"Steve," I smiled cheerily, my cheek sticking to the screen of my smartphone with humidity. Winter had blown over and summer was about to begin. Summer, of course, is really hot. Especially in Manhattan. "Are you coming? Graduation is a few days away, and my party is next week." In the months that had followed the death of Aldrich Killian, I had thrown myself into my school work. The year is ending now, and my 18th birthday is soon after. As is customary with seniors in high school, I would be attending a graduation ceremony. I had three seats available in the auditorium, one for my mother, one for Pendragon, and one open.

"You're in luck there, Jack," Steve Rogers answered, slightly out of breath, like he was walking quickly, "My schedule just cleared up, I'll be back in New York in time for the ceremony." I pulled the phone further from my face as I cheered, trying not to blast my friend's ear in my excitement.

"Great! Mom and Pen will wait for you at the Tower, I've got to be at the venue early." Steve confirmed the details and hung up. He'd been doing more work for Shield as of late, but I wasn't in on the details. His increased involvement also meant that he was out of state a lot, usually down in Washington DC. At least that I was aware of.

As for now, I was shopping. The dress that I had purchased for graduation had torn while I tried it on at home. Thankfully, I hadn't even removed the tag yet, so I was off to return it for something without faulty stitching. Good thing that Times Square and Broadway wasn't far from Stark Tower, now called the Avenger's Tower. Awfully convenient that the 'A' had survived the Battle. The first anniversary was only a week and a half away.

I wrinkled my nose at the smell of the city. Cars honked throughout the streets and pumped heat and exhaust into the air. The convenience of the city was just barely enough to endear me to it. I'm a small town girl at heart. No offense to city slickers of course. I merged in with the flow of the crowd, like fish in a school. Most of the white collar workers were filing out of their offices, and swarming to the subways. At least I didn't need to go underground, the trains would be packed tighter that the sidewalks.

Like a knife through the water, I wove through the people in between myself and the clothing store doors. I wrapped my gloved fingers around the handle and pulled it open. Needle-like prickles erupting in my scarred palms. At this point, a year later, the fresh, constant pain had dulled. Tingling and tickling replaced the sharp stabbing pains that I'd first felt when I used my hands. It was just unpleasant enough to make me careful about what I touch.

With the ripped dress in a bag with my receipt, I began to wander through the racks of clothing. A cobalt blue dress on a mannequin caught my eye. The shiny satin fabric hugged the plastic form, flaring out at the hips in an A-line. The mannequin was even wearing long black gloves, also made of satin. I grabbed a pair of gloves, and a dress in the style I liked off of the rack, and began to browse some more. I still wanted an outfit for my party.

I grabbed a few tops and skirts and ducked quickly into the changing room. The dress fit perfectly, and I found a skirt and blouse combo that I liked enough to buy. The line at the register was pretty big, so I took my place at the back. Most of the people in line were girls my age, all holding dresses. I smiled passively to myself, knowing that I wasn't the only one buying last minute.

The return was easy, and I put the credit towards my new purchase. I saw the clerk glance at my thin leather gloves and light jacket, probably wondering why anyone would cover up so much in the summer. He didn't make a comment, which was appreciated. Even after all this time, I'm still bothered by people staring at my arms and hands. It didn't matter if I was wearing gloves or bared my skin. The only time I didn't get any weird looks was during the colder months.

I plucked my sunglasses out of my purse and pushed them up the bridge of my nose. Big aviator glasses, perfect for concealing one's identity. Call me paranoid, but I'd like to live my life unrecognized, in peace. At least, as peacefully as you can when you live with a billionaire. The base of the tower was swarming with tourists, as usual. Getting in was tricky from the front, but Tony wasn't just rich. He was also smart. He had a back door on the ground level for use as a secret entrance, located in what looked on the outside as a perpetually shut down shopfront.

With a quick, hopefully subtle glance at the surrounding area, I tugged off my right glove. I pressed my ring finger to a hidden reader. The door unlocked, and I slipped in as quickly as I could. The room was dark, dimly lit to discourage potential trespassers. A spy cam in the corner registered my movement and Jarvis' voice came on the speaker.

"Name?" he asked curtly, his mechanical voice coming from the same corner as the camera.

"Jacqueline Thompson." I replied, just as brief. Between the finger scanner and the vocal confirmation, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to break into the tower through this entrance. Especially since Jarvis had a presence here. Anyone who couldn't confirm their identity with their voice or a card would trigger the alarm. A special code was in place as well, to turn off the attack bots that were hidden in the walls. A backup in case someone was unconscious and couldn't confirm.

A piece of the wall slid open, pulling the shelf in front of it back with it. Swinging out into the room would leave marks on the linoleum. I stepped past the wall and into the hidden hallway. The elevator inside was also monitored with a camera. Can't be too careful after all.

I propped my sunglasses on top of my head, leaning against the railings inside the elevator. The doors slid shut, and the mechanical box lowered. Then to the side. Then back up when we were inside the tower. Talk about the coolest elevator ever.

"Welcome back Miss Thompson," Jarvis greeted me as the doors opened into the foyer. I crossed the clean white room to the other elevators. The three of them connected to each floor, since there were several residents, each with their own floor. Pendragon shared with my Mom and I. The other floors held labs, workshops, and group rooms, for meetings and parties. The pool was underground, and had the secret tunnel that lead to the river. It was a secret, since it was technically illegal.

I might swim a bit later, but right now I've got some shopping to put away. The elevator started, and I felt the rumble of the gears make the floor shudder a little. As machines do. It was an easy ride to my floor. Pendragon had business to take care of, and mom was at work so the floor was empty when I arrived. I turned down the hall, away from the sitting room. The door to my room was already cracked, just like I had left it.

"Jarvis, could you turn on the radio?" I asked, shutting the door behind me. The AI obliged, and catchy pop music blared to life through a speaker in the corner of my room. I thanked him, tossing my bags onto my bed. Peeling the light fabric from my shoulders, I threw my jacket over my desk chair. Next to be removed was my remaining glove. That, plus the other half of the pair were left on my desk. I kicked my shoes off by the door and dropped to the mattress heavily.

Nothing like a nice air conditioned room after layering up in the heat. I used to be much more heat resistant, but that disappeared the same year I discovered the moon pool. Must be a mermaid thing. It was also a good thing that sweat didn't trigger a transformation. At least that magic has a sense of self preservation. I peeled myself out of my damp clothes and threw them in the corner. The downside of wearing a jacket and gloves in the summer was the disgusting, dirty feeling I felt by the end of the day.

I turned the faucet on in the bathtub, and poured in a generous amount of bubble bath. Lavender scented. Then I lit the floral scented candle sitting on the sink. When the tub filled, I turned the water off and lifted my hands. Concentrating on the cold water, I heated it to a comfortable steamy temperature. Getting in was fun when you only had ten seconds to do so without a fall.

I sunk in up to my shoulders quickly, sprawling out in the tub. The foamy suds hid my transformation, except for very tips of my fin. The joys of a custom tub, it could fit me in my entirety without any overflow. I leaned my head back, letting the heat relax me. Between the bubbles and the candle, the smell of flowers saturated the humid air. The same music I was listening to in my room played in the bathroom, albeit a bit softer. My eyes felt heavy, so I closed them, feeling cleansed by the environment.

"Jackie?" Without warning, a sharp knock reverberated through the small tiled room. I jolted up in alarm. I must have shouted, because the person behind the door called out to me again, "Is everything okay in there?" Sounds like Pendragon's home

"Yes!" The water had cooled to body temperature, and the bubble bath had fizzled to a few tiny bubbles by the edge of the ceramic. "I'll be out soon!" Might as well get clean. I washed my hair first, taking note of the length. It had grown quite a bit in the past year, and now fell just below my shoulder blades. I turned on the showerhead, and rinsed the last of the conditioner out of my hair. Pulling the plug, the soapy water began to drain slowly. In that time, I scrubbed my skin with a loofah. Or was it bath poof? Same thing.

When I reached my tail, I switched to a washcloth to clean my scales. Ever since the Australian mermaids had told me about the scientist who had found a shed scale, I'd become paranoid that a marine biologist in the states might do the same thing. Washing myself was the perfect opportunity to remove loose scales before that could happen. It didn't really hurt, but it reminded me of when I'd tried to pluck my eyebrows in middle school. I kept the dropped scales in a jar of water next to the candle on the sink. Weird, but they're pretty and I didn't want to throw them in the trash.

I rinsed myself off completely with the showerhead, then evaporated the water from the tub and my body. Once I had legs again, I climbed out of the tub and grabbed my fleecy bathrobe. Just because I didn't need to towel off after a bath didn't mean I was willing to give up the poofy robe. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, and checked myself in the mirror. Satisfied, I blew out the candle.

Grabbing the doorknob, I opened the door at the same exact second that Pen had raised his hand to knock again. We both jumped, surprised to see each other. When he saw my robe, his face turned an interesting shade of red and he bolted out of my room. I giggled as the door slammed shut. He's so easily embarrassed, and I'm wearing more than I would in the water. I grabbed some comfy clothes and threw them on, then headed to the living room to see what was up.

"Hey babe," I said, enjoying the squish of the carpeting between my clean toes. He was still looking pink in the cheeks and pacing. Poor guy. He mumbled a greeting and dropped himself onto the couch. I sat next to him. "What's the word?"

"I got a message from Director Fury, it's for you." He motioned at a nondescript envelope sitting on the coffee table. I reached out to pick it up, frowning when the smooth texture of the paper made my fingers itch like a tickle in the back of the throat. The back was sealed by the glue, so I tore it open and removed the slip of paper inside. "What does it say?" Pen asked anxiously.

"He… He wants to meet with me," I said, "I think." I showed Pendragon the paper, which contained nothing but an ominous instruction written in riddle form and a date and time to be there. A man like Fury has to be careful, and this confirms that only I would know where he would be at the time.

"'Where a broken promise meets a broken moon?' What does that mean?" Pendragon asked, confused. I smiled.

"It means that I know where he wants to talk to me." I committed the date to memory then made my way to the kitchen. Pendragon followed me, frowning as I held the paper over the stove. When it lit, I dropped it into the sink where it burned to ash. "It's tomorrow night, so I'll need to be ready to go in the morning. I'm going alone."