Prologue:

Kaysa stared over at the clock, counting down the seconds. Three more minutes and she would be free from school. She tapped her fingers against the desk impatiently. Time seemed to slow down, making those three minutes feel more like three hours. She sighed and looked over at the desk to her right.

Her heart gave a little flutter at the sight of James Rogers. She quickly tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as he looked over at her and smiled. She grinned back, trying to hide her embarrassment at being caught staring. She knew he wouldn't actually think anything of it. James and Kaysa had been best friends their whole lives, and throughout those many years, James had remained completely oblivious to her feelings.

She looked away and pushed the feelings of frustration down. She wanted to enjoy the moment. In two minutes her summer would begin, and she was determined to make it a good one. Most of her plans included training, but she made sure to plan a few 'normal' things. This would be her last summer as a regular teenage girl. Right after she graduated, she would be able to finally become a hero.

The bell rang, releasing her from her prison. She jumped to her feet, gathering her things. A smile crept sprang onto her face as she walked out of class, heading for the doors. As she passed through them, she was stopped by her friends.

"I'll miss you so much!" One of her closest friends, Mackenzie, said. Mackenzie threw her arms around her. "Do you really have to go visit your grandparents all summer?"

Kaysa faked a sad smiled and nodded. She hated lying to her friends. All of them thought she was going to her grandparents, when she was really headed to the training cabin with her family and the Rogers. She didn't really understand why she had to keep it a secret. All of them knew who her father really was. Besides, attending a S.H.I.E.L.D school meant that the kids could most likely be trusted. Mackenzie's father was a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D officer. There was no way she would tell anyone where Kaysa was going.

She was able to finally disentangle herself from her friends, and headed to the red truck in the parking lot. She leaned against it, checking her phone for any text messages.

"You ready to go?"

She looked up at James and nodded, climbing into the car. "It's over, James!" She exclaimed with a bright smile. "We're free!"

He laughed at her, shaking his head. "Come on, Kaysa, school wasn't that bad."

"Yes it was! Admit it; you're just as happy as I am."

He shrugged. "I'm actually going to kind of miss school."

She stared at him blankly. Did he really think she was that stupid? "No you're not."

"Yeah, I'm really not," he agreed quietly with a grin. "But considering the fact that Mr. Hanson is driving behind us, and the windows are down, I didn't want to sound too eager."

Kaysa's eyes widened and she whipped around, looking for her math teacher's car. "Where?"

James burst into laughter. "I can't believe you actually fell for that one."

"That was so mean!" She said, punching James lightly in the shoulder.

"Sorry!" He chuckled. "But you should have seen your face!"

"Dork," she said, rolling her eyes.

When they arrived home, Kaysa was hesitant to leave. Both of their mothers had been best friends for life, so she was lucky enough to live right next door to James. But even with how much they got together, she never felt like she got to spend enough time with her best friend.

"Are you coming to dinner tonight?" Kaysa asked.

"That's the plan," James told her. "I'll see you at six."

"Ok," she said just a little too happily. She stepped out of the car, practically bouncing up the steps to her door. She opened her door, waving to James. Her bag was tossed to the side as she pulled off her sneakers. "I'm home!"

"Oh, Kaysa!" She heard her mother, Kayli, say. "Can you come in here? We're in the living room."

Kaysa walked into the living room, surprised to see her father, Thor, was home. He was sitting on the couch with one arm around her mom's shoulders, and the other holding an object wrapped in a shimmery gold fabric.

She stopped, eyeing the long object. She took a few steps closer, gently touching it. "What is it?"

"It is yours," Thor said, handing the object to his daughter.

Kaysa sat on the floor, placing the wrapped gift onto her lap. After untying the string that secured the fabric, she unwrapped it and gasped.

It was a spear.

"Dad, is this…?"

He nodded. "Its name is Ascalon. It was forged in Asgard specially for you. Its powers are similar to Mjölnir's."

She stood up, holding the spear in one hand. She liked the feel of it. It almost felt like an extension of her arm. Carefully, she gave it a few swings. It was the perfect weight, not too heavy or too light.

"It's perfect," she said in a reverent tone. "Thank you. But, I have to ask, why now? I thought I wasn't supposed to get a weapon until I graduated?"

Kayli smiled at her daughter. "This year we want you to really try and focus on your training. Your dad thought it would be easier to do so with your weapon."

"Yes," Thor said with a nod. "You do like it?"

"I love it!" She flung her arms around her father's neck. "Thank you."

"You are welcome, Kaysa."

"The fun has arrived!" Annika, Kaysa's younger sister, sung. The ten year old bounced into the living room, immediately giving her parents a quick kiss on the cheek, and then gave her older sister a hug. She drew back, her eyes widening at the sight of the spear in Kaysa's hands.

"Is that it?" Annika asked excitedly. Before Kaysa could even finish nodding, she continued. "Oh, it's so beautiful, isn't it? It's perfect for you, Kaysa! I hope someday I'll get a weapon like that!"

"I'm sure you will," Kayli said. "But you still have a while until you need to worry about that. Right now, I need both of you to go upstairs and pack your things. We're leaving early tomorrow morning, and the Rogers are coming to dinner in a couple of hours, so I would try and hurry."

Annika groaned. "But Mom, I hate packing."

"Maybe if you ask nicely, Kaysa will help you."

"Come on, Munchkin," Kaysa said, clapping her sister on the back. "Let's go get you packed."

As Kaysa walked to her shared room, spear in hand, she couldn't help but feel that it was going to be an amazing summer.

If only she knew just how bad it was about to get.