•Again! This chapter is not mandatory to read but i worked really hard on it! i feel it really adds more depth to Nadya and what she went through when she first came to New York. The song ^^ i listened to it while i wrote this, it makes it all the more sad if you're looking to cry lol. more chapters are coming i've just been soo busy with finals. Happy reading!•
What color were they? They were blue, right? They had to be.
No.
Maybe they were green. What color was his hair? I think it was black but it was too dark. It could have been brown. He had a metal arm. Which is a pretty distinct characteristic. But his eyes, what color were his eyes? That's all I could see, all I could try and gather emotion from.
"Excuse me?" A hand waving in front of my face rips my attention away from my spiraling thoughts. A woman looking more than angry is standing behind the counter, hugging her blazer around her waist and glaring at me. My eyes flash down to her expensive looking bag and she clutches it closer to her side. "Can I order or are you just going to daydream all day?"
I clear my throat, trying to find my voice. "Yes, I'm sorry." I tap the dirty screen in front of me and click the menu. The woman barks her order at me like a drill instructor. She tells me to keep the change and walks away from the register to wait for her food. My hope for keeping this job is dwindling by the second. I grit my teeth together and grasp the locket around my neck, trying to feel any sort of comfort I seem to have lost.
How do I go on like this?
I can't go to the police. I fled the scene. I would be top suspect. No one would believe me either. A masked man with a metal arm killed my entire family but I got away because of some superpowers I have. I may live in a world where superheroes are possible but this one may be a bit far fetched.
"Nadya?" I flinch when a hand grabs my shoulder softly and turns me. My boss, Austin, stands with a friendly smile on his face and a rag over his shoulder. "How are you doing?"
I look at the register and back to him. "I'm doing fine! I just um..." I trail off, trying to find a suitable lie. I sigh and roll my eyes. "It's just being in a new city. It's messing with my sleep." I smile and hope he believed my half-truth. In all honesty, I haven't been sleeping. Maybe an hour or so every other night. But whenever I close my eyes and wish for a dreamless sleep, I see him.
Austin nods and gestures to the clock on the wall. "Need you to clock out, kid," he says and my eyes follow his gesture to the time. My shift was over forty-five minutes ago. "We've gotta start closing up and you should probably get home," he adds and I nod.
I use the register to clock out, just as I have been for the past week. "Can I have the schedule for next week?" I ask him as I untie the apron from my waist.
"Yeah! I can text it to you if that'd be easier."
I chew on the inside of my lip. How does one tell a stranger that you don't have a cell-phone. It would be strange, considering every teenager on the planet has one now. "Could I actually have a paper copy, if that's all right?" I ask warily, hanging my apron up onto my designated hook.
He narrows his eyes at me and I force a friendly smile on my face. "Sure, yeah, I can do that," he says, nodding his head.
I pick up my light jacket and pull it over my arms, bracing myself for the cold wind. "Thank you, I'll um-" I stop before I leave the counter. "I'll see you tomorrow." I smile and turn to head for the door.
"Nadya, wait." I turn around, worried something may have happened. He jogs around the counter until he reaches me and a thought enters my head. "Do you need-"
"No, I don't," I cut him off, knowing he was going to offer me money for a cab. "I'll manage. Thank you, though."
He nods. "You should stop by the tower," he adds and my brows furrow.
"What tower?"
He chuckles lightly. "The Avengers tower. It's up in Midtown. With you being new to the city I thought you'd might want to get acquainted."
"With the Avengers?" I scoff. "I have no business with them." I grit my teeth at the accent coming through my words.
He shrugs. "Just a suggestion. Have a good night, Nadya."
I fight to keep a glare off of my face. "Yeah, you too," I mumble as I push the door open and step into the frigid air.
I grunt as my feet slip on a patch of ice, landing me in the snow covered sidewalk. I close my eyes and huff out a breath, feeling the water seep into my pants. I've seen the tower, I've wandered around it. I've been dying to ask the 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' if they have any recollection of the man who killed my family, any ties to him. That's the whole reason I came to New York. Not the busy nightlife or the expensive rent. I want to find the man responsible for singlehandedly ruining my life.
I brush the snow off of my hands and begin to walk, aimlessly. Putting one foot in front of the other is all I can manage to do these days. The snow pains me, it reminds me of home. The way it crunches beneath my feet, the softness of it hitting the ground, the fresh crisp air. It haunts me everywhere I go.
Ⓐ Ⓐ Ⓐ Ⓐ
My hands are numb, my nose is running, my ears are burning. The cold has gotten to me in ways that I dislike. I stop walking and brush the snow off of the sleeves of my thin coat. My eyes roam around and widen when I see the grand yet ostentatious building towering over me. My feet dragged me right where I don't want to be.
I glare at the big A on the side of the tower, holding my distaste for the Avengers as close to my heart as I need to. Yet, that doesn't stop my feet from heading right to the front doors. I grip the handle of the door and pull with all my strength, almost slipping in the snow again. I slowly step into what looks like a secure entrance room to the tower. It's warm, at least.
"Good evening," a loud, robotic sounding voice echoes throughout the room. I flinch at the sudden noise and swing my head back and forth looking for the source. "I'm J.A.R.V.I.S. Is there something I can assist you with?"
My mouth opens and closes, searing for words to say. Bewildered at the fact that an AI is speaking to me.
"I can call emergency services if you need," the voice says again.
"No!" I exclaim, my hands tingling as feeling returns to them. I glance back at the door and debate leaving and just going home. But, if I do this, at least I can say that I tried. I clear my throat and step further into the room. "I was-" I shake my head at my ridiculous request. "I was wondering if I may speak with Tony Stark?"
"And what would this matter pertain to?"
I grit my teeth together. I don't have an adequate lie. Why would someone like me need to speak with Tony Stark at nine o'clock at night? It would seem suspicious to anyone. I should probably just leave before I'm noticed any further. I turn around and place my hand on the door.
"Mr. Stark is in at the moment and has agreed to speak with you." My mouth drops at the words and I hear a hissing noise coming from behind me. I turn on my heel and find the door to the tower has opened, letting an unknowing stranger in.
"Thank you," I mumble as I pass through the door.
My fingers fidget with the buttons on my coat as the door closes behind me, unaware of my surroundings. "Who are you?"
I look up and my breath gets caught in my throat when I see Stark, in the Iron Man suit, standing a few feet away from me. My mind goes in circles on how I didn't hear him walk in. "My name is Julia," I lie.
The mask flips up, revealing Stark's smug face. The facial hair neatly trimmed around his mouth. "Something I can help you with?" He asks, gesturing for me to continue speaking.
"Well, I uh-" I push my hair out of my face, not having thought this far into this little plan. "I have a question, actually. If you'd be willing to answer it."
"You can ask but there's no guarantee I'll answer," he states, proving my last words.
I nod and his eyes narrow at me, almost as if he recognizes me. "Have you, or any of the other Avengers come into contact with a man with a metal arm?" I ask, watching as his eyebrows come together in confusion.
"I'm sorry, what?" He almost chuckles. "Not that I know the answer to that but I'm pretty sure a lot of guys out there have metal arms."
I huff out a breath, realizing how big of a mistake this was. "There was a red star on it," I add, trying to be more concise with my description.
He's quiet for a moment, locked eyes with mine. He shakes his head out of the trance and gestures to the door. "Sorry, kid, don't think so."
"I figured," I scoff. I turn around and push out a breath, feeling utterly disappointed.
"What'd this guy with the metal arm, with a red star on it, do?" I hear him ask.
I blink a few times, seeing his reflection in the glass door watching me. "He killed my family." Stark retains his composure, not letting an ounce of surprise set into his face. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Stark. I'm sure you're very busy and I appreciate you speaking with me." I push the door open and step back out into the entrance room.
"Julia, wait," his voice echoes and I turn around, still holding the door open.
He takes slow steps toward me, the metal thudding against the ground with each step making me flinch. "Do you need any help? A place to stay?" He asks, a small smile appearing on his face.
I look away, knowing that smile. It's pity. "No, I'm all set," I grit out.
His arm gestures around to the inside of the tower. "You can always come back here. Got plenty of room if you need it."
I nod. "Thank you, Mr. Stark."
"Tony," He corrects me with a smile.
"Tony," I say, trying to smile back at him. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm really okay."
"It still stands," he says. "I'll make sure J.A.R.V.I.S. knows to let you in."
I clear my throat. "If you find out who the man is, have J.A.R.V.I.S. find me," I mumble and turn away from him, finally walking through the doors. In the back of my mind, I know he was trying to be kind. Though all I can see is pity. Pity for the kid whose walking around in the cold. I don't and never want any sort of pity. I just want to find out who this man is and take care of it. Then I can go about my life, what's left of it at least.
But, Andrei. Andrei never got to see his heroes in action again. He never got to see the Avengers tower that's fading into the distance. All he ever wanted to do at home was lay in my bed while I read.
An overwhelming crushing feeling surrounds my chest, like my ribs are being broken one by one. I never allowed him to sit with me. I realize now he wanted to observe. He couldn't read English yet but he wanted to borrow my books. He wanted to be in my company so I could make the characters from his story books come to life.
Frozen tears fall down my cheeks. I close my eyes, almost thinking of my home, but instead thinking of my empty apartment. The air shifts a bit around me. I shrug my coat off, letting it fall to the ground without opening my eyes.
It's dark in here, it's always dark. I glide my hand along the wall until I feel the light switch. Only then do I open my eyes. And only then do I feel an indescribable amount of rage.
They suffered.
They suffered and it was all because of me. My eyes drift down to my shaking hands, I clench them into fists, gasping when the small coffee pot on the counter shatters. Some of the anger lifts, but not enough of it.
Ⓐ Ⓐ Ⓐ Ⓐ
I count the divots and chips in the paint on the ceiling, illuminated by the lamp on the floor next to me. As if the apartment wasn't bad enough before, I destroyed it. Just like everything else. But there wasn't much to break. The anger has left me, leaving me feeling empty and scared. Scared to close my eyes for a moment. I'm horrified. I don't know how to live anymore. I roll onto my side, staring at the gash in the floor until my eyes glance toward the digital clock seated on the ground next to the lamp. I reach out to grab it, finding it's just after midnight.
Happy sixteenth birthday, Nadya.
Alone. Just like I always will be.