fox (iron man's daughter)

19

fox's p.o.v

i'm taken to get changed before being shoved through the door of the room i've spent all my time in. i'm not paying attention though, not really, everything is a painful blur as that wretched song haunts my thoughts. i didn't think living in a basement could seem too good to be true but after the events of today i know that they're just biding their time, just waiting to fuck with us when we aren't expecting it. thinking back, i think rube and caspian knew, i think they were just trying to protect me but i hate it. i hate that they didn't tell me what everything was really like and i'm so angry. at everyone, the guys for kidnapping me, rubin and casp for not telling me how awful it is here, my dad for not coming to get me, myself for being borderline useless. i'm useless. 

the sound of the metal door closing behind me echoes around the cell that i've realised i despise being locked in. i'm aware of the fact that i'm still crying, but now the tears are hot and angry. i'm so mad. maybe it's because it's dawned on me that if i ever want to get out of here i need to do it myself. i can't rely on other people anymore. tony promised it would all be okay and it isn't, rubin promised me it wasn't too bad here and it is, people lie, i've been lying to myself. not anymore.

"hey hey hey" rubin jumps up from his cross-legged position on his bed. his concern unsettles my stomach, i don't want people feeling sorry for me. he tries to wrap his arms around me but i push past him aggressively. i need space. i ignore caspian as he calls out to me, his voice fading into background noise as i slam the bathroom door behind me, twisting the key in the lock and sinking down to the floor. the door knob jiggles and i guess that rubin is trying to get in, but i'm holding the lock with my mind, desperate to be alone for a while. 

after a few minutes the give up, and i'm at peace to settle my thoughts. 

"did they run tests on you?" rubin asks the next morning. we're all sat on our beds, i've calmed down from last night but i understand the situation here better now. breakfast this morning is frosted flakes, but i'm not touching them. i can't trust them. 

"it's okay, fox, rubin and i have been there" caspian adds in between shovels of cereal. 

i sigh and shake my head "they didn't run any tests.. it was my birthday apparently. they got me to pose for photos and videos" i rub my face as i remember the painful events. "they're winding up my family" my voice trails off into a whisper. 

rubin stares at me for a moment "there's something you aren't telling us about your family" he finally concludes "you're just a kid i don't understand why they brought you here". i haven't told rubin or caspian who i am. not many people know that i'm a stark, after all i only knew my dad for about a month before i was kidnapped and the media hadn't quite caught on yet. i don't really want them to know, i don't want them to think differently of me. 

"there's lots i'm not telling you, because i don't currently know who i'm supposed to trust. besides, it's not as if either of you are leaping to tell me what makes you so special" my words are full of venom and for once i don't regret it, i feel lighter.

we sit in silence for a while after that, then the guilt sets in and i feel as though i should say something else.

"he's rich" i take a deep breath "my dad, i mean, he's got a lot of money, considered important. i met him about a month before being brought here, after my mum died". i pause again "i don't talk about him because it's complicated, i'm pretty sure he hates me".

we settle into silence again.

"i used to hack into businesses, organisations, the government, anything i could. it was just a bit of fun to start with, i soon stumbled across things that got me into a bigger mess than i could handle and before i knew it i was on the run" caspian croaks out. i sense my eyes widen as i look at him. wow, i've hacked before but nothing on that scale, i don't think changing my birth certificate counts. 

"if it's any consolation i hacked into the government database or whatever to change my name the day before i was kidnapped. probably unrelated but i can pretend i'm edgy" i nudge caspian, trying to lighten the mood. 

"wait so your name isn't fox?" rubin finally joins into the conversation.

i shake my head "i changed my surname not my first name. my mum was actually cruel enough to call me fox" i run a hand through my curls "no i didn't have my dad's surname cause to start with i didn't want it, then i changed my mind".

"what made you decide?" my blonde friend frowns at me, clearly thinking hard about the situation.

"i thought he cared, i disappeared for a day and he got really stressed out and when i came home he was super mad" i almost flinch as i look back at the memory "then i cried and went to my room, i couldn't sleep so i went to the roof and he followed me. we talked for a bit, then he carried me to my bed".

"so he doesn't hate you?" caspian shifts on the bed.

i shrug, not quite understanding how to explain it. 

"fox if he panicked after a day imagine the state he's in now" rubin's voice softens.

i have a sleepless night, like i used to back home, except this time i can't talk to tony about it. i can't help but wonder whether he's looking for me, whether he cares.

whether he loves me.