A R B U T U S

Throughout all her years, Elena had been through hell. In China, she had been bullied and ridiculed for her name, which only led to rocky relationships. She had studied hard to escape to the United States and even then, her nose was still stuck in a book. College was not easy, and the English language was nothing compared to what she'd learned in primary school.

She'd met Nicodemus at college, and it was with his help that led her to success. Then, graduation came, and she was given a small break before her residency began at the Metro-General Hospital. Nic had been accepted with her, and there, they met Christine and Stephen. Those were the good times, and Elena truly thought she'd found her place.

But then, she was invited to Dr. Hallman's experiment, and everything she had worked for disappeared with the blink of an eye. The cells came to life, and Elena was fired. Her life was shattered.

Four years she had spent alone in a dark apartment. It was all hazy, and Elena found it hard to believe that those four years ended two months ago. She had done so much in that period of time that she never thought possible.

She'd met the Avengers and even lived with them for some time. She had found out that Dr. Hallman was Lieselotte Whitehall, a Hydra agent who wanted something with her. She'd found a cure to her condition. She reconnected with Christine. And she managed to borrow a car, wrecking it two days later. Then, the weeks that she spent in captivity came. She worked for Lieselotte, and she helped kill innocent souls, providing a serum that turned people into stone.

Elena had gone through all that, proving the impossible wrong. So much so that nothing ever phased her anymore. The world was so horrible she had begun to get used to it. But then, she met Will.

He was charming, funny, and despite Elena's initial thoughts on him, she had started considering him as a friend. He was always so kind, and nothing ever weighed him down. Not even his past. He was everything Elena ever wanted to be and so much more.

So it was a surprise to her when Lieselotte walked through the front door with no lipstick and a real, genuine smile. Her expression mirrored Elena's before finally settling on a hard frown. Her lips curled down both in confusion and in annoyance.

Elena, on the other hand, was frozen solid. Her blood chilled underneath her skin, and her jaw had slackened. Her feet were planted down on the disintegrating floor, but she was not at all balanced. One small touch would have sent her down onto her knees.

This wasn't happening. It was all just a cruel dream. She was still asleep after playing the board game. This was just a dream. This was just a dream. This was just a—

But it wasn't a dream. It was real. Very real.

Lieselotte was Will's sister. And Will was Wilhelm Whitehall.

The name felt strange and foreign. It went against everything Elena knew. It was just wrong. So very wrong. How was it even possible? Will was so nice, and Lieselotte—Elena didn't know what Lieselotte was.

Elena blinked, stepping back as she brought a hand to her head. Was Lieselotte really the sister Will had so lovingly described? The artist of all the beautiful, symbolic paintings. The girl who lost her mother at a young age.

The sister who cared for her brother when no one else would.

It just didn't feel possible.

Only when Will emerged from the bathroom did it finally sink in. Elena looked between the two, and the similarity was unmistakable. They had the same hair, the same cheeks, the same eyebrows. Elena flushed. She didn't understand.

Was Lieselotte really the sister?

Swallowing, she looked to the ground.

Or was Will a liar?

"Swish?" Will stopped in his tracks, face brightening. "You didn't say anything about visiting!"

"Surprise!" Lieselotte forced a laugh. She shot Elena a glare, a threat, before moving in to embrace Will, who didn't notice the small gesture. "I just wanted to see my little brother today."

Elena rolled her eyes, biting down on her tongue to refrain from saying anything. Crossing her arms, she hung behind. Her thoughts raced. Was everything really a lie?

"Elena, this is Lisa!" Will bounded over to her, dragging Lieselotte by the wrist. "She's my sister. Maybe you'll have better luck asking about that painting you were interested in." He chuckled. "She might tell you instead."

Both Lieselotte and Elena stiffened at his words. Elena opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Lieselotte had better luck.

"Now, now," she said, chuckling. "You mustn't jump to conclusions."

"Sorry. It's just—" Will waved his hands enthusiastically. "I didn't expect you to come today! Will you be staying tonight?" He gasped. "We can play Game of Life together! I taught Elena yesterday!"

"No, no." Elena found her voice. She cleared her throat. "I shouldn't stay another night. I've already overstepped."

"Huh? But I've already—"

"Oh, it's no problem, dear," Lieselotte said sweetly. "We don't mind. I can take the sofa; it's not really a big deal. Besides, I won't let you walk out of here when you've got no place to be. It's only polite. Right, Will?"

"Right."

Elena hated Lieselotte's honeyed voice. It was so fake and annoying, and it bothered her the same way mosquitoes did when they repeatedly buzzed past her ear. She swallowed hard. The double meaning behind them didn't help either.

"I'm sure I'll be fine," she said.

"Nonsense!" Lieselotte exclaimed. "I'm headed up to San Antonio tomorrow. Maybe I can take you to the airport then? It's pretty close to where I'm going."

Elena glared at her, resisting the urge to clench her fists and just go at it. She lifted her chin. "I'd rather not."

"Please, dear. I insist."

It was at that point when Will sensed the venom in their voices. He frowned, wrinkling his nose as he looked between the two of them. He inclined his head. "Did I miss something?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lieselotte quickly said, patting him on the shoulder.

"I do."

Lieselotte turned at her so quickly Elena thought that she was going to die right there and then. When she didn't make a move, she straightened. "I know what you're talking about," she said, facing Will.

"Your sister is a monster, Will," Elena snarled. She clenched her jaw, and with each word, the poison became more potent. "She's a Hydra agent just like your damn father, and you're probably no better."

"What?" Will started, stepping back. "What are you—"

"Don't play stupid on me." Elena stepped forward. "I'm not dumb. Your whole family are monsters. Evil, wicked monsters that deserve to burn. I don't know what shit story you were telling me before, but I don't care."

"I—"

"I'm out." Elena gritted her teeth together. "I'm out. Don't you dare follow me."

With that, she spun on her heels and marched out the door. She didn't care when she slammed it, causing an avalanche of dust and soot. She was done with the Whitehall family. Absolutely done.

And yet, it didn't feel good.

Because she didn't know. She didn't know the truth. For all she knew, Will could have been telling the truth. He could have been innocent. And Lieselotte... she could have had her reasons. 

Elena gulped, and dread took over. She didn't know what she was doing, but whatever it was, she just felt worse. If Lieselotte didn't come and kill her, she might just do it herself. Thankfully, it wouldn't come to that.

Walking down the sidewalk, Elena stopped at the end of the block. She breathed in. Now what?

She had nothing on her, and she wasn't going to another stranger. Who knew who they were? They could have been Lieselotte's long lost cousin. Elena frowned and rubbed her wrist. Maybe finding a small shop would be the best option. She could ask the cashier to borrow a phone. And Hydra wouldn't be working as cashiers, right?

Elena sighed to herself. Why not? It wasn't like she had any better option. If the shops didn't let her, she supposed she would just have to walk until her legs gave out. That wouldn't have been too bad, she supposed.

Aimlessly wandering, Elena stuffed her hands into her white coat. At least, she still had it with her. It was comforting and soothing, calming her frayed nerves. It was the one thing she could rely on, which was funny considering her past tantrums about having to wear it again. Elena shook her head. She'd do anything to go back then and change the decisions she made.

Before long, Elena found a Starbucks. She paused at the door when the rich aroma wafted up her nose, and she groaned at her lack of money. Elena sighed, shaking her head. There was no point in thinking about that now. There were far more important things.

"Elena?"

Now, that was a voice Elena hadn't heard in a long time.

She spun around, and her eyes found what she was looking for at a table next to the window. Purple shirt, gray sweats, messy hair. Elena never thought she'd be so happy to see a literal hot mess.

"Clint!" she gasped, virtually barreling over to him. Her eyes widened. "You're here!"

He snorted. "You're here!" he laughed. "I can't believe I found you. Here, take this. I owed you a coffee." Clint slid over a coffee as Elena took a seat across from him.

"Do you always buy extra coffee?"

"Nah," Clint said. "That one was for Tony—hey man! Look who showed up."

Elena turned to find Tony entering the shop. He halted at the sight of her, a wide grin spreading on his face. "Fancy seeing you here, Dumpling." He rubbed his hands together. "We really need to talk about the fees for that car you wrecked."

Her face fell. "I'm really sorry—"

"Joking. I'm joking." Tony adjusted his glasses, sighing as he pulled up a chair. "I forgot how not funny you are."

"I really am sorry, Tony."

He met her eyes, nodding once. "I am too."

"And me," Clint said.

"That's nice," Tony muttered. "A mutual apology. Next, we'll be kissing each other's feet."

"How did you know I was here in Houston?" Elena decided to change the subject.

"Your friend... what was her name? Tina?"

"Christine," Clint offered.

"Yeah, her. She managed to contact us. Had a text from you."

Elena's eyes lit up in realization. It was the text she had tried to send on the bus before she passed out. She had shared her location. So it was sent, after all.

"So how are you free?" Tony asked, leaning forward. "Where's Whitehall?"

Elena sighed, burying her face into her hands. "It's a really long story," she groaned. "But I know where she'll be tomorrow."

Clint raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."

"We're going to San Antonio."

...

Did I purposely wait to post this chapter really late in the night? 

You betcha I did. Really, y'all should be thankful. Originally, it was going to go up tomorrow. And then I was like naw, I'll wait til 11:59. But here I am at 10:43 writing this. You're welcome.