They are watching me.

They are watching me watch them.

There is so much anger in their eyes. So much distrust. I cannot understand how they became a team. You would not see me uniting myself to such a disarray of characters. The only conclusion I can come to is that it was a mistake. Mistakes happen. They happen so often I am inclined to believe that this universe thrives on them.

I am a mistake.

But they have greatly underestimated me.

Star Lord is having a heated discussion with the fox. The fox fails to treat the others with respect. All he does is yell at the others. All they do is yell at him. The little sprig alternates between their shoulders, looking aggrieved. He doesn't seem to realize that because of his friend's mistake, we are all being pursued by ships meant for killing. The stupid one is excited and Gamora is annoyed. But the little sprig...he is scared.

I do not have time to be afraid as the ship goes careening through space. Once I was capable of such emotions, but now all I feel is darkness. I wonder...do any of them feel it? Do they feel the heat from the embers of a dying flame deep in their chest? Do they feel the iron hand around their necks, choking love and smothering hope?

Of course they do not. I am alone, as I always have been.

The enemy vessels start attacking and tremors that shake the ship shake me. My head clangs against metal and the handcuffs dig into what skin I have at my wrists. I shout in fury. Gamora keeps track of my every move. Her eyes are piercing daggers of hatred.

Hatred.

All I see when I look at her is hatred. Blinding, suffocating hatred.

I cannot look at her now.

Instead, I look out the window and seek the sparkling light from the stars and nearby planets. Seeing these lights reminds me of all the lights Thanos trained on me during—I bury these feelings and focus on the ground quaking beneath me.

It wasn't always like this. I remember a time from my childhood days when I could smile at the things of this universe. A time when even Gamora seemed lovely and promising.

My hair was dark, like hers.

Still.

She never saw me back then. She never cared. All she thought about was herself.

All she thought about was herself.

The stupid one ties a rope around his chest and flies out the back hatch in some idiotic attempt to fire back at the golden drones. I don't even think there is anyone inside them. How utterly pathetic. I refuse to die here.

We reach the planet's surface by crashing wildly into a forest of healthy trees. Screaming, I hold as tight as I can to the cold bar I am chained to, for once grateful for the bindings that hold me. Gamora runs past me, shouting the stupid one's name. I watch as she runs to grab the rope that is tied to him. I hear the frustration in her voice above the roar of the engine. The underlying desperation.

How pathetic. She would spare more innocent trees if she just let him go. Why waste energy on something so ridiculous? Star Lord yells at us to brace ourselves for landing and the ship finally comes to a stop.

When the dust settles, the group gathers outside around the ruined remains of the ship and they all start fighting again. It smells like sweat and dust. Some Guardians of the Galaxy they turned out to be. They are wasting time. Do they honestly think they can keep me locked up forever? I could help them. I could offer another pair of arms. I could slit their throats.

I could win.

But they ignore my voice and do not release me. I refuse to continue on like this. I refuse to stand one more minute in the company of such fools when I have better things to do. Plans to make, places to get to, people to kill.

Why does everything always fail to work in my favor? If I have to stand through one more joke about the objects between their—what is that?

An egg-shaped shuttle lands elegantly in the dirt and two people step out. He says his name is Ego, and that he is Star Lord's sire. He wants Star Lord to come with him. From what I know of that idiot, he will accept without question. Gamora tells him to trust this stranger who could be anyone. And sure enough, he does.

I am surrounded by imbeciles.

The Guardians split up and decide to leave me with the fox and the little sprig. Not surprisingly, a group of ravagers come sneaking up on us. The fox leaves to deal with the situation and I am left with an opportunity.

The little sprig is scared again. He worries about his friends. He is easy to fool. I easily trick him into letting me go, and escape. That's all it takes to be free. When the time is right, I will find Gamora and then Thanos, and I will rid the universe of them. I will wipe away the horrors of their injustice and they will be forgotten.

Freedom is sweet, but so is the taste of revenge.