Chapter 1
Ok, hey everyone! :) I just wanna star out like this and say: thank you so much; everyone that has supported this story so far! :) you have no idea what it means that there are people out there that enjoy it :) I know that there will be people that might not like this story, but I do hope you give it a chance ;) I have been told that this story is amazing so I hope you may end up thinking the same!
this is a story about finding your place in the world and forming unbreakable bonds of family and friends :)
enjoy! :)
So there I was, sitting at my desk, sketching. It was a breezy fall day, just like any other weekend during the school year. –hold that thought. Let me start again.
My name is Kate Sanders. I'm a 15 year old girl from Fredrick Maryland. Some of my hobbies include Karate, shooting; hunting, hiking, Skateboarding, and I study wild life for nature and animal reserves. I'm an absolute animal lover; my parents say I have a "connection" with them, if you know what I mean.
Oh, and I should also mention that I'm a bit... Well, how do I put this... Different. It's hard to explain, all I can say is that one day my parents sat me down and explained it all to me. It was scaring me and I remember the conversation like it was yesterday…at least I wish I was yesterday..
~0~
8 MONTHS LATER…
Agent Clint Barton walked onto the bridge of the SHIELD Helicarrier. He walked up to Director Fury.
"Sir, Coulson's got the team ready." Clint says. Fury turns to him.
"Good. Dispatch when ready." Clint gives a nod before walking off.
Coulson was taking some agents to a ware house in the heart of downtown New Jersey. They had apparently been capturing people with "abilities" and torturing them. To them they were just animals. And after the battle of New York, SHIELD wasn't going to let this continue. Several kidnappings had been reported in the area, including some in the state of Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Agent Natasha Romanoff and Captain Steve Rogers were also on this mission with him. They were going to find and detain all of those ass holes behind this operation. And also try to figure out some of these people with abilities.
Clint met up with Natasha at the black SUV.
"Looks like you're ready to go." Clint says; looking her over, seeing her in her suit. She gives a nod.
"Same with you." She says. He gives a nod. Captain Rogers walks up to meet him, dressed in plain clothes with a SHIELD jacket, and not his patriotic get up. "Looks like you ready to go." She says sarcastically. Steve shrugs.
"No need to draw unwanted attention." He says in his no-emotion tone. Coulson walks up to them.
"Alright." He begins. "Let's go."
~0~
They arrive at the location around an hour later. Everyone spills out of the cars and goes for the front door. Coulson is the first to enter. They all walk around a corner and see a lay out that looks like a bar, with TV's, couches, and so on. Several people were there, laughing and getting drunk, waving their guns around like idiots.
"Excuse me!" Coulson yells over the noise. It dies down and they all look at the intruders. "I'm with the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics division. We'd like to speak with you." He begins.
"What the hells does that mean to me?" The drunken guy says. Suddenly several other guys come around the corner they were smiling and talking amongst each other when they saw the SHIELD team. They smiles fade and they looked serious. Coulson nods to the team and some agents walk toward them.
"We gotta get out of here!" One says and they run the opposite direction. Romanoff, Barton, Rogers, and Coulson are left.
"Ok, while our other agents are in pursuit, we'll scope out the area for the hostages. " They give a nod and spread out.
~0~
Coulson walked up to a door and looked inside, it was empty. The only thing in there was some old furniture and a rolled up rug. He continues to the next room, there was a body on the floor. He runs over and turns her over. Blood covered her chest and neck. Someone slit her throat. He closes the eyes and stands up, walking toward the door.
"Coulson." His com beeped.
"What is it Rogers." He responds.
"I think I found one." Coulson puts his com away and heads to the location.
…
Coulson walks up to Captain Rogers, who was kneeling down and looking at something in the corner of a room. Coulson sees the door broke at the hinges. I guess that's one way to get in. Coulson thought. Steve turns to him.
"She won't come out." He says. Coulson looks up seeing a girl huddled in the corner. She was skinny and her clothes were almost rags. His shirt was a flannel, one sleeve was gone and it didn't cover most of her stomach. She wore jeans that were ripped up and dirty. He brown hair was matted with what looked like blood and her arm and face had blood on them too. Coulson looked at Steve who just shrugged.
"Miss?" Coulson spoke up. "I'm with SHIELD, were here to help." He pulls out a water bottle from his bag and walks forward.
She shrinks into the corner more and Coulson sets the water bottle down gently in front of her. Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff come around the corner. The girl's eyes go wide as the number of people in the room grows. She tries to get as small as possible.
"Coulson, we found some others. We already have them ready to go." Natasha said. She glances at the girl before looking at Coulson.
"Alright." He turns to Captain Rogers. "Just keep her company til we get back. Try to get her out if you can." He nods and Coulson follows Romanoff and Barton out.
~0~
I don't know how long I've been here. The days started blending together quickly. I do not remember much else. Only the pain and the torture. But something was different today. These people showed up I haven't seen before. I'm scared. They haven't hurt me yet. But I can't trust them. I can't trust anyone after what they did to me.
Right now there was a man kneeling down in front of me, urging me to come out of my corner. I want to. But I can't. What if they tried to hurt me? They set a bottle of water down in front of me. I haven't had water in days. My throat was on fire as I stare at the water. I want it really bad. But if I show any signs of wanting it, they might hurt me again.
I know I will die here. But if these people are really telling the truth, and they want to help…maybe, just maybe…I'll live to see my parents again.
"Please come out." He says. I gulp eyeing him, and then the water. He looks at the water. He comes a little closer and I cringe; looking at the floor. "I'm uh; Captain Rogers but you can call me Steve." He says. He stops and looks at me before pushing the water closer to me. "It's ok, take it." He says. I look at it. What if it was poisoned like last time? Or it was just salt water to make my burn for a sip of fresh, clean water? But if it was really clean… "Here." He picks it up and takes a small sip. "It's clean, you can drink it." He puts it down in front of me.
Aw, hell. Now I really want the water. I thought. I swallow, and scoot an inch closer and don't take my eyes off him as I put out a shaky hand and take the water. After taking off the cap, I take a small sip.
Holy. Crap. I thought. I must have died and gone to heaven. I chug the rest and see pity in his eyes as I finish it and place it in front of me.
~0~
Coulson walks up to the door, he was about to enter when he sees the girl was out of the corner and looked less scared. He stops to watch.
"I promise, no one will hurt you." Steve says. Coulson eyes the girl, she looks at him and she immediately scoots back into the corner. Steve stands up and turns around, seeing Coulson.
"It's ok, he's a friend." He says turning back to her. She had her eyes on Coulson. Steve turns back.
"We need to head out soon." Coulson said. "If we can't get her out willingly, then we'll need to sedate her." Steve looks at her than Coulson.
"You sedate that kid and she'll never trust anyone!" He whispers to him. Coulson huffs.
"I don't like it any more than you do but the building will be self-destructing in fifteen minutes, so you better hurry up if you think you can get through to her." He gives a nod and Coulson walks into the room.
"Miss, this building it about to self-destruct. If you don't come with us now we can't guarantee your safety." Coulson says. The girl swallows and looks at the floor, then the wall. Steve puts a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll take it from here." He said.
"You sure?" He asked. Steve nodded and knelt back down and Coulson went for the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes." He said and left. Steve watches him go.
"You should get out of here." She suddenly says. Steve's head twists around to face her. Wow, she actually spoke. He thought. Her voice was hoarse and scratchy.
"Yeah well, you should too." He says. She shakes her head. "Come on." He says in a playful tone. "A girl your age has a whole life ahead of her. Why would you throw that away?" He says. A very small smile appears on her face. She doesn't respond.
They sit in silence for a few minutes while Steve is trying to figure out what to say.
"Please come with us." He says. "You won't regret it." He tries to convince her. Coulson walks in.
"Time to go."
~0~
"You won't regret it." The guy Steve says. Another guy walks in and I look up.
"Time to go." He said. Steve nodded and turned to me. I look around. Did I really want to die in this hell hole?
I hesitantly look at him before inching a bit closer and pushing myself to my feet. They both smile as I take a step forward. I stumble, feeling pain in my ankle. Steve catches my arm and I flinch away. He gives me another pitiful look before I follow the other guy out with Steve following.
~0~
Coulson walks onto the bridge of the Helicarrier. He walks up to Director Fury.
"We found them all sir, they being cleaned up and detained." He reports. Fury turns to him.
"All of them?" He asks. Coulson nodded. "Did all of them have abilities?" Coulson nods, and then is hesitant.
"All accept one; we can't seem to get through to one enough to find out. She is completely erased from all files, it's like she never existed." Coulson says.
"Well figure it out then. We need to know if these people pose a threat to anyone." He made clear. Coulson gives a nod then walks off.
~0~
They had put me in a steel room. There was a small twin bed in the corner and a small bathroom as well. They gave me some clothing and some soap to clean up.
I don't know what I'm doing here. I can't trust anyone! Not after everything that's happened… If they tried to use my ability for bad, I just couldn't let that happen. I do want to trust them, but I can't give in just yet.
They gave me a jacket with their symbol on it and some black cargo pants and combat boots; I guess that's all they had. After freaking out in the shower I came out and towel dried my hair and sat on the bed. I haven't taken an actual shower in like forever.
I can't go to sleep; if I do they might hurt me. Like the other people. But I can't help but slowly drift off into a dreamless sleep.
~0~
Coulson met up with Romanoff, Barton, and Captain Rogers in the hall.
"How is she?" Steve asked. Coulson sighs.
"She's scared. She won't eat any of the food we leave and half the time she won't sleep, either from nightmares or she's just plane scared and won't let her guard down." Coulson says.
"Is she showing any signs of injury?" Natasha spoke up.
"She'll be heading to medical soon; we'll have to sedate her." He glances at Steve who didn't look thrilled.
"Did you find a name or anything for that matter?" Clint asked. Coulson shook his head.
"These people really didn't want her to be found." A doctor walks up.
"We're ready for her." He says. Coulson nods to the door and they go in, along with a big a needle to sedate her.
Steve looks at Coulson, disapproving. Coulson sighed and followed the doctors with the girl on a stretcher.
~0~
I woke up to dim lighting. I was sore and felt a bit weak. I slowly sit up and rub my head. What the hell had just happened? I thought. I remember just sleeping-feeling pain in my arm- then sleeping again and waking up.
What I didn't realize was that someone had entered the room. I scurry into the corner at the front of the bed.
I did recognize this person though. The guy Captain Rogers from the ware house. He had something in his hand and I wanted to know what it was. Was it pepper spray? A Taser!? I thought.
"Brought you something." He says walking forward. He holds out a lollipop. I let out a breath. Thank the lord. I thought. "It's uh- all they had in the cafeteria that didn't look like it was from another planet." He says with a smile. I let out a very small laugh.
He tossed it to me and I catch it clumsily. It was surprisingly one of my favorite flavors. Watermelon. I slowly take the rapper off it and inspect it, looking for and kind of poison or something. He laughs.
"It's not poisoned." He says playfully. I give a nervous smile before I put it in my mouth.
Once again, Holy. Crap. I haven't tasted anything this good in such a long time! I take my time enjoying the sugary goodness.
"What's your name?" He asks after clearing his throat. I stop, looking at him, then the floor. I hesitate.
"K-Kate." I say nervously. "Sanders." I finish. He nods.
"And uh, who old are you?" I swallow.
"Fifteen." I say. I knew I was giving away too much information, but something told me I could trust him with it.
"Ok, well. I'll give the info to Coulson and if we find anything we see about getting in contact with your parents." He gives a small smile before getting up and leaving. I smile and put the lollipop back in my mouth.
Maybe they aren't so bad after all. I thought. I can't wait to see my parents!
~0~
Captain Rogers walks up to Coulson, Agent Romanoff, and Agent Barton.
"Her name is Kate Sanders, and she's 15." He begins. Coulson turned to him.
"You got her to talk?" Natasha asked. He nodded. Clint laughs.
"Yeah, by bribing her with candy." He chuckles.
"Well was I supposed to bring her a plate of vegetables?" He jokes. Natasha rolls her eyes.
"Did you find anything else out?" Coulson demanded. He shook his head.
"I wasn't going to overwhelm her with questions, Coulson." He makes clear. Coulson huffs.
"Well Fury's growing impatient and we need to contact her parents." Coulson said. They all nod. "You said Kate Sanders?" Coulson said. Steve nodded. "Alright. I see what I can get on her parents. In the meantime, leave her be until I say otherwise." They all nod.
~0~
Coulson walks up to Director Fury.
"Sir, we found out some information on the girl." Fury presses a few buttons on the control and looks at him.
"Did you find her parents?" He asked. Coulson face was grim.
"They were killed shortly after our departure from the ware house. Someone must really be taking this seriously in order to kill off her connections." Coulson said. Fury sighed.
"They always are." He said.
"Where should we send her?" He asks. Fury looked out the window.
"Find out what her power is, if she has one. Then we'll determine what to do with her."
"With all due respect sir, I highly doubt she's a threat. She just endured a very dramatic experience, she can barely stand right now as it is." Coulson said; slightly defending her. Fury gives him a look.
"And will all due respect agent, my job is to insure the safety of the whole population, not just one messed up kid." He mocks. "Dismissed." Coulson gives a nod and walks away.
~0~
Coulson passes Captain Rogers in the hallway.
"Did you find anything out?" He asked. Coulson nods.
"Her parents and other close family are dead." Coulson said. Steve hesitates before nodding.
"What are we gonna do." He asked.
Coulson sighs and shrugs.
"Honestly, once Fury finds out her power and declares whether or not she's dangerous she'll be dumped out on the streets or sent to the sandbox." Coulson said. Steve huffs.
"Are you gonna tell her?" He asked. Coulson gives him a look. "You can't be serious." He said realizing his plan.
"I am. She knows you the most and trusts you more than any of us right now; I think she'd take it better from you." Coulson said. He sighed before giving a nod.
"You want me to tell her now." He said. Coulson nodded.
"The sooner she knows the better."
~0~
I hear a door open and open my eyes to see Captain Rogers walk in. I sit up and sit on the edge of my bed instead of the corner against the wall.
He didn't look happy. My small smile disappears and I think I know what he's about to say.
"Um, Kate?" He began, pulling a chair up. I swallow. "I have some bad news...your parents are gone." He says slowly.
I knew it.
My eyes water a bit, but I hold them back.
"I know." I said quietly. He furrows his eyebrows. "B-Back at the ware house, they would threaten me." I said. "They would tell me…they'd kill my family if I tried to escape or disobey them." I said, my lip quivering.
I wipe a single tear away and continue. "I knew they weren't lying...It happened to one girl already at the time, she would stand up to them... She's dead." I say, remembering the moment.
"She meant a lot to you." He could tell.
"Yeah." I hesitate before saying so. "They beat her to death. I was lucky enough to survive that day." I say. I look away and try to think happier thoughts.
"I'm sorry." He says. I smile and wipe away another tear.
"Don't be. If I wasn't where I was that day none of this would have happened. It was my fault from the beginning." I say, and then I stop. I'm getting ahead of myself here. I thought. I'm getting way to comfortable way to fast. I pull myself farther onto my bed and lean against the wall.
"Hey, that was not your fault." He made clear. I don't respond and hug my knees.
He gets up and walks for the door.
"I'll check in on you later." He says. I nod and he leaves. As soon as the door closes I can't hold in my tears any longer as they start to trickle down my face.
~0~
Coulson meets Rogers outside the door.
"Well?" He asked. Steve sighs.
"She kinda knew." Coulson raised an eyebrow. "She said that the people holding her were threatening to kill her parents if she tried anything." He said. Coulson nodded.
"Alright, we'll that's one less thing to worry about. If she's given the all clear when we don out her ability, I've been looking into some foster homes-"
"Are you sure that's the best thing for her right now?" He questions. Coulson gives him a look.
"Don't get attached." He says.
"I'm not getting attach-"
"Yes you are. When she's ready, we'll have to find her a foster home til she can find a family." Coulson says.
"How would you define ready for her?" He asked. Coulson was running out of ideas.
"What are you suggesting?" He asked. Steve shrugs.
"That she stays here..." Coulson narrows his eyes.
"Until she's fully ready and confident that she can be on her own." He adds.
"What makes you think she's not?" He demands.
"She won't trust anyone." He says.
"Except you." Coulson states.
"...that's different." He says. "I was probably the first nicer person she's seen in months." He says. Coulson smirks.
"She's not a puppy, Rogers. You'll need to get over it when she's gone." He turns to walk away.
"I'm not getting attached Coulson!" He raises his voice a bit. "I just care about it more than you." He said. Coulson gives a nod.
"If you say so." He says, and then walks off. He is left standing there.
~0~
At stark tower...
Natasha and Clint had gone back to the tower. Pepper greets them at the door.
"Hey!" She says. She gives Natasha a small hug along with Clint. "How was the mission?"
"It was ok, a success I would say." Natasha says; grabbing a soda from the fridge.
"Is Steve with you?" She asked, looking around.
"No, he's still on the carrier with his little friend." Clint smirks. Natasha punches his shoulder "Ow!" He hissed.
"What friend?" Pepper asked.
"There were some kids, at the ware house. They were tortured and some of them killed. He's been able to get through to the last one we have yet to find a family for." Natasha says.
"He's getting attached." Clint says with a grin. Natasha elbows his ribs. "Ow." He laughs. She rolls her eyes.
"You said she didn't have a family?" Pepper asked. Natasha shook her head.
"Coulson looked at some disturbances in the past 72 hours; her parents were killed last night along with close family." Natasha said. "Coulson's been trying to find a foster home til we find out her ability".
"That's horrible." Pepper says. Natasha nodded. Then her face brightened. "She could stay here!" Pepper says. "Right Tony?!" She yells to Tony who was sitting on the couch fixing something as usual.
"What?" He asked after like a minute. She rolls her eyes.
"You know, until you find a home for her she could have one of the guest rooms." Pepper offers. Natasha sighs.
"I don't know Pepper..." She starts.
"Tell Nick, that she can. The offers open." Pepper says before getting back to cooking. Natasha just gives a nod and walks over to the couches and sits. She pulls out her phone.
~0~
Coulson was on his way to the bridge when his phone rang. He pulled it out. It was Natasha.
"Romanoff?" He starts.
"Hi Coulson. I told Pepper about the girl." She says.
"And?"
"She says she can stay at Stark Tower til everything's sorted out. It could help with her people skills I'll give it that. If she can survive Stark she can survive anything." Coulson smirks.
"I don't know. If she gets too attached to you all, it will be hard to send her away." Coulson says.
"Don't worry Coulson, we won't get attached. Just tell Fury."
"I'll talk it over with him." He hangs up and walks toward the bridge.
~0~
I was sitting on my bed, trying to think about my options. I knew the most obvious thing was they would put me into foster care. I can't deal with that. Needing to impress people so they'll take me home and give me a life? No thanks.
Maybe I could figure out something and just get a job, find an apartment. I can shoot, and fight pretty well. I'm a bit rusty. But it's not something you forget.
Maybe I could teach shooting or fighting lessons!
I'm taken out of thought when the door opens. I look up and see the guy called Coulson.
"Ms. Sanders, we've located a place for you to stay in the meantime." I give a small nod. "If you'll follow me, we'd like to get you ready." I hesitate.
Do I go with him? My breath gets quicker. I'm very nervous, Captain Rogers said he was a friend but can I take his word for it? He hasn't given a reason NOT to trust him yet though.
Making up my mind, I slowly get up and follow him out.
~0~
Steve walks into the communal floor of the tower. Pepper walks up to him.
"So when is she coming?" She asked. Steve raises an eyebrow.
"The girl, Kate!" She says.
Steve's eyebrows shoot up. "Wait,-" Natasha walks up.
"Coulson pulled some strings with Fury. She'll be staying here in the meantime." Steve hesitates before saying something. Clint comes up next to him.
"Be happy Cap, your little friend's gonna visit!" He jokes. Steve shoves him and looks at Pepper.
"When was this decided?" He asked.
"I think it was after you left the carrier." She said. He nods.
Pepper walks up to Natasha.
"Does she have anything clothing wise?" Pepper asked. Natasha shook her head.
"As of right now she doesn't own anything really." Pepper nodded.
"Here, why don't you come with me to get her some clothes?" Natasha gives her a look. "It'll be fun! Come on."
"Why do I need to go?" She asks in a pissed off tone. Pepper gives her a face.
"One, I don't know what she likes, and two I don't know what size she is." Natasha sighs.
"She's around my size a little taller though and she looks more tomboy." Natasha tries to sum up. Pepper nods.
"I know just the place!" She says excitedly.
A few hours later...
Pepper and Natasha had gone to 3 different stores and got a few outfits. Natasha made sure she had something comfortable, while Pepper picked out some outfits that were more fashionable.
~0~
The SUV pulled up at Stark Tower. I could see the front door.
Was I ready for this? Moving into Stark Tower?! I was an absolute fan of the avengers before everything happened to me. So living in Tony Stark's huge tower was just plain crazy.
I was so scared. I'm really going to mess this up. I thought. I'm going to drive everyone crazy. No to mention I hate when people pity, or try to help me. Even before it happened, my trust issues needed attending. My parents use to talk to me about it...I never listened...
Coulson opens the door and I look outside wide eyed. It was noisy and loud. Cars were everywhere same with people. This was New York though. I thought.
"Ms. Sanders?" Coulson grabs my attention and I cautiously get out of the car and look around. It was big, and different. I had never been to the city before, and I felt more vulnerable than ever now.
I follow Coulson to the elevator. He typed in a code and pushes a button. We begin to go up. I stare at the wall nervously. I didn't see Coulson eyeing me.
"Don't worry." He says. "As long as you just be yourself, you'll fit in just fine." He tells me. I swallow and nod. The elevator dings as we stop. I let out a shaky breath. Here we go. I thought.
It opens and I look around in shock. It was awesome! We step inside. A woman with ginger hair came up to me; I take a small step back.
"Hi Kate! Welcome, I'm Pepper." She says with a smile. I gave a small smile, but still remain closed off.
"She's a little shy." Coulson whispers. She nods.
Two other people enter the room; I recognized them as Natasha and Clint.
Natasha gives me a small smile and Clint smiles and sits on a stole.
"Well, I have a room for you ready if you want to see it." Pepper says. I look at Coulson who nods. I turn to Pepper and follow her.
...
Coulson walks up to Natasha and Clint.
"Report if you find anything out regarding her ability." He said. They nod and he heads for the elevator.
...
I follow Pepper into a room. She opens the door and a gasp escapes my mouth. It was amazing. There was a beautiful queen size bed with a forest green and brown comforter. And the walls were a cream white. There was a desk that matched the bed set and a dresser and night stand.
"I know it's not much but, it should do for now." Pepper said. I wanted to say otherwise. This was incredible. "There's a bathroom to." Pepper says. I follow her. It was also pretty neat- for a bathroom anyway.
There was a sink and an awesome mirror that matched the bed set. There was a little privacy for the toilet and there was a tub next to the shower in the corner of the room, two brown rugs were on the floor.
"T-Thank you." I say, still awestruck. Pepper puts a hand on my shoulder.
"It's the least we could do. Now, if you want to get cleaned up, there are all sorts of hair products and soap in the cupboards under the sink and clothes in the closet." She says. I nod and she leaves the room.
Alright, she's gone. I walk back into the room and look around. This was too much. I'm not used to all of this.
I walk over to the closet and open the two doors, a few different outfits were hung up and there was a skate board on the floor in the corner there was a tag on it with a bow. It said:
From Natasha and Clint
I smiled and look through all the outfits. Some of them said army on them. Thoughts of my brother started going through my head and I felt tears come to my eyes thinking about him. I push the thoughts away and I go over to the desk and look out the window in front of it. I open the drawls seeing all sorts of pens and pencils with other supplies. I looked for some plain paper when I opened the last draw and see a sketch book with a note on it. I pick it up and read it.
From Steve.
I smile and take the sticky note off it and open it up, I begin to sketch. As I sketch, I take a moment to stop and look out the window. Then the thought hit me. I was living with the avengers.
So there's the first chapter everyone! I hope you enjoyed it, please review. I love knowing what you all think! I hope you all continue to read this story and give it a chance! It does get better i promise! Anyway, by for now!