Lost at Sea ✔

Chapter 20

Lost at Sea

Chapter 20

My Daughter

    "Mariana Elizabeth Rogers." She read from the file, her file "Birthday: December 10th, year unrecorded." For the first time since they walked into the coffee shop, she met his eyes. Emerald green colliding with bright blue. "Why's that?" She asked, voice firm and unwavering.

    Steve cleared his throat. He folded his hands together on top of the table. He didn't look away from his daughter's intense glare. "Back then I was really paranoid about someone bad finding out about you and your mother and coming after you two as targets. When you were born, your mother and I never got a signed birth certificate. Emily thought it was the best way to keep you off the record books as long as possible."

    She raised an eyebrow, "So the government doesn't know I exist?" She wasn't exactly sure why, but something about that didn't sit well with her.

    "Well, only a few Congressmen and Cabinet members do. Now since Sokovia, the entire world has seen your face, but they don't know who you are. And that's what they're asking." Steve looked around the coffee shop again, making sure no one was in ear-shot of their conversation. "There's going to be a whole lot of conspiracies going around focused on your identity. You need to be ready for that."

    Alene nodded her head, completely understanding her future situation. She looked back down at her file. "This file doesn't say much about my past." She lazily flipped through the pages.

    Steve nodded his head. "Yeah. Your mother and I made a deal to keep as little of information as possible off the records." He said. "Sometimes I think we did too well of a job." He sipped on his coffee.

    "That's not what I meant." Steve raised an eyebrow, confused. "Steve, I would like to know more about my past. namely my family and ancestry." She said. "If I learn more about it, then maybe I'll be able to find the real me."

    "The real you?" Steve asked. He wasn't sure about her choice of words.

    Alene nodded. "The person I was before Hydra snatched me away." She leaned forward. "For as long as I can remember, my past was a canvas of darkness. Hydra erased the memories of my family from the foreground of my mind." She resumed her intense staredown with her father. "They took away all the love people had shown me and destroyed it. No matter how much I tried to remember, I couldn't, on my own at least. It hurt too much to try." She turned away from Steve. Opting instead to look out the window. "Who knows what they would've turned me into if it weren't for Wanda and Pietro. They saved me from that terrible fate." She grinned at the mention of the two people who grew to be siblings to her.

    "So that's why you three were so close." Steve finally understood. "Why Wanda was so worried about you. It makes perfect sense."

    Alene nodded her head. "Yeah, I guess it does." She smiled at him. "But, even though I remember the few memories I have of my family before Hydra, there are still a few holes that need to be filled in."

    Steve grinned at his daughter. "Fire away, kid."

    Alene laughed. The sound was music to Steve's ears. For all that she's been through, Alene really deserved to laugh as much as she so wished. He hoped that he'll be there to witness most of them.

    "Can you tell me about my mom?" She must have noticed the ping in his eyes because she quickly added, "Please." Her eyes begged. "I really want to learn about my family."