Until I Found You

thirteen

~ ABBY ~

I hate the spring.

I'm sure it's nice somewhere. I'm sure some other state is enjoying a lovely day with light sun and a cool breeze wafting the scent of fresh flowers and mulch through the air.

Spring in New York, is not that somewhere.

In fact, other than maybe the last couple weeks of it, Spring in New York is pretty much terrible. Everything is damp and dreary, the temperatures in the weird in-between stages where all the leftover snow piles that line the sidewalks have created a dangerous, icy mush. The sun stays hidden and the skies remain stuck on a boring shade of gray. I'd pretty much be perfectly fine skipping the season altogether.

This Spring's one saving grace is that a month and half from now, I will be walking across the stage at graduation. That's the one fact the keeps me going as I trudge home from class, dodging as many slush puddles as I can.

It's probably foolish, but the end of school feels like a new beginning for me, ironically a lot like what Spring is probably supposed to feel like, a fresh start.

I'll be done with the bullshit group projects. I'll have a new job, one where I can support my Dad without feeling two inches tall. Not to mention, having seen the man from the casino taken into custody, I was feeling much safer being out and about. I also hadn't spotted any poorly-disguised super-heroes following me around recently, unless they had gotten better at avoiding my detection. That being said I was still taking precautions. Just because I'd seen the one man taken down, didn't mean the rest of his organization wasn't still thriving.

Jonah and I had both agreed it was probably still a good idea to lay low when possible and continue to let things blow over. I had however held off on not visiting my dad as long as possible. I could tell he was starting to get suspicious so I promised to come see him at the end of the week.

Overall, despite the fact that I'd slipped in sludge this morning on my way to meet with my academic advisor, I was feeling more positive and optimistic than I'd felt in weeks. I was embracing the values Spring. I was putting all of my focus on new beginnings, putting an end to and letting go of past troubles. Even my foot had fully dried after my previous sludge-incident by the time I got off the subway and rounded the corner towards my studio.

Only when I get there, there's a large crowd a mile wide gathered outside my apartment, blocking the entrance. There's even a cop car parked off to the side, lights flashing. I push my way forward, moving to get up closer to the officer and get more information. I've seen this happen at other apartments before, usually it's just a minor gas leak or some flooding.

"Excuse me, sir?" I call out, once I'm close enough for one of them to hear me. "What's going on? What are all of these-"

"That's her!" A man to my left shouts over me as the police officer swivels in place to look at me.

"That's Captain America's soulmate!"

The onslaught of flashing camera lights and loud voices yelling my name is immediate.

"Abigail! Look here!"

"Abby, is it true that you first met on one of Steve's missions?"

"Show us the soulmate mark! We want proof!"

I hold up my hand, blocking my face as I try to push away from crowd of people. My apartment is completely blocked off thanks to the wall of camera's swarming in front of me, the two cops helpless against the large numbers.