Chapter 1
Howard wanted a son more than anything he’s ever wanted before. Maria did everything that she could to make her first child be a boy. She only listened to boy songs, eat boy foods. She would have danced on her head if that would have helped. Howard bought only boy’s clothing saying how he was going to have a boy. After all he was a Stark and Starks have sons. However, they were gifted with a beautiful doe eyed girl. While Maria loved her daughter and couldn’t stop falling more and more in love with her, Howard wasn’t happy about having a daughter. Howard started throwing himself into his work to stay away from them. He no longer wanted anything to do with the two girls living in his house. It was already a miracle that Maria even got pregnant. Even if she could get pregnant again it would be another useless child. Why would he want to? When his wife failed to give him what he truly desired.
When he did see them he turned abusive. His anger at Maria for failing him and at the disappointment that was too young to understand the abuse hurled at her. Maria got the brunt of the abuse from him. He would slap her every now and then or throw things at her. She made sure that Howard never lifted a hand to her daughter. That was something that she would never allow. Whether he was scared of her or her threat of getting his friends Ana, Jarvis, and Peggy on him she didn’t want to know.
After a year or two Antonia noticed how h were r father treated her, and her mother. Antonia wanted nothing more than to make her father happy. So she became her plan to make his wish come true. She showed up at breakfast dressed in a shirt and pants. Her hair was cut short and uneven, as she had cut it herself. She looked at her father in the eyes and when he asked what was going on she said: “I’m Anthony Stark” with a smile on her face. Maria couldn’t say a word. She was so disappointed in her own parenting. How could she have made her daughter feel like she wasn’t enough as a girl? That night she cried and went over every memory she had trying to find where she had messed up. In the early morning as she watched the sunrise she came to the conclusion that Howard had done this to her daughter. She will get her daughter away from him as soon as she could.
Her father encouraged her by sending her to an all-boys school and getting her boy’s clothing. After not having a say in the sudden schooling for her three-year-old daughter she was devastated. She had only gotten to say goodbye to her in the morning as Howard took her off to the boarding school saying “He’s already behind in schooling, After all, a Stark is always head of others” as he left. Having enough with the emotional abuse that was being caused to her daughter Maria decided to change things. In the moments of Howard taking her daughter away from her, she ran to Ana and started talking. She told them everything that had happened how Howard had taken her to a school for boys. Ana and Jarvis were surprised having heard about the schooling from Maria herself and no one else. Howard had told them that she was staying with a family member so that Maria and he could try again. She started by asking Jarvis to help her get a job outside the US. He said that he would start looking for something. Ana told her to calm down and look at things rationality. They couldn’t just run away without a plan. With someone like Howard looking for them, it would be hard to hide anywhere. Schooling was going to be good for Antonia for just the year. While they got ready to take her far away from Howard’s grasp.
Peggy and Ana started teaching her how to defend herself from other people. Peggy taught her how to hide from the best spies in the world. Peggy started her training at midnight. At first, Maria hated it and thought that she would hate Peggy for it. After Peggy told her that she would need to be able to wake at a mouse's squeak to keep alive she forgave her. Ana trained her in the early morning hours to put up a good fight. With in the first week she had been thrown on her back so many times she lost count. She had bruises all over her body for most of the year. However, there was no way that she was going to give up. She was getting faster and better as the days went on receiving fewer injuries over the months. They didn’t hold back on her because she didn’t have time to get used to the new way of life. She was going to get her daughter safe and sound where she can grow into the future.
Maria started asking for $100 more than what she needed to make a party come together. Sometimes if she was daring she would ask for 200 or 300 more than necessary. Then they would hide the money from everyone. If Peggy or Ana found it they would use it as the goal for her to earn back and wouldn’t give it back easily. She had to fight for it every time she lost it. She would flatter and bat her eyes at anyone she could to get a bit more money. She had to keep things in check until Antonia came home for the summer so that Howard wouldn’t keep her away from her.
It felt like years passed until she saw her daughter again. Blood, sweat, and tears had gone into getting ready to run away with her. Maria couldn’t say that it wasn’t worth it. She learned how to keep undetected in the world. Jarvis and Ana were ready to help her to the plane where Peggy would take them elsewhere. She had friends and trained for this.
Jarvis would give Howard the usual sleeping tea that he asked for. Howard always had a hard time sleeping so he took medicine. Tonight he would be given an extra douse that will make him sleep until noon the next day. Ana would then take Antonia while Maria packed her bags. She would pack as many books as possible knowing how her daughter loved to read. Then off to the plane waiting for them at 1 Am giving them time to make sure they have everything. Maria had saved $1200 thanks to all the party’s that Howard has, and all the people willing to give her flirty nature a tip. She never slept with anyone but gave them hope that she might.