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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
A SECOND PERSONALITY







SHE DIDN'T WANT TO CRY. She didn't want to show weakness because Jemma was her little sister and she was supposed to be strong for her. But every part of her was falling apart, every part of her wanted to break and shatter into unfixable pieces because that's how she felt. Sapphire Simmons was no longer an ordinary human. She was a mutant that had a curse that HYDRA gave her and she had no way of giving it back. She knew that Jemma would see something in her DNA had changed, so there was no point in really hiding it.


Sapphire hesitated to answer the question. What didn't happen to her? Jemma reached forwards, grabbing her sister's hand into hers. She wasn't going to ask again, she wasn't going to pressure her sister. She had always been curious, but knew better than to ask because it was HYDRA and she knew how horrible that those people could be. She knew that from experience. She glanced towards Daisy who had still been waiting, a sad smile falling onto her face before she turned back towards Sapphire and took one of her hands, pushing Sapphire's hair away from her face, watching just in time to see a tear roll down Sapphire's cheek.


ย  ย ย  "I could tell you, but you'll look at me differently. All of you will look at me differently." Her voice cracked, filled with tears as she tried to hold it together.


ย  ย ย  "I would never." Jemma shook her head. "Saph, you're my sister. You always be no matter what."


ย  ย ย  Sapphire looked at her for a moment before she finally nodded. "I was just trying to complete my mission. That's all. Something went wrong. They captured me. Locked me in a cell with a rock for a mattress. They gave me a slice of bred and a small cup of water every day to live off of. And what can I say, that wasn't even bad. Hell, I'm surprised they gave me food in general. But they only gave it to me to keep me alive. Because what they did next. . ." She licked her lips, forcing herself to look away from her sister. "They experimented on me. Day after day, needle after needle. They pushed so many different chemicals into my body to try and change me. And what do you know. It worked.


ย  ย ย  "Once it worked. Once they knew I was a successful experiment they had this cruel game they liked to play. They would put me against other prisoners, some also experimented on, others not so much. They forced me to kill. Forced me to fight for my survival. Because even through all of that. Even through all of that torture and trauma. . . the only thing I could think about was coming home to my baby sister. I didn't want to make your worst fear come true so I fought, and I fought hard, and then I was rescued." She wiped away a tear. "I should've let myself die in there, I wanted to. But I knew that I couldn't allow myself to disappoint you, just like I disappoint everyone else. So there. There's your truth."


Jemma could hold back her tears that escaped. Listening to her sisters rushed words that were filled with so much pain hurt her more than any monster or human ever could. She wished that she could have convinced her sister to stay that day. She wished she had been more persuasive and none of this would have ever happened to her. But that wasn't what Jemma focused on. Instead, she focused on making sure her sister knew that she would care and love her no matter what.


ย  ย ย  "Can I. . . I mean. . . what did this experiment do to you?"


Sapphire looked at her sister before closing her eyes and then opening them again to reveal the icy blue that had replaced her usual brown. A small gasp fell from Jemma's lips as she watched her sister's hair change from brown to pure white, her lips changing into a painted dark blue, her skin turning paler than it normally was. Her eyes were wide as she slowly stood up, Sapphire's eyes following her.


ย  ย ย  "This," her voice had a more metallic accent to it, "this is what it did to me." She stood up, watching as Jemma took a step back. She held up her hand, glancing down to it as ice started forming. Daisy stood up straighter in her spot, ready to act if she needed. "Still think of me as the same older sister as before?" She grabbed her sister's wrist, watching her skin turn blue before Daisy was quick to step in and pull her away, shoving her away from Jemma who was clutching her arm against her chest.


ย  ย ย  "Sapphire!" Daisy warned.


ย  ย ย  "What? Just having a bit of fun."


ย  ย ย  Daisy narrowed her eyes dangerously at Sapphire before she straightened her shoulders. "So, not only did HYDRA make you a mutant, but they gave you a second personality."


ย  ย ย  "A personality that's always been there, just hidden." Sapphire answered, but she didn't sound like herself. Daisy didn't understand it, she had changed so fast. That's when a smile fell on her face. "Just kidding." They watched as her hair turned normal along with her eyes. "Sorry. That was cruel. Are you alright?" She looked towards her sister who was watching her with wide eyes.


ย  ย ย  "What the bloody hell was that!" Jemma snapped. "You could've made my arm fall off!"


ย  ย ย  "I didn't actually put frostbite on your arm." Sapphire rolled her eyes. "Just a little bit of ice mist. Or whatever the hell you call it. An illusion."


ย  ย ย  "You haven't changed a bit, have you."


ย  ย ย  "Only a little more traumatized." A lot more traumatized, but she figured that if she hid the fact that she had actually been hurting then they would just wave it off. She had to be strong for her sister. That's all that mattered. She didn't care what jokes she had to tell. Or how much damage she had to hide. She wouldn't put that burden on her sister.


ย  ย ย  "Sapphire, this is serious." Jemma frowned. "You went through two years of torture. You were turned into a mutant. I can't even begin to image the amount of damageโ€•๏ธŽ"


ย  ย ย  "Jemma, I'm fine." Sapphire waved her off. "This is how I cope with the pain."


ย  ย ย  "That and punching punching bags until they're completely destroyed." Daisy butted in. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Saphโ€•๏ธŽ"


ย  ย ย  "You got your blood." Sapphire forced a small smile. "I'll see you later."


ย  ย ย  "Sapphire." Jemma called out after her before sighing and watching as she walked away.


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