Prologue

Everyone wants to be a superhero. From a young age, the internet and Hollywood have implanted it into children's minds that being a superhero would be cool. Kick butt, look awesome, and win all the fame and glory.

Ellen Wong once said, "What does it mean to be a superhero? We're all fighting for the better good. But, at the same time, I think what stands out is, as superheroes, you don't give up; you don't surrender. I think that's what makes a superhero."

How do I feel about all of this? I would count every single grain of sand in the Sahara desert and the Pacific Ocean if it meant that I would never have to deal with my abilities again, look over my shoulder every time I go to bed to make sure I don't get jumped, or get seizures whenever I see another person use their talents.

My name is Emily Salgado. I'm eighteen years old and a senior at Buffalo Valley High School. I currently work as a waiter at a nearby Sherri's with my best friend Lizzy. She's probably the only normal person who knows about my…condition. That's the simple way of summarizing my life.

Sure, I didn't mention the fact that I grew hazel-golden wings at the age of twelve after my father went missing, or that I became a X-Men member at age fourteen and fought with them until sixteen, when I had to leave in fear of being turned over to Magneto, the X-Men's worse enemy.

Wait…perhaps I'm going to fast…Let's slow it down. Let's start when I first meet my future boyfriend and nearly die in the process.

Chapter 1

March 12, 2015

By Carrie O'Neill

It has been announced that the diabolical HYDRA assassin known as The Winter Soldier has been released from federal custody to the custody of the recently broken up federal agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., with the promises from ex-director Nicolas Fury, and Avenger members, Captain America and Falcon, that he has switched from his killing ways and is now in the Avengers: Initiate program designed for those with special abilities who want to be able to do more. "He's just a man who went through my experience," says the Captain when asked about the Winter Soldier. "He's done some pretty nasty things, I know, but he's trying to get through it and change himself. And I know for a fact that I'm willing to give him that chance."

"I swear, if you are reading that article about the Winter Soldier again, I will scream," my mother commented, rounding the corner. I quickly shoved the newspaper article behind my back and tried to put on my best fake grin.

"What article?" I asked, batting my eyelashes like I had no clue what she was talking about.

She rolled her eyes at me and said, "Hurry up and get ready. You have school and then the restaurant." I groaned, but nodded, standing up to start grabbing my things. Mom was in the kitchen, fixing up something when she slammed one of the cabinet doors, causing me to jump up in fear.

In a flash, hazel brown and golden wings appeared at my sides. My eyes flashed around in concern. I pulled myself together and concentrated on them becoming transparent again. In a snap, they disappeared as fast as when they appeared. I sighed with relief and headed to my bedroom. Once inside, I grabbed my backpack and work uniform. As I exited our home, my phone buzzed. I snatched it up and checked my messages. It was from Lizzy, my best friend.

LIZTHEAMAZINGNESS:

Hey Em! WARNING: Huge debate going on about TWS.

I sighed. That was the way my school worked. Either you agreed with the media and what they said about the Winter Soldier, or you were a 'revolutionary who thought that Magneto and Baron Zemo should run the world', or at least that was the way our principal, Mr. Prior, had said it.

EMILY/HOURGLASS:

How am I not surprised?

LIZTHEAMAZINGNESS:

Seriously tho, we are surrounded by idiots with no life.

I snorted at what she wrote, shaking my head. Lizzy could be the most inspirational person in the world. I once witnessed her convince the entire school board to switch the prom's theme colors from black and white to pink in order to support breast cancer. Of course, not only did it give her an excuse to fundraise for breast cancer victims, but it also let her wear pink to the prom.

However, Lizzy was very opinionated. If people didn't agree with what she thought, she'd let them know right away.

The bus ride was dull, as usual, and so was school. Don't get me wrong; I love school. I loved reviewing things in classes. Learning was a bit more difficult, due to…reasons. After school, I sat down on the curb, waiting anxiously for Lizzy to arrive. I heard a shout behind me and I turned. A smile formed on my face.

A short, redheaded girl was dodging and weaving between a bunch of freshmen, trying hard to get caught up to me.

"You still living?" asked Lizzy, panting when she reached me. She quickly shoved her red, frizzy hair into a sloppy bun and pushed her square, crimson glasses up on her nose.

"From what I can see, yes," I teased back, taking a deep breath. "That went a lot smoother than I thought."

"High school always suck, no matter if you're a superhero or just a freshman trying to get by," Lizzy said wisely. "Let's head over to the restaurant and you can fill me in on the details, kay?"

I nodded. Lizzy was a year younger than me (I was a senior) but she acted like my older sister at times. We took a seat in her little green Subaru and she turned the car on, pulling out of the parking lot. "So what exactly are you doing? I mean, you explained this to me yesterday but I'm still confused as heck."

"The Avengers: Initiate program has new slots available," I explained. "Considering my last line of work was not a waiter but a superhero, I figured I might be able to get back in again."

I couldn't help myself but go through a mental run through of my life four years ago. My mom had received a call from a mysterious man named Charles Xavier who ran a school for gifted students up in London. My mom, wanting me to receive the best education I could get, accepted it without really looking into it. The next thing I knew, I was an X-Men and training alongside Wolverine, Beast, Nightcrawler, and Angel.

Two years though, I had to get out. People, more specifically Magneto, had wanted to us my powers to help him gain control over other mutants. I said no and he has been hunting me ever since. I basically dropped off the grid my junior year and haven't been bothered by the X-Men or Magneto since.

"You are crazy, Emily," sighed Lizzy as she stopped at a red light, jerking me out of my daydream. "Remember last time you said you were ready to get back in again?"

"Yes, I know," I groaned, shaking my head. "I nearly blew up Buffalo Valley. But for the record, I got distracted!" Lizzy shrugged and gave me a face, which sent me laughing. "Anyways, I think I might have a chance."

"You definitely have a chance," confirmed Lizzy, gently squeezing my knee. "I mean, you've already have past experience, and plus," she added when she stopped at a red light. She glanced around, making sure no one was near us, before leaning over to me and saying, "you have fricking wings and the ability to adapt to other powers. Who wouldn't want that on their team?" I laughed and she cracked a grin, hurriedly speeding across the four-way stop when someone honked at her.

We got to the restaurant on time and I quickly changed into my uniform. The day progressed like usual. Halfway through the day, though, two men and a woman entered the restaurant. Usually, this was a normal thing: one guy and the girl are on a date and the other dude is stuck as a third wheel. But it wasn't like that between them. There was a distinct line of respect between the men and the woman, like they wouldn't mess with her on a bad day.

It was inspiring.

I told all my coworkers that I claimed their table and walked over as chirper as I could.

"Welcome to Sharris!" I cheered. "Is there any drinks you'd like to start off with?" While they all silently contemplated their drink ideas, I observed what they looked like. One man was super built, six pack abs, the whole deal. He had short cut blond hair and warm brown eyes. The other man was darker skin with close crop black hair and a hilarious attitude. The woman had short red hair that was all straightened. Dark eyes with an athletic build; I was betting she had been some sort of dancer or athlete when she was younger.

"I think water all around will be fine," said the blond haired man. I smiled and wrote down their orders.

"If you guys don't mind," I added real quick. "I do this normally with all my customers, to get to know them. Mind if I get your guys' names too?" The blond laughed.

"I'm Steve," he said. He nodded to the darker guy and then the girl. "These are Sam and Natasha."

"And who might you be?" asked Sam, glancing at me up and down.

"The names are off-limits and Emily," I said, smiling. Natasha got a grin on her face and Steve muttered something like, "I like her." I laughed and said, "Be back with your drinks in one moment." As I exited to grab their drinks, a shiver sent down my spine. I froze. Shivers were a small part of my mutant ability. It alerted me when something wasn't exactly right with the situation I was in. I made a quick scan of the restaurant. A man sat on a barstool in a corner, fiddling with his straw wrapper every few seconds. I handed the order off to Kelley, another girl who worked at Sharris with Lizzy and I, and headed over to see what was going on.

"Hello," I said tentatively, causing him to jump. He flipped around and got a hard look in his eyes. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Leave me alone!" he screeched, and I took a few steps back. All conversations ceased in the restaurant and all eyes turned toward us. "Don't talk to me or touch me!"

"I-I'm sorry, sir," I stammered, backing up. Another blood-curling scream.

The manager of the restaurant, a blond woman by the name of Arlene, walked up and said, "Sir, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Leave yourself!" spat the man and he snapped his fingers. A painful shiver hit me and I turned away at the last second, wincing as the sound of thunder echoed through the restaurant. When I turned back, Arlene was gone, and in her stead was a pile of ashes.

Oh crud, I thought as chaos broke loose in the restaurant. Another one mutant. Customers began to push each other, trying to get out of the way of the mutant. The man made a move to tackle me, but I grabbed him, flipping him around and shoving him to the ground. I landed on top of him and struggled to keep him down.

"Stop this!" I ordered, and the man began violently shaking as my fingers began to dig into his skin. "This isn't you! You need to focus on here and now. Don't let your powers consume you!" The man screamed and ripped his wrist away from me. In a weak attempt he threw a punch. It connected with my jaw, not enough to hurt or break it, but enough to send me sprawling off of him. I stood up and glanced around at the screaming people. They were all busy on exiting.

The man and I circled each other for a few moments. He let out another scream and made a way to punch me again. In one quick flap of my invisible wings, I was out of the way and the man hit the wall with such force it left a dent. I lashed out with my foot and it connected with his skull, sending him sprawling onto the floor. I knelt by him, my hand hovering over his head. His life aura was still fine. Again, another handy adaptation I had acquired throughout the years.

He's alive, I breathed with relief. By now, everyone in the restaurant was gone, including the table who I had yet to give drinks to. I headed over to Lizzy, who was waiting patiently for me at the door of the restaurant.

"Cops are coming," she warned. I nodded and we left, entering her little car and driving off to my house. "Ok, want to fill me in on WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?"

"Another rogue mutant," I explained carefully. "Not one of Professor X's. I'm thinking a lackey of Magneto who didn't get enough quality time so bailed. Has the ability to kill people by turning them into ashes."

"Well, that means that Arlene is gone," sighed Lizzy sadly. We stared out of the windows in a moment of silence for our boss. Lizzy dropped me off at my house and warned me to be careful in case Magneto started sniffing around again.

"Are you alright?" my mother questioned as soon as I walked through the door. I nodded and gave her the face of 'what happened?'. "I just got a report that a Sharris in Buffalo Valley got attacked by some mutant. Some employee stopped them but no one got a good look at who it was."

"It wasn't ours," I lied smoothly. "I mean, we had a guy who looked like David Hasselhoff, but that was as weird as it got." My mother nodded, believing my story. She always did. It was a trick I had learned from my dad before he had disappeared. Always act innocent and then you'll always be innocent.

My mom took a deep breath and said, "Emily…we need to talk." She ushered me over to the couches and the muscles in my back tightened. What was she talking about? "I've seen the applications."

OH CRUD, CRUD, CRUD! my mind mentally screamed at me.

"I just wanted to say," she began. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Huh?" I asked.

"For applying for a finishing school," said my mother. She disappeared into the kitchen for a second before reappearing with an application in her hands. At first glance, the packet did look like a finishing school application. She's must've not looked inside yet, I sighed with relief. "I know you haven't been overly fond of New York since your father's disappearance, but I think this finishing school will be very helpful for you."

"So I have permission to leave for New York?" I asked. She nodded and I squealed with delight. "I'm going to be heading out tonight." My mom nodded in complete understanding and I grinned a thousand mile long grin. I gave her a big hug and rushed off to my room. Once inside, I shut my door and locked it. I then released my hold on my wings, and they came into view. "We're going to New York!" They fluttered happily and I quickly went to work packing any essentials I might need. I paused when I got to my bed.

I sat down heavily and reached out, my fingers grasping onto a little Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It had been a birthday present from my father when I was five. I brought it close to my chest and gently placed it inside of my carry-on. I also folded my quilt which I had also gotten from my father on my twelfth birthday that was also dear to me. Once those were zipped up, I got onto my phone and texted Lizzy.

EMILY/HOURGLASS:

OMGosh Lizzy…u will not believe what just hap.

LIZTHEAMAZINGNESS:

Spillllllll…

EMILY/HOURGLASS:

I just got permission 2 go 2 NY.

LIZTHEAMAZINGNESS:

*cue dramatic spit out water* EXCUSE MOI?

EMILY/HOURGLASS:

Lol. Exactly what I thought. She thinks finishing school. Doesn't know its Aven.

LIZTHEAMAZINGNESS:

Whoops. Big mess up 4 her. :p when do u leave?

EMILY/HOURGLASS:

2nite.

LIZTHEAMAZINGNESS:

TEXT ME EVERY NIGHT, K?

EMILY/HOURGLASS:

Every nite chica. :p LOVE YA! C U ON THE OTHER SIDE!

LIZTHEAMAZINGNESS:

LOVE YA CHICA! FIND UR DESTINY!

I giggled at the last part and flexed my wings. I glanced at the time. It read 7:50pm.

Perfect time. I grabbed my stuff and opened the doors to my in-room balcony. Once outside on the balcony, I scanned around to make sure no one was there. I clambered onto the railing and took a deep breath.

This part always freaked me out, no matter how many times I did it. I unfurled my wings and fell off. They quickly caught the wind and I swooped up, squealing as I did so. Now was the fun part. I checked my print-out sheets of Google Maps that I had placed inside the application folder and started heading south-east, towards New York City.