When we got out of the hotel a fancy shiny car was there. With out hesitation mr stark walked right up to it and opened the door while motioning for me to get in. Seeing no other options I slid in mr America, mr stark, and Natasha soon following.
"Back to the tower, Happy." Mr Stark said confidently resting one leg over the other and putting his arm behind me.
Happy, the driver, grumbled under his breath but still put the car in drive and pulled out onto the oncoming traffic not paying any mind to the rude honks directed at him.
I sat quietly looking out the window thinking about this new city that I'll be living in for the next couple of years of my life. Since it was my first time in a big city I was still in awe and a little bit bothered by the tall buildings and the large amount of rude people that seem to always surround you in New York.
There wasn't really a word to use to fully describe the way New York truly makes you feel when you first experience it. Some people may say it made them feel small and insignificant and some people would say it made them feel empowered to be able to curse a stranger out on the streets and get away with it.
But I feel completely and utterly at home in this insanely rude fast paced city. I feel like a full fledged New Yorker who can feel big and apart of something in this city- I feel like I can take someone cursing me out for no reason and turn it only a joke instead of getting offended or mad.
I don't know, maybe it's my meeting my soulmates here doing this to me. Maybe where ever they live will feel like home there is no way to know, so I'm just going to enjoy this feeling for how ever long I can.
"Hey, we're here." Natasha said taking my attention away from my thoughts and to her. She was beautiful. I've literally never had any feelings for a girl before or even found one attractive. I don't know about her but for me this is going to take some getting used to. With all of them it will be an adjustment, but we, me and Natasha, have a lot to figure out together.
We get out of the car together and mr stark leads the way with mr America on my right and Natasha on my left I follow behind him to the elevators in the underground parking garage we were in.
When we get in mr America hits the top button that I'm guessing is the penthouse, and as we went up I could feel all of my soul marks going crazy.
"Okay so when we get up there, angel, everyone will be there." Mr America said putting his hand in mine to get my attention probably because he knows how distracted I am by my soul marks at the moment. He even gives it a squeeze causing me to look down at our hands with a little smile.
"Everyone as in..." i say un-sure.
"Everyone as in the rest of your soulmates." Natasha clears up for me causing me to get wide eyes when that registers in my mind all seven of my soulmates will be in the same room with me at the same time most of whom I haven't even met yet.
I'm about to protest and suggest we do introductions one by one instead but it's too late because the elevator doors are opening. They are all there just like Natasha and mr America said.
All except one I count are there, but I don't question it slightly relieved that I have one less soulmate to meet right now, but I can't help but wander where he or she is cause apparently that is an option now. who knew?
The avengers they're all here, and thankfully they are all too focused on talking to each other not that they would be able to see me as I'm hiding slightly behind mr America still holding onto his hand only my grip has become tighter.
On top of that all of my marks are tingling as if they are about to be set a flame. As if they have all simultaneously noticed their marks doing the same as mine is they all look over in my direction.
"Well everyone this is Ava. Ariel this is everyone." Mr Stark said walking over to the bar and poring himself a drink then plopping himself on the couch placed in the middle of the room.
Mr America gently pulled me in front of him taking me from my hiding place and walked us closer to everyone.
A big guy with long blond hair stepped forward first, "it's very nice to meet you, lady Ava i am Thor son of Odin," he said loudly and with a huge goofy smile on his face that I couldn't help but smile back at.
Next was a guy with black curly hair and glasses that complete his nerdy look, " I'm Bruce it's nice to uh finally meet you.... Ava," Bruce said showing that he was nervous making me feel better about not being the only one to be uncomfortable with this whole thing.
Last was a man who was insanely ripped with a vest like top on the show off all his upper body strength.... damn he's fine, "I'm Clint." He said shortly.I give him a tight smile and he slightly smiles back. We stare at each other for a moment until someone broke us out of our trance.
"Okay so now that you've met everyone." Natasha said stepping up next to me.
Thankfully mr America was still there, and decided that now he would lead me away to the couch with mr stark. I sat in between them and soon everyone was settled down around me everyone seeming to gravitate towards me.
"So um what are we going to do today?" I ask not really having the guts to ask what I'm really wandering.
"Well that's up to you," mr stark said casually , "we can go out and do something, maybe grab some lunch, have your last mate meet us somewhere around town, or we could go and meet up with your last soulmate now and pull him out of school which would be unconventional but we can do it if you want."
"Uhhh." Is my oh so intelligent answer.
"What you didn't really think we forgot about him, did you?" Mr stark said nudging my shoulder.
" uhh we can just wait for him to get out of school." I say looking down at my hands nervously they're all still just looking at me and I don't really know or have anything else to say.
"Alright, Ariel, you've got it." Mr stark said with a wink getting up along with everyone else.
Natasha comes over to me saying, "Here I thought you might want this we will be here a while," she said and handed me my messenger bag with my sketch book in it. I gratefully smile at her and wrap the strap around my chest. Now I have something to focus on if there is any down time, and hopefully there will be.
We all pile into the elevator and ride back down to the parking garage. When we get there mr stark gets in one car with me America and Bruce. While Natasha, Clint, and thor get into another. I guess that I'm meant to choose which car to get in so I choose the second one because I haven't spent that much time with the people in it than the other one.
Natasha smirks in mr Stark's car's direction while Clint peals out of the park.
"I'm glad you chose to join us, lady Ava." Thor exclaimed reaching over to wrap an arm around me. Still he has a huge smile on his face that seems to always be there, and it never fails to make me smile.
Soon we are pulling up to this cute little restaurant called Charlie Bird it had an outside patio where we could eat with red chairs and umbrellas. It looked a lot like the caffe I was supposed to meet Emma and Blake at this morning.
We got out and got shown to a table immediately after arriving the service is amazing most likely because of mr stark but I don't really care at the moment because... shit I'm in New York. I can't believe I'm actually here.
All I can think at this moment is God I hope this isn't a dream, and if it is a dream let me stay asleep forever.
"So Ava why don't you tell us about yourself." Clint suggests from his seat across from me after we have all ordered our drinks I got a large expresso because I can feel myself lagging behind from my early morning swim and lack of breakfast.
"Ummm. What do you want to know?"
"How about we all get to ask you a question one by one and in between you can ask us a question?" Mr America suggests.
"Okay you can start."
"What's your favorite thing to do?" Mr America asked first.
"I love swimming actually I'm here, in New York because I got a swimming scholarship for NYU, and my friends have always wanted to come here so they drove me up there, they are gonna spend a couple weeks here before helping me move in to my dorm."
"What's ,Uhh, your favorite color?" I ask kind of still nervous with the situation.
"My favorite color is light blue, but a specific shade of light blue-when the waves of the ocean crash against rocky outcroppings, light blue. It calms me, and takes me to a special place in my heart."
"That's sweet," I comment, " I've also always loved the ocean."
"What's your favorite element." Bruce asks while blushing.
"Water mostly because of the different forms and ways it can act."
"What calms you down the most?" I ask remembering his reputation as the hulk.
"Music. Mostly opera though." That's good to know in case he starts to get too angry around me which won't end well not only because he has the ability to turn into a giant green monster but also because I can't really handle angry intense situations because of my father.
I haven't really tested it much but I do know that I'm very prone to panic attacks. I think one time I had one in school and ended up passed out in the bathroom not knowing what exactly had happened I was so disorientated that I wasn't clear on if I actually had a panic attack or someone attacked me. I guess me and Bruce can relate to each other in the way we both lose control of our emotions sometimes.
"What will you be studying at NYU?" Mr stark asked next.
"Visual arts mostly." I say thinking about most of my art pieces that I ended up having to donate to either the school or charity auctions because I couldn't keep them all.
The waitress came and took our order and our menus away from us also giving refills to anyone that needs it, and I ordered a water instead of another coffee I'm good for now with the caffeine that I now have in my system.
"Do you like to do more than just sketch?" Mr stark asked a second question as soon as our waitress left.
"Ah ah ah mr stark that's two questions." I say teasingly.
"Just answer the question, Ariel."
"Yes I do more than just sketch." I say shortly just to get on his nerves.
"How many pairs of shoes do you own?"
"150"
"You know that off the top of your head?" I ask making sure not to choke on my water that I had just taken a sip of.
"Ah ah ah Ariel that's two questions," I roll my eyes and wait for him to answer, "yes of course I know that off the top of my head I can't have any of them go missing without me noticing now can I?"
Again I roll my eyes but don't comment because Thor was asking his question,"Lady Ava, What's your favorite place to be when you wish to clear your head."
"I like to get to high ground. Somewhere above everything else so I can feel free." I say thinking about my cliff that I used to go to all the time back home in between school and swim practice.
"What do u miss the most about your home?"
"I miss my friends the most, lady Ava." Thor answers with a gentle smile.
" what's your biggest fear?" Natasha asked with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Being powerless." I actually took lessons from a guy named Jo back at home on how to fight before I started swimming, so I could feel more powerful against my father of course I never actually had the guts to do anything to fight back but I know that should have.
When I was feeling especially powerless I competed in some street fights here in there for money to tie up some loose ends with the bills and stuff, but I'm not going to tell them that. Hopefully I'll never have to tell anyone that.
"Where were you born?"
"Russia."
Clint was the last person to ask his question, "what's on the top of your bucket list?"
"I've um always wanted to travel a lot right now next on my list would be New Orleans." I say looking down at my cup of water shyly.
After we asked our questions the ice was broken and most of us were completely comfortable. Conversation flowed really well with tony being constantly cocky, Natasha and I knocking him down a few pegs, Thor laughing loudly, Bruce correcting people when they are wrong about something, and Clint even smiled some too.