Valor ↠ Prequel [0] ✓

13 | Eternal Sunshine

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VALOR
xiii. ETERNAL SUNSHINE

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   THE SUN ALWAYS SHINES. Throughout the eternal nights, amidst our darkest hour, the sun never dims for a second. Dawn is nigh and hope holds the reigns of our future. The light can be such a beautiful thing, even when you're not actively looking for it.

   Prophesies and tall tales used to be spread throughout our history regarding a being that existed as the human embodiment of the sun. People believed this person walked amongst us on our plane of existence spreading hope and light wherever they went. We always expected this person to be an ethereal spirit or a divine creature, but instead, this being was a 14-year-old girl named Riley O'Dair.

   Riley always radiated some form of hope, even when she wasn't sure things would work out in her favor. She was the glue of her village, keeping them together throughout every crisis. Although Riley had a habit of being a worry wort, she always encouraged her team to be better, stronger. Riley was a miracle from the beginning of her time, with or without her powers. Her fellow Avengers often teased her saying that she never needed her powers to give them hope.

   But even the brightest people can be haunted by the greatest darkness. Anxiety, trauma, overthinking to a fault, guilt-tripping herself over things she couldn't control—the dark was what troubled Riley throughout her inciting life. That was why she strived to be a hero. That was how she gained one of her strongest traits: being a self-sacrificing idiot.

   Waking up in the medical wing of the newly built Avengers Facility in Upstate New York puzzled her at first. The last thing she remembered was overexerting herself and passing out. She just hoped Steve didn't carry her to safety. The last thing she needed was yet another thing for Natasha to tease her about.

   Her head ached from a blossoming concussion and the glare of the fluorescents overhead. Any movement of her arm seemed to incinerate her nerves. She groaned, annoyed. Recovery was always the most gruesome part of the war. Somehow, she never quite felt the extent of her injuries until after the fighting was over. She depended on her adrenaline rushes perhaps too much for comfort.

   She sat up, looking herself over. Her injuries were all tended to. All that was left for time to heal her body again. But Riley didn't need time to take care of her spirit. She was ready to get out of bed and get back to work. Without thinking twice, Riley started to rip out her IVs.

   "I don't think you should be doing that."

   Riley's ebony eyebrows shot upward as she spotted a platinum-haired man standing at the front of the room. Pietro Maximoff leaned against the door frame, arms casually folded over his chest. That famous smirk was glued to his face. It reminded her of Roman.