Shadow Killer

Nineteen

"How? How is that even possible?"

I walk past her out of Peter's bedroom and back into the living room, "there are bad people out there." I whisper, more so to myself than to them.

"You can tell us. We're family."

I glance over my shoulder to see Peter standing near May. I sigh, moving over towards the window, looking down to see people walking the street, oblivious to everything around them. For a moment, I wish that was me.

"The red room. That's where I was taken to and raised."

"The red room?"

I look back to them, moving back to the dining chairs, "yeah. A Soviet-Russian programme designed to turn young women into assassins. Rigorous training regimes both physical and mental to make you comply. But I was considered a lucky one, as I was sold by them to HYDRA. Normally there is only one way out of the Red Room, and that is by death."

May gasps from where they stand, "how can they do something so cruel? Isn't that inhumane, why don't they speak up."

"They can't and they won't. Some of them know nothing else, some try to fight, but compliance will always triumph by any means."

"But you escaped, you said it yourself, you were lucky."

"So I thought. The Red Room is nothing compared to HYDRA. They brainwashed me. They tortured me. To HYDRA I was merely an object. They deprived me of the last bit of humanity within."

"Oh Posie! I'm so sorry you had to go through this." May rushes over and pulls me to my feet as she wraps her arms around me in another bone-crushing hug.

"I'm okay now. I'm free from HYDRA." I say as I gently try to pry her off of me.

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Well, that is a very good question. I am wanted in over a hundred countries, including the United States."

"Dude that's so cool!" Peter exclaims, eyes burning with excitement. May shoots him a glare, and he winces, "uh, I mean, that's not good. Damn, that sucks..." He trails off, scratching the back of his neck, looking elsewhere, trying to avoid her stare.

"So, how are you here now?"

"Illegially."

"Oh my." May takes the chair next to me, elbows leaning on the table as she closes her eyes, thinking.

"So, you could get caught?" I nod my head over at Peter. "I have an idea, hold on." He rushes out of the room, coming back with a comb and a pair of scissors. "You need to disguises yourself."

"You are not touching my hair Peter!"

"Not me, Aunt May."

May looks over her shoulder to see Peter standing there with the two items in hand before looking back at me. "It could work. Anything to hide or alter your appearance. Posie?"

I sigh and nod my head, following May into the bathroom. She grabs the comb and scissors from Peter before parting my hair. My hair wasn't what some would consider long. It reached past my shoulders. Any longer, it would be a nightmare when fighting, but any shorter would mean that I wouldn't know how to style it. I close my eyes as she holds the blades to my hair. The sound of snipping makes me groan internally.

I keep my eyes shut the whole time, my hair tickling my neck as it falls. "Done." I open my eyes, looking at the reflection in the mirror. I looked like me, but different. My hair was now well above my shoulders. I move my head to the side, trying to see the back of my head. My hair looked healthy and bouncy now that all the weight was gone.