Winter's Soulmate | Winter Soldier ✔

Chapter One

~Amelies POV~

I trudged down the corridor that led to the lifts at the back of the apartment building. Peter was at his Stark Internship all evening, and I knew for a fact he wouldn't be back till late. Mum should be home though, burning some food in the oven before I would be able to convince her to let me buy some take out for the three of us to split.

A twinge ached in my shoulder just as the lift arrived, and I rubbed the knot as I stepped inside. The aching barely faded, and as the lift slowly travelled upwards, I realised it wasn't because of an injury I'd accumulated. It would be an injury of my soulmates.

I didn't know who they were, or where they were from, but we had a particularly intimate soul sign. Any marks they had on their body, whether it be a doodle in ink, or a bruise, would appear on my skin. It was the only way to explain how I could go to bed one night, fresh and clean from a shower, and wake up the following morning with a split lip and a black eye.

The injuries had lessened recently, and I accepted the fact that my soulmate was more than just a little clumsy. It worried me slightly, but I tried not to think about it too much. They ignored the messages to them I left on my arm, and I just had to live in the hope that they would one day reply.

I forced a smile on my face as the lift doors finally opened, and I pulled my sluggish body towards our door. I had left work early, as a surprise for Mum. My shifts at the bar were getting later, and I knew it would mean a lot to spend an entire evening together in peace.

My smile darkened into a frown as I realised the door was pushed open a little. I slowed my pace, and peered down the corridor for any signs of a possible intruder, when Mums loud wailing rang from inside.

I followed her shouts, to see her dancing manically to whatever song was playing through her headphones. "Mum. Stop!"

I shoved my hands over my ears, lifting my elbow to nudge her back, causing her to spin in shock. "Amelie baby, don't scare me like that." She pulled me into her arms, gently pulling her earphones out as she pressed her lips to my cheek. Her brows furrowed as she stepped back, "you smell like booze. Go have a shower, I'm nearly done cooking."

I wrinkled my nose, "smells like you were done cooking about five minutes ago." I yelped playfully as she tried to swat me with the dish cloth, and skipped back towards my room.

I undressed quickly, and shoved my arms through the thinning fluffy dressing gown I'd fallen in love with some years previously. It was threadbare in some places, but I couldn't bring myself to part with it right now.

I crossed the hall to the bathroom, listening to Mums singing growing quieter as she continued with her dance routine. With the smallest smile on my face, I turned and locked the door, ready to de-stress with a hot shower.

I was fiddling with the belt of the dressing gown that was tied around my waist, when a thick hand clamped over my mouth.

I tried to struggle, but a second hand pulled me back into a muscled chest. The hand covering my lips pressed down harder, causing my rapid breaths to quickly grow shallow.

I kicked out, but the hand holding me back reached down to scoop my legs upright, and I thrashed my head from side to side as my arms were quickly locked between my back and the hard chest. With my feet nowhere near the floor, the panic began thumping quicker through my veins.

I could feel scared tears prick my eyes, and even though I knew it was happening, the entire situation didn't feel real. The person holding me began to take slow steps towards the small window in the corner of the room, and the harsh wind whistling through it pricked at my skin.