September 4th 2012

Klara didn't want her sister to drive her back and forth from school. She didn't want people to look at her and think "oh that's Bella's sister" and she didn't want have her sister "checking up" on her throughout the day. In truth Klara didn't have many friends. She'd had two, fraternal twins. Rebecca and Florence. But they'd both gone to a boarding school in Boston. Klara had begged, and begged to follow her friends. She thought her parents would let her. Money wasn't a problem and the school was amazing. But Clint and Natasha didn't want their daughter's away from home, especially when they're 14. Apparently it's a security risk. Which Klara knows to be wrong because there are other level 7 agents who have children in schools all over the county, even the plant? Klara sighed, but nope. She couldn't cross a state line to go to a better school with her only friends. She'd spent the entire summer seething over it while Bella worked and took summer courses and did a small internship at SHIELD.

"Aren't you excited? Can I see your timetable?"

Klara sighed and dug it out of her backpack.

"English, math, drama and history on day 1. Then Science, art, gym and geography on day 2. I had something super similar."

Klara nodded "Funny seeing as I got to pick two of them and the rest are mandatory. Why is gym mandatory? Gym is stupid."

Bella turned into the school's parking lot "It's mainly the health unit. Drugs and sex ed. They make it mandatory so everyone knows it."

Klara sighed "Yay." She deadpanned as she climbed out of her sister's car.

"Do you know where your locker is? I could walk you."

Klara shook her head "I know where it is, you don't need to do that."

Bella smiled "Sure I do. And if you ever need advice-" she was cut off my Klara shutting the car door, waving and walking towards the school. Bella sighed and climbed out of her car. Instantly some fiends of her's greeted her. Klara sped up so that they wouldn't call her out, she glanced back at them for a second unfortunately causing her to ram into someone else.

"Sorry! So sorry." She said, however the person she'd bumped into didn't seem forgiving. A boy a year or two older then Klara stared down at her.

"Well go!" he shouted. Klara glared at him "No need to ask nicely." She muttered. He glowered at her

"Bitch." He huffed. Klara resisted the urge to break his nose and walked into the school. Right away she noticed she wasn't dressed like everyone else. Klara sighed, if she'd had friends this wouldn't bother her. She looked around at the other grade nine girls. Evidently dark indigo and blue plaid shirts over black shirt and shorts with some worn out bright blue converse wasn't the way to go. But at least nothing contradicted her flaming red her. She'd put it in a loose French braid, it looked nice. A couple other people had it that way, giving Klara some relief. She turned to go upstairs to her locker. Unfortunately, she learned that Bella had chosen to have her and her friend's lockers right down the hall Klara sighed and unlocked her locker. She was moving, up one floor and across the hall. As she started putting her stuff inside, a dark skinned girl with black hair falling around her shoulders practically skipped up to the locker to the left of hers. Luckily there wasn't anyone to the left because the bank of lockers ended there. Klara didn't feel like making any new friends yet so she kept her mouth shut. This girl didn't.

"Hi! First day? Same here?" she said, beaming. Klara nodded pulling out her English binder.

"English? With who? It's my first class also! I'm Ambi, by the way." She said, still smiling.

"I have Thomas, I'm Klara." She said.

"Do you know where it is? I don't understand the map." She said. Klara nodded

"Yeah, follow me." She said slamming the locker closed.

Once they got to the class Ambi said thanks and joined some of her friends.

"Alright then." Klara muttered and took a seat at the front of the class. English was one of her favourite subject. If Rebecca and Florence had been here they'd take the row of three that was right behind where Klara was sitting so they would sit together. Florence in the middle Klara on the left, Rebecca on the right. But now anymore, the seat next to Klara was still empty as the bell rang. She sighed and took out a pencil.

Bella sat in rapt attention during calculus. She was top of all her classes every year. But right now something was bothering her. Something had been bothering her since the last day of grade 11 when Kyle had said that he loved her and she'd lied and said it back. Klara didn't think they'd said it. That's how Bella wanted it. She didn't even know. Since then something had felt off, Bella knew that she cared about him but she didn't know if she loved him. She took notes and ignored the sandy blonde haired, blue eyed boy next to her. As he worked as tirelessly on the notes as she did. Bella hewed on her tongue. There's no reason she wouldn't love him. There's no reason she could explain.

As the day dragged on and lunch came around Klara wasn't sure where to go. She'd tried to instigate conversation with the people around her in both of the classes she'd just had. They'd talked for a bit sure, but Klara guessed they were just overwhelmed. Wanted to stay in their own little groups until they were comfortable in the change of school. Klara huffed. She didn't have time for everyone else to get settled. She wanted someone to talk to. Klara was first in the cafeteria line and grabbed two slices of pizza then made a beeline for the exit of the cafeteria. She knew this was where Bella spent her lunches and she didn't want her sister making her sit awkwardly with her. Klara instead went outside of the school and sat down on the empty bleachers next to the football field. She pulled her iPod out of her pocket and put in the earphones. She hoped for Christmas she'd get an IPhone. Considering Bella got a phone in 8th grade and for some reason Klara didn't. She put on Skinny Love – Bon Iver and happily chewed on her pizza alone, on the bleachers.

Bella sat and ate and laughed with her friends and boyfriend. They were all part of the same group of people so nothing was every awkward. She got up to use the bathroom and realized her sister was nowhere to be seen. She worried for a second then realized she'd probably gone to eat lunch in the art room. A lot of the art kids go eat there. She headed for the bathroom. Several grade nine girls were inside giggling. Bella sighed, Klara would hate this. She was so close with Rebecca and Florence. Bella had almost vouched for her sister, tried to convince their parents to let Klara go. Almost. But in the end she sided with her mother and father. Klara was safest at home. Klara had told Bella she wasn't upset. Bella believed her. It let her think that Klara not wanting to spend as much time with her as she used to was Klara's problem. Not Bella's.

As the day dragged on. Bella felt extremely excited about her senior year. Klara wanted to slam her head in her locker. As she walked out of school she thought about how she'd approached everyone in her classes. Nicely, with a smile and a comment about the class depending on how the person was acting at the time. How to make friends 101. She thought. Observe a person, gauge their mood then say something that corresponds with how they're feeling. She waited next to Bella's car. There was a different set of classes tomorrow. Klara sighed. She hoped it would be better. She car unlocked as Bella walked across the parking lot. Hand in hand with Kyle. The two kissed and he raced off to join his own friends. Klara climbed into the car and immediately put in her earphones. She didn't want to talk to Bella. Klara knew if Bella had sided with her over boarding school. She'd be there now. Bella stared at her sister gazing out the window, she frowned and started the car.

After a silent ride home Clint and Natasha waited eagerly for their daughters. For two of the world's best spies they were completely clueless. They both believed Klara had forgiven them. The fourteen year old was putting on a good show, even Klara admitted that. She'd try again next year if she wasn't happy with the way things had turned out in New York. Klara thought they'd give it a chance. Deep down she knew they wouldn't. As the two of them came inside. Bella smiling and Klara glowering, she yanked her earbuds out. Before either parents could open their mouths Klara spoke

"Should have sent me to boarding with Becca and Flo. Then I wouldn't have to deal with people ignoring me trying to talk to them or brush me off. And you'll say maybe it will bet better tomorrow. But I don't care, I'd rather be in a different state." She spat. Then spun on her heel and ran upstairs. Bella looked astonished.

"She idolized me? Realized she can't be me? She wants to leave." She said and stomped up the stairs. Clint and Natasha sighed

"I'll take Klara." She said. Clint nodded.

Klara sat on the bench in her windowsill staring at the trees outside, earbuds in.

"Klara."

She saw in mother come in, sighing she took the buds out of her ears.

"Come to explain to me again that staying here is for my own good? That I'm safer here. Better off with my family? You can stop that now, I don't care." Klara said, her voice and face void of emotion. Clint and Natasha hadn't taught Klara this, she'd learned it on her own.

"You're a natural at acting like you're not feeling anything. That's not a good thing."

"I'm not acting." Klara replied "I begged. And cried and screamed. They were my only friends and they're at a better school with in fact higher security and nobody thinks I'm going to be Izabella 2.0. They wanted me to come. It would have been perfect."

Natasha sighed "Remember what happened when we sent you to camp? Izabella tried boarding school for grade 9. You know what happened. You know what happens whenever you two aren't here. Right under SHIELD protection. Every time one of you has been taken or hurt or stalked."

Klara glowered at her mother "I won't be under SHIELD protection forever. I have no intention on working for SHIELD or being in any way connected to it. I have no intention as being known as the Black Widow's daughter forever."

Natasha crouched down in front of her "I know that. But you know the kind of world we live in. For god's sake. Tony Stark has decided that playing at being a hero is for him. I had to go undercover and everything."

"That's your job. Not gonna be mine."

Natasha smiled sadly. "I know. That's how we want it for you two. If I could control Bella she wouldn't be lining up a career with SHIELD. But she's so dead set on it. I can't stop her."

Klara scoffed "SHEILD isn't what you want for us? You've always been so goddamn impressed with Bella. Where were you when I got kicked out of dance? Praising Bella for winning some stupid medal. You wouldn't stop Bella from doing anything. She's as close to perfect as someone can get."

Natasha reached to brush some hair out of her daughters face. Who pushed her hand away and did it herself.

"You're that close to perfect to Klara."

Klara turned back to the window "Then shouldn't you be letting me do whatever I want? Like you do with Bella?" she provoked.

"Klara Taylor Barton you know that's not how your father and I treat you."

Klara stood up "First step in raising a bitter hateful child is denying the way they feel or feel they have been treated."

Natasha grabbed her daughter's hand "Tell me then. I don't understand kids. Never did. Help me."

Klara grabbed her backpack "I have homework and a desire to make you understand how to not make your own children bitter. Treat them the same."

Natasha watched her daughter flip open her binder and start work on math problems.

"Everything I do. There's a reason, it's because we love you."

Klara clucked her tongue "I don't come to conclusions without evidence. Maybe do something nice for me. Or do you even know what I like?" she said not looked up from the page.

"I love you Klara." Natasha said now braced against the doorway

"Prove it."

Meanwhile Clint was consoling a very teary eyed Izabella.

"Why does she hate me? She avoided me all school? She's barely spoken to me ALL SUMMER!" she cried, Clint rubbed his daughters back

"She's angry no one let her go to that school."

Bella huffed "She doesn't t get it! She's selfish! She can't understand that there's a bigger picture."

Clint sighed "She'd 14."

Bella scowled "I understood at 14. Why can't she get it? It's all a joke to her? The kidnappings, the threats? They don't scare her! In Venice, she was 12 and all she did was patronize the red room agents. Mock them, mouth off. Got her leg broken and shoulder dislocated." She said, a bitter edge to her voice.

"It's in her nature. I do it. It's her way of standing up for herself, being brave."

"It's a way, of getting herself killed! Not to mention she didn't have nightmares, PTSD. I do!" she said, now sobbing, make up running down her face. Clint hugged his daughter tighter.

"I don't know how Klara deals with it. What's important is that she is. I'm worried about you right now."

Bella clutched her father "I just want her to be my sister again! She doesn't understand that I couldn't have sided with her. Let her go. I was keeping her safe! She'd just so thick headed!" she said, the anger returning.

"Those smart comments? I only make them when I'm with your mother. Or another agent. It keeps them busy. Away from the other person. Venice? She might not have been thinking about doing it but she was keeping you safe."

Bella rolled her dark blue eyes "So? She should still be able to understand that she can't go live in another state and she shouldn't be isolating herself from us? It's not fair all we've done is protect her. Help her. Does she listen, ever? No. She never wanted to be like me dad. She would have tried."

Clint put his hands on Bella shoulders "Kid, she's just a younger kid. Cut her some slack. She sees the world differently then you. You like to see a lot of good in it. You like to see blue in a grey sky. Klara? She knows it's there but she likes to point out the bad. The corruption, oppression. Things like that. When you want to be something you work hard and you do it. Klara wouldn't do that. She looks at herself like the grey sky. It's grey and that's how it is and she's happy like that. She might want to be a blue sky. But she knows that if the colors aren't there she can't change them. She's not you and she knows that now. She's fine with that now. She just wants to figure out who she is and where she stands. She wants to do it herself."

"What if she needs help?" Bella asked. Wiping tears off her face "She won't ask. Klara wants to do everything herself. It's like when she fell off her bike and didn't tell anyone. So what she thought was a sprain was a break. Now her wrist cracks whenever she moves it because she didn't ask for help."

Clint hugged Bella again "Klara doesn't care that her wrist cracks. When it happened you tripped going to help her and she asked you if you were okay."

"She didn't answer me when I asked."

Clint smiled sadly "Izabella. She would have lied."

Please note I checked spelling and grammar but I didn't read it over. (It's super late at night). All comments are hugely appreciated.