Chapter 3
Thomas ended up flat on his back for the third time in the last 5 minutes. “You’re not focusing, you have to keep your body balanced, you’re all over the place.” Kara offered Thomas a hand.
“I am focused, you’re just not giving me a chance.” Thomas said, taking Kara’s hand to stand up. Thomas was starting to get annoyed at this whole training thing. He had ended up falling down more than learning anything from Kara. He was starting to think that she was just having fun beating the crap out of him.
“If you were focused, you would be doing this correctly. I would end up on the floor instead of you flat on your back like a starfish.” Kara said as Thomas got into a weak fighting stance.
“I am doing my best, you just seemed hell bent on beating my ass.” Thomas said, sounding annoyed and angered. He knew she said training was going to be hard but he assumed there was gonna be more learning involved.
“Listen Thomas, this isn’t your little white bread world where Mommy and Daddy had all the resources to get you anything you want. You wanted to learn to fight Hydra, I’m trying to teach you so you don’t die. But if you want to abandon this whole thing, we can walk away right now.” Kara said sternly and crossed her arms over her chest.
“You’re right, I’m just used to getting things but I’m just not getting this right away. I know the steps that I have to do but it doesn’t workout.” Thomas said, clenching his fist and looking up at the ceiling. He let out the sigh of frustration that had been stuck in his chest all week.
“This isn't calculus, Thomas. It’s field work. You can’t just apply the same steps to everything. You have to feel things out and move your body according to what you feel, not what you think.” Kara said in a gentler tone. “You know what, come on, bag time.” She walked over to the punching bag and held it in a secure way.
When Thomas didn’t move but only stared at her in astonishment Kara rolled her eyes. “Come on, today, Thomas.” Kara said and Thomas grudgingly walked over towards the punching bag.
“You already taught me how to punch, I know how to throw a punch. I’ve been in bar fights, I can punch something.” Thomas said annoyed but getting into a fighting stance.
“Has anybody ever told you that you’re a whiny little bitch?” Kara asked looking up into Thomas’s eyes. “Just shut up for five minutes and do what someone tells you to do and maybe you’ll actually learn something. I can walk out that door and you can play down here on your own because I won’t help and big brother won’t either.”
Thomas clenched his jaw shut in a motion that reminded Kara of Grant. “Do we have an understanding?” Kara said as Thomas gave a slow nod. “Good, now hands up, Obviously I’m not a great teacher and we gotta go slower because you’re incompetent.” Kara said, tapping the bag with her fingers.
Rose put in her earbuds and pressed play on her music. She let the loud sounding noise come into her ears before starting up the treadmill. She tried to clear her head of all of the thoughts gambled in it but it was hard when there was so much.
The emotions she was feeling from her parents and brother’s deaths felt like a weight of bricks on her chest. Rose knew that she was at no fault for their deaths but their sins that got them there in the first place. However she thought if she wasn’t born, so much chaos never would’ve happened.
Grant wouldn’t have gone to juvie and ended up having to work for a terrorist organization. Thomas probably would’ve ended up the same no matter what happened. But Christian might’ve still been a politician, maybe not a good one but his Mitt Romney essence would’ve won some people over.
Her mother wouldn’t have had a perfect daughter to showcase off for the world. Rose didn’t know her father, she didn’t know if he would’ve even cared if she was never born. Her father just seemed busy cleaning up after Christian.
Or sometimes Rose wished she had been born into a normal family. A normal middle class suburban family. With parents who loved her unconditionally and siblings that she had a light hearted relationship with. Not a mother who loved her depending on which competition she won. And definitely not brothers that had to suffer the mental anguish Grant and Thomas did.
Rose was young, she was only a few months short of being 20, and she knew her age made her naive. She should be drinking her heart out at college and sleeping with guys whose names she didn’t know.
Rose didn’t know if it was because of her forced maturity by all of the pageants her mother put her through or the disconnect from her parents but she found herself turning towards attention from boys from a young age.
She had lived her so-called college years already. At 19, having a bachelor’s degree when she should still be working towards getting that degree.
Well it wasn’t her fault her mother made her do online school so she could solely focus on pageants and preparing for them. Then again, it wasn’t Rose’s fault she was smart enough to get her GED at 16.
Rose wasn’t too sure where her intelligence came from, even Thomas’s to an extent. She knew for a fact that it couldn’t directly be from their parents because their parents sucked ass. Their intelligence probably came from her Gramzy, oh how she missed that sweet woman.
Gramzy lived 20 minutes away from Rose’s college campus so Rose got to enjoy her company often. She hadn’t seen her grandmother since the funeral. Rose would never forget the glint of what looked like relief in her grandmother’s eye during the funeral.
Her grandmother felt as chained to the hellhole of the family as she did. As Thomas did. The family Grant destroyed. Rose knew that Grant was their grandmother’s favorite, it was apparent by all the stories she told of her middle brother.
However, Grant had refused to see their Gramzy since the murders, the word seemed harsh but it's what it was. Rose presumed it was shame. Most parents wouldn’t want to see the monster that killed their child.
But sometimes the small monster in all of us has to take over to destroy something that’s much worse than what we think we are.
Rose’s pause in music and start in alarm pulled her out of her train of thought as she powered down the treadmill. She stopped the alarm and lowered her music as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
“Grant, he isn’t getting anywhere, can you please take over. You’re a much better teacher than I am.” Kara begged.
“I told you I didn’t want to be involved in this whole Hydra revenge plan. Thomas isn’t a fast learner if and if you want to go after Hydra, you have to be fast and can’t be watching some kid’s ass.” Grant said ducking his head as he went through the doorway to the stairs.
“Then help me get closure. I can’t keep living like this, Grant. I’m shaking in my skin every day. Hell, I don’t even know who I am in my skin anymore. Everything is just foreign and at bay.” Kara crossed her arms and looked at Grant who was still walking down the stairs.
“I know what they did to you. It wasn’t okay in any way but I don’t know how we can go after them just like us. I don’t want any of us getting killed, now not that we're free.” Grant said in a gentle tone.
“Are you ever really free though?” Rose asked looking over at the two from the treadmill. “If that fear is looming over you, knowing that you could be reduced to something weak, that fear, you’re never free if it’s there.”
“See, she gets it.” Kara said pointing at Rose as Grant sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Rosie-” Grant said as Rose shook her head. “No Grant, I haven’t known what freedom felt like since Christian and Mom have been dead. I felt something I never felt before. I actually have control of something and don’t have to watch over my shoulder. I don’t have to hide whenever the door slams open. I actually feel like I’m going to be okay and that’s how you should feel. That’s all Kara wants.” Rose said but was met by silence.
Rose knew her brother never spoke to fill an empty silence but when he had something to say. “You can’t tell me that a small part of you didn’t feel free when you found out Garrett was killed. I know you felt it because I felt it when you killed Christian.” Rose said after a minute.
Kara put an arm on Grant’s bicep squeezing gently for comfort. The man always seemed to get tense at the mention of his former mentor. “You’re right but.” Grant said as Kara looked at her best friend.
“But what, Grant? I know you have something to say, get it out.” Kara said in a way that was harsh but it kept the mood light.
“I’m terrified of going back into that mess. I don’t want to get brainwashed again, I don’t want to see you get controlled again, I don’t know what I would do when Thomas gets himself killed in the field. There’s just so many variables that terrify me.” Grant said as Kara sighed.
“There are a lot of variables but I think we could solve at least one of them if you help me out with training.” Kara said as Grant sighed defeatedly.
“Fine but this means I get to make the final calls. I call who’s ready and who isn’t ready for the field. I get to pick the ops and I will pull you out if you get in too far over your head.” Grant said as Kara nodded quickly.
“Well Mr. Ward, you have yourself a deal.” Kara said trying to hide the victory dance she wanted to do.
“So was anybody going to include me on the taking down of a terrorist organization or what?” Rose said hopping off of the treadmill.
“You’re 19, you should be getting drunk at frat houses. I can’t have two kids who don’t know what they’re doing in the field.” Ward said remembering his protest on the bus when Coulson brought on Skye. Another kid he had to make sure didn’t die.
“Well first of all, I graduated college and remember child genius. I think I wanna do some travel, a little bit of an eat, pray, love journey before I go back for my doctorate. Second, we know I am in much better shape than Thomas, look at my abs.” Rose said patting on her which incited a snort out of Kara. “Third of allI really don’t like being excluded.”
Grant looked at Kara who just shrugged her shoulders. “Want me to test things out?” Kara asked.
“I think I can handle it but maybe make sure that Thomas is awake before I kick his ass into shape with training.” Kara smirked to herself and ran back up the stairs. Grant said then leaned down to pick up some hand wrap. “Rose, come here so I can wrap your hands.”
Rose walked over to her brother and held out her hands. “Really, white wrap? When I thought things couldn’t get more basic. I really think that pink would be better.” Rose said as Grant was wrapping her hands.
“Well if you’re any good you can go buy yourself pink punching gloves.” Grant said putting her right hand down and picking up her left hand.
“Well not pink every day, black is the better choice to go with in the long run. It’ll just go with everything, have you learned nothing about fashion?” Rose said, sounding annoyed. “So when do you think Kara and Thomas are going to start fucking?” Rose changed the topic causing Grant to pause in his place.
“We are not talking about our brother’s sex life. Why would you even think they’re gonna get together?” Grant asked, finishing the wrap on Rose’s hand.
“Well there’s obviously tension between them. Why else would he keep wanting to spend time rolling around disgusting mats with her? I don’t know something about how they look at each other. Something is there let me tell you, there was this one kid from Boston U… you’re not gonna want to hear about this.” Rose said as Grant walked towards the corner of the room to grab his gloves and put them on.
“Well I’m saying now, I don't think there’s anything or going to be anything going on between them two.” Grant said, slipping on his gloves. “Hands up by your checks, put your left foot in front.” Grant said getting into a mirrored stance.
“Grant, I know how to punch.” Ross said mimicking her brother’s stance.
“Bend your back knee.” Grant said, putting up his hands with open palms. “Okay, aim at the center of my hand but don’t forget to-” Grant started as Rose punched Grant’s hand with everything she had. “Punch with the power coming from your hip.” He finished with a voice that was slightly higher than normal.
“I told you, I can punch.” Rose said, sounding smug as Grant shook out his hand.
“Next time, warn me before you punch, I’m a human being, not a punching bag.” Grant said, shaking his head. “Who taught you how to punch like that?”
“Frat bro John. He was pretty cool, always made sure us girlies could take care of ourselves if he wasn’t around. He also got all of the girls in my sorority pepper spray. Aw I miss John, I’m gonna send him a chocolate basket or something.” Rose said putting her hands over her heart endearingly.
“College. Makes sense.” Grant said. “Your punch isn’t bad but your stance is shit.” Grant said and walked behind her.
“Well excuse me, I’m not some big time ex government agent. I’m just a girl with a bachelors in biomedical engineering with an emphasis on genetics.” Rose said sarcastically.
“Well you’re smart so you should be smart enough to listen to me when I’m giving you instructions.” Grant said as Rose groaned.
“Fine, you’re right, always so convincing, Grant Douglas.” Rose said as Grant tried to hide his laughter.
“Aw you think I’m funny.” Rose said as Grant just smiled.
“Okay, now that I know you can punch, same stance, bend your front knee more but also keep your back knee bent. Light on your toes. But in front of the punching bag. 5 minutes.” Grant said, pulling out his phone from his back pocket as a stopwatch.
“So why doesn’t Kara wanna work with Thomas?” Rose asked as Grant sighed.
“He’s a pain in the ass and Kara has no sense of patience.” Grant said as Rose shrugged her shoulders. “Keep your hands up.” Grant echoed. “Sharp punches.”
“That’s always been Thomas though. He needs strict direction or he’s not gonna get something. So why aren’t you training Thomas?” Rose asked.
“Well, I don’t wanna get involved in this whole crusade. I was done until 15 minutes ago.” Grant said calmly. “Maybe a corgi or a beagle too.”
“So even a small part of you doesn’t want revenge?” Rose asked.
“Of course I want revenge but I don’t want to see myself go down that road. Somebody ugly might come out of it.” Grant said darkly.
“Well, we all have our skeletons in our closets and we all have our monsters. It’s just about making sure you keep yourself in control.” The sound of Rose’s fist hitting the bag filled the room.