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Gordon stepped into the room ahead of her, immediately addressing the woman within.

“Jiaying, Skye is here.” He said, walking towards the desk. Stopping a foot away from the edge, he waited until Jiaying had looked at him before stepping to the side.

Skye had nervously followed Gordon, allowing her gaze to sweep around the room until it settled on Gordon’s back. When he moved, and Skye saw the Asian woman sitting behind the old wooden desk, she froze with a gasp. Something about her was familiar.

Jiaying sat up straighter as she saw Skye for the first time. A few heartbeats went by, then a smile wove its way into her lips. “Welcome, Skye.” She said delightfully. “Welcome home.”

“Hi.” Skye said. She glanced at Gordon, who nodded reassuringly, and she moved closer. What do I say?!

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions.” Jiaying softly said. “Perhaps I can fill you in on our people’s history?” Relieved, Skye nodded. “Gordon,” Jiaying turned to the eyeless man. “Could you please make sure that Cal isn’t telling her friend too much?”

“Of course.” he agreed. He smiled at Skye as he turned to go, then walked out the door, closing it behind him.

“Skye.” Jiaying got her attention again. “Why don’t you take a seat?” She gestured to the chair slightly in front of Skye, and the girl sat down. “Our ancestors were perfectly ordinary humans, just as the ancestors of Cal, or your lover, were.”

“His name’s Grant.” Skye corrected.

Jiaying gave a gracious gesture of acknowledgement. “Many thousands of years ago, an alien race called the Kree came to Earth, and selected certain specimens of humans to experiment on.”

“Experiment?” Skye asked, alarmed.

“They altered their DNA, giving them the ability to rapidly evolve at the touch of a genetically enhancing mist.”

“Terrigenisis.” Skye murmured. “Gordon mentioned that.”

“I thought he might have, but it’s best to cover the basics.” Jiaying assented. “We still don’t know to this day what caused the Kree to choose Earth to perform these experiments, or why those particular people were chosen.”

“I do.”

Jiaying sat up stiffly. “How?”

“Well, I know why the Kree came to Earth, but I don’t know exactly why they chose our ancestors. That’s just guesswork.” Skye was unsure if revealing that was the best thing to do.

“Tell me what you do know.” The woman urged.

“Before S.H.I.E.L.D. found out I had powers, a Kree came to Earth to find who had been transformed by the Diviner. Everyone else assumed that it was only Raina that they were looking for, but then Vin Tak started spouting stuff like how I’m a monster, and that despite my past, I had to be exterminated–”

“Skye!” Jiaying cut in. “Please relax. Does this Vin Tak know you’re here?”

Breathing carefully, Skye shook her head. “No, Bobbi used his truncheon on him. It wiped his memory.”

Jiaying’s posture relaxed. “Good. And do other Kree know of our current existence?”

“I don’t think so.” She said slowly. “He said that he was careful to avoid the notice of his government or they’ll start up their…experiments again.”

“To help them conquer Earth.” Jiaying muttered bitterly. “As if we didn’t have enough problems.”

“Actually,” Skye uneasily began. “I think it’s more to fight their own wars. Like, elsewhere.”

The Inhuman leader slowly breathed in, her expression grave, yet attempting serenity. “Thankfully, that may not be a problem. For now, no other Kree wants to change more of us.”

Skye frowned. “Is that a bad thing? I thought you helped people here.”

“Skye, we have a very strict process for those of us who wish to go through Terrigenisis.” Jiaying leaned forward to earnestly explain her meaning. “Not everyone wants to transform, and if the Kree spread the Terrigen Mist, they could be taking away the will and choices of those people. Not to mention that anyone else who comes in contact with the altered Mist will likely die.”

“Oh.” Skye sat back, subdued by the impending possibility.

“For those of us who do want to become extraordinary, we have a selection process. Not everyone is a worthy candidate for the transformation. Some have a higher chance of using their power for selfish purposes, while others simply may not be able to handle whatever power comes to them.”

“Like me.”

“No, Skye.” The woman assured her. “How long have you had your gift?”

“Three months.” She hesitantly answered.

“And in those three months, have you ever felt seriously suicidal, or a desire to hurt others with your gift?”

“No.”

“And you’re not insane.”

Skye shook her head. “So I’m going to be okay?” she whispered.

“Yes, Skye.” Jiaying smiled at her. “Your mental state is healthy, and your gift can be developed. Easier to control, and less limited in its capabilities.”

For the first time in hours, Skye grinned. “I can be amazing.” Then her smile dropped. “I didn’t go through your process.”

“It’s not your fault. You didn’t know what would happen in that temple, and you had no one else experienced in our types of powers to guide you.” Jiaying sat back a little. “Here, you will go through transitioning, which will help your body properly adjust to your sudden evolution. Usually, we would do it right after the transformation, but it’s better late than never.”

Skye nodded absently. “I can’t tell any of this to Grant, can I?” she asked sadly.

“How much does he already know?” Jiaying surprised her with the lack of a definite ‘no’.

“Um, he knows that I got my powers in the temple in Puerto Rico. Gordon told us that our kind changes with Terrigenisis. That we’re called Inhumans. Grant knows what I can do, he’s seen it in action.”

“Doing what, exactly?”

“Destroying Hydra factories and bases. I used my…gift to control where the blast from the explosions went, so none of the surrounding area was damaged.”

Jiaying looked to have multiple shades of anger, concern and pride. Skye wondered why she took it so personally.

“You put yourself in these situations?” she demanded. Skye flinched at the implied accusation that it was a stupid thing to do.

“Well, yeah.” Before Jiaying could voice another outburst, Skye hurried to explain. “Hydra’s a terrible organisation. They just want to control everything!”

“I’m aware of how deadly and dangerous Hydra is, Skye.” Jiaying slowly enunciated each word, placing specific emphasis on Skye’s name. Skye’s brow pinched in suspicion. “Which is only one of the reasons why we must stay hidden. No one else can know about us.”

“Not even S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

“Hydra was hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D. for decades, using their resources and jurisdiction to complete many of their own goals. They have a system for keeping track of any people with gifts, don’t they?” Jiaying looked at her pointedly.

Skye nodded. “The Index.” She whispered.

“And they placed you on this, yes?”

Again, Skye nodded.

“Do you feel safer, knowing that they’ve catalogued you? If someone else hacks their records, others will know as well.”

“The Rising Tide…” Skye muttered.

“Who?” Jiaying asked, thoroughly confused.

“An organisation I used to be a part of. I kept contacts with some of them when I was with S.H.I.E.L.D. for investigation purposes, but for the most part I stayed away.”

“And they are the ‘hacker’ types?”

“Yeah.” Skye tilted her head as she shrugged. “I was one of the best. Miles taught me a lot of what I know, but it turned out the ideals he’d been preaching weren’t ones he believed in.”

“Is that when you left? What did he do?”

She’s very nosy about this. Skye thought. “Yeah, that’s when I left. He agreed to hack S.H.I.E.L.D. for a million dollars.” Her voice was bitter. “Several people died because of him. A gifted person under S.H.I.E.L.D. surveillance and protection, Chan Ho Yin. He could control fire. Apparently, even he wasn’t sure how he got his gift. A dishcloth just randomly caught fire one day.”

Jiaying laughed a little. “I hope you see my point. Even though S.H.I.E.L.D. claims to do the right thing by us, and for some they do, you can’t trust anyone who doesn’t understand.”

“But I trust Grant, even though I don’t think he completely understands.”

“Grant appears to be one of the few people who are an exception to that rule, and you are lucky to have found him. He accepts you, just like Cal did towards your mother.” She sighed. “But you are right that he doesn’t understand, and that is why you must be limited in what you tell him.”

Skye pursed her lips. “He’ll know I’m holding things back.”

“If he trusts you, he’ll let you tell him at your own pace.” Jiaying assured her. Skye didn’t look convinced. “Skye, you are not the only one who must trust that he hold his tongue when outside Afterlife. The livelihoods and lives of everyone here rests on the fact that no one slips up.”

“The fewer people that know…” Skye murmured.

“The easier it is to keep us all safe.” Jiaying finished for her. “Correct. Will he understand your inability to tell him everything if you tell him that?”

“Maybe at first.” Skye agreed. “But Grant, he’s…”

“Got a temper?”

“No! He’s a master at lying and manipulating and he’s trained in withstanding torture.”

“Then how can you be sure that you trust him?” Jiaying was alarmed.

“Because he’s proven himself. He loves me. I know him so well I know his psychological ticks. And with my powers, I can tell when people are lying. Plus, he’s promised to never lie to me, and he’s stuck to that.”

“Why would he need to promise not to lie to you?”

Skye shifted in her seat. “Miles.”

Jiaying frowned. “You and he were…?”

“Together.” Skye confirmed, nodding. “I haven’t seen him since I found out he sold out Chan Ho Yin’s life for money, and I never intend to. I found it hard to trust what people say since then.” Not quite a lie…

“Okay. That’s understandable. But still, don’t tell him everything at once.” Jiaying consented. “The others living here need to feel safe. This is our sanctuary.”

“I understand.” Skye nodded. She felt like she was doing that a lot. “May I see where I’m sleeping now?”

“Of course.” Jiaying smiled. “Follow me.”