Chapter 9
4 months later...
Some tips for those of you who want a normal American high school experience, 1) you don't, 2) NEVER, and I mean NEVER, accidentally summon a demon from a different dimension during a chemistry exam. Because (a) you'll fail said exam, (b) you'll annoy some wizard people whose leader's real name is Dr Stephen Strange, © people are generally scared of demons and (d) they're hard to put in cages. Really hard.
And that folks is roughly why I got suspended for 2 weeks and nearly failed chemistry. That is also the story of how I ended up spending 2 weeks split between an American General and colonel. 1 week was fine, the other terrifying.
Also the true story of how I have to have magic lessons from a brain surgeon.
How did my life get like this? And When?
Honestly, I have no clue. Nor do any of my friends or family.
"Can you come to our study session today or do you have your extra credit class?" Benny asked as we walked out of our advanced PE class towards the changing room.
"I can't make it but I can make it towards the end," I say as I placed my bag down on the bench getting ready to change into my school uniform.
"Cool, how's all that going anyway? I just know you were ahead in most of your classes so you having catch up sessions is odd."
"Fine. They're actually quite boring if I'm honest."
At that point, we both began getting changed chatting about how her sister and my 'step-sister' had worked together for a while.
We continued this as we walked to our lockers. I still felt like I was living a lie. But then again I was and I did have MJ who knew the truth. Or so she thought. We pulled out our books and made a beeline straight to English. The only class me, Benny, Kate and Cindy shared and today was the day of classes before our actual exams.
English flew past, as even though I had been placed two years ahead of where I should be I still knew all of the content we had covered this year. For once I was grateful for HYDRA.
To be fair the whole day flew by quickly. That was until I was picked up by Happy before my lesson with Dr Strange saying I had an important dinner afterwards. From there time twisted moving a quarter of the speed it had been this morning
"Do it again,."I need a break," I said my arms feeling like they were about to fall off and my head about to explode.
"You can have a break after you learn how to channel your power to summon the dead. Try thinking of someone you had a strong connection with, see if that helps."
"Gee. I hadn't thought of that before," Isay rolling my eyes as I went back to trying to create a projection of Katrina for him to see. Summoning her wasn't difficult, she spent most of her days at my side, both in life or death. The hard part was having enough energy to make her visible while keeping myself alive.
"Conserve your energy for the spell, not snarky comments," Wong said as he walked into the room.
That's the moment it happened. I made Katrina appear. Faint but there.
"Hey Red Angel," she said to me as if I had just summoned her at that moment.
"So she can really do it. That's not creepy at all." Wong whispered to Dr Strange.
"I did it, I really did it!" I was jumping for joy as Stephen and Wong stepped forward to examine Kat.
"Well done. You didn't blackout this time3 before you did it this time. You can rest now and get ready for that dinner you have to be at in 20 minutes," Dr. strange said as he stood up straight heading to the main doors of the sanctum, opening them to reveal Happy about to knock on the door. But I, I was too caught up in the euphoric feeling that came with accomplishing what had been holding me back for the past month to notice any of this, until I tried to hug Pietro and Kat. that was when I remembered that they were dead and I was alive and that was when the wave of guilt hit me.
I stumbled back towards the wall behind me. Gasping for air, hand clutching my chest. What was happening to me? Why couldn't I breathe?
Pietro rushed over singing a Russian lullaby I vaguely remembered from early childhood. While Happy grabbed something from the bag slung over his shoulder. The area in my peripheral vision started going black and it was creeping into the rest of my vision. Until Happy reached me. It went black.
My eyes were heavy as they blinked op[en to reveal blinding lights above my head. My head which hurt. Come to think of it, my whole body ached. Every inch. But all I could think about at the moment was: where was I?
My head lifted off the almost too soft pillow to look around the small all-white, brightly lit room, my eyes squinting to only allow a small amount of light into my eyes. Seeing a group of people in white lab coats. When they noticed I was awake they rushed around the room scribbling notes on their clipboards before one of them rushed out of the room to talk to a face I hoped I would never have met unless it was on a very particular kind of mission.
Tony Stark.
The man who destroyed my home. My life. My family. I know it wasn't his fault, directly or entirely, but seeing his face still hurts. He tore our homeland apart by making money. And anyone who profits off of war is, like war itself, fundamentally evil.
He may parade around in a suit of armour pretending to be a hero but why would anyone want peace when they make billions off of war?
He entered the room with a woman dressed in a smart suit and walked towards me with a sad smile on his lips.
"Hello Yulia, I'm-"
"I know who you are. Tony Stark, age 46, birthday is in just less than 2 months. I know you better than you know yourself, Tony. I know every detail of both of your lives. And yes I mean you, Virginia Potts."
"I wanted to say I'm your legal guardian but now I'm not sure I want to be. God, you remind me of Natasha. Anyway, how do you feel? How's your head? What happened?
"Tony," The woman who I realized was most likely expecting me to call her Pepper whispered to the man who killed my parents.
"Fine. It hurts. Stupid bet with a wizard and a failed chemistry exam. Why are you here though aside from being my guardian?"
"Because Natasha and Wanda can be terrifying when they want to be. Actually, Natasha's terrifying at all times. Like you, I guess."
"Well, I did train in the red room over the summers. So much less intensive than what I was used to at the time, but I learnt some useful skills from them. Mean too but I was tied for best there at the time, even Natasha can't say that and pass a lie detector test," I smiled crazily.
"Right. Dr Cho is going to do her thing and I'll get Vision to give you some therapy."
"Wait, my sister's toaster boyfriend? I'll pass."
Once I was cleared to get back to school I fell into a sort of routine of school, study, wizards, weekly dinners at the compound with a spider boy, an evil bastard, the evil bastard's sidekick, a toaster, and two of the sweetest woman I've ever met, and calling my sister and Nat when I could. Until summer when I was sent to Wakanda to spend time with my sister and train with the Dora Milaje. That whole trip was awkward for me, for a reason no one knew and never would.
Then at the end of the summer, I got back into my normal routine with one change I helped teach a self-defence class at school and invited MJ to join in because if she knew my real identity she'd always be in danger.
That was until one fateful day in April 2018. Now.
Me leaning over the bannister on the viewing deck at school watching a ring-shaped spaceship destroy New York while contemplating where to go and help, the immediate fight or to the compound where I could help with the bigger one to come. Or even abandoning this dimension.
My decision was made for me as it hit. The wave of pain that hits when someone I have an attachment to dies, but it was bigger and slower. Almost like it had taken a while to reach me, like far away a whole race had been killed. One I had an attachment to.