the fire inside : spider-man

THREE

THREE
introductions

"You can basically do a whole bunch of badass stuff with fire?"

—

Gia received a phone call early in the morning that she would be requested to visit Mr. Stark in a few hours, meaning she would have to miss school. She had warmed up a towel at five in the morning and rested it on her forehead for an hour before walking to Teresa's beside coughing. It wasn't easy to make Gia sweat, so she needed to heat herself up and add a ton of hot towels.

"Hmm?" Teresa stirred awake, glancing over at Gia who was dripping in sweat. "You okay?" She sat up.

"Uh, yeah um, I'm just not feeling too great." The teenage girl paused to cough, "I don't think I'll make it too long in school." She muttered.

Teresa nodded. "No worries, I can stay home with you if - "

"No! U-um," Gia coughed again, "I think I can sleep it off and chug some medicine and I'll be good as new." She pretended to shiver. Teresa only nodded again before turning over and indicating that she wanted to go back to sleep.

Gia left the room, tip-toeing to her bed, setting an alarm before snuggling back into bed. She played with her bracelet in silence, only sound heard was Olivia's soft snoring. Gia could feel her eyes slowly closing, pushing her head deeper into the pillow.

"You're a liar." Cheyenne whispered. Gia sat up quickly, facing the younger girl from the bed across. Her dark hair had been messy from sleep, her sleep shirt wrinkled. "You're not sick." She said quietly.

Gia shook her head, "Um, yes I am. Go to sleep." She rolled her eyes.

Cheyenne got up, walking over towards the door, "You're not sick, Giovanna." She smirked. "I guess I better go tell Teresa you're faking." She shrugged.

"No! God, you're so — fine, will five bucks keep you quiet?" She whispered harshly at the twelve year old girl. "It's five in the morning, why do you have to do this." She groaned, reaching over into her wallet and pulling out a five dollar bill.

Cheyenne grinned, snatching the bill from her older sister's hand and climbing back onto her bed while giggling.

Gia's alarm went off at eight thirty, she instantly shot up, grabbing a towel and rushing to the shower. The apartment was completely empty, kids were at school and Teresa was behind a desk a few miles away. She jumped into a hot shower, surprised that the kids had left her hot water. The water ran down her back and she washed her curly mane, brushing it, finishing her shower a few minutes later and getting out. She dressed herself in black leggings, a black sweater, and bright orange parka that Cheyenne had gifted her for Christmas knowing it was incredibly obnoxious. She wore a beanie to warm up her head and pulled on a pair of shoes. In a rush, she grabbed her belongings and rushed out the door. Happy was waiting for her downstairs.

"Good morning," She chirped, "How are you?"

He looked back at her, "Your face is looking better. Don't talk too much, it's too early for a conversation." Happy grunted.

Gia followed his order and remained silent for the rest of the ride. She had been sneaking out of her apartment late and practicing to impress Natasha and Rhodes. Tuesdays and Thursdays she met them both at the Avengers tower, training until she could barely move. Every night, she would heat her body, soothing the pain that she endured every few days.