WELCOME.
PLEASE ENJOY THIS STORY, AS IT IS MY FIRST EVER WATTPAD BOOK.
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CHAPTER ONE ( July 2, 1996) - age seven -
PROLOGUE part one
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"Ew." I look in the old box. "This is disgusting." I state, picking up a mouldy cardboard slip.
I peer closely at the discoloured picture on the front of it, shining the torch light over it. I can barely make out a face, but it looks a drawing; a comic.
My eyes trace over the whole slip and I notice some dingy handwriting on the bottom left hand corner.
'Star Spangled Man With A Plan'
My eyebrows furrow as I wonder what the hell people were thinking when they had to name this.
I take a look inside the slip and see a vinyl record, its black sleekness shining against the flashlight.
My eyes scan the rest of the basement. Boxes are piled up all over the place and the smell of damp is overwhelming.
I weave my way through the maze of boxes to the other side of the room, the slip still in my hand.
My flashlight skims over the junk until it lands on something shiny. I step towards the object and realise it is a record player; an old-fashioned phonograph.
Cool.
I gingerly touch the dusty music player, sliding my finger against it.
Well, it's dusty, but also slimy.
I pull my hand away immediately and stand up. I bend back down and gently put the record slip on the phonograph. For some reason, I feel the need to look after this stuff.
It seems like it was very important to someone, once.
"Zoey! Zoey! Where are you?!" My mother's frantic voice comes from upstairs.
I can hear the floorboards creak as she paces back and fourth, a level above me. She must be really worried, although I don't understand why.
She always paces when she's worried. I take one last look around the basement before turning and running up the stairs.
I find my mum in the kitchen. She looks at me furiously for a moment and places her hands on her hips in an angry stance.
"Zoey Redbird! Where have you been?!" She half yells, half sighs at me. "I turn my back for a second and you're already off.. Um.." she trails off, thinking of a word. A smile spreads across my face.
"Exploring!' I yell, slightly startling mum. She tries to keep a straight face, but a tired smile appears on her face.
"You're eight years old, Zoey, it's dangerous. Who knows what's in this old house." She says, shaking her head at my antics.
I sigh sadly and she shrugs, walking around a big oak table to hug me. I breathe in her scent of caramel shampoo and raspberry perfume. She puts her chin on the top of my head and holds me lovingly.
"Come on, Zoeybird, You know that this is the best we can afford right now. We have to try and make the most of it." She soothes me.
I think back to the basement, with its boxes that could contain treasures of somebody's past. I pull out of the hug and look around the kitchen and living room.
"Mum," I ask, "Who lived here before us?"
I watch as she walks over to a side table and picks up a dusty black and white picture. She wipes the glass and shows it to me.
It shows a pretty young woman with dark wavy hair, a confident smile on her face that men would have fallen for.
This photo must be pretty old.
"An old woman named Peggy Carter lived alone here, after her children had left and her husband had died." Mum says.
"She did a lot in her life." She continues, "She was an army general in World War Two and made some very big accomplishments with some very extraordinary people that were believed to majorly help win the war against the Germans." She looks at the photo for a moment, before placing it back onto the table and busying herself with cleaning out the kitchen drawers.
I look at the photo myself for a moment before going and helping her.
I think about the stuff in the boxes, cluttering the basement.
"So everything in this house is hers?" I ask Mum and she nods.
"Her kids left all her stuff that wasn't of value. Apparently there is a whole load of junk in the basement." I smile slightly.
Oh, I know about that.
"Maybe you should go have a look around the apartment?" Mum jokes, "Oh wait, you already did that!" She laughs to herself whilst I roll my eyes.
"Mother, you are so funny that I cant even laugh." I say sarcastically. We look at each other before bursting out laughing.
"Seriously, Zoeybird. Go have an adventure. You've done all your homework on the way here, so you can play whilst I clean up and make tea, okay?" She bends down to my eye level and I smile at her.
I grab my flashlight and notebook and race towards the basement door, grabbing a napkin from one of the boxes to put over my mouth.
It stinks so bad.
I slip on my gumboots and jump down the steps. I turn on the flashlight, setting it up in a corner to cast light over the whole room. I walk over towards the phonograph and pick it up, carrying it over towards the flashlight.
I run back upstairs and grab a cloth from my mother, before coming back down into the basement to wipe down both the phonograph. I carefully take the record out of the slip and examine it.
It's label has a drawing of a man in a spangly blue outfit. I giggle at his serious action face, teeth bared.
Nevertheless, he looks pretty hot.
I place it on the record stand and start the song, a loud tune beginning to play.
I'm instantly taken aback by the style of the song, but as it begins to keep going, I instantly fall in love with it.
Who's strong and brave, here to save the American Way?
Who vows to fight like a man for what's right night and day?
Who will campaign door-to-door for America,
Carry the flag shore to shore for America,
From Hoboken to Spokane,
The Star Spangled Man with a Plan!
We can't ignore there's a threat and a war we must win,
Who'll hang a noose on the goose-stepping goons from Berlin?
Who will redeem, head the call for America,
Who'll rise or fall, give his all for America,
Who's here to prove that we can?
The Star Spangled Man with a Plan!
Stalwart and steady and true,
See how this guy can shoot, we tell ya, there's no substitute!
Forceful and ready to defend the
Red, White, and Blue!
Who'll give the Axis the sack, and is smart as a fox?
(far as an eagle will soar)
Who's making Adolph afraid to step out of his box?
(He knows what we're fighting for!)
Who waked the giant that napped in America?
We know it's no-one but Captain America,
Who'll finish what they began?
Who'll kick the Krauts to Japan?
The Star Spangled Man with a Plan!
I sit in silence for a moment, the white noise filling the silence of the basement, a smile plastered on my face. I quickly grab the record and reset it to the start of the song, excitement fueling my adrenaline.
I sit there for ages, listening to the song over and over again, until I cant stand the smell of damp anymore.
I grab the record player and take it upstairs to my room, setting it up in the corner before I go downstairs and grab the boxes, one by one bringing them up and going through them.
After an hour, Mum comes into my room, noticing all the boxes of merchandise. She picks up a comic and examines it briefly.
"What's all this?" she asks.
"It was in the basement. It says 'Property of Peggy Carter', on everything." I tell her.
She sits down next to me as I read a comic. She goes through a random box next to my bed, pulling out some video tapes.
"Too bad we have nothing to play them on." I shrug.
I'd like to watch these videos.
I'm curious.
"Well your birthday's in two days, maybe something might happen." Mum hints, making me grin and hug her tightly.
"So," she says, grabbing my notebook and looking at all my drawings of the superhero. "How was your homework? Easy?" I give her an 'are you serious' look.
"Seriously? When is it ever hard?" I ask sarcastically. She laughs and flicks one of my pigtail plaits.
"Well I'm sorry for being a child genius." I say, shrugging.
"What did the program set you this time?" She asks.
"The stratergies used to build algebraic equations containg BODMAS. And that was just maths." I say, annoyed.
"I thought you said it was easy?" My mother laughs.
"It was, I had to write an 2000 word essay on different my pick of sixteen elements of the periodic table." I say, rolling my eyes.
"Well, an essay on elements must be boring, so I'm going to give you a treat tonight. How about we buy some chocolate for dessert?" She says, rubbing her hands together excitedly. I nod and we get up to go into the kitchen.
Mum goes ahead but I notice a piece of paper falling out of one of the boxes. I pick up the paper and notice it's a drawing; a circle with some stars and stripes on it. I turn it over and notice a letter on the back.
Dear Peggy,
Once you are reading this, know that I am gone. Possibly days, possibly months. I hope that you are well, I hope that you move on. Whoever marries you will be the luckiest man on earth. Your children will be the most beautiful kids, and you will be happy.
You will survive this war, you will be brave, move on.
Just know that you are what I think about when facing enemy lines, when hiding in bushes waiting to attack. You give me courage, so now I am giving my courage to you.
I hope you find someone for that dance.
Captain America loves you, he loves you a lot, but I love you more.
I love you,
Steve
I look up from the paper, tears pooling in my eyes as I attempt to blink them back.
Peggy Carter was in love with Captain America, but in a report I found it said he died in battle.
If only I was her.
Maybe he would have loved me.
"What?" I ask myself, confused at my thoughts.
"Zoey?" Mum calls from the kitchen.
"Coming, Mum!" I reply, putting the letter on my bed, then running out the door.
I think about the comics in the boxes, all the merchandise that once belonged to Peggy, but now belonged to me.
I'm glad I found them, and I was nose he bough to rummage through everything.
I think about the hero who's face is on all those things, a fluttery feeling surfacing in the pit of my stomach.
It's like I've got a crush on Captain America.
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SORRY FOR THE BORING START, BUT I HAVE TO SHOW YOU HOW IT ALL BEGAN.
NAINAI