"How you doing, kid?"

You looked up from where you had been staring at your hands trying to get the noise in your mind to quiet down. "Fine." you mumbled, your attention going back to your hands as you worried a hangnail further and further up your cuticle. Bryce leaned against the doorframe watching you silently. (©TRS0325CAI)

"Have you been sleeping?" Bryce asked, already knowing the answer. Your bed was clearly not slept in as you sat in the corner of the room Adrian had arranged just for you. "Here and there." you lied. The truth was, you were too afraid to sleep. Too afraid that you would wake up back there.

The last three years spent in HYDRA had been traumatizing to say the least. Being Adrian Steele's child only made things worse for you, like they were punishing you for being the child of a Sentinel. You had finally gotten to the point of acceptance where you believed that your dad would never come for you. But then he did. They all did. The Sentinels finally found you and saved you from the h-ll you had endured.

It wasn't an easy transition back into the real world, and your dad seemed almost afraid to even look at you, like he was afraid to see The Serpent Order had made of you. But Bryce was there, checking in on you, helping you adjust.