A Game Of Love And Lies

Part 22

Althea

The brightness and the warmth of the sun woke me up. My first sight was that clear blue sky. The smell and the taste of salt threw me off guard. I glanced around, realizing I'm on a beach. No one around just me and the sea. I stood up, more confused than ever.

Something shiny in the sand caught my attention. It ended up being a child's bracelet. It was covered in glitter and nail polish. The more I observed it the more the color was changing. From an innocent pink to a vibrant and dangerous red. When I noticed my fingertips got stained I dropped it. Was that blood?

"They missed you, you know..."

I turned around to view a woman. A face that had haunted me from the moment I saw it. She had not aged a day.

"Do not try to run. It's pointless."

My anxiety grew and as it did, the wind got stronger and stronger.

"You should thank me..."

For what? That's what I wanted to say but I was too scared to speak. How was she right in front of me? How did I end up on that beach? I pinched myself to make sure I was not dreaming. I could feel everything around me. The cold wind hitting my skin, my shoes sinking in the sand, that pinch that left a mark on my hand...

"You should thank me for killing your sister."

"Stop" I whispered. Her words were slowly drilling me. Penetrating the thick walls I had built up over the years to avoid my trauma.

"You failed to protect her."

A loud and irritating ring made me cover my ears with my hands in an attempt to stop it.

"She would have gone back to your home, where your parents abused you..."

The ring got louder. I dropped on my knees, my whole body shaking. "Stop"

"You promised her that one day you would start a new life together... You lied."

"STOP" I shouted while closing my eyes shut.

The next time I opened them I was surrounded by total darkness. No wind, no sand. I made a step forward causing a metallic sound to echo through the walls. My eyes adjusted slowly. I was standing in a cell. The walls were slightly damp, a feeling of coolness emanating from the space. The air tasted like stale bread and centuries-old stale water. You couldn't taste any oxygen. This place was sterile.

The sound of a door unlocking knocked me out of my thoughts. A bright white light blinded me. I squinted my eyes and two strong arms grabbed me by the shoulders pulling me out.

"It's time for your test"

No! Why am I back in Hydra? How did they find me?

The grip of their hands was kind of loose. I made a sudden movement, gaining my freedom, and ran in the opposite direction. A few steps were all I accomplished. A taser gun was all it took to defeat me.

I was on all fours, trying to catch my breath. The pain of electricity was replaced by the pain of a needle piercing my arm. I turned around in shock. Cador was standing there with the needle in his hand. I was back in that filthy basement.

My eyes wandered around looking for Loki. Unless he was hiding in the shadows it was just me and Cador in the room. The familiar static from the TV, those bright lights, and the table with the jars. Sage... Sage was missing.

Wait... Sage was missing. Cador was ready to pierce me with that second shot. I stood up from that operating table as quickly as possible. He glanced at me confused. As if we were in a play together and that was not part of the original script.

"What's in that syringe Cador?"

"Your second shot to stop the procedure."

He started walking around the equipment to approach me but for every step, he made to come closer I made a step further.

"You and I both know this is not true. Why am I reliving everything? Why can't I remember what happened after I talked to Loki?"

"You are acting crazy, why not just take a seat and continue where we left off."

"This is not real, is it? You put something in that syringe, you must have. Why would you poison me?"

I was not even expecting an answer I just externalized my inner monologue.

"At first you were afraid of Loki and then after the procedure, you were magically not. I bet you blackmailed him."

He grabbed his scalpel from the tray and pointed it at me.

"You are making me very angry right now."

"I bet Sage is the main ingredient for the antidote and you are hiding it in your pocket right now..."

He jumped over the table. He knocked everything that was in his way. Jars hit the ground, breaking and shooting the broken glass everywhere. He took with him the bright white lights. They partially broke, making them flicker as fast as possible.

Havoc everywhere but I was not scared. I was not scared the slightest. The moment you realize you are in a nightmare you have complete control over it. I simply closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I needed to take control of my brain. I put my mind control powers into action. I had attempted this once years ago. It worked for a few seconds but it scared me and never tried again. My consciousness leaving my own body and traveling around.

The next moment I opened my eyes I came face to face with my own self. Me as a soul hovering over my body. I looked around to understand where I was. I was most likely in a clinic but it resembled nothing like earth's. It reminded me of the infirmary we had in Asterin. Same tall ceilings and columns.

My heart flatlined setting an alarm off. Nurses rushed in. I tried to get their attention but nothing worked they could neither see me nor hear me. My soul traveled from person to person, trying to find someone that could help. I started to panic. Yelling at everyone, as if raising my voice would help. Tears formed in my eyes until I heard a comforting whisper.

"Come."

Suddenly, I had no control over my soul. Something pulled me out of that room, made me go through multiple corridors and floors until I went outside in the gardens. The Bifrost could be seen a few miles away. I was in Asgard...

An older woman dressed in all gold signed me to come closer. There were maids around her but they seemed to be frozen in time.

"Hello, Althea...we meet again."