Your Little Stark

Ch•12- A Hero

     A/N : I'm going to NYC tomorrow for the first time, I can hardly wait! Lol I'm excited because that's where Avengers took place :,D I'm hoping to spot Stark Tower. 🤞🏼

    Pepper told me the next morning that I could stay home from school today because the party ended late last night, but I didn't feel like being in that house today. Everything seemed too strange and oddly different. School felt welcoming at this point. Kids my age, friends, normalcy.

    The whole 'Dads company is selling weapons to terrorist' scandal has gotten to me. It didn't all make sense, but I understood enough to know that this situation was truly bad. My family is the reason why people over seas are dying. I heard Dad talking about it with Pepper last night before I went to bed. He seemed pretty shaken up by it.

     Sleep didn't come easy that night, dreams bounced around my brain. Not good dreams, nightmares. The dead coming back to life, begging me, asking me why I killed them. Why my father was responsible for their deaths. I woke up at 3 am, and never fell back asleep.

    "Jessica Stark!" My name was called from the front of the room, I was startled by my teachers sharp voice "Where is your book, we have silent-sustained reading time right now" her glare rested on me. My droopy blue eyes sprung back to life.

I searched my desk, then shuffled through my book bag "I don't think I have a book, ma'am"

    Mrs. Paltrow stiffened up "Then how about instead of sitting there with a 'deer in headlights' look on your face. Why don't you go to the library and check out a book?" The kids around me covered their mouths, the teacher had just schooled me. I wanted to yell at her, scream at her, insult her back, but I knew better. My mother taught me better than that. Without arguing, I rose from my desk and walked out of the room towards the library. Maybe I should have listened to Pepper and just stayed home.

    A few minutes later, I stood in the history section of the library, trying to find a good book to read. Reading has never been my thing. I've always been the kind of person to watch, like seeing the movie when you haven't even read the book, that's me.

    "You seem a little young to be in this section of the library" the grey haired librarian smiled down at me "what grade are you in?" She asked, sliding some books on the shelf next to me.

"Fourth"

"This part of the library is usually for fifth graders"

"Cool"

"What are you looking for, sweetheart?"

     I shrugged, looking at all the World War 2 books that lined the shelves "I don't know, something interesting I guess" All their books were stories on Atomic Bombs, The Japanese, and some other soldier stuff. Not my thing.

"World war 2, huh? What kind of 'World War 2' books are you looking for?"

I shrugged "dunno, what do you think I should read?"

     The librarian scrunched up her eyebrows as she searched through each book. She glided her finger alone the covers of the book till she stopped on one in particular. Her nail tapped against the cover "How about this one" she pulled the book out from the shelf, showing me the cover. I took the book from her hand and read the title out loud.

    "Captain America: America's Super Soldier. Who's that?" The cover had a black and white picture of the man. His outfit was grey but I'm pretty sure it was originally blue. The mask covered his face except for his eyes, nose and mouth. An 'A' was on the forehead of his mask. There was a star on his chest with the horizontal red and white lines. He carried a shield type thing on his arm, and his other arm was saluting the camera that was taking the photo. He was hot too, if I may add...

    "Captain America was America's first Super hero. He single handedly took down most of the Nazis and their bases. He rescued dozens of American soldiers from Nazi prisons, and so on and what not" The librarians voice trailed off in to the air. A small sigh escaped her lips "He was a Hero"

I nodded "sounds cool, I suppose"

"He was amazing, that's why so many people were heart-broken when he..."

    "When he what?" I asked, becoming a tad bit interested. The Liberian just paused in the middle of her sentence.

    "You'll just have to read to find out" she smiled and walked over to the checkout counter "Would you like me to check it out for you?" I held the book in my hands. I looked down to the man on the cover, he had a triumphant expression on his face. A look of a Hero.

                                     ***

       That afternoon, after a long, ridiculously boring day of school. I tossed my book bag down on to the white couch in the living room. A nice blazing fire heated the room, the sun was shining through the windows right in to my eyes. The house was especially quite right now. Behind me, the water fall was rippling down the wall, a grandfather clock ticked on the wall next to the Minibar. The television was on but no sound was coming out. Where is everyone? This feels way too strange.

     "Hello!" I called, waiting a few seconds for an answer, but no one replied. The only sound was a seagull screeching at something on the balcony outside. I shrugged, grabbing the book from my book bag and hightailing it upstairs "Hey Jarvis?"

"Yes Miss. Stark?"

I walked in my room "Where's Dad?"

    "I'm... afraid I can't answer that right now" Did Jarvis just hesitate as he was speaking? I've never heard him hesitate before.
I set my book down on the nightstand next to my bed, there was a folder that accidentally slipped off, spilling everything in it onto the floor.

     "Great" I groaned, kneeling down to pick everything up. Among the papers, a few photographs stuck out. I gathered up a few and looked through them. A sad smile rose up on my face.

    The first picture was me and my Mom, we were standing in front of the Christmas Tree. She was helping me put on some ordainments. Next was my birthday, I had a cheesy wide smile on my face, Mom has her hands on my shoulders, she was smiling to. The candles on my birthday cake blazed in my eyes. My mother look exactly how I remembered her. It's strange how much we looked alike. Same smile, same eyes. My nose started to twitch, signally that I was about to tear up. All the memories of me and my Mother were returning.

     I had tried to not think about her, it was time to move on, but all of this still hurts. Her presence can still be felt by me. Some tears were forming in the corner of my eyes. Nobody was home to here me cry anyway "Oh Mom" I breathed, running my thumb along the pictures of us. There was another photo among all the others, I had my arms wrapped around her shoulders in a bear-hug, she was in the middle of a laugh when the picture was taken. Her white smile illuminated the whole room.

      That moment seemed so long ago. She loved me so much, and I loved her. I sniffled "Why'd you have to go Mom?" The day I was told that she was dead ran around in my mind. My counsellor had pulled me out of class at school, and ruined my life. Mom had been killed in her Floral shop. Some freak gunned her down. I shook my head, ridding the tears from my eyes.

    My new book sat on the stand, ready to to be read. I pulled the book onto my lap. The Captain saluted me, his permanent pose will continue to tell me to stay strong. I had to be strong. I've been anything but strong for most of my life.

That all would change, I know things now.
I'm smarter now.