tainted dreams | chapter eleven
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this is so shitty and short, i'm so sorry that you have to read it
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The address that Nat had written on a small piece of paper was safely tucked inside the pocket of her jean jacket.

Rosalie stood exactly where her parents had last been seen: outside a semi-new apartment building, its entrance decorated with big plant vases and a security guy to match.

This will be fun.

"Excuse me, sir." The security guard looked her up and down, studying her. "I'm looking for a couple and I was told that they're currently living in this building."

The man didn't respond immediately. Instead, he continued to roam his eyes around the blonde woman's figure, a careful examination that was slowly becoming more and more annoying.

"Names?" He asked dryly.

"Lilian and Marcus Evans." She answered in the same tone, an arched eyebrow to match the sassy attitude. "I'm their daughter."

Said man raised his eyebrows as if to question the veracity of her words. When she didn't bulge or show any signs that she was lying, he gave her a nod and walked inside, making her sign a paper before allowing her to walk towards the entrance and the elevators.

"Marcus and Lilian Evans." He spoke, holding the pen and the paper she had quickly signed. "Sixth floor, first door to the right."

"Thank you."

The entrance was not as spacious as she had envisioned it. The elevator was right in front of her, a small desk by her left where she supposed the security cameras were hidden behind.

She didn't need that.

Pressing the small button, Rosalie waited for the elevator to arrive before entering and pressing the button for the sixth floor.

Breaking in was easy. Her parents managed to ignore every single advice they had given her while she was a child and left their front door unlocked.

"Idiots..."

Upon entering her parents' luxurious apartment, she realised that there was no one home. She would have to wait until they came back from whatever trip or journey they decided to take that day.

And she was patient.

When half an hour turned to two hours, Rosalie's legs were tired of bouncing up and down as she waited patiently on the kitchen counter. She decided that it was time to entertain herself and explore the house of the people that called themselves "her parents".

The walls were completely bare, no decorative paintings or pictures. No pictures of their daughter, the Christmases at her grandma's house. No memories at all, not even from the numerous trophies and medals she had won over the years as one of the most intelligent students of every school she had studied at.

Nothing at all. It was like she never existed in their life. In fact, it seemed like no one lived in that apartment, from the lack of warmth and decoration.

The only thing that could be considered as decoration was the small pot filled with drying flowers.

"These flowers need some water."

Feeling sorry for the way her parents had been treating the little plant, Rosalie expanded her powers to open the faucet in the kitchen, guiding a single string of water from there to the pot. It was soon filled with the water that floated from the kitchen to the spacious living room, and she swore that she could feel the plant sigh in pure bliss.

"You're welcome." A little giggle left her lips.

As she spoke, the front door opened and closed, two pairs of footsteps heard from the entrance hall. Rosalie's heart started beating faster inside her chest, restlessly reminding her of how nervous she really felt.

She was going to see her parents again, for the first time in years. All the anger and disappointment she had felt when Nat had shown her the footage was thrown out the window when their voices reached her ears.

Rosalie was positively glowing.

"I told you we had left the door unlocked. What if someone broke in?" A feminine voice spoke, clearly annoyed.

"Who would want to break into-"

The man's words were cut off when he entered the living room and found the blonde woman standing in the middle of it. He recognised her, looking deeply into the eyes that shared the exact color of his own.

"R-Rose?" He was at a loss for words, slowly moving towards her.

"Hi dad." She shrugged and smiled softly at the familiar face. "It's me."

Marcus was ready to leap forward and engulf his daughter in a tight hug when a second figure appeared by the doorframe. The woman didn't step inside the room, watching the two from her spot.

Father and daughter felt their smiles disappear from their faces, tension in the air. Her presence alone made the pair stop in their tracks, and before any of them could advance towards the other in a warm hug, she spoke.

"Oh, you're alive." Her words stung. Lilian crossed her thin arms in front of her chest and stood behind her husband. "What are you doing here?"

Her blonde hair was longer than Rosalie remembered. Now that she really looked at the older adults, she noticed how young they looked. Like the past five years hadn't affected them at all. Like the possible loss of their only child didn't phase them.

They had been living their best lives while Rosalie fought to keep her sanity and life together.

"I found you."

"How did you find us, anyways?" Lilian inquired, her anger becoming more evident as she spoke.

"It's been five years." Her eyes were burning with unshed tears punching their way out of them. She controlled her emotions, letting only her voice show the sadness she was currently feelings. "I looked everywhere for you."

It was then that her mother decided to step closer the her and examined her own daughter from head to toe. Rosalie could feel the emotions in the room rising in intensity.

On one hand, her father was delighted to see her, eager to reach her and fill her with all the love and affection he had inside his being.

On the other hand, her mother was pissed. There was no other words to describe it. Perhaps furious could fill in the spot just was well.

And Rosalie was left vulnerable in a way she had never felt before. She felt like she would burst into tears or flames at any moment.

"I looked everywhere for you." She repeated, emotion seeping from every words she said.

"We know. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been trying to find us since the blip happened." Rosalie was confused by her mother's words.

What the hell is a blip?

"At least what's left of the agency. I thought we had chosen a good hiding spot, but it seems like we weren't smart enough." The woman continued. "Who found us? Rogers? Romanoff?"

The tension was unbearable. The three felt it in three different ways, and the uncomfortable silence that followed Lilian's words was interrupted by Marcus' trembling voice. But not before Rosalie started to feel even worse than she did before.

He was clearly nervous.

"We thought you were dead." Her father spoke for the first time in a while and was promptly interrupted by his wife.

It was annoying Rosalie, and the blonde wanted to slap her mother for that. She looked from her mother to her father, speechless.

Her mother's words were still echoing around her head.

"I'm not dead." She smiled through the tears. "And looks like you're not either. When I found out I knew that I had to come see you and-"

"Well, we don't want you here." Her mother said, stoically as always. "So if you're done 'seeing us' you can leave."

It was her father's face and reaction that confirmed it all to Rosalie. He didn't try to reason with his wife and defend his daughter. He just stood there, letting her decide the future of their relationship as a family.

Or as complete strangers.

"I get it." She nodded.

It was like a bullet to Rosalie's heart, but the blonde had to move on with her life. If the people who gave her life didn't want anything to do with her, she would accept it with a high-held head.

Nodding at the two strangers who stood in front of her, Rosalie opened the door and prepared to leave.

But not before leaving them with her last words. The words they would remember for the rest of their lives, coming from the mouth of their only child. The child they had neglected for years, leaving her to the care of multiple people -outsiders who had taken better care of her than those two ever could.

"I hope you live well, a happy life." Her voice didn't tremble, words strong and sharp. Her head never lowered, eyes moving from the man to the woman. "But I also hope that, when the time comes, you crawl back to me in a time of need. So I can turn my back on you, just the way you did to me."

Closing their door behind her back, Rosalie didn't let them have the final words. She quietly walked away towards the car she had parked a few blocks away from the building.

It was like a switch turned inside her.

Despite feeling her heart break with every step she took, Rosalie knew it was for the best. She couldn't continue wondering if her parents were dead or alive, if they cared for her or not.

All of her doubts and questions had been answered that day.

She was glad she had taken care of that little issue. Now, she could focus on what really mattered. And she was ready.

Ready to face the mission the Avengers had planned for the following day. Ready to protect the few people she had left in her life, people who truly cared for her.

And she wouldn't let anything happen to them.

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i hate her parents. period. i'm sorry for the short chapter, but this had to be taken care of before rosalie and the avengers leave for their little time heist (: as always, don't forget to vote and comment to show your support!