Chapter 5

Sam

She stood behind him, terrified. I tried my best not to smile while Bucky flipped me off. When Wanda called her weak, I could sense the pain in her eyes. I’ve thought about what her voice sounds like. Maybe it’s soft and kind like her looks. Bucky never left her alone with me, like he didn’t trust me with her. He should know I wouldn’t try anything with her. I can tell by the way he looks at her, it’s obvious he really cares about her. He gave her a ring made of his dog tags. You could see how happy it made her when she slipped it onto her finger. When he told her we were leaving for Russia, I saw the light dimming from her eyes. I think Steve would have gotten her to open up more.

Steve died a cheerful man. He gave me his shield and everyone asked if I was going to be the new Captain America. Many people were racist about it saying that Captain America can’t be black. I wanted to flip off whoever said this. I’m too nice, right? The way I am, I'm pretty damn outstanding. I don’t think it’s that bad to be me. We made a museum about him. Bucky first told me about Eirin when we went to a super soldier's house. Isaiah. He’s a great guy and I think that it’s nice that he cares so much about his history. Eli asked why people would want a black Captain America. I sighed and told him I’m not. Taking his shield is something I shouldn’t do. It’s not mine. It’s not right. Instead of me getting the shield, a guy named John Walker did, and we have named him the new Captain America.

Eirin doesn’t know how to speak, read, or write very well. That’s Bucky’s other job. Not only does he have to protect her and learn more about her, but he has to teach her to do these simple tasks. When we were on the plane, Bucky attempted to get her to say a few words. I couldn’t hear her, but he could. Eventually, he began writing. She would carve her writing to make it look like his. He got frustrated, making me take the notebook and pencil from him. Instead of showing her what words to write, I would say them out loud so that she would instead think of her own way to write it. Her writing became special and curved in a very, well, Eirin way.

Somehow, she knew Zemo. Bucky protected her from him, standing in her way and making sure that he couldn’t even look at her. Eirin tenses up whenever she hears him, let alone being in the same room as him. The first night we spent there, she tossed and turned all night. I heard she had a nightmare. I did nothing, scared that Bucky would kill me if I touched her. I could hear the two of them talk for a while, too. Maybe they need each other. For anything, they’re pretty damn strong by themselves but together, they’re unstoppable. Bucky told me very little about her, mainly because he knows nothing about her, but he tried his hardest to let me know about things.

The place that they kept her is called C.A.R.M.A. I’ve heard of it. They take people that have experienced traumatic events and help them with the rehabilitation process. Obviously, this isn’t true. However, no one has enough evidence to shut them down. If Bucky were to get Eirin to talk, this would be cold hard proof. She wants them to stop hurting people but is scared that she’ll get hurt even more if she tries to help. Bucky told me they don’t know how old she is. She looks good. Anyway, they brought her to a therapist to see if they could get her to talk. At first, she began talking with this old guy, but when he passed away, everything changed. That’s when she stopped speaking. This has annoyed Bucky because he’s not the best at leaving things alone when he’s curious. He tried arguing with me he could get things done if he had to. What a load of bullshit. I think he’s been proud of me ever since I declined the Captain America role, but we both hate John Walker.

I get out of the bed and put on my shirt and jacket. Eirin and Bucky are still asleep, facing each other. I wouldn’t be surprised if she stayed with him after she took the big exam. I remember something Sarah said to me before I left. “Just come back okay.” I can see her face full of concern. The giant bags swung over my shoulder, the door opened, Zemo already standing out there, pouring himself whiskey. After placing the bags on to the floor, Bucky walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He’s already dressed too. We made eye contact, a long, strange, eye conversation. Bucky threw his bag beside mine, stretching. Zemo watched him, an eyebrow raised. The second Zemo took a step towards the room, Bucky stopped him.

“Don’t even go in there.” He stared at him with a burning glare. My hand touched his shoulder, but he gave me the glare too. Rolling my eyes, I pulled Zemo away, sighing. Eirin walked out of the room, quickly placing her things beside ours. Without even making eye contact, she told Bucky somehow that she needed help. Before they left, he mumbled something and followed her into the room. When they came back, her hair sat high on her head in a bun. A slight smile lingered on her face. We all piled into the plane that arrived, Zemo still wearing a giant furry coat. Bucky sat by himself, leaving Eirin in the seat beside Zemo. Now and then I would glance over and see Bucky stare at Eirin as she looked out the window. Maybe she wanted this. Maybe she wanted to feel bigger than Zemo to get over her fear of him. She’s stronger than she looks. Eirin pulled out the red notebook, forcing me to whip my head over to Bucky. He nodded slowly and watched her. She flipped to an empty page and scribbled in big letters: You guys look tired. Get some sleep or something!

I smiled, looking at her. So she can talk to us like that. It’s a smart idea. Bucky fell asleep almost instantly after she presented the notebook to us. I closed my eyes, but I never fell asleep.

Zemo began speaking, something I couldn’t hear. Eirin didn’t respond. She never does. It had been a long time since we finally landed. Eirin grabbed the bags and brought them to the car waiting for us to hop into. I woke up Bucky, and we grabbed Zemo and headed into the car. Bucky drove, letting me get some sleep in the back seat with Zemo staring out the window. I truly hate when he’s interested in the world around him. You never know what’s going on inside his head. Eirin played with the radio stations, trying to find something to break the silence. When she couldn’t find anything that changed her mood, she turned it off, and looked at Bucky. I heard them say something to each other, but I couldn’t hear Eirin at all, just Bucky. Zemo stayed silent, ruining my sleep. I sat up, looking around.

“We’ll be there in about ten minutes, so get your shit together.” Bucky’s voice rang throughout the car, making me groan. Zemo made a sound, making Eirin turn around to smack him. Damn good hit. I didn’t hear what he said 100% but he muttered something. Of course probably an insult of some sort. Eirin looked at me, gently smiling. It looked fake, but I let it happen. The rest of the day was a blur. I just remember falling asleep in the oh-so-comfortable hotel bed.

See y'all in the next one <3

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