Green Eyes and Dark Skyes

Good-Bye Queens

My head pounded and a groan escaped my lips. I felt like someone had taken a baseball bat and used my head as the ball. I tried to take in my surroundings but quickly found I was no longer in my room. 

Oh no. Panic rose in my chest. Please don't let this be more of my memories resurfacing.

Unfortunately, that was exactly what was happening. I stared at the small body chained to a chair with some sort of device hanging around her head resembling a halo. She raised her head slightly and I realized it was me.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn't want to see this. I just wanted to wake up and have this stupid nightmare over with.

"Katona." a small voice echoed throughout the room. I barely noticed the machine had started up and heard the beginning of her pained scream before the scene before me changed.

Now I was standing in some sort of fancy studio with dozens of little girls dressed in tutus and pointe shoes. Each of them stood like perfect dolls and danced to the music gracefully while a stern woman with blonde hair watched them under a scrutinizing gaze.

My eyes found the girl on the side dancing with an emotionless mask on her perfect face. Katona. The music filled the room and she glided across the floor effortlessly. Her hair was tightly pulled back into a bun and she almost looked human without the dark combat clothing and weapons strapped to her body. Red Room Academy. I caught a glance of the knives hidden under her tutu before the scene changed again.

The memories came quicker and grew creepier as time passed. A scream climbed up my throat when I realized I couldn't wake up.

Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop. The words were pleading in my head as every memory and every murder I've ever committed burned themselves into my mind.

Finally, I inhaled sharply and jerked out of bed as the memories finally stopped. I stumbled for my glasses and tried to calm myself down. My body hurt from my healing injuries and my head was beating with unbearable pain. A whimper escaped my lips as I staggered downstairs and fumbled around the kitchen for painkillers. As soon as I swallowed 3 pills, I felt the throbbing pain lessen just slightly.

I carefully walked into the living room and turned on the T.V. There was no way I was going to sleep and risking another nightmare-filled night. I flipped through channels until I landed on the news anchor who was talking about some attack. Curious, I raised the volume and listened to the man's report.

"-all we know is that the assailant is a man in his late 20's with long hair, a mask that covers his face, and a large machine gun. He is wanted for the attempted murder of a government official in Washington, D.C." I absorbed the rest of the story and frowned. This sounded strangely familiar but I didn't think much of it as witness interviews were now being aired on the attack.

After a few minutes, I zoned out and tried to think of what to do now. I now know that I'm one of the most dangerous people in the world and had lived a majority of my life under a false cover. I turned off the T.V and made my way into the bathroom. I stared at my reflection in silence.

I looked at the long hair that reached my waist and the dark green eyes staring at me, waiting for my next move. I bitterly looked away; how could I look at myself and not remember all the pain and torture that I had endured? There was no way I could look in the mirror and see myself as the same Jade that joked around with Peter, Ned, and Scarlet.

I looked back at the thick locks of hair in disgust. I didn't want to have the same thing that monster had when she was off killing innocents. Something shiny glinted in the corner of my eye and impulse took over.

Before I could think about what I was doing or stop my hand, I had grabbed the scissors sitting on the counter top and blindly chopped off my hair. And I kept going. I kept going until my rage had been taken out on the dark locks of hair that now fell to the floor, dead.

My hand shook as I stared back at the new reflection in the mirror in shock. My curls now just brushed a little past my shoulders, exposing the back of neck when I turned my head to check how much damage I had caused.

I stood there for God knows how long staring at my now short hair in disbelief. Thankfully, it didn't look bad but my stomach flipped when I finally looked down at the floor and noticed how much hair I had actually cut off.

Gran is going to kill me. I rushed to throw away the hair and clean up the area of any locks of hair. I ran out of the bathroom and up the stairs to my room, relishing the weight that had been taken off my shoulders as my curls moved with every movement.

I locked my door and opened my computer. What was done was done. Now I needed a game plan to find Barnes because at this point, he was the only one with answers.

I quickly typed his name into the search bar and scrolled through the results. Just as Gran had said, he was part of an army squad named The Howling Commandos with Steve Rogers. I clicked a picture and read the source underneath it. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

I cocked an eyebrow at its location. Washington, D.C. I looked back the picture and my heart clenched. I desperately needed answers and the Smithsonian had some of them. I was done being in the dark and not being in the know.

I made up my mind. I needed to head to D.C. to find Barnes and there was one person who I knew could do just that.

I downloaded my findings onto my school flash drive and waited for the rest of my computer to download as I changed out of my PJ's into black skinny jeans, a black shirt, and my converse. The computer dinged and I ejected the flash drive. I stared back at the computer in disdain.

Sorry, buddy. I pressed enter and watched as my computer destroy itself and delete every bit of data saved on it. I slipped the flash drive into the hidden pocket on the inside of my denim jacket and pulled on a black beanie. I dumped out my backpack and threw the mystery box and some necessities in it.

I slipped out of my room and shouldered the backpack. My heart hammered in my chest as something nagged in the back of my mind.

"Bucky." I murmured softly. That's what I called him. Now I knew I had to find him, dangerous or not. If I could be thrown back into the world and live knowing everything I've done, so could he.

I checked the hallway to see if Grandma was going to pop up out of nowhere and quietly made my way downstairs for the last time. I crouched on the floor and saw the dark outline of the army knife hidden under the couch. Swiftly, I slipped it into the sole of my shoe and gave the house one more glance.

Good riddance. I thought sourly as I snuck out of the house and grabbed the skateboard that was leaning against the porch. 

I didn't spare the house a last look before I took off on the skateboard towards the only person who could sneak a 16 year old onto a flight to Washington, D.C., no questions asked.

A/N- Sorry about the late chapter! I've been busy with school but here's a chapter, as promised! The last few chapters have been mainly about Jade's past but they are critical to the story line. I promise I'll be merging with the Winter Soldier story line very soon! Thanks again!