Shadow of Hope(Book 2)

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

" You guys okay in there?" I asked through the com., watching Bruce with a frown as he stood at the door of the quinjet." Do you copy?" I questioned, but all I received was static." It's probably nothing." I told Bruce, but he didn't answer as he stared toward the sound of gunfire. I bit my lip, getting a bad feeling in my gut. " I'll go see." I told him, and he glanced over with a nod. " Just stay here."

I teleported into the ship, landing on a catwalk above where I could see Thor stumbling around with a dazed look on his face." Thor?" I called out, before flickering down to him. " Thor?" I said waving my hand in front of his face, but he didn't respond as he just continued to stare off into space. I turned to go in search of the others, when I came face to face with a young girl in a red jacket.

My hand went to my pocket where I kept Rift 2.0, when a familar blur flew passed me, knocking me to the ground as the girl looked down at me with a frown, waving her hand over my face. I blinked when my sight went red for a moment, and when they opened my eyes, I was standing in a forest with a fire burning several feet away.

I looked down at my body when I saw that I was tied to a post. I tried to use my powers to get free, but when nothing happened, I began to panic, pulling against the ropes until they cut into my wrists, my heart pounding in my ears." No. No." I muttered, the ropes seeming to tighten the more I pulled.

I looked up at the sound of footsteps to find an orc with an axe moving toward me. " No." I screamed as he raised it over his head, swinging it down toward my head, my own fear reflecting back at me in the blade. I squeezed my eyes shut as I turned my head away, but when the blow never came, I opened my eyes to find myself in the middle of a packed ballroom. I spun around in circles, searching for someone, but not knowing who as eyes burned into me from all directions.

I wore a dress of carnation white, a necklace of jewels made of starlight at my throat, with blue flowers decorating my braided hair.

People glanced behind me, whispering under their breath in muffled voices, upon following their gaze, I saw that a tall figure, dressed also in white stood beside me. There was no coldness in his grey blue eyes, or annoyance in his expression, only joy. For some reason, it brought me peace as he took my hand in his.

" Miss Stevens." He said, kissing the back of my knuckle and I lowered myself in a polite curtsey. " My lord. " i said in return, and his smiled widened. He pulled on my hand, leading me forward through the crowd which parted at our approach. 

" Alice." A panicked voice called out from somewhere behind me but glancing back I saw nothing but the smiling crowd. The panic almost had me pulling my hand away, but at a tug from the man beside me I put it aside, continuing forward with him. " Alice. Whatever your seeing, it's not real." The voice called out, but again, I couldn't find a reason to care. There was so much peace here, why should I want to leave? He was here with me, after all. Why should I care if it was real, or not?

" Alice, snap out of it."

A sharp pain in my head wretched my hand from Thranduil's, and blinking I found myself sitting on the floor of the quinjet. Above me stood the other Avengers, who were all looking down at me with concern. I blinked several times as the illusion cleared itself from my mind, and after a moment I reached up to my wet cheek. I was crying. The realization had me falling apart completely " It's okay, kid." Clint said as I cried into my knees. " It's over now. It wasn't real."

Through my heartache, a single thought broke through.

I wanted it to be.