The Daughter of Iron Man

Hide and Seek

When someone knocked on our door at 11pm, I never expected it to be Alice.

When I saw her standing there, soaked from the rain and her own tears, something in me broke.

I held her there for several minutes, trying to warm her ice cold skin and broken heart. I still had no idea what was going on, or why she was in queens by herself but once she'd calmed down enough, I finally let go and brought her inside.

I didn't want to leave her alone, but I knew we needed to get her dried and warmed up. To avoid leaving her for long, I raced to the bathroom and grabbed several dry towels before returning. The only warmth she was getting was from her soaked jacket, so it took a little convincing to remove it so we could replace it with a towel.

When I realized she was exhausted, I laid another towel on the couch so she could sit down. She didn't hesitate to take the offer, and once she was seated she began drying her face with the corner of the towel.

"Alice, what's going on?" I finally asked. I began removing her soaked through shoes and socks, though it took a little effort since both were stuck to her ice cold skin.

"My dad and I got into a really bad fight, he kicked me out." She explained, squeaking out the last part. She took a deep breath through the sobs, and my heart ached to see her in so much pain. "I snuck out again. When he caught me, I claimed that I was strong enough to protect myself. I guess he took that literally, because he asked me to leave."

"What are you going to do?" I asked, worried. She took a deep breath, and managed to speak clearly again.

"We still have our place in Malibu, I think I'll just get a plane ticket and head back there for a while." She explained, and I felt my heart begin to race.

I don't want her to leave.

"Alice?"

Immediately, we both turned around to see a confused May standing in the hall. She wore her usual tank top and pajama pants combo, along with her big, round glasses. Her expression shifted from confusion to worry, and she rushed over to us. I stood up, taking a few steps back so May could see Alice clearly.

"Alice are you okay?" She quickly asked, grabbing Alice's ice cold hands. When May realized how bad of a state Alice was in, she glanced from Alice to me. "What's going on?"

"May, can I talk to you in the hall?" I asked, putting my hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down a little. May hesitated, never breaking eye contact. Finally, she shook her head in agreement. Slowly, I turned May and gave her a slight nudge towards the hall.

"I'll be right back, make yourself comfortable." I told Alice. She nodded in agreement, and I followed May to the hall.

"She got in a fight with her dad, he kicked her out." I explained briefly. May's expression stayed panicked, and she shifted back and forth from foot to foot. "They still have their place in Malibu, she wants to catch a plane and head back there by herself for a while."

"She can't do that, I don't like the idea of her wandering around a mansion by herself." May said what we were both thinking.

"I know." I agreed, trying desperately to hold her gaze and remain somewhat calm for both of their sakes. "I was thinking that maybe she could stay here for a little while?" I asked hesitantly, not sure how May would react to the idea.

Once she processed what I said, she turned her gaze to the floor. We stood in silence for several seconds that felt like hours while she thought through it. I never took my gaze off her, hoping desperately that she would allow Alice to stay with us so she doesn't have to go back to California by herself.