Trapped in the Shadows

Chapter 4 - Cheating

I threw some eggs into a frying pan, feeling as though I were still half-asleep due to my exhaustion. We only had three weeks left of school and most of my classes shouldn't have had any work to do as we had already taken our AP exams, yet somehow I still had a shit ton of homework to complete each night. I was really quite sick of it, but with such a short time left, I endeavored to power through it.

"Morning, Princess," I heard my father great as I brewed some coffee.

I muttered a good morning to him in response, focusing on my caffeine, knowing that it was the only thing that would keep me from falling asleep in the middle of class. What made it worse was that we were watching movies in three of my classes and the combination of lack of sleep with darkened classrooms did not bode well for my future. Therefore, I brewed two cups: one to have with breakfast and the other to put in a travel mug to bring to school.

"Wow, two cups of coffee, something wrong?" Tony asked, looking back at me as he rummaged through the refrigerator for food. He closed the door and leaned against it, "this wouldn't happen to do with the incident you encountered on the way home from school yesterday, would it?" He paused for a second, as though waiting for me to respond before continuing, "oh yes, I heard about that. When were you planning on telling me?"

"Sorry, dad, I know I should have told you, but I figured that Happy had it under control. And to be completely honest, I didn't want to ruin the farewell party for the Guardians. You don't have to worry about it, I handled the situation."

"Yes, by risking your life hanging out the window of a speeding car!" He practically yelled in response, clearly having reached his breaking point.

"What was I supposed to do, dad? That was the easiest way to save our lives and I knew what I was doing, it wasn't like I was going to fall out of the car. After all of this time, will you not admit that I can protect myself and I know what I am and am not capable of?"

Tony sighed, "I know, dear, but I worry about you. Especially now that everyone knows that you're my daughter and Shadow, the threats on your life have just skyrocketed. You could probably take down a million assailants without batting an eyelash, but you're still my daughter and it's my job to be constantly concerned for your safety."

I smiled at him and placed my hand on my arm, "and it's your right to worry about me, but you don't need to scold me for protecting myself. I did nothing to provoke an attempt on my life, nor did I do anything to put myself in unnecessary risk, I promise. However, if you want to be sure that Happy and I aren't attacked again in transit, I'd be happy to teleport to and from school."

"Are you sure you would be up for that, you seem to be in desperate need of energy already," he joked, gesturing to my coffee.

I shrugged, "if I can teleport to and from Wakanda in one day, I'm sure I can handle getting to school. Why don't we experiment today and if it doesn't work out, I'd be happy to continue getting driven to school. Deal?"

"It would make me feel a little better if I know that you will be spending more time at the compound as opposed to in a car. And don't get me wrong, I trust Happy to protect you, but I don't want him to have to."

"Besides, it means that I can sleep in a bit since I won't have to be leaving until later," I smiled, grateful for whatever extra sleep I could get. "I'll probably head back upstairs and tinker around in my lab for a bit, but before I go, do you want me to make you breakfast?"

"Shouldn't it be the other way around? I mean, I am the parent after all," Tony replied as I dished out my finished eggs onto a plate and starting gathering ingredients to whip up another plate.

I rolled my eyes as I placed the finished plate in front of him, "trust me, I've seen your attempts at cooking and I think, for the health of both of us, it would be wiser that I make breakfast."

"Hey, I managed to make a sandwich the other day without setting the kitchen on fire," he protested in mock offense.

"Wow, that's really quite impressive, especially considering that there shouldn't be any fire involved in making a sandwich," I replied, my voice dripping in sarcasm.

I discovered that morning that I really liked teleporting to school. It gave me a large amount of free time that morning to work in my lab before getting distracted by school. Not to mention I didn't have to spend a long period of time cooped up in a car with nothing to do. Although I knew I was going to miss Happy's company every morning and afternoon; he had grown to be a confidante of mine.

My popularity didn't seem to decline at all over the past twenty four hours, however the number of people in my classes who still needed pictures with me was declining. I didn't have high hopes for any sort of diminishment in the line at lunch, but I didn't have the chance to find out as I was called down to the principal's office during my lunch break.

I tried not to think anything of it as I made my way down to the office after gym, but I knew that it was serious when I walked in and saw my father sitting across from Principal Morita. He looked up as I walked in, "ah, Miss Stark, please have a seat."

I did as he requested, dropping my bag next to the chair, "I'm sorry, but what is this about?"

"Well since the news of your family came to light, a few members of the faculty were concerned that you have been using your access to advanced technology to cheat in your classes. You have been scoring incredibly high marks since arriving here, even managing to become your class's valedictorian. Comparing your grades to the others in your classes, I find it quite believable that you have indeed been cheating on your tests," the principal explained, immediately angering my father.

"How dare you insinuate that my daughter would cheat in any of her classes? She is far too brilliant to need to employ the help of outside resources in order to pass a class. She was raised by me, after all, which automatically makes her a genius. Have you ever thought that she just might be smarter than the others in her classes?"

"Mr. Stark, I understand that you do not wish to think ill of your daughter, but this is a serious accusation and must be handled as such. Ms. Stark do you or do you not have access to technology that can provide you with answers during examinations?"

"Well, yes," I replied, still reeling from the shock of being accused of cheating. "But I swear I have never used it on a test, besides people would hear me talking to him/her."

"And who is this that you are speaking of?"

"My A.I., s/he's attached to my bracelet in case of emergencies," I explained, showing it to Principal Morita. "Here, I can prove that I've never cheated. (A/I), have I ever enlisted your help during an examination?"

"No, (Y/N)," (A/I) replied, causing Principal Morita's eyes to widen. "I am rarely ever used while you are in school and, when used, I've never been asked an academic question."

"Forgive me for not trusting your A.I., but I would still like further proof. During our meeting about you, your teachers and I came up with a solution to prove whether or not you have been cheating. One of your teachers put together this test. It isn't one that you have taken before, but it does deal with information that you have learned throughout the year. If you would, please give your bracelet to either myself or your father and then step into the room over there and complete the examination."

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(A/N): Sorry for making y'all wait for this chapter, but I did make it extra long for you! Also three guesses which teacher brought up the concerns of you cheating (the answer won't shock you)