Shattered Thorns

Chapter One

 

Emmaline could hear the noises of the city from where she sat as a receptionist for the famous Tony Stark. Emmaline sat in her chair and bobbed her knees up and down, thankful that nobody could see how excited she was through the solid desk. Today, her sister was coming in on a field trip with her class. Tony Stark didn't usually do tours, but Emmaline had asked for her sister's class to be given a tour because there were a lot of Avenger fans in that class and Koralia had asked it of her. Tony had originally said no, but J.A.R.V.I.S. told Ms. Pepper and she got Tony to do it. Emmaline had been so excited when he reluctantly said yes, that she jumped up and tried to hug him. She missed and hugged Dr. Banner instead, who had been over to play with Tony's toys. Tony couldn't stop teasing her about it.

Emmaline heard the chime of the elevator, telling her that somebody was coming. Emmaline stopped bouncing her legs and sat up straighter. She pushed her earpiece more snugly into her ear.

"J.A.R.V.I.S.," Emmaline said to the empty lobby.

"Yes, Ms. Teller?" a disembodied voice asked in her ear.

"Who's coming?"

"Mr. Stark." Emmaline heard the elevator doors open and Tony's shoes smacking the newly waxed floor.

"Mr. Stark? Is something wrong?" Emmaline asked turning in the direction from where she could hear his shoes on the floor.

"No," she heard him snap. Emmaline flinched. She heard Tony sigh. "We are going to have some visitors."

"Yes, my sister's class is coming in..." she paused and asked J.A.R.V.I.S. for the time. "Twenty minutes."

"Shit!" Tony shouted. Emmaline jumped in her seat, her knees hit the bottom of the desk and knocked her water over her skirt. Emmaline jerked backwards and grabbed some paper towels from a drawer, after fumbling around for them a bit. Emmaline tensed when she heard Tony come behind the desk and grab some paper towels from her hands. Emmaline's face felt beat red with embarrassment and shame. Tony was such a nice man to have hired her. Many people had turned her down because of her blindness, but Tony seemed to love the challenge of making a blind woman a great receptionist.

Tony helped her wipe up the spilled water.

"Thank you Mr. Stark," Emmaline said, not able to look him in the face because hers was red. Well, she hoped she wasn't looking him in the face, but she couldn't tell.

"Not a problem. I didn't mean to startle you. I have some other visitors coming soon that I just found out about," Tony confided.

"But sir, we don't have anyone else scheduled for today."

"This wasn't scheduled, it just happened. They'll be pain in the necks and I don't think that you should be here when they arrive," Tony said. Emmaline's head jerked up and knocked the edge of the desk.

"Ow! Dang it," she hissed rubbing her head. Tony didn't say anything and he didn't have to. She could tell that he was looking at her sympathetically. "Why don't you want me here? Did I do something wrong?" Am I too embarrassing because I'm blind? She thought to herself.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong, but one of these guests is rather...volatile," Tony said, grabbing her hand and helping her up. He grabbed the rest of the wet paper towels from her hands and threw them in a trashcan with a wet plop.

"I have to stay Sir. My sister is counting on me being here."

"Emmaline, I can take care of the tour and stuff," Tony said. Emmaline shook her head.