the strongest avenger

thirty six

Tal was very lucky that there was an outdoor pavilion for her to train on in the Tower. It was drastically smaller than what would be available to her in the Compound, but she liked it. Thankfully, Tony had asked for her and Vision's input on what kind of training areas should be available.

It's the last day of summer, so where else would Talia be?

The pavilion was basically a large balcony, the floor was a concrete, but it was outside.

Her black tank was slick with sweat, sticking to her body, courtesy of the blazing sun. The stray strands of hair that escaped her usual braid, were plastered along her neck and scalp.

She had previously been inside doing target practice with knives, but moved outdoors to play with her other elements.

Her back was towards the railing of the balcony, herself facing towards a large potted tree. Talia holds her hands out, watching as the branches on the tree elongate, flowing up into the air. The trunk grows, causing the tree to enlarge. She turns her hand slightly, pulling the branches towards her.

Talia watches as the branches move through the air and near her. Her right hand reaches out, and she places it on the largest branch, smiling when light white flowers quickly blossom along each individual branch.

"Pretty."

The girl jumps, startled, and pushes the branches back. The tree slowly morphs back into its original size and place as she looks at Tony who leans against the doorway.

"I was just about to go in." She says.

Tony nods his head, gesturing for her to come inside. Talia obliges, and follows him.

"I need you to give me specifications for your room at the Compound."

"Oh, okay. When you mean specifications..."

"Like, layout. What kind of bathroom, do you want a sort of living room, closet. Stuff like that."

"Kay, well, no living room that's for sure. I'm not you."

Tony rolls his eyes but smiles at her.

"Just let me know soon, so it'll all be ready when we move in, in a few months."

"Okay."

"You excited for school?"

"Nope." She says while starting to make her way to her bedroom.

Tony chuckles. "Good luck, Squirt."

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️

"Morning." She says as she walks out of Mr Delmar's, two breakfast subs in a bag under her arm, and two cups. One of coffee, and one of a hot chocolate.

"Morning, Tal." Peter says as he takes his hot chocolate. "Hot chocolate? It's September."

"You don't like coffee, so either say thank you or throw it out. You're too picky Peter Parker." She says while rummaging through the bag for their subs.

She hands the bigger one to the boy, and takes the smaller for herself. Talia gets rid of the paper bag in a nearby trash can, and starts to dig in.

Peter looks over at her as they start walking. "Your hair's down."

"It's the first day of school...figured I would try something different."

"Looks good."

"Thank you very much." She says while tilting her head towards his, a smile plastered on her face.

The walk to Midtown is short, the girl already sweating slightly from the heat. She wears a pair of dark wash ripped jeans, and a loose yellow tank top.

They finish their subs just as they reach the school.

"You know what's weird?" She asks.

"What?"

"I'm a year ahead of you, but I was literally in every single one of your classes last year."

"Uh, huh."

"And now I'm not. Kinda weird to me."

"Well I signed up for some different classes this year."

"True."

The duo walk up the front steps and emerge themselves into the bustling hallways. Talia winces as thoughts from everyone flow through her mind.

"Holy shit." She mutters while putting a hand to her temple.

"What?" Peter looks at her with wide eyes. He grabs her arm and pulls her around a corner. "What's wrong?"

...Jen looks pretty today...

...Where's room 105...

...Who the hell wants gym first period....

...Why won't she look at me...

...Can't wait to eat lunch...

Talia takes a deep breath, forcing herself to push out the flood of thoughts. Peter's eyes widen as he sees her eyes start to have a faint blue glow. She lets out a breath, the thoughts fading to a murmur.

"I'm good. I'm good."

"What was that?" Peter asks, his hands on the side of her arms.

"A lot of, uh, thoughts just flowing through me. It's like I'm a tunnel. But now they're fading a little."

"Yeah, you just gotta be careful for when you...try to make them disappear. Your eyes glowed a little."

"Yay." She says with a sigh.

"Come on," he says. "let's get to first period."

Talia ignored most of the thoughts that swarmed her, but focused in on a couple as they passed Flash Thompson.

Literally why the hell does she hang out with him? He's penis Parker. Not fair that he gets to be friends with the newer, hot girl.

Talia chuckles and turns to Peter. "Flash called you Penis Parker."

He rolls his eyes. "Of course he did."

They make it to class, Geometry, and the duo sit right in the front, much to Tal's dismay. Her foot bounces as the last few people trickle in, the girl's eyes narrowing when a new face walks through the door.

Mrs. Waller walks swiftly over to the boy, muttering something, and then turning to the class.

"Everyone please welcome Jackson West, he just moved here from Ohio, so please be nice."

Talia observes the boy, tall with dark hair, near black, with green eyes. He has a more tan complexion and pretty muscular for a sophomore. Jackson meets her eyes, but Tal doesn't look away. The new boy breaks eye contact and goes to sit in the back of the class.

Peter watched as Tal looked at the boy, jealousy rising through his veins.