My name is Holly. Just Holly. That's how I usually introduce myself, anyway.
Actually, my full name is Holly Stark. Yeah. Like Stark Industries. Not exactly something I'm proud of, so, that gives me Just Holly. It's not even worth it to mention my mom's last name, the name I wish she would have given me, but she didn't. She never told me why, and now, I'd never know. She died, left my creep of a stepfather to look after me, and I took off.
So, I'm a Stark. And I've hated it ever since I understood that it meant that Anthony Edward Stark, the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist, took advantage of my mom one night, and then didn't even bother to stick around and see if a kid resulted from it.
Aka; me. But I needed Stark right now because the alternative was to deal with my stepfather, and I'd rather die than do that.
No one in their right mind would deny that I'm Stark's spawn. I've got his black hair, his basic facial features, an IQ of 183 and an ego to match. The only thing I actually inherited from my mom (my favorite thing about myself) is my eyes, which is the color of the Pacific Ocean I'm staring at right now as I try to get up the nerve to go talk to Stark.
I know right now I'm being a coward, but part of me is trying to convince myself that I would be completely fine on my own. I didn't make it all the way from my hometown in Tempe, Arizona just to sit on some jerk's doorstep.
Besides, I'd be lying to myself if I'd say that I didn't need his help. I had jean shorts and a black t-shirt that looked raggedy from two weeks of travelling by foot or stowing away, tennis shoes that were practically falling apart, a beat up backpack, no food, and seventy-five cents on me.
How pathetic is that? I couldn't even afford a burger from McDonald's. And no matter how high my IQ is, I needed to swallow my pride and accept that a twelve year old could not make it on her own, even if I did graduate high school last year. Legalities. A kid genius in an adult ruled world sucked.
I shook my head. Worst that would happen, I reasoned, was that Stark wouldn't want me. Who cares? I knew that he probably wouldn't want me. He probably would just give me money to shut me up so I wouldn't plan on going to the media, but whatever- I needed it.
My head was swimming as I walked up to the gate. Trying to push through, I suddenly received an electric shock that sent me reeling back. "Hey!" I yelled at the mansion. "I'm Tony Stark's daughter. And if you don't want me going to the media, demanding a paternity test, you'll let me through."
No answer, and I didn't expect one. I knew that this guy probably had homeless kids running up to his door all the time trying to claim that. I figured, more so than a paternity test, how I got into the mansion would prove the relation more than what I said.
"Good, I hoped this would be easy," I mumbled to myself before opening my backpack. No, I didn't have a weapon, I had something much better; my toolkit. Taking out a slim screwdriver, I deftly started messing with the mechanisms in the gate lock, and then, as I happily noted that the gate was electric, introduced a self-made virus that took out not only the security systems, but the power. It took less than a minute to do; it must be made to keep the paparazzi out, not attacks, or this guy wasn't as smart as everyone says. But even as smart as I was, I knew that I couldn't make it unless I had some sort of financial backing.
I wondered if the Merchant of Death would have missiles ready to shoot down anyone that dared mess up the lawn.
Either way, I broke into a light jog, my sore feet protesting every step. This guy had a ridiculously long driveway. Like seriously, who spends money on something as dumb as this?
I was finally up to the front door. I took a deep breath.
Before I could knock, some ginger in a pantsuit and high heels opened the door. "How did you get past the security?" She asked coldly.
"I…" I couldn't respond. My throat had choked up. Was this woman Stark's wife? "Who are you?"
She arched an eyebrow. "My name is Pepper Potts, the CEO of Stark Industries," she said stiffly. "But that's irrelevant. Who are you?"
"Holly… Stark."
Almost immediately, I saw her face go through several different expressions. The first was disbelief, then recognition, hurt, and then back to the cold mask that had greeted me when I walked in the door. She sighed. "Another one? Let's get this over quickly." She turned around, and I followed her into the kitchen. It was then that the power flickered back on.
"Pepper, I've got all systems back on. It was a nice trick, but nothing spectacular. S.H.I.E.L.D is going to have to work a whole lot harder if_" Stark broke off, looked at me. "Who's the midget?"
I immediately shut down. It was true then, despite the fact that I hoped that he knew I existed and wanted to meet me, that to him, I was the result of a one night stand.
Okay, so my 'worst case scenario' thoughts were going to have to come true. I prove I'm his kid with a paternity test, and then I get him to give me some money so I don't starve on the streets. Some plan.
"My name is Holly Stark. You probably had a one night stand with someone you don't even remember, and I want a paternity test." Good. My voice hadn't wavered, just sounded bored.
Stark shrugged. "Let's get this over with," he said, his voice sounding equally as bored. "Pepper, can you take her? I've got to get back to work on making plans for the Tower."
I bit my lip. So he didn't even want to spend time with me now and was shoving me off on his assistant? Classy. But still, I knew that being a jerk wouldn't get me what I wanted in the end, which at this point was definitely financial security. Gone were the thoughts of potentially actually living here, getting a dad, a home… mostly, anyway.
I quietly followed Pepper to a waiting car. She sat in the back with me, eyeing me nervously- like she thought I was going to steal something. Okay, maybe I've pickpocketed when I've gotten a chance, but never more than I needed for survival the last couple weeks. I hated the way she was looking at me, though. Like I was nothing more than a thief. "I have my birth certificate, if you want to see it," I offered.
She gave me a tight-lipped smile. "I don't know what game you're playing, girl, or where you're from, but if you're trying to discredit Mr. Stark, you will regret it."
I looked down at my lap, mentally willing myself not to cry- or, more likely, say something snarky back. I've gotten good at controlling my tongue in the six months since Mom died. That was a terrible Christmas. Oh, crap, now I really was going to cry. I glanced at Pepper and saw that she was still staring at me, and I guess something in my expression softened her.
"I'm sorry. You said your name was Holly? I'm sorry, Holly. It's just that this is not a good time for us_ Mr. Stark. You know about that attack in New York? Well_"
"What attack?" I asked, alarmed.
She looked at me strangely. "The one that's still all over the media?"
I hated the tone in her voice. That judgement, like I was a spoiled brat that didn't pay any attention to what was going on in the world. "Sorry, but it's kind of hard to keep up to date with CNN when you're locked in a closet," I shot back.
Crap. I shouldn't have said that. I didn't want pity. "So, what happened in the battle?" I asked, trying to keep my voice level.
"I want to hear more about you first, and then we'll talk about the battle."
I turned my head away and looked out the window. No way. I'm not falling into that trap. After a few minutes of silence, my mind drifted off. How long until we got to wherever the paternity test was going to be held?
I must have drifted off, because the next thing I knew, I felt something touch my arm. Reflexively, my arms flew up to protect my face and I cowered before I realized where I was. Strapped into the backseat of some fancy car I didn't know the name of, with a woman who didn't like me but probably wanted to call social services to get me off of the streets.
"Holly? We're here." I knew by the expression on her face that the touch on the arm hadn't been to wake me up, it had been a test, and I had proven her suspicions right.
I didn't say anything to her, just got out of the car and followed her into the lab.
A man with a purple polo and khakis greeted us at the door. "I got your message." He turned to me. "My name is Dr. Banner, and I'm going to be the one performing the test. I just need to swab the inside of your cheek, okay?" He led me into a private exam room and Pepper stayed in the lobby, only about ten feet away. Good.
I opened my mouth and let Dr. Banner do the swab. "I'm not lying, you know," I told him. "You'll see." I don't know why, but it was important to me that Dr. Banner knew that I wasn't a liar. He seemed to radiate kindness. But at the same time, there was something else there, even though I didn't exactly know what it was.
He showed me the swab. "Well, we'll know in a few hours," he said, before leaving the room. I'll be back in a little bit, I'm going to go look up your medical records after I get this started."
I hopped up onto the paper covered cot. Wondered if there was anything worth stealing in the drawers. Probably not. After just a couple minutes, a woman in a lab coat came in and said she needed to examine me. I figured Pepper probably told them what had happened in the car, and what that implied. I wanted to refuse, but the truth was, I was banged up pretty bad from getting here, and I knew that I had some lacerations that were probably infected. So I shrugged and said sure. Anything to pass the time.
I had to hand it to her; the woman was professional. She didn't let anything on my body cause her to show surprise, even though I knew it looked pretty bad. After a while, she told me I could go sit in the lobby with Pepper or I could stay in here. I told her I wanted to stay in here and sleep.
Right.
As soon as she shut the door, I noiselessly hopped off the cot, grabbed the stethoscope, and half edged it under the door.
"What do you think?" I heard Pepper ask.
"Whoever this girl is, she's been through hell to get here. You're right; there's signs of abuse. Her medical records show that she's twelve and was born in Tempe, Arizona. She's not local."
"She's twelve? I thought for sure she was ten, at the oldest." God, I hated Pepper. Couldn't wait until I could get out of here.
"Severely malnourished."
Well, duh. Not exactly a bunch of cheeseburgers on the run, unless you fish them out of garbage cans. Man, I wanted a cheeseburger.
They weren't talking anymore, and I got bored of hanging out on the floor, waiting for something to happen. The cot was the most comfortable thing I've laid on in months, and I was tired from the exertion it took to get here and the stress of the day. I think it took me less than a minute to just conk out.
I don't know how long I was sleeping for, but it couldn't have been for long, because no one had come and gotten me with the results of the paternity test. I was starving, and I didn't have any food on me. Maybe there was a drinking fountain, although I don't remember if the last time I ate was yesterday or the day before, so I really needed to find something soon. Water would have to do for now. As soon as Stark gave me the money, I was going to go hunt down a McDonald's or a Wendy's.
I cautiously peeked out of the room. Pepper was in the waiting room, talking in a low voice to Banner. Both of their heads swiveled over when I stepped out of the room. "Is there a drinking fountain, anywhere?" I asked, trying to act casual. From the concerned look on Pepper's face, I was wondering if Banner had just told her the results. But then Stark burst through the doors, so I knew that they'd known for a little while and were just trying to find out what to do with me.
"Where is she?" Stark asked, out of breath. Then he saw me. "What's your mom's name?" He demanded.
I immediately bristled. I was hungry, I was cranky, and all this guy wanted to know is who he banged that let this happen. He'd probably try to sue, if she was still alive, for not using contraceptives.
"Elizabeth."
Stark looked at me like he'd seen a ghost. "Elizabeth Williams?" He demanded again. "Where is she?"
"She's dead!" I yelled. "She's dead and left me to my stepfather! Not like you care, just fucked her and left, right?" My voice tore through octaves. I felt like I just released all of the pain and frustration I felt in one blast. But I still didn't feel any better.
Man, I don't know what it is that gets adults riled up when they hear someone who apparently looks like a ten year old swear, but it was like I pulled a knife.
"Hey," Stark said. "Watch your language." His voice got softer. "Elizabeth- your mom, I mean- and I were in a relationship. You were a mistake, but your mom and I loved each other at the time." He then saw my expression. "Hey, kid, I didn't mean that," he said hurriedly.
My eyes got hard. "Well, I'm giving you a chance to fix your 'mistake', Stark," I growled. Enroll me in a University far away from here, financially support me just for six- really, only over three, since I can work at places when I'm sixteen- and I'll never go to the media. I'll never bother you again." My voice broke at the end. "I'm not looking for anything from you but a chance to make a life."
"Listen, kid, I'm a lot of things, but I'm no deadbeat dad," Stark tried to say, but I cut him off.
"My name is HOLLY! And I'm a mistake, I get that. You've got a lot going on with making weapons to kill millions of people, I get that too. Hurrah for you. Just pay my cost of attendance, at any university until I can make enough money to be on my own, and that's it. I'm out of your hair."
He studied me. Ran his fingers through his hair, so it stood on end. I couldn't tell if it was hurt that he was trying to hide, or something else. "Okay. I'll pay for your cost of attendance anywhere you want in the continental U.S. until you're eighteen. But do you think you could stay at my home in Malibu until fall semester starts? If that's a no, then I'll still pay your way, but you need to be either with me, or with your stepfather, because there's no way that I'm letting any child live on the streets. And Holly… I'm sorry about your mother."
I nodded. Tried not to let the tears fall, and succeeded. Taking a deep breath, I said, "Thank you, Mr. Stark. And I won't be any trouble, I swear. I'll study hard, and I won't get in your way."
"You're my kid."
