The Cursed One

[chapter 01]

Chapter One: New Home

"Um... Thank you," the girl said softly as she signed her cursive signature onto the paper as the movers finished up carrying her final boxes into her little apartment. The blue eyed beauty smiled softly before she told the group goodbye. She gently shut her door and sighed softly before turning and looking at the piles of boxes she had to unpack. The blonde let out a gentle sigh before she walked over to the stacks of cardboard boxes and ripped off the tape.

"Welcome home, Claire," she whispered softly to herself as she pulled out some of her things and began unpacking. She sat down in her new apartment, all alone. Her memories flashed through her mind from the incident back at home. All she could remember was her sister's screams of pain. She sat on the floor and pulled her knees to her chest.

Claire Roland was a small girl. She was short with a petite body, she had a slight muscular build but she wasn't all that muscular. She had short blonde hair and bangs that sometimes got in the way of her vision. She wore big black glasses that fit perfectly on her face, right on her little nose. She was the youngest in the Roland family. She was tiny too. Took after her mother when it came to height. Claire had a pair of wonderful blue eyes. That was the easiest thing to notice about her. Those big blue eyes. She had a wonderful smile as well but it rarely was shone. After the incident... There hasn't been much of a smile on her face.

After a few days of unpacking, she finally finished and found herself at the local coffee shop in the large city of New York. She was seeking a job but then again it was harder than it looked. Claire was a smart young lady and she planned to volunteer at Stark Industries. Then again she was too nervous to be turned down by the great Tony Stark. A man she had admired for years. Claire was good with mechanics and other things. She was very skilled in that department. Just like Stark. But her talent didn't shine bright like his did. She didn't have an amazing Iron Man suit.

Claire lifted her coffee mug to her pink tinted lips and took a small sip of the warm drink, sending the liquid down her throat to wake her up. She let out breath through her nose and looked down at her coffee. She looked at her laptop in front of her and sighed as she watched the blinking curser that was basically telling her to type and finish up her report for her book report she had to do for school.

Claire attended school in New York. College that is. It was her final year and she had moved into an apartment. Moved right out of the dorm and into a nicer area instead of an area where you could get jumped in. Claire always carried pepper spray with her. It didn't matter where she was. It was always in her purse or pocket. She never left without it, fearing she would need it when she didn't have it.

"Excuse me? There is no more seats so I was wondering if I could sit with you," a gentle voice said, making her glance up at the red head. The woman in front of her was taller than she was, short fiery red hair and greenish blue eyes. She wore a black t-shirt and a blue sweater with it and grey jeans.

"Sure," Claire answered softly, her voice quiet. Almost like a mutter. The redhead smiled softly and she sat down in front of the short girl. Claire stared at the blinking curser before she looked at the redhead, hearing her clear her throat.

"My name is Natasha," she said with a gentle smile. Claire looked at the woman and returned the smile before giving her a slight nod. The small girl was afraid to make friends, fearing they would meet the same demise as her sister. All because of herself. She didn't like dealing with heartbreak but she left her home to start a new life, knowing she wasn't wanted back home.

"Claire," she said softly to the redhead who had introduced herself as Natasha. The taller girl smiled softly and looked at Claire, nodding a little in approval at her name. She hummed softly and lifted her mug to her lips, taking a nice long sip before she set down her cup, letting out a sigh.

"Beautiful name," Natasha said with a smile as her hands wrapped around her mug, warming them up from the nipping cold that was outside. Claire looked at the redhead and nodded slightly before turning her attention back to her laptop.

Claire glanced up slightly seeing that Natasha was still looking at her, as if studying her for some odd reason. Her blue eyes stared back into the others greenish blue eyes. This was a little awkward. She truly didn't know how to react.

"Stark Industries, huh?" Natasha asked as she took another sip of her coffee. She crossed her legs under the table as she looked at Claire, studying her body language and taking in everything she could about the blonde. She was shorter than any other agent she has met before.

"Huh? Oh... yeah," Claire said as she fixed her glasses. She crossed her legs and set her hands nervously in her lap as she looked at Natasha. That girl was studying her like a book. She didn't know what to do.

"Stark is a very nice man... well... when he wants to be. Why not work somewhere else? I know a nice place to work at. It's very special and it practically saved my life," Natasha said as she looked at Claire. The shorter girl shifted in her seat and looked down at the floor.

"What is it?" She whispered softly as she fumbled with her thumbs under the table. She glanced up at the redhead and moved her bangs so they didn't cover her eyes.

"Well... its called SHIELD. It's a special agency. I'm sure you'll fit right in," Natasha said softly as she slid a paper over to Claire. The blonde girl looked down at the paper and slowly took it into her hands. She looked at the paper and read over everything before she looked to Natasha to ask a question.

Claire froze and looked around. She furrowed her eyebrows together and looked down at the paper before she gently shut her laptop. She looked at the empty coffee mug that the redhead had left behind. Natasha was gone. The cup just sitting there all alone. Yet beside the cup laid a small strip of paper. Claire picked it up to see a phone number in pretty handwriting with the words "call me"

The blonde sighed softly and she looked at the piece of paper before shoving it into her pocket. She was considering it but then again... what destruction would she cause. How many people would meet a horrible demise just like her sister did. That terrified the short girl. Knowing of her abilities... and what they did... she feared for others lives.

She even feared for her own.