Two weeks later,
I walked down the school hallway to my locker; I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I kept my head down as I walked down the hallway. This was the first time I was back at school since Tony went missing. I barely ate; I wore a yellow baggy sweater with dark brown tights and black combat boots. I was putting my combination in when I heard three freshman girls on the other side of the hallway talk about me.
"Isn't that Kida Stark?" One girl asked
"Yeah" Another answered "her dad's been missing for two weeks"
"He's probably dead" the third one said
"Really"
"No one can survive in the middle east that long."
As I stood in front of my now open locker I looked over my shoulder at a drinking fountain that was next to the girls. The rest of the noises around me died down the sound of people walking, talking, doors opening and closing, and rusty lockers being opened and closed. The only thing I heard was the rushing water in the pipes getting louder and louder. That's when the drinking fountain started shaking; the three girls stopped and stared at it.
The drinking fountain shot off the wall revealing the pipes. The pipes shot water out like a fire hose. People jumped out of the way to avoid getting wet including the three girls. But the water seemed to move and only hit the girls with enough force to push them to the ground.
"Stop" I thought
And on command the water stopped leaving the hallway and the three girls wet. I stood near the back of a crowd of students with my jaw hanging open. The principal ran in and told us all to leave so the janitor could clean up. The girls went to the office and the bell rang, I walked to English class where I sat in the very back corner of the room with a window next to me. I had my arms on my desk and leaned down so my chin rested on the cool desk. Only my eyes were visible, I ignored the teacher as she went on and on about the theme in the story we were reading in class. I looked out the window where there was a box of blooming daisies on the other side of the glass.
I watched as the daisies slowly died and withered away. Luckily no one else noticed, and the bell rang. I grabbed my books and walked out; I walked outside where I saw my two friends Amy and Olivia at the bench where we always ate at with the group of guys that hung out with us. They were all laughing and talking and seemed happy. I was invisible, and that's the way I wanted it. I wanted to be alone, there wasn't any point in people comforting me when it doesn't work, and it won't bring Tony back. I lowered my head and walked across the cafeteria building to a tree on the edge of campus. It was a big oak tree and no one else was around it. I sat under the shade and pulled my phone out; I listened to my music as I drew in my sketchbook. I felt something hit my leg and I looked down to see a red apple.
"Apples don't grow on oak trees" I thought
I shot my head up to see a boy sitting on a branch above me. He had jet black hair that was spiked up and bright green eyes. His pale skin contrasted to the dark green buttoned up shirt he was wearing. He wore black jeans and black shoes; he had a slim face and lean built with the sleeves rolled up to his elbow. I pulled my earplugs out not breaking the eye contact we shared.
"Have you been up there this whole time?" I asked
"Maybe" he had a slight British accent
"Where you spying on me"
"Well" He hung upside down with his face next to mine "uh"
"You where"
"Fine you caught me" he said with a small smirk "what where you drawing?"
"It doesn't matter" I said closing my book "can you please leave, I want to be alone"
"Why" he asked "who are you?"
"Who are you?" I asked "I've never seen you before"
"I'm new" he said and jumped down to sit next to me "I'm Luke, what's your name?"
"Kida"
"Pretty"
"I'm leaving" I quickly got up but I felt a soft cold hand grab mine
"Wait" I turned around and saw him still on the ground holding my hand. "I want to show you something"
He grabbed the apple that hit my leg and held it in his hand. I watched as he made it wither and die. He let it fall from his hand and looked up to me with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. My hand fell to my side.
"How did you"
"You're not the only ones with powers" he said interrupting me "you have a gift no one else has"
"It's not a gift, it's a curse" I turned around and walked away but I heard him follow me
"It's a gift people would kill to have you need to accept it and let it flourish." He said "People will look up to you, kneel, and even praise you like a god."
"I don't want to be treated like a god" I said looking up at him "I want to be treated like everyone else like how it was meant to be. To be treated as equals"
I walked away and the bell rang, I walked to the science building when the principal walked up to me.
"Ms. Stark" He said "Ms. Virginia Potts is here"
"Why" I asked
"She said something about your father"
I quickly followed him into the office; there was Pepper in a business dress with her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
"Pepper what's going on?" I asked
"Tony's back" She said tears of joys in her eyes "he's on the plane to LAX"
"He's alive" I said and she nodded her head yes
For the first time in a long time I smiled and the feeling I was glowing came back. I hugged her and we ran to the car where Happy was waiting for us. We anxiously drove through traffic to the airport, I pulled on the ends of my sweater and my heart felt like it was going a hundred miles per hour.
"What was I going to say?" I thought "Should I tell him what I did at school? No, no never but what the hell am I going to say? What is he going to say?"
We drove up the airway where a military plane was waiting and Pepper and I got out and I stood next to her. The back opened to reveal Rhodey and Tony; he had his right arm in a sling and had his coat covering it. I felt tears suddenly fill in my eyes when he saw me. When the two reached the ground in front of us, I ran and threw my arms around Tony. I buried my face into his shoulder; he laughed and wrapped his left arm around my waist.
"I missed you kiddo" he said making me laugh a little
"I missed you too" I said "and I…"
"You what"
"I love you dad"
"I love you too"
He kissed the side of my head and I stepped back wiping the tears off my cheeks.
"Tears" He said turning to Pepper "missed your boss"
"Tears of joy" She said "I hate job hunting"
I laughed and we all climbed into the car,
"Where to sir?" Happy asked
"Hospital" Pepper said
"Press conference" Tony said
"What no Tony"
"Nope I want to have a press conference" He said interrupting him "cheeseburger first"
I sat in the car shocked, he hated press conferences he didn't like the business part of his job. I could sense a drastic change in him. He looked like him, sounded like him, but this wasn't the same man who was here before the attack. We went to a drive thru and he got his cheeseburger, then we went to Stark Industries where it was filled with the press and paparazzi. Obadiah was there and he greeted Tony with open arms. We all walked inside, I stayed with Pepper near the back of the room. While we stood there a man walked up to us. He wore a black suit and had brown hair and brown eyes. He pulled out a badge like FBI but instead it said SHIELD. The logo was a bird in a circle, when I saw it I felt a headache and a flash of light passed my eyes.
"Kida are you ok?" Pepper asked
"I'm fine" I lied
"Ms. Potts" The man said "I'm Phil Coulson from the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. If I could ask you a couple of questions"
While Pepper paid her attention to Tony I focused on him, he seemed familiar. I knew his name yet I couldn't figure out why he was familiar. It left me frustrated and I turned back to my dad.
"Stark Industries will no longer manufacture weapons" He said
The press jumped from their seats and began asking questions.
"Did he really just say that?" I asked
"Yes he really did" Pepper said sounding as shocked as I was
