Book Two, Thirteen Reasons To Forget You (Chose Your Own Adventure.)

Page 6

Maddie drove the bike off a cliff. She watched it tumbled down, down, down and crash on the rocks below, bouncing off the cliff wall and ricocheting out over space. It flashed silver and red in the fading light, then there was the nasty crumpling noise of metal bending and breaking. It irritated the girl that she had to trash the bike, but she quickly forced the emotion down. 

She wasn't stupid enough to think she could cross the boarder with the bike. No doubt they had an alert put out for a red bike with the license plate number and the rider. And border patrol knew about it. Maddie didn't want to be caught with the bike, and then get handcuffs slapped on her wrists. She could just about imagine the controversy if HYDRA or S.H.I.E.L.D. busted in there to claim her.

The assassin turned her back on the cliff and started across the empty highway. Her boots made hardly any sound as she headed towards the edge of the forest in the fading light. She entered the forest as she heard the distant rumble of a car heading along the highway. The girl slipped behind a tree as the car roared by, sending it's headlights flitting across the trees as it passed.

Maddie knew she should probably build shelter before night struck. She headed deeper into the forest, knowing the farther in she went, the less likely it was that someone would find her. Crickets came alive as night started to settle across this part of the world. The girl kept going, not feeling safe enough. She could still see the road from here. Maddie stopped and decided she was far enough away from the road. She started making a lean to, and was finished by the time the moon came up. 

It didn't take long for the assassin to crawl into the shelter and fall asleep. That night, Maddie dreamed. Maybe it had been brought on by Sam's betrayal, or from being on the run, or having to fight HYDRA soldiers on her own again. Maybe it was all three. What ever the case, she dreamed of a face she hadn't seen in a long time.

The boy had black hair and blue eyes. His skin was a slightly darker shade then Maddie's. He was crouched in front of her, eyes burning into hers. Maddie's breath caught in her throat and she reached up to touch his face. The boy smiled at her.

"I thought you died! After you disappeared from the HYDRA base......" Maddie's voice broke, and she tackled the boy into a hug. The boy laughed, blue eyes flashing with amusement, his laughter rising into the blue sky.

Maddie jerked awake, tears making her throat close up. She took a deep breath of fresh forest air as the grey light of early morning greeted her, trying to calm down. She hadn't dreamed of him since two nights after two of them had been separated. 

No! The girl thought harshly. I will not think about the past! I wont think about HYDRA! It brought to light fresh wounds. Sam's betrayal. She staggered out of her makeshift shelter, roughly grabbing her pack and slinging it across her shoulders.

The past would stay where it belonged. In the past. With that thought in mind, she set off, walking faster then she should have. Anger ran through her and she trued not to kick the trunk of a passing tree like a bratty little seven year old. She gritted her teeth together. That was one thing HYDRA would pay for, forever.