A/N: I think my story is doing so well! I've been very happy with it and have been working on it for all of you to see as fast as possible! Thank you all for taking the time to read my story! I appreciate everyone who has reviewed, set a story alert for my story, put my story as one of their favorites, or just read it! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

I looked around my room once again, still not truly believing this was "mine". I set my carry-on messenger bag on the bed to start organizing. I emptied the contents completely and set it on the comforter: my laptop, my DS and its case, my iPod nano, my sweat jacket, and my "Percy Jackson" book.

I set my laptop on the right side of the bookcase, with care, and I placed my DS and book on the night stand on the right side of the bed.

Next, I took to small remote off the dresser and looked at the buttons. There was a total of seven buttons: Four were circled vertically, two were circled horizontally, and one that took up two spaces across. I pressed the long button, and the closet doors slid open smoothly.

I walked up to it and looked inside: There was a long metal pole to hang all your clothes, along with a shelf above it. On the pole were mahogany wood hangers. I hung my sweat jacket on one of these and push it to the right side of the closet. I grabbed my carry-on and reached up easily to set it on the shelf in the closet.

Everything was put in its place, so I plopped on the bed, exhausted from the long day's events. I sank right into the bed extremely comfortably.

Whoa. I thought. It's like lying on a cloud! I bounced on it experimentally, starting to grin widely. I laid all the way back on the bed.

Oh my goodness. This is amazing! I think this is one of those Temper-Pedic beds! I've always wanted to try these out! I had a spontaneous thought. I gotta try the wine glass test! I remembered a scene from "Yes Man" with Jim Carrey; he got a Temper-Pedic bed and did the wine glass test. He was jumping and shuffling on the bed to try and tip it, but it never tipped, so he cried out, "It works!"

I laughed out loud at the random memory; that movie was hilarious. While I was finishing my laugh, the door slid open. I sat up straight abruptly, fixing my hair. Pepper strode in with one hand pulling on my rolling luggage, and another hand keeping her clipboard clutched to her chest. She laid it down in the middle of the carpet, and walked back to the door. She turned toward me and asked, "Would that be all?"

I nodded and smiled simply.

"Then I'll leave you to un-pack." Pepper stated politely. She returned the nod-and-smile gesture and walked out of the room, the door sliding closed behind her.

Okay. I thought to myself, rubbing my hands together. Let's get this over with.

Un-zipping the luggage, I started the organizing.

First, the clothes: socks and undergarments in the top drawer of dresser; shirts, summer on left side of second drawer, winter on right side; pajamas and sweats in third drawer, pj's on upper side, sweats on lower side; pants in last drawer, shorts, capris, and then pants from left to right side of drawer.

Part one: finished. I thought, satisfied with the almost-empty suitcase. Now, my DVDs and books…

I took out the piles of my favorite movies and books from the suitcase and dropped them on my bed, laying them out over the comforter. I started with the books: I grabbed the pile of "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" series off the bed and carried them to the bookcase. I set them in chronological order on the first shelf. I did this routine for all my other books: the "Harry Potter" series and "A Series of Unfortunate Events". The rest I put on the second shelf: the "Uglies" trilogy, and the "Inheritance Cycle".

I grabbed all my DVDs and put them on the right side of the bottom shelf: "Transformers", "The Nightmare before Christmas", "Finding Nemo", "WALL-E", "Bruce Almighty", and "The Phantom of the Opera".

I checked my luggage again to see if I missed anything. In a far corner of the suitcase, I found a picture frame. It was the most recent picture of my mom and me: I was holding the camera so it pointed at both of us. We were just goofing around on the couch, making funny faces.

Why? I thought sadly, staring at her picture. Why were you taken from me so quickly? What was the reason for your death? If it was to meet my uncle, there was no point; he won't talk to me. I sighed as new tears were born. You were my best friend…

That time, I didn't even try to refrain from crying; I needed to let my emotions out for once. Tear droplets formed on the picture glass; I wiped it off with the hem of my shirt. I stood up and placed it on top of the dresser where I could easily see it. I stared at it for one more minute, thinking about how much fun I had with her, all the while avoided thinking about what I won't be able to do with her.

I turned away from it and walked to bathroom to clean off my face; it felt like it was on fire. I didn't look at my face in the mirror as I came to a stop in front of the ornate sink; I hate seeing myself when I cry.

I snatched a washcloth from the sink countertop, soaked it under cold water, and squeezed the extra water out, placing it over my entire face. I sat on the toilet blindly, finding the seat. I felt my face's and eyes' swelling decrease while I pondered of happier thoughts than more recent events.

I finally walked out of the bathroom, successfully calmed down.

Stay in the present or think of the future only, I noted to myself, at least for the time being. The past is just making me cry too much.

I glanced down at my assumedly-empty luggage. I grasped the handle with one hand and the other end of the luggage with the other hand and lifted it up until it was high enough to reach the shelf of the open closet. The luggage wasn't even on the shelf when I heard the door slide open.

"Oh!" Pepper exclaimed. "Do you need help?"

I heard her pacing toward me. "No." I said with a little strain. "I can do it."

I deposited the luggage on the shelf, grabbed the remote off the dresser, and pressed the long closet button and watched the closet doors shut quietly.

"Thanks for offering." I told her, smiling sweetly. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

"Um, yes." She said, still disbelieving that I could lift that much weight.

"Weight lifting classes at school." I explained, noticing her disbelief.

"Oh." Pepper said in understanding, nodding. "Well, I came to inform you that we're leaving to go to the Apogee Award Ceremony in Las Vegas. We'll be back by morning." She paused, looking a little embarrassed. "Mr. Stark says everything with a need for a code is off-limits. If you try to open any doors with electronic locks on it, Jarvis—the system that runs the house—will report you to him. Now, I believe that you would never even try to do something like that, but what he says, goes. I'm terribly sorry."

"Does he think I'm five?" I asked incredulously, angry.

Pepper pursed her lips, but I was on a roll. "I have not wronged him in any way. I haven't even had time to! And why would I in the first place? The fact that he's a genius and a billionaire is enough to keep me from leaving this room. I"--I laid a hand on my heart--"am personally afraid to touch anything. So tell him he doesn't need to worry about me at all. I'm perfectly capable of knowing where I'm supposed to be and what I'm not allowed to do. I know my place." I sighed, finished ranting. "I'm sorry for complaining to you but, apparently, he doesn't want to talk or look at me. I hope you can understand."

Pepper closed her eyes and shook her head, smiling in bemusement. "I don't know why he's acting like this to you. I agree; he has no reason to treat you like he is. I'll try and talk to him, but I doubt it'll change anything; he can be stubborn."

"Good night." She smiled and strode out, the door sliding closed, cutting me off from the real world in the process.

I looked out the glass wall the seemingly endless ocean, feeling like it was going to come in and wash me away.

I wish it would. I thought sadly. Maybe it could take me to some place better, and get me out of this jail.

I sat on my bed, thoroughly depressed.

I need my music. I stated in my mind.

When I'm upset and need to get my mind off troubling thoughts, I listen to my iPod. Letting myself get lost in the music calms me in ways that other ways can't.

I picked up my iPod from beside me and got comfortable on the pillows. I set my music on "shuffle" and closed my eyes, willing myself to fall asleep to the notes played and sung by all my favorite artists.

Eventually, I lost consciousness and my eyes slid shut without my noticing.

When I woke up, it was absolutely dark outside.

I checked the time on my iPod; the brightness of the screen made my eyes dilate so quickly that it hurt. After my eyes could handle the light, I checked the time again: eleven forty-three.

Wow. I thought, amazed. I was really tired…It's so dark in here! Where's the light switch? Or is it another remote?

I pulled out my ear buds, rolled off the bed and--using the light from my iPod--found my way to the dresser. I grabbed the remote from the dresser and checked to see if it had another button for the light. I turned the remote at every angle and sighed; no light button.

Maybe it's in the nightstand drawer…

I pressed the correct button to both nightstands, shining the light from my iPod's LCD screen in each one: there was absolutely nothing in either, not even dust.

Starting to get frustrated and sick of the dark, I cried out loud, "Where's the damn light switch?!" I don't usually swear (and if I do I'm always sure no one else is in the same room), but at that time I wanted to actually sleep in my pajamas and perform my usual before-bed routine: personal grooming and hygiene like washing my face, brushing my teeth, trimming my nails, etc. Besides, I had a lot on my mind and a lot to deal with. For example: my mother's passing and my uncle, Tony Stark.

Right after I completed the outcry, the two wall lights over the nightstands turned on.

"I'm the light switch." An English male voice said, startling me. "You could have said something in a more pleasant tone such as 'Lights on'."

"Um…Sorry," was all I could really say. I never thought a computer system that controls the house could have a sarcastic attitude. Another one of Tony's bright ideas I presume… Though it could be funny to hear once and a while.

I changed and did my routine in the bathroom. Somehow, changing in front of a glass wall that only shows a vast ocean makes me feel self-conscious.

When I walked out of the prestigious bathroom and got under the covers, I wondered, Is this what it's going to be like every night? Just going to bed without anyone to say 'Good night' to?

I sighed and said, "Lights off."

"That's better, thank you." Jarvis said as it turned into total darkness once again.

Good night, mom. I thought as I cried myself asleep, feeling like the most pathetic and loneliest organism to be spotted on the face of the Earth.