"What have you done?"
"Nick, I'm losing her!"
I struggled to open my eyes but the darkness behind my eyelids provided a strange sort of comfort. Groaning, my throat felt like sandpaper grinding against gravel floor. My muscles burnt like a ball of sun under my fragile skin.
I opened my eyes and my vision slipped in, causing a wave of panic into my stomach pit. At the same time, someone gasps sharply besides me.
Everything I saw was bloody red. It was as if red paint had been poured over every surface. My lungs worked vigorously in an attempt to sort out my breathing. I panted, swallowing back a scream. I snapped my head up, only to see a guy in uniform. His concerned eyes were set on me.
What was happening to me? I pushed myself up despite my body's exhaustion. I felt like a overloaded machine awaiting to fall apart. A hand took grip of my arm and helped me up. "You should sit still," The man said with great difficulties. I twisted around to glare at him, even though the world threatened to tip away from me as I did so. When I looked at him, I realised he was shaken. But what was the reason behind his horrified expression? And why couldn't I blink away the vicious red in my eyes?
It no longer smelled like dust and smoke from where I was standing. In fact, when I looked around, the room was almost blank with only a bed in the corner. I remembered.
There was this Director, called Nick Fury, who had told me he was going to test me with something. Images of my mother walking towards me with a gun, Matron and Auntie Marie holding me down. It had all been a test. A cruel test on me.
I closed my eyes briefly to calm myself. When I opened them again, my vision was still dyed in red. Scared and helpless, I could only turn to the man next to me. "Are my eyes bleeding?"
The man took a second to reply me with only another question. "Why?"
It used up all my strength not to scream out my jumping thoughts. "Because all I can see is red, like blood."
"Your eyes aren't bleeding, ma'am." Oblivious towards the man's strange addressing, I sensed a 'but' coming on its way in his speech. "Your pupils, your eyes. They are red."
I didn't understand him at first. But as Director Fury approached me and steadied with my gaze, I saw the graveness in his eyes. My heart almost slowed to a stop when I finally understood his words. I worked through my memories to capture the man's name. "Captain?" I asked timidly, and the man with gentle words stirred. "Can I have a mirror?"
I blinked several times and glanced around me. Strangely, as I adapted into this wicked way of vision, the reddess seemed to cease and gather at some area. I gaped when I realised what was happening.
The reddess was like an indication of electromagnetic waves. The wall around me was humming slightly with waves of dark red bouncing off it. "Machine," I muttered lightly. Director Fury frowned and placed his hand behind his back.
"What was that?"
My eyes scanned the wall as I worked my brain for an explanation. "Are there machines behind this wall?"
Director's answer was reluctant. "Of course, that's how we created your test, Miss Black. May I ask, how did you come to that conclusion?"
I was wondering if telling Director I could see energy bounching off the wall would be a good idea when my eyes fell on him. My heart threatened to drop. His whole figure was radiating slight red, yet around his waist, a high energy subject was present. It took me a while to figure out it could be a more advanced version of a gun or some sort.
"I can see the energy radiates by everything," I whispered, finding hard to absorb the new piece of information myself. "The different shades of red helps me."
"Ma'am."
I jumped and turned, only to spot Captain next to me with a thin object in his hand. It had to be the mirror, for it only give off the lightest energy ring. Yet when I looked up to Captain, I realised he was radiating more energy than Director Fury.
By then, my heartbeat was finally calming to a steady pace. I took a deep breath and received the mirror. Looking into the cold metal, every drop of blood drained from my face.
My reflection was radiating high energy, like Captain. But my eyes, they were hollow dark. An explanation popped up in my head: My eyes, they were producing so much energy that they appeared to be pure black in my vision.
Like the devil's eyes.
"That is amazing," Director Fury commented quietly. "But, with all due respect, you do look as confused as we are with your eyes. I assume this is new to you as well?"
Amazing? How could this be amazing? I looked like a monster, a creature from hell. I was a massive step closer to what people in the city feared. Nodding to Director's question. I did not intend to speak up again.
"Miss Black, an explanation would do us some good," Director pushed on.
I was tired, I was betrayed. I was toyed with by a stupid test and gained new eyes like this. The least thing I wanted to do was play nice and answer every unimportant question like his. All I wanted to do, was to go home and rest.
Yet if Matron had seen me like this, she would have gone crazy and all nut.
"Sir, I think it would be a good idea if Miss Black can aquire some rest before we proceed any further."
I peered at Captain, gratefulness towards him grew in my chest. Yet, a soft voice in my head cooed and snapped my pleased opinion towards him. He worked for Director Fury and he was only watching when I suffered in the test. I would rather eat an elephant than to trust this man in tights.
It took Director Fury a good old minute before he could nod and gesture us the way out. "Look after her, Captain." With that, he left the room as well.
I walked alongside Captain, feeling too tired to be alert to every movement around me. I had gotten so used to my funky vision that it was Captain who informed me the reddess was finally gone. "Your eyes," The man chewed out his words as if he was still finding it hard to wrap his head around it. "They are normal again."
Holy cow, he was right. I looked around and once again saw the world in a different light. Yet somehow, I felt a bit less sharpened, like a blunt knife. Even though I hated to admit it, but the red vision did enhance my senses.
"I don't get all of these at all," Captain, pinching the spot between his eyebrows, mumbled as he walked down another corridor. I had to increase my pace in order to catch up, though every muscle below my waist refused to move any further above the speed of a snail.
Fortunately, we had finally reached a room where a bed sat. The room was grey and spotless. It was nothing but cold and abandoned. A sink was installed next to a door that I assumed would lead into a washroom.
Well, that was how I was welcomed as a guest. I headed over to the bed and sat on the mattress, my mind was already on the edge of faltering. "Captain," I started again but was interrupted by him quickly.
"Steve, please, if you don't mind."
At least he was nice. I smiled slightly and tried to push away the thought of a nice pillow behind me. I needed to make sure of everything before I could go to sleep. "Okay, then, Steve." My brain was seriously thick and slow. I squinted to recall what I was going to ask. The welcoming pillow seemed to sing to me in a strange song. "Are you guys going to put me through any test again?"
His answer was slow, "I hope not."
"But it's Director's call," I remarked, helping him to finish his thought. Heaving a sigh, I shifted back on the bed and leaned on the bed board. "Thanks, Steve. I would hate to have an interrogation now instead of taking a rest."
A chair screeched on the floor. I tiled my head to see Captain, I meant Steve, had pulled out a chair and sat next to the bed. He leaned on his knees and rubbed his hands. I took a minute to examine the stars and stripes on his uniform while my body slowly retiring against the soft mattress.
"I will make sure of it," Steve said with his eyes on his hands. With great effort, I focused on his face and fixed gaze with his blue eyes.
"Make sure of what?" I slurred slightly. Any second from now on I could just slip into the dark pit of sleep with ease.
"I will make sure you won't go into any test, Miss Black."
"Charlotte," I mocked him and turned around to puff my pillow. Decided laying down would be a good idea, I laid back and curled up on my side. When I opened my eyes with a crack, I caught Steve watching me in amusement. The moment our eyes locked, Steve cleared his throat and looked away. A groggy smile tugged at my lips.
"Why do you want to help me, Steve?" I yawned and threw the question at him.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Steve had a light smile on his face when he glanced at me again. I really liked that smile. "Because I trust you."
"Why?" I asked again and closed my eyes contently.
"Because," I could almost hear a light laugh from his voice. "I know we are the same."
"How so, Steve?" I questioned with without looking at him. I was so close to losing myself in a sleep.
"Because both of us don't belong here," Steve answered softly, his voice cooing me into sleep. "Sleep well, Charlotte."
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Steve is just a sweetheart:) You've got to love him:) Vote or comment to tell me what you think! xx
-Rivers