On the contrary, she needed him to be her anchor.
But the realization of her long-sought desire just made her feel vulnerable. Afraid.
Terrified of rejection.
She knew she had a somewhat moody, intimidating, and annoying personality, especially in the perspective of other females, and she was scared they’d end up rejecting her. That they’d change their minds.
Winter found it difficult to express her own emotions sometimes, due to the fact that she felt everyone else’s feelings coursing through her. Certainly, she could keep herself stable, especially when she was latched onto someone stable, but the easiest way for her to cope with her superpower was to just try to not feel as much as she could manage.
To not react to the thoughts and emotions, many of which weren’t her own.
To just observe apathetically, the best she could.
Not to mention, there were aspects of her past she regretted. Aspects she feared they wouldn’t like if they knew.
But now Freya, Lily, and Heidi had made a decision. When Winter’s delivery came a little bit ago, Heidi went out to intercept it, knowing what time it would get there after an obvious routine had been established the previous week. And now, the three of them had it sitting on the kitchen table, waiting for her to come get it.
For her to come eat with them.
And that made her afraid. Because they thought they were okay with her now. But would they still feel that way after she was in their faces all day?
She was really hungry too, with her unique form of immortality – a gift she hadn’t been born with – being tied to an excessive appetite, even if she could technically go a long time without eating. And, she also wanted to do as they desired in general. She wanted to get along with her new family. But she’d gone so long with this desire – all her life – that now the fear of being rejected had her frozen in place.
However, it looked like they weren’t going to give her any more time to work up the courage to come downstairs. Instead, Sam’s oldest daughter was now watching his youngest, and the three women were finally coming up the stairs with her food in hand.
As well as plates of lasagna for two of them…a cup of black coffee for the other…
Winter took a shaky breath when Freya knocked on the door.
“Come in,” she called out, her voice trembling.
The door cracked open, and then slowly revealed the three of them, all with concerned expressions. Winter already knew what they wanted to ask. She already knew what they had on their minds, but she couldn’t bring herself to give them an answer.
Because that was just another reminder for them, about how invasive her ability was. Another reason to potentially get annoyed and ask her to leave.
Freya looked at her for a few moments, seeing her under the covers like a scared little kid even though she was the third oldest person in the family, and then smiled warmly.
“Can we join you in here for lunch?” she asked gently.
Winter’s eyes began blurring with tears, as she took another shaky breath.
“Yes.”
❖ ❖ ❖
Sam Archer
April 23, 2735 – Current Day – Late Morning
It turned out that work was a lot more enjoyable when I didn’t have a looming threat hanging over my head. Certainly, there was still the shadow organization to worry about, but that threat felt less imminent. Which meant, as I spent the mornings sitting with Lexi in her personal office, I actually enjoyed my time reading over the intelligence reports, finding some of the stuff really interesting.
I also just enjoyed sitting close to Lexi in general, there being a certain peacefulness about being by her side and doing busywork.
It was also fun to have lunch with Nick again, as well as a lot of the other guys who were pretty cool and easygoing. I mean, in all the times I’d worked in an office setting, this was possibly the most I’d ever felt like I fit in.
The people were interesting and often a little strange, but not in a bad way, and most of them were pretty level-headed, rather than being egotistical or arrogant about their status as a superhero. There was definitely a sense of camaraderie that I couldn’t remember experiencing anywhere else I’d ever worked.
Nick also seemed to fit in really well. In addition to his superpower really being valued here, a lot of the guys seemed to understand his sense of humor, playing right along with his often flat jokes and teasing. Or maybe it was just that I never got it, since I could recall that he mentioned that he and Dave took shots at each other on a regular basis.
Either way, the office turned out to be a really fun and entertaining environment. The mornings were relaxing and low stress, and the afternoons often involved activities I enjoyed doing, like exercising – or just helping Lexi exercise – as well as seeing what strange things others were capable of.
Not to mention, I got to spend a ton of time alone with Lexi.
We still hadn’t taken the time to reschedule our date, but she didn’t give off the vibe like she was missing out, because every day almost felt like a date. Sure, we were definitely going to go on a regular date soon, but her secluded office was a wonder for our still fledgling relationship.
Not that everything in my life was completely perfect at this point.
Back at home, Winter had continued to remain a recluse ever since she came home late Saturday night, but Freya suggested we give her time to take things at her own
