIDN'T DO IT! I WONT HURT THEM! GET OFF GET OFF!!"
You panic and don't realise your in your room until your hear Buckys voice. "It's not real. It's not real. It's not real". He repeats over and over again. Holding you tight and slowly rocking back and forth. You stop screaming but you still sob not quite believing it wasn't. Quiet voices now fill your ears.
"It wasn't real. It was a dream. It wasn't real. Your in the compound with your dads. In your room. You had a nightmare. It wasn't real. Your ok. Everyone's ok".
Steve rubs your back as you cling to Bucky. He still whispers into your ear until you stop crying.
You're all like that for nearly an hour until you shift and Steve whispers quietly. "Are you ok baby girl?"
You just nod your head in response. It wasn't real. But it felt it. You suddenly get sleepy again and like before, whisper the word "sleep".
"Do you want us to stay this time?"
You shake your head again and they reluctantly put you back down under the covers.
They fuss for a few minutes making sure everything is ok before walking to the door. "Are you sure you don't want us to stay?"
You nod your head and they leave.
You don't want to hurt them.