Cardboard mattresses

[chapter 7]

Sitting cross legged on the couch June did her best to analyse the faces of the people that occupied the room, they were good at hiding whatever secrets that they'd sworn to protect though because she could not get a read on them.

What felt like hours ticked by before anyone spoke,
"How old are you?" Bruce asked, looking nervously at the girl.
"Fourteen" she replied curtly
"Where are your parents?" He asked slowly not quite sure what to expect, as if she was a chemical compound ready to explode at any minute.
"Nowhere" June muttered back. Obviously this wasn't true. They were most likely asleep on the grubby couch in the tiny little flat in the city but she wasn't about to tell a group of random people this even if they were the avengers, especially since she'd avoided child services for so long.

Not sure what to say next the adults looked at each other, Nat decided to try again " they have to be somewhere even if it's six feet under" she said and June choked on air in shock, Clint gave her a harsh punch, "Natasha!" he said glaring at her but then looking back at June trying to decipher her answer. She shook her head slowly. A mistake perhaps but she wasn't stupid, she knew she wouldn't be able to deceive a master assassin like The infamous black widow even if lying felt like it was in her second nature these days.

"Did they do this to you?" She asked the kid gesturing to her body and sitting down next to her, propping her hands on her knees and looking at June.

She shook her head again.

It was like someone had grabbed her tongue, twisted it around and then shoved it down her throat so she couldn't speak.

Embarrassment washed over her body, she felt ridiculously weak and vulnerable in front of such strong people and in that moment she wanted nothing more than to escape and get as far away as possible.

Her heart began to pound, battering itself frantically against her ribs, her hands trembling and vision begging to blur, I have to get out she thought pushing herself up off the sofa and stumbling over to the door grasping at its cold handle but before she could twist it she felt a pair of hands on her pulling her away, she let out a mangled scream which came out as more of a sob as her legs turned to jelly and her body gave up hitting the floor with absolutely no grace, her breathing laboured she grasped at the floor, her fingers slipping on the cool marble, trying to grasp handfuls of leaves and dirt as she'd so often done for months prior.

"Jesus" Clint murmured "breathe just breathe" he said making a feeble attempt to calm her down.

Natasha who'd been the one to grab her as she'd made a beeline for the door pulled her into her body, holding on to her as she road out the attack, many years ago she'd become victim to nightmares and the like so she understood to an extent how the girl felt.

June could feel a safe warmth holding her body as she spaced out, her breathing now beginning to slow and eyesight returning. She now realised how hard she'd been holding on to the woman who held her and released her grasp apologising under her breath.

"I have to go, I need to get out" she whispered pushing herself off of Nat's body and sitting up. Nat placed a firm hand on her wrist "I get it kid but you gotta understand that you can't just waltz in and out of this place, we need to know if you're working for somebody"

"Working for someone?" June asked looking puzzled.

"Yeah, look I don't want to hurt you but we're going to need to know a bit more about who you are"

Trying to hold back vomit that threatened to come up June put on her best poker face, scowling at the floor

If I tell them I ran away they'll send me home or they'll call the cops, or what if they think I'm a spy or I'm here to hurt them they could hurt me, hell they could kill me so easily... would that be so bad though? ...