Chapter 5
Harley sat on the couch next to Yelena and Alexi watching reruns of Golden Girls. Harley was half paying attention. She kept looking at her phone. Looking at the time. Harley was getting restless. She got up from the couch.
“I'm going to get some snacks”, she said.
“Can you bring me some chips? Please”, Alexi said, not looking up from the television screen. He loves Golden Girls. Blanche was his favorite Golden Girl. Yelena kinda regrets getting him into the show. He won't shut up about it. Harley found it amusing.
Harley made her way to the snack bar. She grabbed all kinds of chips, soda, and candy. Her hands were full, but she didn't want to make two trips. She turned around to find Bob standing there.
“Need help?”, he said.
Just as he said that, a box of candy fell on the floor. He grabs it, then he grabs the sodas from her hands.
“Thanks. I didn't want to make-”
Harley felt cold. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Skin filled with goose bumps. She couldn't breathe properly. Her chest was heaving, struggling to get air. She was paralyzed. Trapped in this state. Her eyes turned cloudy grey.
“Harley”, Bob said. There was a bit of panic in his voice. He set down the drinks. He tried shaking her, trying to snap her out of this state. The snacks fell on the floor. Bob tried using his telepathy, but still no response. He grabbed her, holding her face gently. “Harley” No response. He searched her eyes. No response. Nothing.
“Yelena. Alexi. Something is wrong with Harley. She's not responding”, Bob yells. Hoping they heard him from across the room. He sounded desperate.
Yelena and Alexi rush to their side, they look at Harley with concern. Alexi waves his hand in front of her face. No reaction. Eyes still cloudy grey. Bucky and John entered the room. They immediately see Harley’s state and rush to the group.
“What happened?”, John said. There was a hint of panic in his voice. Bucky answered.
“She's having a vision. There is nothing we can do. She has to go through it.” Bucky looks at her with sadness. He knows what it feels like to not be in control of your body. To have an external force control you. He felt bad for Harley. She looks so helpless. But it was better for her to have it here where she was safe, and not on the battlefield.
She remained emotionless, but on the inside, a storm was raging. Harley could feel and hear, but her vision failed her. Heaviness surrounded her. It terrified her. She felt like she was bound to something. Cold metal pressed around her arms and legs. Smoke and ash filled her lungs. The smell of decay surrounded her. She felt heat rising from her feet, traveling up her body. Pain. She felt pain. She was on fire. Harley began squirming, trying to break free. She wanted to scream, but her mouth was also bound. There was nothing she could do. Harley realized she wasn't alone. She heard screaming. Agonizing screams. They begged for help. Begged for death. Then silence fell.
Harley snapped back to reality. She screamed. She was punching and scratching, attacking anything that moved. She felt hands grabbed at her. She heard voices but Harley wasn't listening. Her vision was still cloudy. She hadn't realized it was over.
“Harley, it's over. You're safe. You're safe”, a voice yelled.
Her vision cleared up. Eyes returning back to normal. It was Bucky who said that. She looked around her, looking at the concerned faces of her friends. Bob and John had held her arms down, stopping her assault. She was shaking. Tears ran down her face. Still struggling for air. She felt weak. If she wasn't being held, Harley would have fallen on the ground by now.
“Sit her on the couch”, Bucky said.
Harley looked down at her feet. Looked down at the snacks on the floor. Shame and embarrassment overcame her. Bob and John guided her to the couch and sat her down. Everyone followed except Alexi.
Bob and John sat by her sides, so she sandwiched between them. Yelena and Bucky sat across from her. Bucky turned off the television. Alexi came with a bottle and shot glass. Poured a clear liquid in the glass and handed it to Harley.
“For your nerves”, he said.
Harley grabbed the glass. Downing it in one go. Vodka. Harley could feel it burning her throat as it went down. Strong. She made a face, but it worked. She doesn't understand how Alexi can drink it like water. Alexi sat down next to Yelena once he saw that she drank the shot.
“Thanks”, Harley said, clearing her throat.
“What did you see?”, Bob said.
Harley contemplated on whether to tell them what she saw. She wasn’t sure how to interrupt the vision. It could mean multiple things. The person in the vision could be her or it could not be her. It could be literal or metaphoric. It could happen or it could not happen. The future is inconsistent. Unpredictable. It is not etched in stone. Harley hated this part of her. She could not control it. Her mom had to deal with the same thing. The difference between her and her mom was that her mom had a coven to turn to, she didn’t. Harley was kicked out of her coven. She had a disagreement with her elders. She wanted to help others and they wanted to stay in the shadows. Still recovering from the blip. They told her that she should not get involved. They told her that people hate them because of the Scarlet Witch. She was the reason for the Sokovia Accords. The reason why the Avengers broke up, the reason why Thanos won. The arguing got so bad that they told her to leave. So she left, and joined the Avengers during the blip. She never went back…
Harley had to get it off her chest. It was better to tell them than to keep it bottled up inside. She told them what she saw. Explaining every little detail.
“Damn, that's tough”, Bucky said.
“What is this, the Salem Witch trials?”, John said jokingly, trying to ease the tension.
“Maybe monster hunters. They're still around. They hunt anything magical. I met a Werewolf once who encountered a couple trying to save his friend”, Harley said, remembering her encounter with Jack Russell. She should call him. Check up on him and Ted…
“Do you think it was monster hunters?”, Alexi said, snapping her from her thoughts.
“Maybe. I am not sure. I hope not. They are ruthless. They are monsters. Once they have you, you're dead. You hope for a quick death. They like to torture their captives. They like to take souvenirs… Let’s just forget about this. There is no use of worrying when nothing has happened”, Harley said, trying to convince them. She failed.
“Okay. But we must stay vigilant. Take precautions”, Bucky said.
“Yeah. Death by fire doesn't sound great. In fact, it is a horrible way to die”, John said.
Harley felt uncomfortable. She doesn’t like talking about monster hunters. She can handle one, but a large group of them would not end well. They terrified her. Yelena can see that. She got up.
“I’m taking Harley to her room”, Yelena said, grabbing Harley. “Bob, help me with Harley”, she added.
Everyone gets up and leaves, except Alexi. He stays to watch Golden Girls. Bob and Yelena take Harley to her room. They walk through the hallways still holding Harley. Harley wanted to protest but she let them guide her.
They make it to her room. Yelena sits Harley down on the bed. Bob shuts the door. He stands by the door awkwardly, not wanting to enter Harley's space. Trying to respect her boundaries. His eyes immediately go to the broken bookshelf then to Harley.
“What happened to your bookshelf?”
“It's a long story-”
“She threw me into it”, Yelena said smiling.
“Did you?”, he said, suppressing a laugh.
“Yeah, I feel bad about it." Harley knew she would never live this down.
“Don't worry about it. I'm fine. It was pretty funny though”, she said. Yelena walks to the door. Bob moved to the side.
“Today has been eventful. So, I'll leave you two alone… to talk”, Yelena said. She grabbed the door handle, but she stopped and turned around. Facing Bob. “Oh and by the way, I know everything but that doesn't matter... You hurt her, I will shoot you down”, she said to Bob in a serious tone.
“I won't”, he said.
Yelena stares at him for a few seconds then turns to Harley. She smiles at her and leaves. Leaving Bob and Harley alone. Bob turns to look at Harley. She pats the bed signaling for him to sit next to her. He walks over to her and sits down. Bob and Harley always hung out in each other's room, but now this was different. Their relationship was different now. They sat in silence for a bit, but Bob eventually broke the silence.
“You okay?”, he said softly.
“I'm fine. It's over. I'm over it”, she said, trying to change the subject.
“No, but it's not fine. If something were to happen to you-”
He didn't finish that sentence. He just stared at an iron train nail that Harley keeps above her doorway. A form of protection…
Harley thought about her death on multiple occasions. Her line of work isn't exactly stable or safe. What would happen if she died? Who would mourn her? What would her dad do? What if it triggers Bob? She thought about Void coming out, destroying everything that moved. Killing everything on site…
“I want you to be okay”, he said, interrupting her thoughts. Bob looked at her, grabbing her hand. “One of us had to be”, he added. It's as if he read her mind.
Harley wanted to reassure him, but she didn't know how. So she just grabbed him, both hands holding his face. “I'm okay. It's going to be okay. Nothing set in stone”, she said gently. She desperately wanted him to understand this. She started running her hands through his hair. It's getting long again. He will have to cut it soon. It started to pass his ears towards shoulders.
“I wouldn't let it happen. I'll stop it before it happens”, he said. She wasn't sure if he was speaking to her or himself. She answered anyway.
“I know”
Without letting go, he moved closer. Their foreheads touched, eyes closing. Harley could stay like this forever if she could. She wouldn't mind it. Harley felt warm next to him. Heat radiating from his body. They stayed like this for a bit, but then there was a knock at the door. Harley groaned. Letting go of Bob, she gets up to open the door. It's Antonia.
“Antonia”
Harley could hear Bob get up. Walking towards them. He greets Antonia with a smile and wave.
“I'll see you later. I'll let you two talk”, he said, cheeks slightly pinkish. He puts his hands in his pockets and leaves the room.
“Come in, Antonia”
She enters the room. “I wanted to know if you were okay. I heard what happened. Bucky told me”, she said.
“I'm fine. Really.”
Antonia understood from Harley's tone that she didn't want to talk about it. She didn't persist. She changed the subject. Antonia stared at the door and then to Harley.
“You like him. You held his hand during breakfast. I noticed but I didn't want to say anything”, she said with a smile.
“Oh. You know. I- yeah, I like him”, Harley said. There was no reason to lie about it.
“I'm happy for you, really”, she said, hugging her. Harley sighed out of relief. Her two good friends know now.
“If he hurts you-”
“You'll shoot him”, Harley said, finishing her sentence. They both laughed. Harley loves to hear her laugh. She rarely laughs.
“I have a date with him tonight at 6”
“That's exciting. It's 4:30. You should get ready”, she said. Harley nodded. “Have fun, but be careful”, she added.
Antonia leaves Harley alone to get ready.