It was a rainy Sunday night and Mr. Stark was holding yet another charity gala. Apparently this one was "important" or something. All my friends and the Avengers were there, so I figured I might as well attend. Besides, Steve always encourages team bonding.
I finished brushing my hair, and began walking to the elevator so I could get to the ballroom. The compounds long hallways and sub-floors made it difficult to get around at first, but after a year and a half, I figured it out. When I got into the elevator, Ariba and Aspen were already there. Ariba was wearing a wine-colored knee length dress with a split down the side, and Aspen was wearing the same color blazer and pants with a white blouse.
"Woah, you guys are matching!" I say, amazed. Honestly, I was a little disappointed they hadn't told me, as I was wearing a black knee-length flair dress.
"It's not on purpose, I'm actually on my way to change," Ariba said. She lives on the floor below mine, sub level 7. She got off the elevator and speed-walked to her room as I got into the elevator with Aspen.
"I like the blazer," I tell her. The elevator goes up to sub-level 4, then stops. Sub-level floor is the training floor, so it's a bit strange that someone would be training before a party.
Jay walked into the elevator. "What were you training for?" I ask.
"I was training for DEEZ NUTS!" she screams, jumping into the elevator. She was already in her gala outfit, a short black sweater dress with a boob window. I laugh and roll my eyes.
"No, I wasn't training, I was just looking for Wanda," she continues.
"Why would Wanda be down there?"
"I don't know, but Pietro was wondering where she was so I was helping him look," she tells me. She is pretty much in love with Pietro, even though she could do a lot better, but hey, I like Peter so she's not the only one with bad taste.
The elevator doors shut, and I dial Wanda's number. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen her all day either. Normally before galas, she's upstairs helping out the caterers, but I didn't see her when I went up an hour ago to ask Nat to curl my hair. The call goes straight to voicemail, and I get nervous, so I call Nat. They're pretty good friends, so she might have an idea of where she is.
The elevator goes to Level 1, and Jay, Aspen, and I enter the ballroom where the galas already in full swing. Somehow, Ariba is already there, and she walks over to us. She had changed into a short green cocktail dress, and she was looking stunning as usual.
"Wow, you're super hot," Jay tells her, and I agreed.
I walked away to go talk to some people after a quick conversation, and I saw Emma, wearing a blouse with photos and text on it and a black skirt. She was flirting with some random. I kept walking, not wanting to interrupt her latest flirtationship. Alice was standing over by the food table, so I began walking towards her. She was wearing a short white dress with long tulle around the sides. Suddenly, I am stopped by Lucy. She's wearing a sheer polka dot long sleeve top with a black bra underneath.
"Have you seen Wanda?" she asks.
"No, Jay was looking for her too, is something going on?"
"Pietro hasn't seen Wanda all day, and neither has anyone else. It's really weird."
"Maybe she's somewhere with Vision?"
"No, that's the thing. Vision hasn't seen her, either!"
"Ok, that's weird," I admit, "let's look for her after the party.
I look around, scanning the party. There's a bunch of business men, with their wives or mistresses and a few Avengers sprinkled in, getting drinks or talking. My flight or fight activates as I realize we're all sitting ducks. I glance at Peter, who's looking around, too. Our eyes meet and he mouths something.
Suddenly, half the ballroom explodes.
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TO BE CONTINUED
