A Child of Mischief (Loki/Avengers story)

14. Mind Games

Day breaks through the clouds on Asgard, and the morning sun leaks into the large window of Cora's room. A beam of light hits Cora's face and she turns over to keep from going blind.

"Morning, already." Cora says as she slowly sits up and looks around. The emotion in her eyes turns troubled as she realizes yesterday wasn't a dream like she had hoped it was.

Hoping to have a better day than yesterday, Cora gets up and dressed for the day. She chooses a Gray t-shirt, Black jeggings, and combat boots. She throws her hair into a high ponytail. As she looks in the mirror, she see's a glimmer of something behind her. She turns to look and see what it could be, but nothing is behind her.

"Must be my imagination." Cora says as she heads for her bedroom door. Just as she exits her room, Peter exits his at the same time.

"Hey." Cora says, Peter ignores her and walks down the hall. Cora watches him with a shocked expression on her face. She shakes her head, and hurries to catch up with him.

"Are you okay?" Cora asks as she catches up to Peter. Peter keeps walking and doesn't say a word.

"Peter!" Cora says, grabbing him by the arm, and turning him around to face her. He gives her a look that she knows all to well, the look of disgust and being unwanted.

"What's wrong with you? Is this about what happened last night? Pushing you away, cause if it is I'm sorry, I was just taken back by what happened." Cora apologizes, Peter pulls his arm away, shakes his head, and keeps walking.

Cora stands in the middle of the hall and watches Peter walk off. She can feel tears threaten to fall from her eyes. Keeping her composure the best she can, Cora makes her way to the great hall for breakfast. Voices of the other recruits fill the great hall just before Cora enters the room.

"Did you finally ditch her?" Cora hears Sadie ask someone. Cora's heart drops as she hears who answers the question.

"It wasn't to hard to do that." Peter says, and elated laughter from the other recruits is all Cora hears as she walks into the great hall.

All laughter and talking stops as Cora enters. Keeping her head down, Cora takes a seat at the end of the long table, far away from the others. If stares could burn a person's skin, Cora's would be on fire. All of the recruits including Peter stare and give her dirty looks.

Not wanting to be at the mercy of anymore stares, Cora gets up from the table and walks out to the garden. She takes a seat on the bench she had sat on last night, and looks out to the horizon.

"Watch out!" An unknown voice says in Cora's mind, she jumps up and turns around just in time to see a flower pot fly toward her head and miss her by mere inches.

"Dammit, Andre. I thought you said you could hit her." Ruby says as she and the other recruits come walking up to Cora. Cora looks at each of the recruits as they slowly move in on her. Taking a chance, Cora tries to run between Olivia and Xander, but doesn't get far as she feels something attach to her legs and makes her fall to the ground. Looking down at her legs, she see's web wrapped around them. Cora looks up, with terror filled eyes as she see's Peter smiling deviously and laughing at her.

The recruits all surround Cora and begin to hit, kick, and punch her. She tries but to no avail to scoot away from them. They each attack her until they think she won't put up a fight. Bruised and bleeding, Cora stays still, hoping that the others will stop if they see she won't put up a fight.

"Throw her in the water, a trip over the falls might be enough to get rid of her this time." Ruby says, Cora's eyes go wide as she weakly tries to fight off Xander and Andre as they pick her up and walk her to the waters edge.