"New kids today," Natasha said coming into the kitchen surprisingly quietly for a girl with a boot. Then again this was shield and it sounded like everyone should be glad Nick saved her from the red room before they had screwed her over too badly.

"What'd you think Barton's first prank will be?" I asked her, still looking over the new students profiles shown on my tablet. Captain America, great another egotistical 'hero' to deal with.

"Don't know," she said stealing an apple off the counter, "he won't tell me."

Barton always played pranks on everybody. For a twenty year old he was very immature, but he was one of the only other kids living here full time and he's learned that pranking the younger girl and I would never end well so he's been able to become a friend of both of us.

Natasha looked over at my tablet "Bruce Banner, quiet but also turns into the 'hulk' when he gets angry or overwhelmed."

"Thor Odinson, from Asgard heir to the throne and..."

"Let me guess cut up to be another stuck up."

"No actually, his younger brother on the other hand, not so much he's seventeen and has lived on earth or Midgard as he calls it, for the past month and has already racked up an impressive criminal record."

"You've memorized the entire years incoming elites," I say though I'm not that surprised.

She gave me a look that said of course how could I not. "We're still good to use German this year, people really don't like languages." She told me. "It's shield academy it should be required to know or learn a language."

"Hands never required it," I responded even though she probably knew that. Victoria Hand was the principal or headmistress of shield academy, it made all of the new kids fear Barton after she decided to foster him. It surprised everyone when she did but we all brushed it off saying she might just want to be there to watch over the troublemaker. They've gotten closer though and there have been rumors going around that Hand might officially decide to adopt him.

After a little while of sitting in silence I figured it was about time to meet up with the new kids in our level. "Alright little one, I've got to meet up with Nick and the new kids."

"You suck." Natasha hated being called little one even though she knew it was true, she was only 15 at a school meant for kids around 20 and nowhere near her height of 5'5.

~~~~~~~

The sun shone brightly as it usually did on the first day and there was a group of about 15 kids all a little older than me.

Nick waved me over to where he was standing and we waited until Sitwell was done with his welcome speech before giving me a nod. Nick new this was one of my least favorite things possible, except he wanted me to be able to talk in front of people. That was what Nick was like, threatening to most people, but for Natasha and I, he only wanted what was best.

"Hello," I started, " I'm Maria Hill, and I'm here to welcome you to the academy. This will be my fourth year learning here and my sixth year living here. It can be hard to adjust to being at shield, but there are 40 other elite kids who have been learning here for years, and we're all available to help. So in short, welcome to shield"

Nick gave me a pat on the shoulder and Sharon Carter, another year four who was about three years older than me started her speech. We'd been in an intense back and forth for four years now in track. It was always a fairly even battle, and while Nick said a little friendly competition was good he'd relented into training me whenever his work gave him the chance letting me take the top spot for two years in a row now.

~~~~~~~

Natasha slumped on the lower bunk in my room sighing. "Why," The girl had been holed up in my room since rooms were assigned "Nick knows how we are, we trust each other like we don't trust anyone else," she seemed to drag out every word.

"You know Nick isn't in charge of room assignments, that's all Hand" I replied sending another message to Savanna; Nicks niece, trying to end the argument we were in so I could focus on what Natasha was saying. "Look I wish we were in the same room too," I'd already asked Hand to change it, " It's something about the different years."

"What if Nick could change it" Natasha tried even though she knew that while Nick was the director of shield that didn't mean he could change the room assignments.

I gave her a look. I may have hated rooming with a stranger, but Natasha absolutely hated it. She never trusted whoever it was or never got along with them. "You know, here's a piece of," I paused considering what to say, "Sisterly advice, don't punch or kick your roommate, doesn't matter how much you want to. If she ends up being a jerk who doesn't know when to stop, you tell me, got it?"

Natasha moved to a siting position she seemed confused, "Why?" She asked.

Natasha I realized was never shown that people cared about her. Not in the way I just had, she might have seen the way Nick treated us differently, but she didn't realize we cared about her. I moved to sit next to the small girl on the bed, "Tasha, you know I'll look out for you. Me and Nick got your back, so do your friends."

"What friends?" She asked.

"Barton, Vana, Daisy. You've got friends." I told her.

"Maria, I'm just a little kid here." She told me and the way she looked at me said everything she'd left unspoken. She really believed that she was nothing, that nobody else cared for her. She believed she was just a little kid. She didn't realize how much she really was to so many people.

"You're not 'just' anything. You're important to so many people for so many reasons." I told her, "and eventually I'll make sure you realize that."

~~~~~~~

Natasha and I walked into the cafeteria for dinner and went to sit next to Barton and Daisy. "Stupid computer," Daisy mumbled behind the screen she was working on.

"Very stupid," Coulson agreed walking over and pushing to screen down, he had a girl around my age with him, she had long blonde hair and was probably an inch taller than my height of 5'9. "Eat. Now everyone I would like for you to meet Barbara Morse."

"Bobbi," The girl interrupted. "I just go by Bobbi."

"Sorry you told me that already," Coulson said, "Bobbi this is Daisy, Barton, Natasha and Maria, I was hoping they would be a good group for you to eat with at least until you find your crowd, and maybe they are."

"You guys mind?" Coulson addressed us.

"Sure," I said sticking my hand out, "However, you need to be warned, Barton will try to prank you as an 'entrance exam' to the table"

"It's one of my best qualities, only these two get out of it," he said jabbing his thumb toward Natasha and I. "Watch out for them, they probably have over a million ways to kill you."

Natasha punched the boy next to her, "See this is what I mean!" He yelled rubbing his arm.

Bobbi laughed slightly, she seemed like someone who could put up with the younger girls and the honorary two year old, Barton, hopefully she could get used to us before the rest of our group would arrive next week. "I'll check in on you at nine Bobbi, and everyone please be good." Coulson said causing Barton to laugh maniacally.

Eventually Barton started to calm down and Daisy and I had made it our goal to learn as much about Bobbi as possible, Natasha stayed quiet sometimes piping up about one thing or another, never directly to Bobbi.

"Hand adopted you" Bobbi asked Clint.

"No she's fostering me, everyone just likes to say she adopted me," He responded shoving another bite of food in his mouth as to not be faced with another question.

"I'm sure she'll adopt you soon, everyone is." Daisy told him not looking up from her calzone and the laptop her adoptive father had previously shut.

Barton just shrugged, "But you like her," Bobbi asked him.

"Yeah she's great, people just ask me questions about it all the time with her being head of the school." He responded to the new girl.

"Yeah I get it, my dad was a top operative at the local police, kids in my schools always asked me questions. By the time I got to high school everyone asked if I could have my dad bail them for something." Bobbi told him. "What about the rest of you?"

"Coulson and his wife adopted me when I was eight, at first I was convinced they would send me back. Now it just feels so normal around them, like I would never question weather or not they loved me." Sixteen year old Daisy answered.

I looked to Natasha who seemed preoccupied by a speck on the wall. "Um I came here when I was thirteen but was neglected before that and grew up in a dangerous town." I told Bobbi.

"Oh" the girl said shocked, "I'm sorry you didn't have to tell me that."

"It's ok Bobbi" I told her.

"You new here beautiful?" Tony Stank asked Bobbi from behind us.

"Me?" Bobbi asked the billionaire, "Um yeah." She answered when she got a nod.

"Get lost Stark," Barton said speaking up for the girl, "No one wants to date someone like you."

"Someone like me," Stark laughed, "You mean a beautiful, straight-a, billionaire. No why would anyone want to date me?" He asked getting closer to Bobbi.

Natasha stood up suddenly balance slightly from her boot, "Back off," she commanded him, "oh, and you forgot one thing, egotistical jerk." She smirked as he started walking away.

"Thanks," Bobbi said though she sounded a little confused.

"Tony Stark," Barton started "His dads rich and was able to buy his way into the school. He may get good grades but his attitude, not so much."

"Ignore him and his group and your off to a good start." Daisy piped up.

"Do any of you know how to get to the directors office?" A lower voice asked from behind me.