Previously:
"Fine I'll take an apple." I stop as I remember that last time I had an apple, last time I ate, was they day everything went wrong in my life. I grab an apple before I turn and head back to the elevator, I don't turn when my name is called.
•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•
Clint's POV
Once Jarvis has informed me that Steve was done making dinner, I literally ran to the kitchen. Steve serves everyone and tells us to wait for the children. After a few minutes the kids appear when the elevator dinged. I'm happy to see that Aidan's fine with everyone and vice versa, after all, we just brought her here right after she woke from a coma. Everyone sits down and we all start eating.
"You gonna have something to eat Aidan?" Ethan asks.
"No thanks, I'm not hungry."
"That's normal after waking up from a coma." Nat said.
"You were in a coma?"
"Yes she was, and she's gonna eat or she'll go back to the base's infirmary." I reply.
"Fine I'll take an apple."
Aidan suddenly stops talking with a far away look in her eyes. Then she blinks and a mask slips over her features and the look is gone. She turns around and limps back into the elevator.
"Aidan," I try calling her but she doesn't turn around. Everyone at the table is quiet as the doors close.
"I'll bring her some food, shall I?" Cam questioned.
"Give her some time and space. If she doesn't come up for dinner by the time we're done we'll bring her some." I say evenly.
We all eat in an uncomfortable silence, all trapped in our own thoughts. Everyone is just sitting around the table, staring, lost in thought until Ethan interrupts.
"She's still not here."
"We should bring her some food now." Nat says calmly.
Steve puts a sizeable amount of pasta on a plate with some homemade garlic bread. He passes me the plate and we get into the elevator. Cam opts to take the vents to meet us there. I push the button for the 100th floor and wait. Just before the elevator door opens we all hear a pain filled scream. It feels like it takes forever for the door to open and by the time it does the scream has stopped.
Aidan's POV
Only when I hear the elevator door close behind me do I turn around. I feel a warm, wet tear slowly run down my right cheek and I wipe at it furiously, I don't need to cry over this. It's the past, over, done with, not going back. When the doors open on the 100th floor I head strait to my room while eating my apple. I go to the far corner of my room and throw the core of my finished Apple into the trash can on the other side of my room. Score! I decide to take a nap even though it's only like 4:30. I wake up to a pain in my leg about three hours later. I move to reposition myself thinking my leg's just at a bad angle. My leg only feels worse, like my stitches were ripped open and someone melted a million knife blades, mixed it with poison and poured it on top of my wound, my chest is similar. My head is throbbing worse then when I first woke. I don't know how long it took, but I couldn't take it anymore, I screamed bloody murder. I don't notice anything past my scream, my subconscious might notice things, but I don't focus on them so I don't notice them. Next thing I know, I'm wrapped in someone's arms while they whisper soothing words of comfort in my left ear. By this point my throat is so raw from my screaming I can't scream anymore but tears are still streaming freely down my face like someone broke a dam. Through blurry eyes I can see everyone burst through my door and into my room. All but Cam. I start to calm down when another wave of agony accompanied by a bright flash of blue-white light hits me. I stiffened and griped Cams arms so hard my nails left crescent moon cuts and stifled a scream in the crook of his neck. Just like that, the pain subsides. I untangle myself from Cams arms a quickly run/stumble to my bathroom, hearing foot steps right behind me, and promptly throw up. I feel gentle hands lift my hair from my face and neck to prevent bile from getting in it. Once my stomach contents are emptied, and everything else my body could rid itself of, one hand stays in my hair while the other pulls me back. I look up and see it was Jamie, Ethan appears with a cloth and cleans my face.
"We'll leave you guys to help her." Mr. Stark says. I can see my parents hesitate slightly.
"We'll get her cleaned up and fed." Ethan replies dismissing the Avengers.
Can he even do that? Yeah, he totally can, he just did.
"You okay?" Damion asks me as he flushes the toilet.
"Yeah. Other than throwing up my guts, I feel completely fine." I reply honestly, "Little sore, but fine."
Jamie helps me up then over to the sink. I wash out my mouth about three times just to be sure I could no longer taste bile. She and Ethan then help me back to my bed.
"You sure you're okay?" Cam asks me.
"With food, sleep, and a shower I'll be fine." I answer with the most honesty I've ever said in one day in my entire life.
I ate maybe half the pasta and a bit of the garlic bread while everyone is talking, I chime in every so often. After I eat what I can stomach I sit back and listen to everyone as I drift off.
"Aidan! Care to add some input?" Jamie asks.
"About…?"
"Superheroes! What else? We can pick our parents and we're discussing which superhero is the best."
"Just avengers or…?"
"If you know any others then feel free to add them."
"Uh youngest I've heard of that I liked was Canada's Little Angel, the name sounds vaguely familiar, not well known but, familiar."
"Who?"
"I'm not even sure if they actually exist," I mutter while standing up and walking to my bathroom.
"What're you doing?" Ethan calls out.
"Huh? Oh, I'm gonna go have a quick shower, then," I add quickly before anyone *cough*Cam*cough* can interrupt, "I'm gonna get some sleep. Feel free to sleep here, just not in my bed."
I turn and continue walking to my bathroom to clean up. I turn and lock the door then move to get the temperature just right for my shower. I undress, and as I do I notice the stitches on my leg and chest are gone along with the lacerations leaving only thin white scars in their place. All my bruising is gone as well. I do a few quick push ups and jumps to see if it causes any pain. None. Ha! I quickly take a shower and wrap myself in a towel and rush out of my bathroom.
"Guys!"
"Huh?"
"What?"
" 'Sup?"
"Holy shit!"
"Uh, no comment."
Cam doesn't say anything but just passes me some clothes.
"Right, sorry." I say with a blush creeping up my neck and flushing my cheeks. I run back to the bathroom and dawn my pyjamas. Underwear, black short shorts, and a deep army green spaghetti strap tank top. I hang my towel to dry and run back out.
"Okay, now that I am wearing clothes," I start to blush again, "guess what?"
"What?"
"No pain. No bruises. All gone. Just scars!"
"What?!"
"See! Look!" I point to my leg and raise my top to just below my breasts, exposing my ribs.
"Wow." Damion says.
Cam's hand hovers just above the scar on my ribs.
"Hey you have scars on your back?" Jamie asks placing her cold hand on my warm back sending me forward with a jolt. Right into Cam's hand. His hand sent yet another jolt through me, this one warm, like a soft fire burning through me. I just stare at his hand for a few moments before I slowly lowered my shirt back down.
"Old news, but yeah, no pain. Yay."
"How?"
"Don't know. But I'm tired, time for bed." As I crawl into bed.
Jamie and Damion take the couch against the wall, Sàràh and Tànne are on the other couch, and Ethan took the arm chair. Why I have couches and an arm chair in my room, I have no clue. Cam sits on the floor so everyone has space but I don't see. I've already closed my eyes.
I woke about an hour later at 9pm, don't know why we all went to bed early but, whatever, with the need to use the washroom. When I got back I saw everyone sleeping peacefully. Except Cam, he looked uncomfortable. I go over and gently shake him awake.
"Hey Cam, get up."
"Wasup?"
"Nothing," I say helping him up. "You just looked uncomfortable. Help me get everyone a blanket."
Once he wakes up a little more we go and grab blankets for everyone and place them overtop to keep them warm. Cam's about to lie back down on the ground when I grab his arm and pull him to the bed.
"You can sleep at the foot." I say passing him a pillow and a blanket. I turn sideways at the head of my bed and take another pillow and my other blanket and settle down to sleep. Cam follows suit.
I wake again at 0500 and know I won't be able to get back to sleep again so I slip out of my bed and head quietly to my closet. I dig around to get a fresh pair of clothes, socks and running shoes. I slip over to the bathroom to change into similar clothes I had slept in. My shorts are deep navy blue and a little longer than short shorts, a black muscle top, white ankle socks and deep green running shoes with black accents. I place my used clothes in the laundry hamper and quietly leave the bathroom. When I exit I see Cam fixing my bed as if no one had slept in it. I walk over and tap him on the shoulder.
"What are you doing up so early?" I ask in a hushed voice.
"Was gonna ask the same question." He says with a smile but equally soft voice.
"Going for a run, you?"
"Same. Want to join me? It's safer to run with someone in Manhattan, don't know what creeps are out there."
"Sure. Why not?"
With that we crept out of my room and he went to get changed while I waited in the hall. I clicked a button on my watch and remembered that it was the 3rd, a Saturday. Saturday's are fun to go for runs, everyone sleeping in, catching up on their sleep. Not many people to bug you, other joggers, maybe. I'm interested in seeing the route that Cam takes for a jog, I've never been in New York before, let alone Manhattan! I wonder what I'll see or if anything interesting will happen. Probably not, nothing really exiting ever happens when I'm out jogging. Finally Cam exits his room in black knee length shorts and a smokey grey short sleeved t-shirt. He was also wearing black running shoes, over all he looked ready to go for a run.
"Ready?" I ask.
"Yup. You'll love this route. Well, I hope so anyways." He trails off with a small smile.
"I'm sure I will like it Cam." I say hopping from foot to foot. "Can we go now?"
He doesn't answer but just smiles and walks over to the door leading to the stairs. We take the stairs to the lobby of the tower and walk a few blocks to Central Park where we start warming up and doing stretches.
By the time we're warmed up it's 5:45 and we start on our jog. It takes us a while to find a pace that's good for both of us. I usually full out run so I slowed down a little and Cam compromised by speeding up a little. We left the paths of the park and went into the woods. Most of our time was spent running in the woods, jumping over rocks and roots. We stopped by a small river and drank some of the water that we brought with us then turned and headed back for the tower. By the time we came back it was 8:30 and everyone was up eating breakfast. Admittedly that was the longest, and best, run I've been on. Cam and I enter the kitchen laughing about this squirrel that tried to jump the river, it landed on a small rock about two thirds of the way across, and slightly breathless because we raced up the stairs all the way to the floor. Unfortunately it was a tie.
"There they are!" Mr. Stark exclaims.
"We went for a run." Cam says defensively.
"We can tell." Cam's dad chimes in.
"Well you know I always go for a morning jog dad."
"So do I, but none of you really know my routines yet," I say sheepishly. "Are we in trouble?"
"Nah, I guess not. Besides you were wanting normalcy." Dad said with a shrug.
"So we're clear? Just like that? Off the hook?" I ask suspiciously, back with the Jones' it was never this easy, ever.
"Did you want a punishment?"
"Nope! Uh gonna hit the gym, bye!"
"Am I missing something? How did you run with your leg and ribs?" Mr. Stark asked.
"Uh, I'm healed." I say but it sounds more like a question.
"Overnight?"
"Pretty much."
"Yes, she's just got these battle scars to live with now." Sàràh chimes in.
"Scars? Already?" Dr. Banner asked while my mom just raised her eyebrow.
In response I lift the leg of my shorts a little more then they are now and then my black tank top to just below my bra to show the scar that starts on the lower left side of my ribs to the upper right and disappears under my bra.
"No, I don't know how it happened." I say before anyone asks.
'Not completely anyway.' I think bitterly.
"So, I'm just, gonna, you know, go work out now." I say slowly while backing out of the room.
"Not gonna have something to eat first?" Dad asks.
"Nope. I'm fine." I say as I continue to back out.
As soon as I am at the door I run down the hall, turn left past the elevator, and take the stairs to the floor the gym is located on. I find a punching bag and let out all my emotions in my kicked and punches. I get so lost in my workout, I don't know how much time has passed, when someone taps me on my shoulder. I do a quick spin and punch without thinking. I begin to focus ageing when I feel my fist meet flesh.
"Shit!" The person exclaims.
I take up a defensive stance as I practically yell my apology.
"I'm fine calm down."
After I start to relax I notice Mr. Stark on the floor nursing what is sure to be a black eye.
My eyes widen. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry Mr. Stark!"
"It's fine. And please just call me Tony, no one calls me Mr. Stark." He says giving me a strange look.
I help Tony to his feet. We walk to the elevator and are heading back to the kitchen when my stomachs growls.
"Sounds like you're hungry, well most people would if they got up at unholy hours in the morning then went for a run only to skip breakfast for a workout, or in your case, beating the snot out of a poor punching bag. What did it ever do to you? Anyway then proceeded to workout until lunch." Tony finishes as the doors open.
I just look at him while everyone looks towards the elevator. He looks at me as if he's expecting an answer.
"Are you always that long winded? Oh and you should probably put ice on your eye, don't want it worse then it's starting to look."
"What did happen to your eye Man of Iron?" Thor questions while almost everyone laughs or snickers at Tony.
Tony grumbles a response that I assume the others did not hear so I repeat it, " He said, 'Don't go near her when she's working out.' However I can't imagine why." I finish by smiling sweetly.
"But yeah, food, I should probably make some." I say looking down.
"It's alright, we saved you some grilled cheese and tomato soup." Mr. Rogers said.
"Thank you Mr. Rogers." I say looking at him with a question on the tip of my tongue but not asking and not meeting his eyes.
"While you're eating you can watch a movie with us." Jamie states.
"Alright."
"And just call me Steve, Aidan-Auryon."
"Call me Aidan, it's easier to remember and, alright." I say as I walk out of the room, a little hesitantly, with the rest of the kids and set up to watch a movie.
Tony's POV
"There's something wrong. She's hiding something." I say as soon as all the kids left the room.
"I hate to say it but I agree with Tony." Natasha said.
"What would she hide from us? Why would she hide anything?" Steve asked.
"Think about it Cap. She's only known us, what, a day or two? Would you trust someone you just met?" I ask.
"She trusts the kids." He points out.
"Yeah but they're her age. Besides, do you think she's told them everything?" I counter.
"Before you two start an argument that everyone will most likely regret, how about we just stop. If she really is hiding something from us she'll tell us when she is ready." Bruce interrupts.
After Bruce said that everyone just disperses to go do what they were working on before lunch. Bruce and I head back down to the lab to continue our project.
"You really should put ice on your eye Tony."
"It's not that bad, is it?"
"Not yet."
The conversation dies away as we each start working. About twenty minutes later while I'm working on an equation, and I keep messing up, Bruce speaks up again,
"What are you thinking about Tony?"
"This damn equation!"
"What else?"
"Aidan. Something happened to her before she came here, and I'm not talking about her fight or her coma, something really bad Bruce."
"With her family?"
"Yes."
"You're thinking she was abused aren't you?"
"Look at the signs Bruce! She calls everyone by their last name unless she was told not to, she doesn't really meet anyone's eye while talking, she was surprised when she wasn't in trouble after going for her run, she was scared and went to the gym, she left the kitchen hesitantly to watch a movie with her friends. Hell, after she hit me in the face, she went straight into a defensive stance then freaked out apologizing to me."
"Maybe she was, or she could have good reasons for all that, the fight and coma could have put her on edge."
I don't know who he was trying to convince more, me, or himself.
"Do you think we should tell everyone else?" Bruce said after a while.
"No. We have nothing concrete. We'll just have to watch her a hope if it's true that she will tell us." I say dejectedly.
Aidan's POV
After the movie the rest of the day just flew by. We talked more, ate dinner then decided to have another sleepover. This time everyone brought their blankets and pillows. We were going to make big comfy places for everyone but decided to make a ginormous fort with almost everything in my room. With seven creative minds our fort turned out to be amazingly huge and an odd shape. We stayed up late to talk and eating snacks until we passed out around one in the morning. We all slept late, even Cam and I. Turns out we both don't go for runs on Sunday mornings.
By the time we all woke up it was about 11:30. Instead of going and getting lunch we started talking about school. What it was like, how big the school is, some people I should avoid, stuff like that. We cleaned up our fort after deciding one last sleepover before school starts, this time our own little beds, and we all left the tower to go to a café for lunch. The day was so fun I feel it passed by too quickly and before I knew it, it was time for bed. I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.
Ethan's POV
"What you lookin' at Ethan?" Jamie asks looking over my shoulder to my tablet.
"Remember our conversation about superheroes a few nights ago? Aidan said something about not being sure if she made up a superhero or if 'Canada's Little Angel' existed. I wanted to look into it, I mean I've never heard of them, you?"
"No, valid point. Continue oh smart one."
"Haha, very funny."
"Hate to break up you two lovebirds but you find anything, because if not keep your voices down, Aidan is sleeping." Damion interrupts.
"Right, uh, yeah." I cough. " I, uh, I did find something. She was essentially a superhero. She looked like an angel, she had wings, blond hair that looked like a halo while flying and would fly all over Canada helping to fight crime for about two years. She died pretty young. She died when she was six, in Saskatchewan from a bomb. Police in Saskatchewan found a bomb that was too complex for their bomb squad. There was a man who was still running around with a manual trigger, she found him but she was stuck right beside the bomb. There was a witness, another kid, he said she put up a real good fight and grabbed the other kid and flew out of the building. She was still trying to get away when the building blew. She dived down and shielded him with her body and wings."
"There's a video." Sàràh points out.
I click play on the video, everything I read happens. The video is still playing when the smoke clears and all you see is the boy wandering around, covered in soot. The boy is quickly taken to the paramedics. A black silhouette moves slightly in the corner of the video.
"Is that-?"
"Oh my God! She's still alive!"
The little girl gets up, only to fall back to the ground. A firefighter notices her. He runs over to her a gently picks her up and brings her to another paramedic. The paramedic starts asking the girl questions.
'What's your name sweetheart?'
'Canada's Little Angel.'
'Come on let's keep those eyes open. There you go, how old are you Angel?'
'S-six.'
'Alright. Tell me Angel, what's your family like? You have brothers or sisters?'
'Bad. I-I need to, to help, let them kn-know someone cares for th-them. They n-need love, not l-like m-m-me.'
'Crap! She's flatlining!'
The medics give in after five solid minutes of trying to restart her heart and declare her dead.
That's the end of the video.
"It says that there's a statue of her in Saskatchewan because of her bravery that day. It's a major tourist stop for Canadian's."
We stayed up later talking about this subject before we decided to go to sleep.