Beautiful Ruins

Chapter 120

I walk into my apartment, placing my suitcase on the ground. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a laundry, and a living room. I walk over to the window and glance out at all the buildings, it has a nice view, and the balcony is fairly long, there's more than enough space for me to sit outside.

I glance at the white couch and chairs that Natasha ordered for me, she also ordered a television, I think she's ordered absolutely everything that I could want or need.

I touch a white blanket that's draped over the couch, it's soft and fluffy. I smile as I head into the first bedroom, it has its own bathroom and is the biggest.

The bed is queen-sized and has a navy-blue doona cover on it, I can see a wooden desk with a laptop across the other side of the room, and a large wardrobe, I open it up and smile as I see Natasha has ordered lots of clothes for me. I pull out a pair of pink silk pyjamas, I feel the silk, these are probably the fanciest clothes I've ever owned and it's just for sleeping. There's a fake plant in the corner of the room and a small bedside table, it has a white lamp on it as well as a couple of books.

I head down and open the grey fridge, sure enough it's filled with food. Natasha said she ordered some food and got it put away as soon as my flight took off, I smile and pull out my phone, sending a quick thank you to Natasha.

I take my shoes off and walk along the carpet in the living room, sitting down on the couch and glancing around. There's a small table in front of the couch and behind the couch I can see a desk with a second laptop, a good area to sit and do my homework.

I get up with a groan, figuring I should unpack now as I won't want to do it later. I wheel my suitcase into my room and open it, I pick up a few tops and place them on hangers and put them away in my wardrobe. I continue to put my clothes away until all of them are neatly sorted.

I walk out and grab my duffel bag; I head back into my bedroom and open it. I place my books away and pick up a few of my pictures, I think I'll put my pictures in the living room until I decide where I want them in my new apartment.

My eyes widen as I pull out a necklace, it's Estella's necklace that I gave Florence at the farm. I smile and place it around my neck, something tells me I should ask MJ how it came back to me the next time I speak to her. I touch the necklace, I'm glad to have something to remind me of Estella, not that I'm likely to forget her.

I sit down as I see a photo of Estella and Charles, for the hundredth time, I begin to wonder what my life would be like if Estella had told Charles she was pregnant, and they'd managed to escape together. Would Charles have agreed to leave New York? I close my eyes, Estella did everything to try and protect me from a fate that I ended up having. I'm going to spend the rest of my life helping people to try and prove to Estella that her sacrifice wasn't a complete waste.

I hear a knock on my door and I stand up slowly, fire emerges at my fingertips but I quickly get rid of it, the knock is probably nothing, it could be another delivery from Natasha or a friendly neighbour wanting to say hello.

I walk over to the door, the hairs on the back of my neck are rising despite my best efforts to convince myself that this probably isn't a mutant or someone trying to attack me. I open the door and blink as I see a teenage girl who looks roughly my age.

She has curly red hair, brown eyes, and pink, full lips. She gives me a warm smile as we make eye contact. "Hi, I'm Odette, I live in the apartment right across" Odette says, gesturing to the door across the hallway.

"I'm Storm, I just moved in" I answer, returning her smile with a small, polite smile. I didn't expect to meet other teenagers in this building, I didn't really think about my neighbours at all.

"Where did you move from?" Odette asks, her brown eyes show curiosity, but no malice or anything to indicate she's a threat. Maybe she's just a normal teenager, one who isn't caught up in superhero drama.

"New York" I reply, the avengers cleared everything up with the police and government, they know I was lied to and manipulated, but there is a chance I could be recognised from the news.

"I've always wanted to go to New York, it sounds amazing" Odette replies, not appearing to realise I'm Storm as in the mutant who bombed a building and killed over one-hundred people. "I was wondering if you wanted me to show you around Chicago tomorrow?"

"That sounds nice" I agree. "I haven't finished unpacking, but you can come in if you'd like." I want to be a normal teenager and that means making friends and inviting them over, I didn't think I'd meet anyone so fast, but Odette seems nice. Odette nods in agreement so I move over and let her in. 

*Author's Note* An introduction to Odette who plays a large role in book 2! Thank you all for reading book 1, I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you like book 2 if you decide to read it.