As the car stops abruptly, I fly forward, hitting my head on the back of the passenger's seat. A laugh escapes Clint and I shoot him a glare while I place my hand on my head, realizing that it hurt more than I thought it would. Everyone begins to exit the vehicle and I remain in my seat, placing my hand on my thigh to make sure my knife is still in its sheath. Before anyone can question why I'm taking so long, I instantly step out of the car, shutting the door and I take my place next to Nat.

Looking around, I expect to see something worth seeing, but seeing that we are standing on a strip mall in the middle of New York City, the plans weren't what I thought they were going to be. Nat grabs me by the arm, tugging me forward into the doors of a place filled with a massive amount of people dancing like heathens and terribly loud music.

"This isn't sightseeing? Where's the hills or the city lights?" I nearly have to yell at Nat for her to even hear me.

She turns towards me, the moving lights in the dark room casts a shadow across her face. "I don't know... there's some pretty interesting sights in here if you ask me," her eyes eying up another before she pulls me further into the place. It reminds me of a speakeasy during Prohibition before the law was repealed in the early nineteen-thirties.

Nat begins to dance to the beat of the music with the other complete strangers that are also dancing. As for me, I stand there in the middle of it all, not knowing what the hell I should be doing. My friend looks at me, perplexed on why I'm not joining in on the 'activity'. In my range of view, to my left I see a young woman, moving her ass in such an indescribable motion that it makes me uncomfortable.

My eyes widen as I turn to Nat, hoping she'd know what these goons are doing. "What the hell is that? That's not the fox trot!" I yell, only to faintly hear her laugh in return.

"She's twerking. I wouldn't recommend doing it because it's not very attractive," the red head informs me. "Loosen up, A, you look like a log! Just move your hips and go with the music."

Taking her advice, I try and do what she said, but it's like I physically cannot dance in such a way. Nat shakes her head at me before proceeding to come closer to me and grab my hands. Under the circumstances I'm facing, I know that dancing doesn't suit my fancy because whatever dances have been developed since I've been gone, I certainly won't grasp onto the concept. She spins me around while laughing at my terrible moves and I crack a sly smile, the feeling of happiness grows dull inside me, knowing that she's happy.

As the night drags along, I find myself standing off to the side, watching my friend have the time of her life despite her attempts to keep me dancing. I managed to talk my way out of doing so because I didn't want to furtherly embarrass myself. With the absence of light in the building, my capability to see other come near me is limited. And as I thought I'd be okay with that, I feel a pair of strong, muscular arms wrap around my waist as the feeling of hot breath fanning my neck sends a sudden chill down my spine.

"Hey, Princess," a man's voice purrs into my ear and I freeze at the use of the particular name.

I try and pull out of his embrace, but his grip tightens. "Don't call me that. It's not your place," I spat at the man, still trying to remove myself from his body.

"Where are you trying to go, Princess? We're just getting started," it's like I can feel his devilish tendencies radiating off his aura and it sickens me. In a split second, I work myself away from him, but his hand grabs my forearm, firmly, making me stop in my tracks.

"Away from you," I state, as my hand reaches for my knife. "By the way, only one person can call me that and that person certainly isn't you, pinhead," I snarl as I raise my knife, prepared to impale the disgusting man's throat. Let her in, Avalon, it's the best thing about you. Red is the best thing about you.

As I go to kill the man, my knife is ripped out of my hand and I'm being yanked through the crowd of people, in the same direction we came in from.

"Not here, Avalon! Are you crazy?" Tony yells at me, pulling me through the swarm of sweaty bodies and out the door. He drags me towards the parked car, unlocking it and makes me get inside.

My heart is racing and my hands being to shake uncontrollably, realizing what I had just done. I almost killed someone because I felt threatened. Running my hand through my damp hair, I close my eyes, the moment replaying in my head over and over again, but the only thing I can hear is the man calling me Princess. It's not his place. It's not his place. It's not his place. The name alludes itself back to the one person who called me that because of the way Hydra trained and treated me as when I complied. A goddamn princess. As much as I tried to forget about him and his existence on this Earth, somehow he always manages to find a way to haunt me.

Familiar faces run towards the car, doors flying open and their only focus is on me, but as they question, it's like the world has gone silent. Everything is muffled, the feeling of being underwater surrounds me, and I can't focus on the one's around me. I hear them talking, but I just focus on the lights that blur by. Green, yellow, red, and then, green again. I feel the swift turns and the speed of the car, focusing on that as I'm trying to stay in this world. The sound of the engine turns off as the car sits still and the doors around me open, but I remain frozen in time as the inability to move leaves me feeling paralyzed. In the distance, I can hear the beckoning of voices telling me to get out of the car and I oblige, my only goal is to lock myself away in a room that is temporarily mine and to get into the shower in attempt to wash away the shame.

Pushing past the five, I feel their puzzled stares burning through the back of my head as I walk into the tower, ignoring the questions. Somehow, I make my way up the stairs and the moment I make it into the room, I lock the door behind me, not wanting to deal with anyone and their sympathetic looks. You're strong. They just don't understand you, Avalon, but I do. All you have to do is let me in. Out of frustration, I throw the heels across the room and I tug on the dress, struggling to remove it from my body, but I end up ripping it. Slamming the door to the bathroom, I lock it as well, knowing that they'll eventually get the other open because they're so damn concerned about my well being when they shouldn't. I turn on the shower and step in right away, not concerned about it being too cold at first. Once the water becomes warm and my mind keeps replaying tonight's events, my body begins to tremble beneath me and as it becomes too much, pressing my back against the wall, I slide down it. Pulling my legs to my chest, everything in my body feels numb and with each thought that goes through my mind, it eats away at the wall I've put up to avoid unleashing my emotions. As the wall begins to crumble, the water becomes warmer and I try to forget all the thoughts and have my mind go blank, but it's too late. Tears swell up in my eyes, threatening to spill if I try and speak a word, and I try to blink them away, but they keep coming back. I can't break down, not now, at least. A single tear forms in my eye before I can stop it and begins its path down my cheek. And before I know it, they flood down my cheeks and I let myself go, just like I let Red go. For now.

a/n - hey friends. i wrote this chapter awhile ago and i still love it for some reason. it's different and it's nice to not have to write something based on a storyline sometimes. anywho, i'm writing a bellamy blake story, so be on the lookout for that in the near future. until then, enjoy this installment!!! - kenzie