For a long time, Scarlet's mother had warned her about the dangers outside their door. Much like a Disney movie Scarlet faintly remembered watching with Beverly. Scarlet was sure her mother hadn't meant to, but these vague warnings about the big bad world had created an unnatural fear. Jane had brushed it off as her ADD emphasizing her introvert personality, creating extreme reactions to stressful situations.
Scarlet had thought that her mother's explanation had always sounded too detached. She could help but compare Jane's explanations to a diagnosis from a new doctor, one that was more interested in pushing pills than anything else.
Over the years Scarlet had gotten better in social situations. She no longer shied away from interactions, instead, she purposefully inserted herself into conversations to get rid of her nerves. She got involved in community sports, softball being her preferred choice, in order to expand her social circle. Though, even after all this, she still felt slightly removed.
The worst part, one thing she hadn't been able to change over the years, was her anxiety over being in a new environment for too long. When she was still in grade school, Scarlet's mother had tried to ease her into environmental changes by slowly changing the colors of the house and moving around furniture. When that seemed to have no effect on Scarlet, Jane figured Scarlet would be fine to stay over at a friends house. One that was close, not too far away so that Scarlet wouldn't get uncomfortable.
The very first time Scarlet had stayed over at Beverly's house, Jane had to come get her because she wouldn't stop crying about seeing a figure in the window. Turns out that it was just a shadow from a nearby tree, but it took forever to convince Scarlet of that and even longer to get Scarlet to stay over at a friends house again.
The point is, Scarlet had never been comfortable in new surroundings. There were only a few instances of her traveling, all of them were with her mother and none of them very far. Except for that one trip to the Caribbean where Scarlet had been too excited to see turtles that she never became anxious.
And now, surrounded by Stark's high tech environment, Scarlet never felt more out of place. The bedroom was the size of her living room and the bathroom was the size of her kitchen. Everything was sterile, there were no signs that anyone had ever set foot on this floor and Scarlet supposed that was the truth if the constant construction was anything to go by.
She was used to the warm summer colors of her house, the bright blues, and neutral oranges. Fuzzy throws placed anywhere within reason and decorative pillows that usually ended up on the floor at some point.
Here, however, the color wheel ranged from white to black with a few sprinkles of brown or silver. The furniture was stiff from never being used before and the whole floor had the equivalent of the infamous 'new car smell'. Don't get her wrong. It was very nice, very luxurious and she wasn't complaining, better than another night at a hotel across from a New York airport.
It just wasn't home.
Scarlet cut off that train of thought before it could wander off too far. Instead, she turned her attention back to the complex workings of knobs and pulls in front of her. She never thought a shower could have more than two settings, hot or cold. Apparently, she was completely unaware of the comforts of life. After fiddling around with a few knobs, she managed to turn on the shower and wrangle it to a cool temperature, unwilling to irritate her skin with hot water.
Despite her efforts, however, the water still stung the burns on her back and forearms. She hissed in pain as she gently tried to scrub off the grime that was stuck to her skin. For a minute, Scarlet contemplated whether or not to use the proffered cleansing products, but then thought better as they might irritate her burns further.
Grumbling about her inability to use them, Scarlet finished washing up before wrapping herself in a soft towel. With a sigh, Scarlet picked up the remains of the clothes she was wearing. The fabric was burned and the shirt, previously white, was now a dark gray and was missing the back. Her cardigan was no more than a flimsy scrap.
With a resigned huff, Scarlet threw the clothes into the trash bin and walked over to her bag to pull out the softest shirt she had packed, along with cotton shorts. After changing into her clothes, she sat down on the edge of the bed, finding time to review her surroundings.
One wall of the bedroom was made, completely, of glass and looked out over the edge of the city. Scarlet noted in amusement and wonder, that her room was almost as high up as the Chrysler building. From her room, she could see the lights of the buildings around her. If she squinted they created a yellow smudge and, although they were beautiful in a sense, Scarlet knew that the lights would keep her up all night long.
Scarlet could never sleep with any kind of light, be it soft, harsh or the kind that creeps under your door. Margaret had often left the outside light on for Scarlet's mom as she usually came home late from her job, even after Jane had enlisted, Margaret had left the light on still. Scarlet eventually asked for heavy curtains to block out the light, even though the curtains kept her room at a boiling point in the summer due to the trapped heat.
She sighed and picked at the soft comforter, the fabric slipping through her loose fingers and creating a soft thump. As her fingers fiddled with the blanket, she looked out the window once more.
Still, she thought, I'm one step closer than I was a day before.
Scarlet smiled at the thought. Yes, she was definitely closer to finding what she was looking for. It was almost overwhelming for her. She hadn't expected to even get this far.
Scarlet knew she was a pessimist, though she prefers to be coined as a realist. She hadn't really planned farther than this, thinking that the moment she spoke to Mr. Stark, if she even had the chance at all, she would be sent back home with nothing left to go on.
She didn't know how to go about finding a person. Stark was easy, he was a public figure and, though he had enough money to be as wild as he would like, he actually stuck to a pretty predictable routine.
He rarely went out, and if he did he only went to galas, press conferences, or his favorite restaurants within a mile radius of his tower. In Malibu, he was much more recluse, rarely seen other than the occasional blurry photo of him speeding down the road.
But finding a man who disappeared sixteen years ago? Someone who Scarlet had no knowledge about, no name, no picture, she didn't even know the color of his hair. Scarlet was better off trying to find a needle in a stack of needles. Though, Scarlet found herself wondering if maybe she could have done it anyways.
She could imagine herself with her old sleuthing cap from her fifth-grade recital, sifting through old letters that she somehow found hidden within her home, perhaps on the very top shelf of the linen closet. Maybe they would be filled with letters or pictures. A box full of hints to send Scarlet off on a hot trail and in the end, find what she was looking for. And her mother could return safe and sound to their cozy little home tucked away in the dry deserts of Arizona, with their warm colors and soft pillows. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
Perhaps you'd be able to rewind the clock and stop mom from ever signing up for the Navy as well.
Scarlet winced, the cruel thought biting away her small fantasy and bringing the reality of her situation crashing back down. Wishful thinking like that won't help her from here on. After all pipe dreams are just that, dreams.
Truth is, Scarlet doubted she could find a glow stick in a cave. No, Stark can help her and he said he would.
Unless….
It was then that her realistic side started to creep through the cracks.
Unless he's fooling you. Waiting it out until the middle of the night to throw you out when no one is watching. After all, why would he want to help you? You and he are the only ones who know about the favor owed and who would believe you if he were to deny ever writing that?
Scarlet's breath started to pick up. True, there was nothing holding Stark to his word. Helping her was at the expense of his time and resources. Why would he care if he was Scarlet's only shot at finding his parents? Why wouldn't he just cut his losses and pick up in a new direction?
He's done it before, no matter what the expenses were to others involved.
Suddenly, Scarlet saw her room in a whole new light, the room, while large before, was now too huge for her to be in. the city lights outside were now blinding, her head started to pulse. An oddly familiar feeling of lightheadedness panic flooded her senses. However, she couldn't recall when she had ever felt this way before.
She was on her feet, when did that happen? Swaying forward, she stumbled into a dark room. As her hands scrambled around the wall to find a switch, she, instead found a railing. It was high up, closer to the ceiling, and there was another one a few feet below it. She was in a closet then.
Giving up her search for a light switch, Scarlet instead crawled forward on her hands and knees. Something dragged on the carpet behind her as she moved. The comforter, it was still clutched in her hand. When she found the back of the closet, Scarlet tucked herself into the corner and scrunched the blanket up around her sides. Staring out at the still open door, she found that the light was bearable. Slowly she started falling into a dreamless sleep, a sort of blessing considering her panicked state.
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So hi. This update is so late and I am very sorry about that but I was having such a hard time with this chapter. This chapter is just a filler so it is much shorter than any of my other chapters. I have been spending all this time trying to lengthen this chapter more but I finally just said enough is enough and it's time to move onto the next chapter. I will warn you, however, though this chapter is mostly just filler there are a few things within it that you need to pay close attention to as they will become very important later (Foreshadowing).
Anyways, I shouldn't have very many problems with the chapters from here on out. Part of the problem is that I have been rearranging some of what happens in these past few chapters and I left nothing for this chapter here. I didn't realize that until it was too late and I was supposed to be writing the chapter. Now I have everything where it should be and I shall be prepared for when the next mid-story-crisis comes.
Thank you for waiting as long as you have been and sticking with me. Plz, like it if you liked it if you'd like. Leave a review and let me know what you think! I've been waiting for a new review and would like to hear from you guys! I will have another chapter up as soon as I have one ready for you! Thanks Again!
~Insiga