The Daughter of Iron Man

Child of the Universe

I knew I was dangerous, even before SHIELD told me.

But learning that I'm capable of so much more, terrifies me.

Elizabeth and I began training every day after school. At the start, it was challenging since that's what Natasha and I did for several years. But as I got more comfortable with the idea, new challenges arose.

A few days ago, we began working on manipulating water.

Elizabeth sat across from me on the training room floor, a bowl of water between us. She wore a simple black dress with her white lab coat, making me feel underdressed in my jeans and cardigan.

"You've got this Alice, I know you can do it." Elizabeth encouraged, her british accent becoming more natural for me to hear.

The first day we began working on water manipulation, I really struggled to feel it. Now, the feeling of water move is quite natural. I can feel the current in the ocean, and I know I'm capable of manipulating it. However, I refuse to let it move.

I refuse to believe I have that much power.

After nearly an hour of pretending that I couldn't feel it or move it, I dropped the act and my eyes snapped up to Elizabeth. Her wavy golden hair covered half her face, her eyelashes long and dark against her skin. When she realized I'd stopped trying, she met my eyes with her deep brown ones.

"I just can't do it." Disappointment filled her expression when she realized I'd given up. However, the optimism remained and her eyes beamed with hope.

"You can do it, you can't give up on yourself." She encouraged, and I lowered my head slightly. I hate keeping eye contact when I knew I'd been lying to her. Something in her expression shifted, and she relaxed into her place. "When you first discovered your abilities, could you pick up a semi?"

I thought back to the first time I realized I had abilities. The first time was more so an adrenaline rush from falling off a building. But the second time I tried, when I was in bed and recovering, I could barely lift a light pillow. I shook my head in response, and the hope in her eyes grew.

"What did it take?" She continued, watching me with an encouraging, cheerful expression. She sat up a little taller as she became more hopeful, and I mimicked the action.

"Practice, lots of it."

"You can't give up on yourself. Keep working towards it, and I promise you'll get it eventually. Moving water is much more difficult. The particles are more fluid than those of solid objects. They're rolling around each other instead of a solid formation. It will take time, but I know you will get it if you don't give up." She smiled.

Elizabeth has a way of lighting up any room, bringing hope to others. For a moment, it even infected me. But that moment was stolen by the reminder that if in the wrong hands, all of my loved ones could die. And with that, I snapped back to myself.

"I can't do this anymore." I stated, pushing myself off the floor and back to my feet. Elizabeth's expression dropped as she realized she'd failed, and she joined me standing up.

"Alice-"

I glanced once more at the water, and was reminded of the ocean. Even though I've never moved water, I can feel it as if it's a current running through me. If I went from moving pillows to semi trucks, what could I do with the ocean?

At the thought, my heart began to race and my breathing became shallow. Not being able to take it anymore, I left Elizabeth standing next to the bowl of water that's tortured me for days.

I raced through the facility, ignoring anyone who looked at me or tried to stop me to see what was wrong. When I made it safely to my room, I collapsed on my bed. The solitude brought me comfort, and gradually my breathing slowed.