1 | ISSUES ( Peter Parker )

20

CHAPTER TWENTY | DEAD AND GONE

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a scar does not form on the dying. a scar means i survived.

-little bee // chris cleave

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At the Avengers Compound, Bella had little to do except train. She'd been there for a week, doing nothing aside from punching away at punching bags to the point where she'd destroy them. Alex was doing all he could to help Tony track down their father, but John Parsons was nothing if not good at evading capture.

Bella missed her friends. She missed Peter and his friends. Hell, she even missed the sight of Flash Thompson's annoying face. She missed the routine and the familiarity. As each face flashed before her mind, she sent another punch to the bag.

"You're getting incredibly strong," Ashara complimented, only alerting Bella of her presence as the young girl sent the bag flying across the room with a kick.

Sand exploded out of the bag as it smashed against the wall. Bella huffed and fell to her knees.

"I'm tired, Ashara," Bella muttered. "I'm scared and tired and fed up. I miss my friends and my stupid, shitty boyfriend."

"I understand," Ashara said. She held a hand over her slightly bulging stomach. "My husband is a fugitive. I don't know when I'll see him next or if I'll see him again. I've no idea where he is or how he's doing. My son might never know his father. I understand the anger, Bella."

Bella looked up, running a hand through her damp-with-sweat hair. She wiped at her nose as it began to run.

"I need a tissue," she muttered, getting up and leaving Ashara alone in the training room.

As per usual, Bella disappeared into the bathroom for well over an hour that day. Alex, Ashara, Tony, Rhodey, Natasha, and Vision had grown accustomed to Bella's ever changing moods and far-too-long showers. Bella barely spoke anymore, and Alex didn't know what to make of it.

"You're moodier than usual," Alex commented that night at dinner.

Tony and Ashara glanced at each other. Both Ashara and Natasha kicked Tony under the table, glaring at him to keep his mouth shut. They were highly aware of his penchant for angsty teen jokes.

"I'm missing the decathlon," Bella finally said, pursing her lips. "Months and months of preparation down the drain because of our stupid father."

Her last words came out as a growl and her knife was plunged into the tabletop. Alex eyed his sister carefully before reaching across the table and plucking the knife out of the wood.

"Where do you go to high school?" Tony interrupted, eyeing the volatile girl carefully.

Bells turned on him, her blue eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Midtown. In Queens." Then, she rounded back to Alex. "He needs to die, Alex."

"Yeah, well, are you gonna kill him?"

The girl in question stood so fast and abruptly that her chair toppled backwards. She glanced around the table, but it was Ashara's face that meant the most. In Ashara's eyes, Bella found a solemn acceptance. With that holding her steady, Bella looked her brother in the eyes.

"Yes."

"Hey!" Tony yelled, chasing after the teenager. "Hey, Girl Interrupted— cool it for a hot second."

Spinning around, Bella flung her fist at Tony's head. He easily ducked the punch, but it was still a shocker that Bella did try to punch him. She had never been violent; something had changed.