[1.2] "WHAT'S UP, BUTTERCUP?"
***
WHEN FREYA HEARD THE BELL RING FOR LUNCH, dread filled inside her. She knew now that she was going to have to tell Maddie what happened. Freya had no clue how to explain what just happened and now she knew that Maddie wouldn't let her forget that she promised to tell.
"Remember kids!" Mr. Davisson yelled to the class as Freya, Maddie and the rest of the class scrambled out of the classroom, "We have to meet at the school bus stop by seven o'clock on Wednesday. The bus waits for no one!"
Freya gathered her things rather quickly and walked silently with Maddie straight towards their lockers, which were not far from each other's. Freya was too busy thinking of how she was going to explain what happened to Maddie that Freya did not see the boy in front of her. They collided together and their things went crashing to the floor.
"I'm so sorry..." Freya looked to see who it was and saw that it was Peter, a skinny boy from her P.E and Science class. He was cute but she didn't really know him. "I'm sorry Peter."
They both bent down to pick up their stuff. Freya handed him some of his stuff and he took it with gratitude, nodding and saying, "Thank you."
Freya smiled up to him, "You're welcome." While she collected the rest of her stuff there was a high pitched "ahem" and tapping of high heels. Freya groaned and looked up to see Maddie standing over her, her arms crossed and giving Freya an irritated look. Freya already knew that Maddie was growing impatient waiting for the news. Freya stood up and the two waited until Peter had walked away before starting to speak and finish the walk to their lockers..
"Okay, firstly," Maddie said once Peter was well out of earshot and held one finger up. "Parker's clothes. Can you burn them please? They're atrocious." Maddie was the type of girl who really appreciated fashion and gossip to a disturbing level. It got to such a disturbing point that Maddie practically knew everything about everyone and because Freya was her best friend, Freya knew everything about everyone too. When it came to fashion, however, Maddie was judgemental, picky and harsh when it came to whatever fashion choices Freya made. Freya learnt over the years to just accept it and move on.
Freya rolled her eyes, "His clothes weren't that bad Maddie, you're overreacting."
Maddie ignored her and continued speaking, "Secondly, when are you gonna tell me what happened back there? And how you got those scratches and that bruise?"
Freya sighed and opened her locker, shoving her things inside, "When I figure out how to explain what the hell just happened, hold your horses."
"Are you going to tell Brody and Tyler too?" Maddie asked. Freya's eyes widened.
"Oh crap, I forgot about them." Freya swore, shutting her locker and resting her head against it. "Okay, how about we find Brody and Tyler first and then I'll tell all of you together?" Maddie nodded happily on the way to their spot, Maddie was telling Freya all the gossip she attained over the weekend.
***
Maddie and Freya met up with their other best friend, Tyler Wood and Freya's boyfriend, Brody Stevens at their spot outside near the football field. When Maddie told them Freya had something she wanted to tell all of them, Freya felt the pressure, especially since their eyes were on her.
"Well," Tyler said, breaking the silence, "what's up?". Tyler was that type of boy all the girls in their grade wanted to date because he was funny, entertaining and on the basketball team with Brody; Maddie's other best friend and Freya's boyfriend.
"Yeah, Frey, you can tell us anything." Brody said softly, giving her a comforting smile and clutched her hand, giving it a small squeeze. Freya and Brody met in seventh grade, the same time they met Maddie and Tyler. He looked so attractive in his black leather jacket that had belonged to his older brother, his brunette hair was messy and his brown chocolate eyes were wild with life. At the end of eighth grade, and multiple dates, he finally asked Freya to be his girlfriend. He treated Freya like an equal, while also treating her like a princess. Freya had never been happier in her life. Some people had been weirded out by the age gap, since Freya started school earlier and was a year younger than everyone in her year, but after a while they got over it.
Freya did know she could tell them anything, especially after telling them she had powers. While others might have been afraid or call her a "freak", they thought it was cool and amazing.
When Tyler saw, he had said, "My best friend can mind control the pizza guy into giving me free pizza! This is awesome and anyone who doesn't think so is the most stupid person in the world." Although Freya had to explain to him that she couldn't actually mind control anyone and that she could only read people's thoughts and communicate with them through their mind rarely, he still thought it was awesome. They all did. They all supported her.
And now wasn't any different.
Freya took a deep breath and just decided to go through with it. "In History I fell asleep and having the best dream, then suddenly it turned to this evil, dark haunting place and this man named Loki-"
"Like the Norse God?" Maddie interrupted, looking puzzled. Freya nodded.
"Yeah, I asked nearly the exact same thing, anyway he was telling me all about how he knew I was powerful and needed me to help him. I refused at first but then he said that if I didn't help him that I would never know where my mother was. I thought it was a dream and I told him that, but then he said he would prove to me it wasn't and grabbed really hard onto my wrist and shoved me to the ground and that's how I got this," Freya showed them her wrist and her palm. Maddie didn't look shocked as she had seen it before but her face was contorted with confusion, while Tyler and Brody looked like they were ready to find Loki and murder him.
"I was confused about how that was meant to prove that it wasn't a dream, so I thought it still was and so I asked him what he knew and he knew so much about me, about my powers and about my mother. Then I asked him what I would have to do, and he explained that he would help me control all my powers and if I helped him and became his 'apprentice' that he would also tell me where my mother was."
Freya saw everyone's eyes widen as they had understood where this was going. "Please don't say you agreed to help him." Maddie begged. Freya could tell by the look on Brody and Tyler's face that they were hoping the same thing. Freya looked down to the ground and nodded. They all groaned angrily. "No Freya! Why would you do that! That's so stupid!" Maddie spat out furiously.
Freya had a sudden urge to defend herself, "At this point, I still thought it was a dream! It wasn't until I woke up and saw my hands, which were perfectly fine before I went to sleep, have the same injuries I got while in this 'dream', so I just agreed, thinking it was still a dream."
"What do you have to do for him?" Asked Brody, who looked concerned. Freya sighed.
"I don't know, he said he didn't need me in his plan yet, he said he'll let me know when he needs me," Freya nearly whispered. She could see they were all disappointed in her. "But hey, this means he might know where my mother is, I might find her."
"Not like this," Tyler said disapprovingly, "there are so many better ways. Joining a villain never is a good way to go! Do you never watch movies?"
Freya glared at him, her hands scrunched up into a fist. She was suddenly getting very angry, very fast. "This isn't some movie Tyler! This is real life! You guys just don't understand." Freya huffed frustratingly. A tingling sensation building up in her palms.
"Well I know that's joining the dark side is never an option." Tyler argued back.
"But you don't know what it's like to lose your mother!" Freya got up angrily. "None if you guys know what it's like to have one of your parents missing, getting your hopes up that the police will find them and only being told time and time again that there is no trace, no evidence that they're even still alive!"
"Freya.." Brody warned, but Freya didn't listen.
"You guys don't understand how I felt being told they still haven't found anything on her after eight years-"
"Freya!"
"What!" Freya yelled at the top of her lungs. Brody, Tyler and Maddie stared at her shockingly as she breathed angrily. Freya followed their gaze to her hands to see them on fire. She gasped and gave them a little shake, putting them out.
Freya looked up to their worried faces, her breathing instantly steadied. "I-I'm sorry," Freya stuttered. Just as Brody was about to say something, an announcement played over the loudspeaker.
"Freya Jones, please come to the Principal's office. Freya Jones, please come to the Principal's office."
Freya could not have timed anything more perfectly. Sparing a glance at her friends, she immediately ran to the Principal's office, ignoring Brody's yelling and the consistent cawing of the ravens in the trees. She arrived at the office in no time and walked up to the ladies in the office who told her to just go straight in. Freya obliged, walking to the door, but as she opened the door she noticed that a man that most definitely was not her principal was sitting in the office chair.
"Have a seat, Miss Jones."
"Oh hello to you too, Fury." Freya huffed, jumping into the chair, "What's up, Buttercup?"
Fury stared at her with his one good eye before handing her a tablet and a file, "I'm going to get straight to the point, Miss Jones. In that file are pictures of S.H.I.E.L.D's recent secret project; the Tesseract, which we believe is the key to unlimited sustainable energy."
"So? What's that got to do with me?" Freya shrugged as she opened that file and saw a bunch of photos of a bright blue cube.
"It's been stolen from someone who's not from around here, and we need your help getting it back. If we don't get it back, we could currently be facing a potential global catastrophe." Fury said in a tone that made her sit up a little straighter.
Freya raised her eyebrows at him. "Who was able to steal something so important from S.H.I.E.L.D?"
"Someone called Loki." Fury informed Freya. Freya immediately stopped breathing, her heart drilled holes in her chest, she immediately put her left hand protectively over the top of her bruised right wrist. What was Loki doing? Was he planning to make her do something with it, or use it against her? Questions started racing through Freya's head a million times a second.
"The world is at war until Loki is stopped and we get the Tesseract back, Miss Jones. The Tesseract has the power to potentially wipe the planet. Don't worry, you will be teamed up with a group of remarkable people to get it back. It's all on that," He pointed to the tablet sitting on Freya's lap.
"Does my father know about this?" Freya asked after turning on the tablet and sliding to unlock it. Freya's father, Kevin Jones, had been working for S.H.I.E.L.D before she was even born and had progressed into a high level agent.
Fury's eye just bored into hers, unamusement on his face. "Unfortunately for him, this is beyond his control. But, no. He does not know."
Freya nodded and looked down onto the screen. The screen displayed a bunch of different humans or beings, some Freya recognised and some she didn't. There was Iron Man, who everyone knew was the billionaire genius Tony Stark since he told the world back in 2008. Everyone basically knew who he was.
The scientist called Bruce Banner, who got exposed to large amounts of gamma radiation which turned him into a big green raging creature called "The Hulk" that destroyed Harlem a few years ago.
A strong looking man with long blond hair, wearing armour and wielding a hammer called Thor, who Freya knew from Norse legends, and from the legends, Freya knew Thor was the brother of Loki. On the file it said Thor was on Earth last year in New Mexico.
Also on the filles, were Clint and Nat, who Freya knew from times her father had brought her aboard the Helicarrier or to S.H.I.E.L.D and when they weren't busy they taught Freya some basic defensive and combat moves.
And lastly there was another blond haired man wearing a red, white and blue costume with a star in the middle and a soldier's helmet. He was wielding a shield with a star and the same colours as his costume. Freya knew who that was, since she was doing an assignment about him in History.
Freya looked up at Fury, who was staring at her the whole time she was reading the files, and said, "Um Fury, hate to tell you, but Captain America died seventy years ago towards the end of World War Two. My class is currently learning about him in History."
Fury chuckled, shaking his head, "We found Captain Rogers asleep and preserved in ice a little over two weeks ago. He had been that way for seventy years, but he's currently awake and has agreed to help us find the Tesseract."
Freya was stunned, even though she lived in a world where there were billionaires fighting crime in a metal suit. "Okay, one question though."
"What is it?"
"Do I get time off school?" Freya questioned jokingly. Fury nodded and she smiled widely.
"Awesome! I'm in." Freya stood up and held out her hand for Fury to shake, but he just stared at it then his dark eyes found hers.
"Sit down Miss Jones, I still have more to say." Freya obeyed him and sat down as he continued talking, "Even though you are a part of this team, that does not mean that you engage in battle with Loki- if it comes to that, which it probably will."
Freya stared at him flabbergasted, "What do you mea-"
"Please do not interrupt me, Miss Jones." Fury jumped in. "This is a level A villain and the only reason you are on this team is because the board told me that S.H.I.E.L.D has been monitoring you for years and you are just as remarkable as any of these heroes on this team- like I didn't know that- and will only accept the Avengers initiative if you are on it, but you are young."
Freya huffed at the remark. Fury was staring at her like he was staring into her soul, "You are to stay towards the sidelines, make sure if there are any civilians in the fight to get them out of harm's way."
"Oh," She scoffed. "So I'm just there to be a civilian street sweeper?"
"No, you are there to make sure nobody gets hurt. You can use your powers to keep them safe. Your force fields are an excellent example. This is a direct order, Miss Jones, it is advised you do not disobey it. This is for your safety." Fury leant in closed over the Principal's desk. "So with that being said. Are you in?"
Even though the "no fighting" rule sucked, Freya got to be alongside a bunch of people she admired. Freya eventually looked Fury in the eye nodded. "Yes sir."
"Well then." Director Fury stood up, his leather trench coat flowing behind him. "I will see you on the Helicarrier. A Quinjet will be coming to pick you up soon, make sure you are on the field before it gets here."