Silent tears streamed down my face as Lauren told Penny her half of the story. To think I had killed so many people, especially my father, it was tearing me apart from the inside out.
The bandages on my hands did nothing to prevent the stinging sensation from the cuts of the blade. My ribs were on fire and one of them was quiet tender, but none of that compared to the heartbreak I felt inside.
I looked up and found Lauren and Penny staring at me. Blinking away a few new tears building up I spoke with a trembling voice
"What?"
Penny slung her arm around my shoulder and Lauren sat down heavily on the bed beside us. Lauren buried her face into my shoulder, making my chest burn. Her voice came out mumbled
"We asked you whether you wanted to go down the communal lounge yet?"
Fresh, hot tears fell down my face as I nodded. Turning my head to face Penny I spoke in a watery (and nasally) whimper
"Have you got your belongings?"
"No, I need to report back to the Special Ops Academy before I go anywhere. I'll come visit you in a few days."
I nodded and stood on wobbly feet, barely sure of my surroundings with tear-filled vision. My bag sat on Laurens bed and a hand snatched it away as I went to lift it onto my shoulder. Staring at Penny she shrugged and I sighed
"I'm not that fragile."
Penny scoffed "Oh please! You could barely get up from the bed without falling over. And yes, I did notice that."
My shoulders slumped in resignation and my feet dragged themselves along the carpet as I followed Lauren out the door and to the elevator. Penny walked alongside me, her pace seemingly slow compared to usual, as if she were waiting for me to get to the elevator first.
The ride down was almost completely silent, the only sound to be heard were my occasional sniffles and the shuffle of my sleeve as I tried desperately to clean my face up. A loud ding made me jump and Lauren placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
Heads turned our way as we walked into the communal lounge. The morning sun brought and orange glow into the room that clashed perfectly with the light blue paint of the room.
Worry etched its way onto a few faces and I can only imagine what they saw. A young blonde girl with red rimmed blue eyes and a snot crusted nose. Her wobbly feet (as Penny put it) taking careful steps and two girls beside her, making sure she didn't fall.
Agent Coulson stood up from one of the sofas and professionally ignored my weak state he gave us two tablets
"You'll be able to complete your degrees while at the Avengers Tower, however Penny will have to remain at the Special Ops Academy for her studies. Any complications should be able to be explained by Mr Stark or Dr Banner as they are more than qualified in these fields of specialisation."
Agent Coulson then proceeded to place his sunglasses on (looking better than anyone else could've tried to be) and headed towards Agent Weaver's office.
Tony Stark rose from his lazy position on a couch and gave us a small smirk
"Let's get this show on the road shall we?"