Scars of Steel

07~ September of 1973

"Mommy, I don't wanna go," five year old Adalyn whined as she begrudgingly allowed her mom to pull her blonde hair into a tight bun.

"Honey, this will be a great experience for you! Don't you want to meet other kids your age and get to have fun with them?" Maria replied as she tucked in the few remaining strands of hair that refused to stay where they should with a bobby pin.

"No. I want to stay here with you."

"What's the fun in that? I'm just going to be here all day, doing housework and such. School sounds like a lot more fun than that. And you can always help me around the house when you get home, you know."

"But what if people see my scar and make fun of me?" Adalyn asked as she reached up to trace along the pink line that covered most of the left side of her face.

Maria's heart shattered when she heard the reason her daughter was so afraid. She sighed and brought her arms around Adalyn to pull her into her embrace.

"Listen, that is nothing to be ashamed of. Your scar is very special, and you know why? It tells a story. A story of a very special little girl who persevered when most thought she wouldn't. You're a fighter, my little chickadee, and if those kids can't see that then they've got another thing coming."

Adalyn sat for a while and considered what her mom had said. A part of her found what her mom had said exciting, the fact that her scar was special and could tell its own story even though it wasn't the kind that could be read.

Adalyn smiled and thought of how all the kids would be so impressed by this. It certainly would get them to not make fun of her.

"I'll go mommy. But only if you pinky promise that you'll still be here when I get home," Adalyn said as she held out her small pinky towards her mom.

"Yes, I'll be waiting right outside to get you off the bus," Maria smiled as she linked her finger with Adalyn's. She was happy that her daughter was finding some excitement in this, as it was a big step for Adalyn.

"Alright, now before you go we gotta take your meds," Maria said as she began to walk over to the cupboard to get her daughter's various medications.

"I was hoping you'd forget," Adalyn pouted as she watched her mother grab a container of pudding out of the fridge. It was the only way the young girl would take her meds, as it covered up a good majority of the aftertaste.

"Don't forget what the doctor said, Adalyn. As yucky as they are, we have to keep taking them if we want to keep you healthy," Maria smiled as she set her daughter up with all of the meds she needed to take during the morning.

As she gave them to Adalyn, Maria couldn't help but feel sorry for her daughter. No child should have to go what Adalyn was going through.

The super soldier serum could help her.

Maria sighed and forced the thought out of her mind. This wasn't the time or place to start thinking about what her husband had told her all those years ago.

"Good job," Maria smiled as she gave Adalyn a quick kiss on the forehead. Her daughter smiled back at her with a bit of pudding smeared across her nose.

"You look like a deer," Maria laughed as she went to get a paper towel from the kitchen.

Adalyn quickly ran over to the bathroom and looked in the mirror to discover just what her mom was talking about. She began to laugh when she saw what had happened, and Maria smiled at this from afar.

Adalyn was her whole world, and she would do anything to help her get through this. She deserved to live as normal of a childhood as she could get.