Touch of Winter

Chapter 12: Dream, Nightmare or Something Else

My eyes opened, and I found myself staring at my alarm. 3:24. I rolled over, and sighed deeply. The bed strangely comfy tonight. I almost fell back asleep after that.

"Sergeant Barnes," J.A.R.V.I.S suddenly said.

Keyword: almost.

"What is it?" I mumbled.

"I apologize for waking you Sergeant Barnes, how ever their appears to be a disturbance in Miss Northern's room."

I was out of the bed and running down the hall in a matter of seconds. Yep, not falling back asleep. 

"Should I wake the others?" J.A.R.V.I.S asked as I ran. 

"Not yet," I said, knowing Northern wouldn't like a crowd unless it was necessary. 

I felt like I had slowed down somehow in the past five hours. Like I couldn't run fast enough. A million scenarios of what could be wrong running through my head. I knew it had to be something bad. Northern was private and didn't allow J.A.R.V.I.S to tell anyone anything that happened in her room. If he suspected something was bad enough to need intervention...I didn't even want to think of it.

I arrived at her door, and didn't even need to tell J.A.R.V.I.S to unlock it. It slipped open and I went in quietly. God! The room was freezing! 

"Northern?" I called out, seeing my breath.

All I heard was some mumbling coming from the bed. My thoughts went from intruder, to either nightmare or sudden illness. I made my way over her, quietly calling out her name, but received no answer. She was half tangled up in her sheets, a layer of frost, coating everything she touched, and her face pinched with anguish. Nightmare. I reached out, trying to shake her, but pulled my hand back the moment it started to burn. Her skin had chilled enough to coldly scald anything living that touched her. Meaning her powers had subconsciously started to activate, in order to protect her. What ever she was dreaming of had her that strong a grip on her? 

This didn't make sense. Honestly, I had thought we had a good day. Sure, I was out most of the morning on mission. Another H.Y.R.D.A base found and destroyed. Steve had been cracking down on the Nazi want-a-be organization ever since the school attack. However we all made it out fine, and even got back in time for movie night. It had been the first one that Northern came to willingly and turns out the 'Bumblebee movie' (which strangely wasn't about bumblebees) wasn't all that bad. Northern didn't even seem annoyed by my questions about it, considering she knew the franchise it was from so well. Meals weren't as awkward, and the nightly piano lesson went off with out any sort of trouble. Nothing should've triggered this. 

Carefully, I used her sheets to put barrier between me and her skin. It worked, but that didn't stop me from feeling like I was cradling a sack of ice. I shook her gently.

"Northern," I said.

Her mumbling became more intense until she began screaming, "No. no. no! NO!!"

She thrashed harshly, knocking herself out of my hold. A blast of cold air and snow exploded from her body, pushing me off of her bed and onto the floor. I scrabbled back up, the sound of her sobs fueling my movements. A blizzard now filled the room. Wind whipping at my hair, and cold chilling everything. Thicker heavier frost began coating her bed, and turning her hair white. Tears frozen solid to her face.

"Northern!" I called out, fighting my way back towards her. Just what was she seeing?!

 I gripped her blanket covered arm and shook her, not being gently anymore. She shifted, her hand suddenly darted underneath her pillow and pulling out a knife. I barely had time to put up my hand in defense before she lunged at me. Battle instinct took over, but I didn't want to hurt her. So I flipped her over myself and into the wall.