Sven finally got a good look at the girl following him. Sitting across from her, he could see the WDRA symbol on her hoodie. So, either she was a fan who had bought a hoodie online, or she was an agent. Removing the hoodie revealed her curly brown hair, which hung down to her neck. She was American, but there were subtle hints of her Asian descent. Watching her hands touching her coffee cup, he saw her black gloves, but partially hidden by the sleeves were a pair of gauntlets.
"God, I can't tell you how much easier this feels now, and how wonderful it is too," she said, brimming with enthusiasm.
"Well, it's certainly good to meet new people," Sven said, smiling.
"But we know each other, we've met before," he said.
"Really?" Sven raised his eyebrows in confusion, taking a sip of tea.
"Yeah, man, I'm surprised how much you look like your dad."
Sven stopped at that, leaned forward, and looked at the girl.
"Did you know my dad?" he asked.
"Did you know him? We've known each other, Sven, though we only knew each other from a distance. Your father and mine worked together," he said.
He continued to look at her, confused. She slapped her forehead and laughed .
"Sorry, I didn't introduce myself..."
"Daisy Coulson !"
Years ago, she was a little girl, he was the boy reading in his treehouse. Slade Reilly picked up his fellow agent Phil Coulson 's daughter , spun her around, and ruffled her hair.
"Wow, she's a mess, isn't she? You should have brought her here sooner, Phil. How have you been?" Slade asked .
"That's been great, Daisy. You know Sven's your age, how about you go play with him?" Phil pushed her a little, and she walked toward the tree house.
But he didn't climb the ladder; instead, he sat behind the tree and took out his phone. While he played, the adults chatted at the barbecue Slade and his wife, Lisa, were hosting. Their youngest daughter, Kate, held Lisa's hand as she brought out one of the salads.
"Phil, I'm glad to see you. Don't you have a wife yet?" he asked.
"I don't have a wife yet," Phil shrugged, took the salad, and hugged her.
Sven remembered that day, looking at some faces from the window. Phil Coulson , a numbers cruncher at the agency. John Garret, a specialist who always smiled and laughed when Lisa scolded him. Ian Blake, a researcher who, although he seemed cold and distant, always smiled, at least to the children. Jasper Sitwell , plain-looking but nice to people, an advisor and, according to Slade , a good scapegoat. Melinda May, a specialist with a very sweet smile and laugh, whom Sven liked very much, both her and her husband. And then there was Arthur Caster , Slade 's partner and best friend . He was at the barbecue, cooking the burgers and kebabs. The brown-haired man looked at Sven, smiling as he waved.
Then he remembered the flames and the rubble, the deaths caused by the cataclysm. He remembered the many souls who needed to be saved, begging for someone to save them. But, sadly, he also remembered the bodies of those who weren't. It was the cataclysm with only one survivor. A boy who shouldn't have been able to be saved, but was. He remembered Arthur Caster 's face , looking up at him and smiling. He remembered the tears that man shed and the thanks to God he gave. Something started that day, and it started with a boy thinking:
'I want to be a hero too!'
"Hero," Sven thought, looking at his hand.
Daisy looked at him too and noticed the calluses. The kind of scars associated with boxers.
"What have you been doing, Sven?" Daisy asked, leaning across the table and whispering to him. "As soon as you graduated from high school, you disappeared, with a few part-time jobs here and there, and a visit to the hospital for what you then described as a 'mutant attack.' You broke your arm and required severe surgery to repair the nerve damage. You were also placed under psychiatric care for a time, your mother's fitness as a guardian was questioned, and... "
"My mother and sister hated me, they were never cruel enough to say so, but I made them go through it," Sven said, interrupting Daisy.
"Why did they hate you, Sven? What did you do? What are you trying to do now?" Daisy asked.
Sven looked at Daisy, then looked back. He narrowed his eyes at two others sitting behind them. One was looking over his shoulder.
"Okay, leave me alone, but tell your dad I said hi," he said.
He stood up and greeted the people sitting at the table.
Better luck next time!
The couple shook their heads and took off their headphones as Sven walked past them.
.
Hello everyone, what did you think of the chapter? Please let me know in the comments. If you want to download the full book, it's available on my KO-FI page. The link is here. 👉
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