Chapter 1

Clint POV

"So, you're all…" Clint motioned to his wrist uncomfortably, not quite knowing how to continue.

Percy saved him from having to find something to say by nodding. "Yeah, we're all classified as enhanced." He said, and all 5 kids raised their left wrists to show Clint their tracking bands.

Interesting… Clint thought. He didn't say they were all enhanced, just that they were classified as them. Clint filed that thought away, feeling it might be important later.

"Did you not know that this is a foster home for enhanced kids?" Doreen asked, looking confused.

"To be honest," Clint admitted, "I didn't really read what this whole thing was about. I mostly skimmed the briefing."

"Well," Percy said. "I'll fill you in. This is the Moore House for Kids, and it's pretty much all us mutant kids because the Moores are one of the only families who were willing to take in foster kids with powers."

"The Moores? Clint asked, stressing the s sound. "There was just one lady who let me in. Is she married?"

Doreen nodded. "Mr. Moore took the two youngest kids to the zoo. They're supposed to be back soon."

Clint nodded in acknowledgement. "How old are the two? Come to think of it, how old are all of you?" He asked.

"Estelle is six, and Lucas, my cousin, is seven." Peter explained. "I'm fifteen."

"I'm fourteen." Doreen said, smiling. "Which is like seventy in squirrel years."

Clint gave Doreen an odd look, but he chose not to comment on her odd statement.

"I'm sixteen, and so is Key." Chase said, breaking the awkward silence.

"And I'm seventeen," finished Percy.

"So, let's see if I got this right," Clint said, looking at the five teenagers. "Estelle's six, Lucas is seven, Doreen's fourteen, Peter's fifteen, Chase and Key are sixteen, and Percy's seventeen?"

Percy nodded, looking mildly impressed. "For a guy who doesn't even read briefing reports, you got that pretty fast."

Clint gave him a mock glare. "Hey now. Don't start getting all "sassy teenager" on me."

Everyone laughed, but then the room fell back into the awkward silence.

Clint thought for a minute. What could I ask next…

"If you don't mind me asking… what is it that you guys can do? I'm curious." Clint asked, secretly hoping for a demonstration.

"I don't mind!" Doreen said cheerfully. "So, my name is Doreen Green, and I have the proportionate powers of a squirrel."

"Umm… the proportionate powers of a squirrel? What does that mean?"

Doreen grinned. "Well, the average squirrel can horizontally jump about ten times it's body length, which is about 6-7 feet. In theory, I can also jump ten times my body length, which is about 52 feet. I've never tried to jump anything that far yet though. But I jumped across a four-lane highway once!"

Clint stared at the girl in front of him. "What."

"Oh!" Doreen jumped up from the bed she was sitting on and adjusted her leggings, causing something fluffy to stick out behind her. "I also have a tail."

Clint watched as Doreen's tail waved behind her. The girl had a literal squirrel tail. How she had managed to hide it for fourteen years of her life was beyond him.

"Um…"

Clint stopped staring at Doreen and looked left, where one kid was standing and looking nervous.

"My name is Peter, Peter Parker." The kid said, fidgeting slightly. "And I, well, kinda have spider powers."

Clint was intrigued. "What are "spider powers"?"

"Well, my strength is a proportionate ability, like Doreen's." Peter started. "Spiders can lift about 170 times their body weight, and theoretically, so can I. I've never lifted anything that heavy though."

"So, you have super strength?" Clint clarified.

Peter nodded. "I can also- well, it'll be easier just to show you." Peter walked over to the wall, stuck his hands to it, and started climbing. And kept climbing. Even when he reached the ceiling, the kid kept going, scurrying across the ceiling like, well, a spider.

Peter climbed back down the other wall as Clint stared. "Ta da" the kid said when he was back on solid ground.

Clint grinned. "Cool."

Peter beamed back at him.

Clint turned to Percy next. "What about you?"

Percy shrugged. "I've heard it called lots of things, but mainly hydrokinesis. Don't ask me how to spell that." He added quickly, and Clint laughed. Percy grinned and continued. "Basically, it means I can do this:" Percy stretched his hand out towards a glass of water sitting on his desk. Slowly, the water floated out of the cup and formed a sphere. Then a fish, then a dolphin that circled Clint before diving back into the cup and returning to normal water.

Clint's eyes were huge. "That was awesome."

Percy smiled. "Thanks."

Clint turned to Chase. "What about you?"

Chase gave a devious smile, then Clint blinked, and Percy was standing in front of him. But Percy was also standing next to him! Two Percys? Wait…

The Percy on left smirked, then turned into Clint himself. "Whoa, that's trippy." Clint said stretching out a hand to touch the other Clint. This seems kinda familiar... Clint ignored the thought, and as he walked forward, a suit of armor appeared on the fake Clint. But when Clint touched the armor, it didn't feel like metal, but instead like the t-shirt Chase had been wearing when he was still, uh, Chase. "Why doesn't this feel like armor?"

Other Clint turned back into Chase, who shrugged. "I can only change how things look, not their actual substance." He explained. "It's sort of like an illusion."

Clint suppressed a shudder. That's what the kid's powers had reminded him of, Loki's illusions.

"He also has wings," said Percy, matter-of-factly.

"Wings?" Now this Clint really wanted to see.

Chase sighed. "Fine. Give me a few seconds."

Everyone stood there awkwardly.

"They're not visible unless I use them for more than five seconds." Chase explained, just as something (or two somethings) appeared behind him. The wings were a fiery orange, and they stretched above Chase's head. They were flapping slowly, but as they started going faster, Chase lifted a few inches off the floor, then floated back down.

Clint said the first words that came to mind. "You're a fairy."

Chase sighed, like he had heard this before. "See, this is why I keep my wings invisible."

"But you can fly!" Burst out Clint, excited. "That's awesome!"

Chase grinned. "I am pretty awesome."

Clint and the others laughed, though Percy also rolled his eyes at Chase's statement, while still smiling. Remembering that there was one more person in the the room, Clint looked over at Key, who was sitting on the top bunk of one of the beds.

"What about you kid? What can you do?" Clint asked.

Key paused, before signing, "do you know ASL?"

Clint blinked in surprise. This was unexpected. "Yes" He signed back. "Are you deaf? No offense, I'm partially deaf too."

Key shook his head. "I'm mute, so don't have to sign if you don't want to. I can hear you."

"Alright," Clint said, nodding. "Well, now that that's settled, what are your… powers? Abilities?"

Key smiled. "Powers is fine. And I'm an empath. That means I can feel peoples' emotions. All the time. And I can't turn it off."

Clint winced in sympathy, though still curious. "That sounds overwhelming. Though, could you read my emotions?" He asked, turning his face blank so as not to give the kid any hints.

Key closed his eyes, looking focused. Then he opened them, looking devious. "Wanna make a bet? Ten bucks if I 'guess' correctly."

Clint laughed. "Deal."

"You're mostly curious," Key signed. "But you're also a little tired, and a little sad for some reason. Oh, and now you're shocked."

Clint's jaw was practically touching the floor. He was, in fact, shocked. And now ten dollars poorer.

"How did you find out all that?" Clint asked as he handed Key the ten dollars.

Key tucked the bill into a bag sitting on the bed, a beat-up old backpack, before answering.

"Because, I didn't say I could read other people's emotions. I said I could feel them. But to figure out exactly what a person is feeling, I used to need skin-to-skin contact. I... don't anymore. I just have to focus on the person I'm trying to feel. It doesn't work as well the more people that are in the room though." Key explained.

"What happens if you use skin-to-skin contact now?" Clint asked, stretching his hand out to take Key's.

The kid pulled his hand back so fast he almost lost his balance and fell off the bed, shaking his head.

Clint frowned at the kid's reaction. He figured Key could probably feel the worry that was probably coming off him in waves.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Clint told Key slowly. "I was just curious. If it's not okay, that's alright." Clint hoped Key could feel the sincerity in his words.

Key seemed to relax slightly. "It's just that it enhances all the emotions too much. I can only handle it when I'm prepared, and even then not for more than a few seconds."

Clint nodded. "I get it. That must be hard." Then a terrifying thought hit him. "Wait... does this mean no contact? Ever? With anyone?"

Key looked uncomfortable, but he nodded.

How is it possible for someone to live like that?! Clint thought, and his heart hurt for the boy.

Key's head snapped towards Clint, an annoyed look on the teen's face. "No. No pity. I don't need it, and I don't want it."

Clint blinked. How did he... oh, right. Empath. That must be… interesting for the others to live with. As he thought this, a little girl who looked about six burst into the room.

"Percy!" She shouted, running towards the dark-haired teen.

Percy's face broke into a smile as he bent down and lifted up the little girl.

"Did you have fun at the zoo?" Percy asked, still smiling widely.

The little girl nodded excitedly. "There were lions and monkeys and tigers and penguins- oh, and I got a sticker for my bracelet!" She held up her left wrist, and, to Clint's shock and horror, he saw the smallest tracking bracelet he had ever laid eyes on clamped around her wrist, pure black except for the sparkly blue penguin sticker stuck to it.

Percy's smile faltered as the girl showed him her bracelet, but it didn't fall completely. "This is my little sister Estelle," he said, turning to Clint. "Estelle, this is Clint. He's one of the Avengers."

Estelle gasped and wiggled her way out of her older brother's arms. Running over to Clint, she looked up at him, completely in awe. "You're Hawkeye! With the arrows!"

Clint smiled down at her. With her big eyes and dark hair tied in pigtails, he wasn't sure how anyone could think this little adorable child was a threat.

"I am," He agreed, bending down to her level. "Who's your favorite Avenger?"

She didn't even hesitate before answering. "Captain America!"

Then she ran over to Chase. "Do Captain America! Do Captain America!" She begged, staring up at the teen.

Chase let out a long-suffering sigh. "I don't know... I'm pretty tired..." He teased.

Estelle started pouting. "Pleeeeeeeeeeease?" She asked, turning on her puppy eyes full force.

"Alright," Chase said, smiling now. Within a second, a carbon copy of Steve Rogers in full Captain America gear was standing in the room. "Hello," Chase as Steve said, pitching his voice a little lower. "I'm Captain America."

Estelle clapped her hands together happily. "Captain America!"

While Chase entertained Estelle, Clint walked quietly over to Percy.

"Is it okay if I ask… what Estelle can do?" Clint asked quietly, watching as Doreen and Peter joined Chase and Estelle, pretending to be other Avengers.

Percy sighed. "It's… a few different things. I'm not exactly sure how it all works. I might as well just show you."

"Hey Estelle!" Percy called, a light smile fixed on his face. "Wanna play two truths and a lie with Clint?"

"Yay!" Estelle ran over then stopped, side-eyeing Percy. "I thought you said we can't play that game anymore cuz I always win," she said suspiciously.

"It's okay this time," Percy reassured her. "You just have to say when Clint tells a lie."

Estelle looked from Percy to Clint and back to Percy. "Okay," she said, "I'm ready now."

"Alright." Clint said. "So, I just start?"

Estelle nodded. "Uh-huh!"

Let's see… thought Clint. Two truths and a lie, two truths and a lie… Clint snapped his fingers. "I've got it. So, I've been to Budapest, I like grape soda-"

"Nope!"

Clint looked down at Estelle, who was grinning up at him.

"I win!" She said cheerfully, still smiling.

"How do you know you won?" Clint asked, curious. "I didn't even say my third fact."

"Because you turned red," Estelle said matter-of-factly. "Red means lying, and that means I win."

Clint looked at Percy, who shrugged. "As far as I can tell," Percy explained, "if someone lies, Estelle sees them turn red. She sees other things too, sometimes. I still don't really understand it. None of us do."

Clint nodded, thinking. He had been prepared for Estelle to shoot fire or something, not play lie detector. How could the government think a harmless girl like her could be a monitor-worthy threat? The very idea made him want to go protest city hall. Actually, make that the Capitol. None of these kids should be treated like this. No one should. He had to talk to the others about this.

Wow! 2,395 words! The longest thing I have ever written to date. I hope you liked this, and I will post the next chapter soon!