Episode 7: Queen of the Sandcastle Part 1

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It was obvious that Morgan liked to take risks. If it didn't kill her the first time, then she would keep pushing. But if she knew that this was gonna happen, then she would've built a time machine to go back and slap some sense into herself.

She had just left school, hyped for her weekend. She and Pym were walking down the street, just chatting about school stuff before they heard music.

They looked up, taken aback. There was an entire school of teenagers dancing on the empty road while some older kids on the sidewalk were passing around sparklers. There were some coolers set to the side and some tables piled with paper plates and food.

Morgan stepped back, stumbling into another figure. "Hey!" She was shoved forward, falling onto Pym. "Watch where you're going!" She turned around. A Hispanic girl scowled back at her. Her choppy black hair was cut into a one-sided fringe, covering the right side of her face. She looked like one of those punk kids, with her torn clothes and piercings.

Her lips were twisted into a grimace. Well?

"Sorry, I was distracted by the racket." Morgan pointed over her shoulder.

The Hispanic girl shrugged, "Trust me, you get used to it." She nodded at the tables. "I only come from the food. It's not that bad, but just in case, you're better off with something in a container." She strolled off to the table.

Morgan and Pym trailed after her. The tables were piled with dispensable kitchenware and the typical junk food: chips, cheese, fruit, the works; but what was disturbing was the condition they were in. The chips were staling, the grapes were withering, and the cheese was giving off an odor so strong it was scary. Like talking-reflection scary.

The only thing good were the drinks, which were either bottled or canned. Keemia took a Coke can and popped it open. She took a swing from it and popped a cube of cheese in her mouth.

Pym smiled at her. "I'm Pym and, well, you've already met Morgan." He took another can, ignoring the look Morgan shot at him. "What'd you get saddled with?"

The punk girl stared at him for half a minute, silent. "Keemia," she looked off, nursing her beverage.

Morgan snorted. "Keemia?" The said girl shot him a look that would've made Natasha proud, causing Morgan to step back. "Lovely name, very exotic," she shied away.

Keemia sighed, crumpling her can and flinging it into the crowd. She leaned back against the table, looking towards the sky.

Pym sipped his Coke. "Isn't that littering? Like, a crime?"

Keemia shrugged him off. "It's only a crime if you get caught.  Anyway," she narrowed her eyes at them. "Shouldn't you guys be home by now?"

Morgan snapped her head up, Oh, shit. She grabbed Pym's arm. "Thanks for reminder, bye!" She sprinted off, pulling her bag up by the straps.

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After that day, Morgan started to think that she wasn't exactly alone. She heard a weird shifting sound when she walked passed her room. It sounded like that sliding sound from an hourglass, like sand. But she just shrugged it off. Maybe she was just imagining things.

She headed downstairs one day, only to find her mom talking to a Hispanic girl with dark hair. "Keemia," the girl in question looked up.

"Hey, M." She gave her a short wave. "Met your ma. She's real nice." She sipped the cup of tea Pepper set before her.

Pepper smiled. "Thank you, Keemia. What did you say you were studying?"

Keemia gave her a faint smile. "I was studying computer programming. I used to mess around with old circuit boards in the house and I, uh," she looked off. "I ... kinda set my backyard on fire."

Pepper laughed outright. Morgan just stood there. Something seemed ... off. How did Keemia know where she lived? She never told her she was a Stark.

She shook it off. Maybe she just saw her face in a magazine or something.

"Hey," she strolled over to the couch, pouring herself a cup of tea. "When did you come in?"

"Oh," Keemia shrugged. "I'm around. I'm always around."

Morgan blinked. "Oooookay," she sipped her tea. "Well, I appreciate it."

Pepper checked her phone, immediately launching to her feet. "I gotta go, see you girls later!" She kissed Morgan on the cheek and gave Keemia a one-arm hug. She headed for the elevator, disappearing behind the doors.

Morgan turned back to Keemia, swirling her tea with one finger. "So," she tapped her toe to an imaginary rhythm. "Seen any-"

CLANG! They jumped, looking over the couch. A lanky boy with platinum blonde hair fell out from the ceiling vent with an "ow!"

Morgan slammed her cup on the coffee table. "Francis!"

He groaned. "I told you not to call me thaa-a-aargh," he looked up, gaping.

He leapt to his feet, dusting off the rubble and brushing back his hair. He swaggered over to the couch, leaning against the back of the couch with one arm. "Hello, Gorgeous." He gave Keemia a devilish smirk. "Do you have a name, or can I call you mine?"

"Gorgeous" just gave him the look that made Morgan shiver. She turned to Morgan. "You know this guy?"

Morgan coughed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Yeah, I uh," she fiddled with her cup. "Our dads know each other."

"My condolences," Keemia sipped her tea, ignoring Barton's reaction.

"Okay, first of all, ouch," Barton pressed a hand to his chest. "Second of all, you do have a name, right?" Keemia sneered before mumbling her name.

"So, Stark," Barton leapt over the couch, sitting on the ground. "How'd you know this chic." Keemia shot him a warning look.

"We met on a block party," Morgan stood up, setting her cup aside. "Her sister tried to swindle me."

Keemia winced. "Sorry about that. She's had it rough for a couple of years," she rubbed her wrist. "She didn't exactly have it easy like you guys." She tapped a finger on the rim of her cup.

Morgan pursed her lips, crossing her arms and tapping her toe. "So," she slinked off. "Who wants cookies?"

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Morgan slipped into her room, scratching her scalp. She gave a jaw-cracking yawn before turning to her desk.

She stopped.

Her laptop was on, but she didn't use her computer today. There was a folder open, revealing a file with some pictures and numbers. She looked a little closer.

Oh my God, she straightened up.

It was a file about her dad. The folder was about the Avengers.

This wasn't some coincidence or an accident.

Someone was trying to get in.


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