Chapter One

I was bored. Tony had been vague with his instructions, just telling me to wander the city looking for anything amiss. There was no action here. The closest thing to a fight had been between a cat and a butcher over some fish bones. So now I was stuck in this stupid coffee shop, waiting for the green light to go back to base. I looked around at the civilians, wondering what it must be like to be normal. No world to save, no superpowers. Your biggest worry being if your ex was going to move on or try to get you back. I sighed. I loved my job, but sometimes I wish I could have just one day with no worries, no fighting. I shook my head, trying to jostle myself out of the funk. I sat there sipping my crappy macchiato until the joyful chirp from my earpiece made me jump from my seat, anxious to return home. In my rush to get out of the shop, I collided with a teenage girl. I looked up to apologize, but she was already walking away, her long hair escaping the dirty baseball cap that hid her face from me. As I watched her walk away, I felt the energy around her. A jolt of electricity went up my spine, causing me to jump in surprise. I frowned. That wasn't normal. I only ever got that feeling when I probed Pietro's energy, but he was my brother.

When I returned to the base that night, I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew the girl. I had a nagging feeling that we shared something, some obscure connection. I was so lost in thought that I didn't even notice Vision casually walking through the living room wall. He waved his hand in front of my face, earning him a steely glare.

"What do you want, Vision?" I snapped.

He smiled gently. "Just to know what it troubling you. Perhaps I could be of assistance? Unless you're going to snap at me."

I sighed and slumped back into my chair, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "I don't know. When I was out today I saw this girl. And I can't fathom why, but I can't stop thinking about her!" I glanced at him to see his eyebrows raised suggestively.

I practically growled in exasperation. "I am not a lesbian Vision! It's not an attraction, I just can't shake the feeling that I know her from somewhere."

"And where would that be exactly?" Vision asked.

I frowned. "Maybe my hometown in Slovakia? I know we share a connection; I could feel it in the energy surrounding her."

Vision got up and leaned over me, his hands reaching to touch my jacket collar.

"What are you doing?"

He rolled his eyes, then tugged on the lapel of my jacket. I heard a click. He leaned back and I saw a metallic object glinting between his fingers. "Your body cam," he said.

I face palmed. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" Sam and Steve had insisted that when undercover they all wear body cams so later they could review the footage to catch anything overlooked.

Vision grabbed the nearest laptop (Tony just left them lying around, the ungrateful billionaire) and inserted the cam's memory card. Within seconds, a picture of the woman's face filled the screen. I took in the high cheekbones, the full mouth, the thick chocolate locks. The feeling in my stomach began to rise up to my heart, which stopped when I saw the girl's eyes. They were like chips of ice, the palest shade of blue. Pietro's eyes. I started to hyperventilate. "That's impossible. Oh no, no!" I gasped. My hand flew to my heart, which had begun beating again, but at a remarkable rate. I knew that face. Knew it like my own. It was the face of my little sister, Helena.