Alex has a couple inches on Natasha, but she doesn't feel very tall right now. And she feels a lot less confident than Natasha looks, though what she lacks in confidence she makes up for in defiance and an absolute refusal to back down, even when backing down would be the smart thing to do.

She takes half a step forward, her grip tightening on the stake as she braces herself for a possible attack.

"Yeah. I did it and one of them saw me," she blurts out. She's on edge, bad at asking for help at the best of times, and still isn't sure whether Natasha will help her or turn her over to Islington Nest, or just try to kill her right here. She barrels ahead in a breathless, angry, run-on sentence. "They know who I am and I couldn't think of anywhere else to go, and I know you told me not to do it but will you help me?"