Texting the Avengers

Part 19

Life had been great in the last few months. I had restarted school, I had a great relationship with my boyfriend, and I was close with the avengers. I had yet to meet them, except Clint, but they trusted me more and more each day. 

Clint and I had grow close. I had to use the emergency contact button on my Patroller twice, once when a huge weapons dealer was in town with weapons to powerful to control, and another when I had been shot and stabbed repeatedly and was barely alive. Clint was able to come immediately, and helped me both times. 

He was also helping me train and would patrol with me occasionally. We had grown really close, and my fighting had improved tenfold. 

Life was great. 

Until it happened. 

I was walking through school on Monday morning when I was tapped on the shoulder. It was the Principle's secretary. She pulled me into her office. 

"Honey, I'm really sorry.  Your uncle died this morning. His AIDS killed him. We have notified your mother, who will be bringing you home for the funeral. I'll make sure to get all of your school work. Everything will be okay. Okay?" She asked. 

"Umm, yeah sure." I lied, and grabbed my backpack. 

Uncle? Mother? What the hell is going on?

My mother walked in the building and signed a paper. She didn't look at me once. 

I followed her out. We got in her red 2019 Honda Civic. My father was in the passenger's seat. 

Neither made a move to talk to me, even though it had been 10 years since I'd seen them last, when I was five. I stayed silent. 

They talked about how much they'd miss my uncle. He was apparently my mother's older brother. The funeral was tomorrow, they worked fast to plan it. Apparently my uncle was rich. I doubt this would be a 'my-mysterious-uncle-dies-and-leaves-me-millions' situation, but a girl could dream. 

When we got to our apartment they unlocked the door. My father gestured to the door of my old room and walked away. 

Quietly closing the door, I looked around. The room was almost the same as I'd left it. It was a light blue color, a small twin bed sat against the wall with stuffed animals next to it. A wardrobe stood on one wall, a dresser on the other. 

 Boxes had been stacked against the walls, like the room had been turned into storage. I set my backpack on the bed and pulled out my phone. I had nothing to do for the rest of the day, and I definitely wasn't going back out there.

I popped in my headphones and scrolled through my endless playlists. I chose one labeled The Score a personal favorite. They were my favorite band out there.

After listening to classics of their's, such as Legend, In My Bones, and Hunger, I pulled out my book. I had already read it fifty times, but I didn't care. Maze Runners book one was the best book ever written. 

I fell asleep with no dinner. No one came to get me. But I had a feeling they didn't want to take me in (what gave it away?). Besides, I could live without dinner. 

The next morning I woke up in a panic. Waking up in strange places wasn't  a surprise, it happened a lot. Especially on days were I was going far from home and didn't feel like walking back. I'd slept in all sorts of places. Shops, alleys, rooftops, trees, jungle gyms, you name it.

What had scared me was waking up to a clean(ish) room, with lights, and good circulation. 

Luckily my street instincts kicked in fast and everything came back to me quickly. I looked at my phone, which I had charged overnight. It read 9 am. They should be at the funeral by now. 

I walked out of my room. I was right, I saw a note on the fridge. It read: 

Hi Cooper. 

We are going to the funeral. It lasts until 7 pm, at the Markson's Building. We expect you to be gone by then, we have dinner plans with some old relatives. Feel free to feed yourself. Medicine + Advil is under the  bathroom sink. Have a nice day.

Felix and Amy.

Just because my parents thought I was a freak didn't mean they wished me any ill will. They just didn't want me, or children in general. And even when I was younger, before we found out about the powers I had, they were always Amy and Felix. Felix and Amy. Never mom or dad. 

I searched the fridge and made a quick ham and cheese sandwich. After I ate it and checked in with Harley, letting him know I was at my parent's, and made a second sandwich, which I packed in my backpack. Then I refilled my waters. 

Ah, my backpack, it held everything I needed. Currently it held my laptop, phone, notebook, two waters, a sandwich, my suit, a few knives, coins, and sweatshirt. 

I threw my clothes in the washing machine, as well as my sweatshirt, and fight suit. Then I took a long shower, scrubbing all the filth of the streets off of my body, taking my time to clean through my long hair. 

I looked around the place before deciding to check under the bathroom sink. Amy said something about Advil, but why would I need Advil?

Under the sink, a bundle of pads, a bottle of Advil, and some tampons. 

I grabbed the supplies and packed up my bag, looking at the note one more time. The Markson's Building. It was on the way to my hotel, and it would take me all day and all night to get there. It was a good 15 miles to get home through New York traffic. Maybe I could sneak in saying I was a relative, and rest up. 

Besides, what was the worst that could happen? It was time I met my family.