The Great and Powerful Roxy Lox

Chapter 3: Money Is What Matters

    Nervous sweat beaded down my forehead as I focused on doing this one thing: Lifting the couch where Steve and Thor sat. My hands were reached out as far as they could go as the whole couch floated towards the ceiling. Both of them sat up there, wide-eyed. Thor shot an uncertain glance at Steve.

    Then, I softly landed them back on the ground. Steve stared at me with a bewildered smile. I couldn't help but smile back at him. "There. Is that good enough?" I asked Tony, who stood back to observe.

    "How does this work... What's the background on all of this?" He asked, completely dismissing my question.

    "My senses are all heightened so much, that there's just too much pressure in my brain. When I was a little girl, I remember I had a constant headache. Every second of the day, there was throbbing pain. But one day I basically imploded, and that headache turned out to be my powers boiling up inside of me. Objects around me began to float. I had no control over them. Luckily, I learned by myself and hid it from my parents." I explained nonchalantly.

   "So... Heightened senses and telekinesis?"
    "Yep." I replied to Tony.
    "That's good."

  Peter scoffed in the background. "Just good? She's way more than that! She's-"

    "Amazing." Steve chimed in and finished Peter's sentence. Steve stood up from the couch and approached us. "Tony I don't think this even needs consideration. She's in." His eyes landed on me as he said those last few words. Again, those blue eyes of his beamed into mine. Something about him was so intense, I had to break eye contact.

    Tony crossed his arms over his chest. "Steve, we discussed this. I am the one who's deciding." He turned his back, rubbing his chin as if he was thinking hard.

    "She's in!" He basically repeated exactly what Steve said.

    I wasn't exactly celebrating and throwing confetti about this whole thing. The only thing appealing about this was the money. Even then, I hadn't even discussed that with him. "Awesome. Now what's in it for me?" I asked, my tone was as plain as possible.

    I just knew I had to be getting judgemental looks from all of these super people. Tony almost looked taken aback by the words that had just come out of my mouth. "Oh yeah... I forgot to mention that part to you, Mr. Stark." Peter added, a hint of unsureness was detected in his voice.

     "It's fine. We'll discuss that later." Tony sighed. "Natasha! You're training her, is that fine?" He continued.

    We all looked at the infamous Black Widow who was passed out and drooling on the couch. Bruce Banner was awkwardly hovering over her. "Uh I think she had a little too much to drink." He muttered.

    "Alright then... Steve? You up for being her trainer?" Tony asked.

    "Sure. I wouldn't mind having her as my first trainee." He replied.

    "Great. Well, Roxy. We're starting tomorrow morning, 8:00 sharp. But for now, let's take a little tour of the place." Tony put his hand on my shoulder and led me out of the room. I glanced back at the Avengers one more time. Steve smirked and gave me a little salute to say goodbye.

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    There I was, sitting in the backseat of a luxurious car with Tony Stark. My gaze was fixated out the window, observing the city around me as I was being taken home. This day felt different. The atmosphere. Everything. I'm not sure what it was.

    I was being completely silent because in all honesty, I didn't know what to think of all this. It's not every day that you get invited to the Stark Tower to meet the Avengers. Let alone actually joining them. This was all so sudden. Not even 24 hours ago I was just fighting crime on my own.

    "So, you mentioned wanting some kind of pay?" Tony said, breaking the silence. I looked up at him and nodded. "Wow... I thought helping to save the world would be enough pay as it is, but I guess I was mistaken."

    I sighed at his remark. He was right. Demanding pay was selfish of me, but I had my reasons. Of course I'm not the type to spew those said reasons to just anybody. I'm normally a private person, but I figured Tony deserved an explanation. "Well, Mr. Stark. I'm trying to find any chance to move out of my dad's house." I began.

    "I'll spare you the boring details, but it's not exactly the best place to live. My dad is very unstable and just... Mean. He wasn't always like this, but things happen. I'm in college, meaning I don't have a whole lot of money. I'm stuck at his place until I graduate, and it's been hell. So when I was given this offer, I figured that this could be my chance to finally leave that house. I mean... I understand if you don't want to pay me, but if you decide not to than I'm going to have to decline your little invitation. I'm sorry, but I have enough on my plate as it is."

    Tony stared at me with a blank expression. For a businessman who has a way with words, he didn't seem to have much to say.

    In fact, he didn't say anything for the rest of the ride. I pretty much knew what that meant, I didn't allow myself to become disappointed though. After all, I am used to disappointment. Once we pulled up to my dad's apartment building, I grabbed my bag and opened the car door. "Wait!" Tony blurted. I paused and turned to face him.

    "I'm sorry.... You're in, kid. I'll pay you but under two conditions." He began. I closed the car door to show that I was willing to listen. "Well, technically three conditions. First off, don't call me Mr. Stark. You seem more mature than Peter so you can just call me Tony. Second, I'm going to have to see you on your first mission before you receive any type of money. Third, take this phone." Tony pulled it out of his pocket and plopped it in my hand.

    It most certainly was not an iPhone, neither was it an Android. But it was super high-tech. "It's packed with all of our phone numbers in case you need us. Keep with you at all times. These special phones are how we all keep in contact with each other."

    "Thanks... Well I guess I'll see you and the rest of the guys tomorrow." I offered a friendly smile as I opened the door and stepped out of the car. Before I closed it, Tony stopped me again. "Oh and one more thing, kid... Stay safe around your dad." He said as he glanced at the apartment building. If I wasn't mistaken, I could've swore I saw a glimmer of sympathy in his eyes.
   
    "Thanks." I replied shortly. With that, the car took off. I stood there, dumbfounded at what had all just taken place. It almost didn't feel real, like a dream. I stared down at the phone in my hands. "Welp, I guess I'm an Avenger now." I mumbled to myself before walking into the building.

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A/N: Next chapter is already in the works, and lemme just say it's my favorite one!