Chapter 2: The Runaway
***Alexis POV***
"GET BACK HERE, YOU B*TCH!"
'Don't turn back. Just let me get away. Let me get away. Please,' The thoughts keep racing around my head as I sprint from the only home I had known. No matter how hard I pushed myself, I felt like I couldn't get away from him fast enough. As I sprinted, I could feel the cool air biting at me as it chased the tears from my cheeks. 'Let me escape that hell hole,' I plead.
A bottle is hurled after me, catching me on the shoulder. Crying out, I stumble and fall to the ground. I hiss at the sting throbbing from my hands and knees.
"Told you to get back here!" My father's voice came closer as I heard his drunken footsteps stumble closer. Forcing myself up to my feet, I saw my father had slipped his way down the steps of our house. He was making his way over to me.
"No," I whimper, shaking my head as I start running again. 'I can't go back.' Sprinting away, I blocked out the shouts following me down the street. Several streets later, I paused for a breath and looked up. 'Something, guide me, please! I don't know where to go,' I beg. "Please, mum. Help me." As I stare up at the darkening sky, I notice a star that seems to be burning brighter than the rest. "Well. I have nothing else to lose," I sigh and start to run in the direction of the star.
I ran for a while before coming to a halt. 'There are so many people here,' I think as I look around. I could see that I was getting some odd looks as I glanced around. 'Right. If you want to blend in, then act like you belong. No one will question you then,' I remind myself. 'Turns out, movies can hold useful information after all,' I giggled to myself. A cold drop of water on my head startles me. "What the," I whisper as I look up. Dark clouds had gathered above me without my notice. 'I need shelter now. I didn't pack anything for wet weather.' Taking a calming breath, I scold myself, "No time for freaking out. You need to find shelter."
Nodding sharply, I glanced around and noticed that I was near many tall buildings. "What's with the giant A," I wonder as I start walking towards it. "Well, A for Alexis. I'm going to take that as a sign."
As I continued my journey, I could feel my adrenaline start to wear off as I became aware of the many bruises on my body. My shoulder started throbbing, as well as my hands and knees. My ribs had not enjoyed all the running as well, as they were sending spikes of agony throughout my entire being.
"I got this. I will be fine. Anything is better than living in that house," I constantly whisper, trying to motivate myself to keep going. My feet started to ache more with each step as my slightly too small shoes continued to pinch me. A few more raindrops fell from the sky before pouring down.
"I can't stop yet. I'm not far enough away," I say through gritted teeth. Slowly, the pain in my body fades to a dull ache as the cold rain seeps through my clothes.
"Hey," a man's voice calls out, making me jump. Looking around wildly, I see a man holding an umbrella. "You okay there, darling?"
I nod my head shakily in fear. "I-I'm f-f-fine," I whisper, inching away slowly.
"You sure? Where are you heading?" He asks, reaching out a hand.
I watch his hand in terror before a burst of energy shoots through me, causing me to stumble away. Finding my feet beneath me, I turn and run. I could hear the man shouting after me, which only spurred me on.
Finally, when I felt I could run no more, I fell to the ground in an alleyway. Lying there, I slowly catch my breath before raising my head to find any sort of shelter. To my left was a bunch of cardboard boxes next to a dumpster. Hauling myself to my hands and knees, I crawl over to the pile slowly. Flattening some of the boxes, I shove them under the dumpster. Once I had, I pushed my backpack under before wiggling my way on top of them. 'I suppose one benefit of not being able to eat is I can fit in tiny places,' I chuckle sadly. As I lay there shivering, I remembered that I had packed another jersey. 'With all this rain, it might get even more soaked through if I put it on.' I shrug. 'If I want to survive the night, then I need to get out of
these wet clothes.'
'How did things get so bad that this is where I ended up? I'm a 13-year-old runaway from an abusive father who blames me for my mother's death and his unhappiness,' I think as I struggle out of my sweatshirt. 'Alexis Rose Anders - unwanted. That's me.' I roll my eyes thinking about it all. 'We were so happy once. I remember when my father loved me. He would dance my mother around the living room and just dote on us. He loved us.'
A tear slipped my eye as I remembered. 'The mother got sick. And when she got sick, everything that was good vanished from my life. She got cancer in her lungs, and they didn't catch it until it was too late. She just seemed to fade away before my very eyes. As she disappeared, so did my father. He worked all day and then stayed out late. Before my mother was gone, he came home smelling of alcohol and perfume. That started 6 months before my mother was even gone. I never thought my father was that type of man.' Stifling a sob, I pull open up my backpack and grab out my other jersey. 'And then he struck me when I was nine. It was the night my mother had passed away. He backhanded me across the face, making me fall into the kitchen cabinets.' A shiver of fear raced down my spine as I remembered the utter terror I felt as he loomed over spitting words like knives. 'I didn't understand back then about why he hated me. I just had to ask, and all he could say was it was because I looked like her. I looked like my b*tch of a mother.'
Curling up as much as I could to try to keep warm under the dumpster, I thought back to the moment that I decided I had to get out there.
(FLASHBACK TO EARLIER THAT NIGHT)
The moment I heard the front door slam shut, and the slurred curses as I heard him stumbling around trying to get off his boots, I knew that it was going to be a bad night. Whenever he came home, that drunk was never good for me. Silently, I get up and hide my homework that I had been working on under my mattress. I couldn't afford for him to get a hold of it and rip it to shreds like the other times. I shove my backpack and anything else on the floor into my wardrobe before sneaking back to my bed. I lay down with my eyes slightly open, watching the door. 'Maybe if I act asleep, he will go away,' I wished, as his footsteps got louder.
With a bang, he slams my door open and fumbles through. I tried hard not to jump at the door and watch as he came closer. Suddenly, he reaches out a hand and hauls me out of bed, throwing me to the floor.
Biting my lip, I struggle not to scream out as my head knocks against the wooden floor. Picking me up by my shirt collar, he stands me up roughly and leans in close to me.
"Where is my dinner?" he snarls, spit landing on my face.
I tremble as I try to answer him. "I-I-It's in t-t-the ov-v-oven, Sir."
Letting me go, he pats my head. "There's a good little girl," he grins as he turns and walks out of my room.
Letting out a breath, I try to straighten my bed up.
"YOU STUPID PIECE OF SH*T. YOU BURNT MY F*CKING DINNER!" His roar froze me for a second before his lumber footsteps started down the hall. Panicking, I slammed my door shut and quickly shoved my desk in front of it. 'I need to get out of here. He's going to kill me. I can't live like this anymore.' Opening my closet, I dump everything out of my backpack and shove clothes inside while ignoring my father's drunken rage. He slammed his weight against the door, making the desk move a little. Hearing the wood scrape across the floor made me shove clothes in faster.
'Spare jersey, pants, socks, underwear, shirt.' Racing over to my bed, I peel up one of the floorboards revealing my meagre stash of muesli bars, other snacking food and a small amount of cash I had managed to hide from my father. Grabbing handfuls of food, I shove it into my bag before zipping it up. Another scrape of wood made me look at the door. He managed to open it further. I heard him take a step back to have another go. Seizing the opportunity, I throw my weight at the desk and make it shut the door once again. My father just screamed in rage.
Grabbing my shoes from under my bed, I squeezed my feet into them. Grabbing another jersey, I pulled it on before grabbing my backpack and slinging it onto my back. Racing to the other side of the room, I open my window and look down. It was a bit of a drop, but it wasn't the first time I had used this as a means of escape. Looking back at my door, I could see that my father had almost made his way into my room. 'I'm sorry, mum. But I can't stay here anymore. I can't do this anymore.' Blinking back my tears, I take a breath and jump.
The landing was rough as always, but I managed to roll with the impact. Quickly shaking myself off, I jogged around the side of the house and made my way to the garden gate. Just as I shut it, I looked up and saw the handle turning on the front door. That's when I started running.
(END OF FLASHBACK)
Listening to the rain beating against the concrete and the dumpster started to drown out all my thoughts. 'I'm finally free. Anything would be better than living in that house.' The day began to catch up with me as I felt my eyes drooping. Once my eyes were shut, it didn't take long before I slipped off into an exhausted sleep.
It has been one month since that day that I ran away. The following day I woke up; I was shooed out of there by a store owner. Since then, I have struggled to find another place to sleep. But I had learnt a good many things, such as what alleys to avoid and which stores didn't mind giving away their old stock. Being a young girl, I had learnt to avoid men as well. I had had to run from many dangerous situations, which led me to where I am now. Lying down outside one of the tallest towers beside a giant potted plant, out of view.
"It wasn't that bad... what's this?"
"It seems to be a young girl. What do you think she's doing out here?"
"She's young to be on the streets,"
Voices interrupted my sleep. Jerking awake, I quickly grab my backpack that I used as a pillow and get into a crouch. Blinking rapidly against the brightness of the sun, I see two pairs of legs in front of me. Following them up, I freeze when I see that it's two men. 'No. Not men. Not today.' Quickly, I stand up and go to move away, but a hand on my arm stops me. It belonged to the tall blonde man.
"Hey, it's okay. We were just wondering if you need help." He says with a smile. Stepping back against the wall, I rip my arm out of his grip.
"Hey, whoa, princess," the dark-haired one says, causing me to look at him. As I look at him, I see that he seems to freeze in place as he stares at me. My mind is raging with panic. 'They are gonna hurt me. They all do. Let me out!' My eyes darted around, looking for an opportunity to escape. I see my chance as they turn to look at each other. Booking it, I duck down and race down the street, ignoring the calls to wait. 'I know this place well enough to lose them if they try to catch up with me.' Hooking a left down an alleyway, I quickly duck down behind an old pile of rubbish. 'Please don't come looking for me.'
***Tony POV***
"Stark, last night's party, was almost as disastrous as the one last year that almost took out that whole floor!" I rolled my eyes, smirking as Steve lectured me. Pushing the door open, I glanced back and saw that I was getting the famous 'look of disappointment.'
"Oh, come on," I chuckle, "It was a good time last night. And no one got injured, and everyone got home safe."
Steve shakes his head at me as I turn to start down the street. "Come on," I laugh. "It wasn't that ba…," I trail off as I see a small foot poking out from behind one of the potted plants outside. "What's this?" I ask, stepping over. Steve follows and stops beside me.
"It seems to be a young girl. What do you think she is doing out here?" Steve mutters as he
looks at her.
"She's young to be on the streets," I say, concerned. I see a dark bruise matting her cheek and bruises peeking out from beneath the sleeves of her too-small jersey. I open my mouth to wake her, but she suddenly jerks awake. She grabbed her backpack that she had been using as a pillow instantly and slung it on her back as if it was an ingrained instinct. 'Probably is. Who knows how long she has been living out here.' She blinks rapidly against the morning sun, and I watch as she freezes as she sees Steve and me. Suddenly she shoots up and goes to walk away. Before I could react, Steve's arm shoots out, and he grips onto her arm.
"Hey, it's okay. We were just wondering if you need help," Steve soothes. She rips her arm out of his grip and falls against the building wall.
"Hey, woah, princess," I say, causing her terrified eyes to meet mine. 'Those eyes. They're exactly like…hers.' My heart freezes in my chest as I stare at her. 'No. It can't be. You know that she's gone. Pull yourself together, Stark,' I shake myself off and glance at Steve to see if he saw my moment of panic. Focusing back on the girl, I start as she takes the opportunity of distraction and ducks down. I go to reach out an arm to stop her, but she races away from us.
Darting into the morning crowd, quickly getting lost from sight.
I take a step to go after her but stumble slightly, causing Steve to steady me.
"Hey, Tony. You okay?" he asks.
I nod my head, staring in the direction that the girl ran. "Yeah, Cap. I'm…fine."
Steve lets go of me, but I can see that he is still concerned. Shaking myself off, I turn to him and smile. "It's fine, Cap. Just let it go." I could see that he wanted to continue. Instead, he sighs and looks after the girl.
"She is so young to be on the streets. I wish we could have helped her," Steve frowns before turning to me. "You seemed to freeze when she looked at you. What was with that?"
"Oh yeah, she just looked like someone I used to know," I shrug, struggling to push back the memories that I had locked away. "She just really looked like she needed help, you know.
Can't stand seeing kids on the street," I muttered before turning back to go back inside.
"Hey, Tony, where ya going?" I hear Steve ask. "We were meant to go get coffees for the team.".
I stop and look back over at him. "I just, ah, got a notification from Pepper. She needs my help with something urgent. Sorry Cap," I say as I turn and continue walking back inside. "There are a few things I need to take care of," I mutter, knowing he will hear. I don't wait for his reply as I open the door and get inside. I walk over to the elevator and push the button for the roof.
I step out onto the roof and take a deep breath. Walking over to the edge, I turn and sit down, leaning against the concrete barrier. Tilting my head back, I stare up at the sky. 'She had her eyes,' I huff out a bit of laughter as I try to stop the tears. 'The pain is still as raw as the day I lost her. The night I failed my precious girl. How could I have lost her,' I choke back a sob and run my hands over my face. 'Come on. Pull yourself together. So what if you say a girl that had her eyes. Just get over it, Stark,' I growl at myself.
I stare up for a few minutes before asking brokenly, "Why? Why was my angel taken from me?" I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my cheeks. It was a question that I asked myself every day. 'I just want my little girl back home. Please. If there is any chance, just let me know. Anyone. Please,' I beg silently as I bow my head and let the sorrow just wash over me. 'Just let me have my little girl back.'
I stay sitting on the roof, listening to the traffic of New York and the gentle breeze. After a while, I hear the roof door open, followed by the soft click of high heels. I smile slightly at the sound.
"Tony?" A soft voice asks. It's Pepper.
"Hey, Pep," I say, my voice cracking. I look up as the soft clicking of her shoes grows louder as she approaches. She sits next to me and leans her head on my shoulder. We sit in silence, looking up at the clouds for a bit before she breaks the peaceful silence.
"You're thinking about Ayden, aren't you?" She asks softly.
"What gave it away?" I ask, sighing.
She raises her head and looks over at me. "I know you, Tony, remember. Besides, you aren't one to cry so easily." She brushes a gentle hand across my cheek, whipping away the last of my tears.
I sigh and nod before saying, brokenly, "A girl was sleeping outside the tower. She looked about the age that Ayden would have been. Her eyes looked so much like hers," I take a deep breath and whisper, "It just brought everything back."
She lay her head on my shoulder again and offered no words. She knew that no amount of words could sooth away the gaping emptiness of losing a child. There was nothing anyone could say that could ease the pain.