School
I dress slowly, making sure I’m wearing the most invisible clothes ever. As I walk into the kitchen Natasha comes up and hugs me. I notice the silver chain slipping below her shirt.
‘It’ll be fine мой ребенок school has your parent’s numbers and you have ours in case you need to leave. And I’ll be driving you if that’s okay, we think there might be some reporters, more than usual because of the identity thing not just the fight’ I nod
‘Thanks тетя нат, I’d love you to take me’ Smiling sadly I accept the plate and half an hour later we are whizzing to school in Nat’s blacked out sports car. As we pull in the gate, I catch sight of the reporters, there are about 4 different presses with interviewers and even 2 cameras. I wince as our car draws to a stop and Nat turns around
‘Got your homework?’ she asks smirking
‘ha-ha’ I reply sarcastically ‘let’s get this over with’
We push open the doors and the throng advances at once, a small figure elbows her way to the front however and I reach out and hug her quickly
‘Hey Al’ I whisper as she takes up her place on my left, Nat on my right. We push through the courtyard and questions are yelled our way. It’s surprising how much noise a few nosy people can make. I whisper to Nat then turn to the clamoring reporters
‘I will take 5 questions then please may you leave me alone, I have an English test today to revise for’ at once a few hands go up and I select the man closet on the right
‘Steve Briggs, Daily Updates-where is your girlfriend? And have she and the other Avengers been supportive through this identity reveal?’ I laugh ‘technically thats two questions, but; Val is probably asleep it is 9am on a Monday after all. The other have been amazing, all in there own ways, but I couldn’t hope for a nicer, kinder group of people behind me. Next?’
‘Harry Fergans, America Today-who currently lives at the tower and what do you do on a day-to-day basis, when you aren’t saving the world?’ I look at Natasha for support before answering this
‘currently residing in the tower are both Caps; America and Marvel, Buckey, Stark, Dr Banner, Clint, Val, Spiderman, Thor and Nat, and on a day-to-day basis, well, we are human-or most of us are, but what I mean is that we still cook, clean, sleep, do homework in my case. Stark and Pepper have a company to run and Cap A, Nat and Clint are still agents so go on missions for weeks at a time and Carol still has a universe to save and a kid to visit. Next?’
‘Tom Perkins, Daily dose of Super-Why do you call Dr Banner by his formal title, but Mr Barton Clint? Could this be because Dr Banner is scarier, more intimating and dare I say angrier?’ I snort slightly
‘Well Dr Banner has 7 phDs and Clint falls out of vents singing the Backstreet Boys’
‘How do you think having your identity out will change your current lifestyle-especially still being in school?’
‘urmm, that’s a hard one, before I was extremally unpopular, being the nerd and stuff, but I think a lot of people will be a lot nicer to be. Mr Stark has developed face altering prosthetic veils so if we go grocery shopping and things we aren’t stopped, so really there are superheroes around you all the time, we just tend to go out in disguise so I bet ill be doing a lot more of that soon, usually I just laugh at the others arguing over the best pair of fake glasses!’
‘Thank you, that is all, Good luck with your test’ Grinning I turn back to the others; when we reach the steps Nat hands me over to Al
‘if it’s too much, just come home, we will sort everything, if you need anything or anyone says anything talk to me or Al. Control it, do not show it off, value your gift’ she orders softly and then looks awkward for a moment before pulling me into a bear hug
‘Я люблю тебя, детка, рассвет’ she whispers in my ear (I love you Baby Dawn)
‘спасибо вторая мама я тоже тебя люблю’ I reply quietly (thank you second mom i love you too) She holds me at arm length for second and smiles at me. Before walking strongly through the crowd and revving off in her snazzy car. Al looks after her appraisingly
‘You better get me a car like that when I pass my test’ she jokes as we walk in the doors
***
The hallway is crowded, lot of people out of their classrooms to see me (I think… im not sure) Al and I walk as fast as we can dowon the corridor following shouts of ‘please show us your Dawn’ or ‘can you get so and so Avenger to sign this?’ our path is blocked however by a shiny pair of shoes. I look up and lock eyes with Izzie
‘Iris, I just wanted to say I’m sorry’ I cannot believe this, she thinks that now im out as a superhero and enhanced that changes the fact she bullied me? ‘I’m sorry for calling you names and not believing in your internship’ and finished lamely and looks at me. I stare back at her, I can tell she’s lying, just apologizing to me because of who I am now
‘Izzie’ I say in the most apologetic tone I can muster
‘Yes’ she looks like a cat who’s got the cream
‘Please move, you’re in the way’ I smirk as she gasps like a goldfish but turn around just as I pass her ‘You know Izzie, if you meant that I would consider accepting your apology, but you don’t regret it at all do you. I saw you smile when you hit me, or laugh when you offended me or my family-because that’s what I think of the Avengers, and they think of me. But, if you ever hurt anyone the way you hurt me I will personally make sure you answer to it’ with that I grin at Al
‘We have English right?’ Al bites back a laugh and nods By the end i have had 2 apologies, been asked on 3 dates and had about 25 pieces of paper thrust at me to either sign or give to one of the others to sign. I am dead on my feet when Nat comes to pick us up, luckily the reporters have gone so I just run with my head down to the car and stare into space the entire drive, ignoring Nat’s frequent worried looks in my direction.
***
It only takes 13 days of school for things to almost get back to normal. I never let my powers show, not unless it’s sneaking back into the gym to get the ball that got stuck in the rafter’s back, or flying up to the roof to replace a tile, or get a belonging someone’s thrown up there. Everyone seems to like me now, I’m not Iris, the school nerd and liar- I’m Red Dawn, Superhero and Avenger even though its really the same person. Then on the 13th day (only 2 questions and 1 autograph request for Thor) my day gets ruined-well, from my perspective at least. English is boring, we’re studying ‘to kill a mockingbird’ some thing I have read and memorized about a thousand times, then suddenly Queen’s Killer Queen starts playing. All head swivel to me in a frenzy and I turn bright red-it’s my ringtone for Natasha. Mr Frant’s head sticks up out of his pile of marking and he frowns
‘Phones should be off Miss Davids, just because of your special position’ I wince slightly-some of the teachers have been scathing ‘does not mean the rules don’t apply to you’ I finish the latest StarkPhone out of my bag and switch off the ringer
‘sorry sir’ I murmur, sitting back down. About 30 seconds later the tune begins again
‘Miss Davids I told you to turn it off’ the teacher is getting angry now ‘i…I have’ I stammer out ‘but Mr Stark has hacked our phones so calls from the…’ I was about to say other avengers but stop myself ‘certain people…can’t be put on silent’
He glares across the classroom ‘one more time and you will answer it in front of the class’ my eyes grow wide but he’s not done ‘on speaker’
Please nat. please Thor or Loki or whatever god is up there ples-
‘Shes a killer Queen, gunpowder and gelatine’
I swear to go I will kill you Romanoff ‘well go on then’ Mr Frant looks smug-all the class is watching now I pull out the phone, hovering my finger over the accept button
‘but it’s Nat-Agent Romanoff’ I plead ‘I don’t care if it is the president of America answer the phone’ him ton is clipped, although whispers went up at the name. Click, click as I answer and turn on speaker mode
‘Thank Thor you finally fucking answered Red’ Nat’s voice comes frenzied over the speaker ‘we need you to come in, there is a hostage situation and an expected assassin-’ I cut her off quickly and shellshocked looks travel through the room
‘Nat, you are on speaker in my English class’ I whisper yell to the spy
‘дерьмо’ (sht) she says simply ‘precisely’ I respond ‘Russian, Mandarin or Latin’ ‘Russian’ she picks and switches to the language easily
‘у нас 9 вооруженных людей и 7 гражданских лиц, а также дочь президента - Елена Байден. нам нужно уничтожить их без потерь среди граждан, я проинформирую вас, когда вы приедете, но поторопитесь, тогда планируйте убить девушку в ближайшее время, мирные жители только для рекламы, запугивания и взяточничества’ (we have 9 armed men and 7 civilians, along with the president's daughter - Elena. we need to take them out with no citizen casualties, i'll brief you when you get here, but hurry, then plan to assassinate the girl soon, the civilians are just for publicity, scare and bribery) ‘хорошо, кто еще на’ I ignore the rapt expressions on my classes face and instead tap through my phone, seeing several news articles showing the situation
‘Val you and me’ Nat is speaking in English now we aren’t discussing confidential stuff-its quicker because I don’t need to translate in my head (im still not 100% fluent)
‘why not drag one of the grown up in’ I laugh
‘because you are closest and free’ she replies quickly
‘Fine’ I fake huff ‘see ya in 7 minutes’
‘5’ is the quick response ‘get comms on immediately’ then a beep as she hangs up
‘what the fuuuuccckkkk’ some one whispers
‘urmm… miss davids where are you going?’ Mr Frant stutters, knowing he can’t stop me regardless but trying anyway
‘to save 7 civilians and the President of the USA’s daughter from kidnapping assassins’ I reply, chucking my bag to Al (she returns it to my locker so my Stark tech isn’t stolen)
‘bye’ with that I run my fingers through my hair, feeling the suit growing on my dawn growing on my fingers the class cheers slightly and I turn red, spotting an open window at the front I leap onto a table before hovering off the ground
‘let me know if there is any homework’ I yell before souring off in a blur of pink. Little do I know an angry Asgardian was meant to be my ride.
--about 5 seconds later---
‘Now now class’ the teacher struggles to get control of his energetic class ‘lets get back too Atticus. Now he has get said ‘you-‘ but his lecture is cut short when the door lams open to reveal Valkyrie in full armour and sword on her back standing there. She scans the group of awe-struck teens in a second before turning to Frant
‘Where’s the glowing gay?’ she questions simply, tapping a few buttons on her braclet
‘she uhh-‘ the man doesn’t know how to respond, but apparently the young womans answer comes in the shape the hologram that erupts from her wrist slowing the locations of all the Avengers
‘aww, she left with out me’ pouting the superhero turns back to the group
‘that is my cue to leave-stay in school kids’ she sends awkward finger guns ‘and don’t do drugs and all that shit’ before leaping into the air spinning. In an instant an eagle is there in her place. The bird swoops out the window and in a second is only a speck in the distance
‘I don’t think I’ve said this enough’ the same voice at the back states ‘but what the fuuucckkk?’