viridity |•| t.s daughter (1)

grudges

♡mara♡
age fourteen

2010

Mara wasn't stupid. She knew that the water park wasn't just a family fun day. It was Tony trying to distract himself. The banquet they had gone to only a couple days ago hadn't ended so well.

Tony felt betrayed by his own best friend, but only if he knew the true extent of it. His company was failing and Obidiah had 'fixed' it for him. Only now, his weapons were once again in the hands of the men that had held him captive.

Mara knew her father was nearly going insane down in his lab, tweaking his newest weapon while watching the news. It wasn't going to end well, she knew that much. The thoughts were already brewing in his mind, and honestly, Mara was excited to see how things unfolded.

It only took a few seconds before his decision was set in stone, and it only took a few more before he flew out of the house. Now Mara was alone, which she often was. While Tony tried his hardest to connect with her, she just wouldn't allow it.

Over the years, it was hard to tell if Mara held a grudge against her father. In the red room, you are trained to be emotionless, which for the most part Mara was. It was little set backs such as this summer that brought her emotions to light, something she'd much rather avoid. But thinking on it now, if Mara truly did have a grudge against her father, maybe now she could let go of it.

As much as she wanted nothing to do with the man, she was not angry with him. Not in the way she was angry with Obidiah. While it would be easier if her father died, she did not hate him. In a way, his neglect had made her into who she was meant to be. At first she had hated the academy, but now Mara couldn't imagine life without it. She was weak then, and now she is strong. If her father hadn't sent her away then she would still be weak.

Once she graduates the red room, her life will be at peace. Obidiah will die of the cancer before she turns eighteen, so there will be no reason for her to come after him in the future. Mara will never have to see her father again, she could disappear into thin air and go on with her life. Everything will be much more simpler then.

Feeling at peace with the thought of her future, Mara took her free time to relax. At first she did a little training down in the gym, then cooled off by swimming laps in the pool. It'd be nice if the academy had a pool, but a full on gymnastics room was good too. Mara missed gymnastics, as she didn't have the right equipment here to do everything she wanted.

Afterwards she took a shower. Sometimes it was still disorienting when taking a shower here. At the academy they were only allowed a bar of soap and a small towel to dry off, along with a cold water supply. If any of the girls took longer than five minutes, some of the teachers would come in and punish them.

Now Mara was allowed to shower for as long as she wanted with an unlimited supply of warm water. Her personal shower was stocked full of different washes with different uses that she didn't really understand. It was almost torture being given these luxuries when she knew that only in another month she will have to go back to what she was used to. But Mara wanted to go back, so it wasn't so bad thinking about it.

When Mara was done showering, she got dressed in a light blue dress and put on socks. The loose material was a relief compared to the leotard that Mara always wore at the academy, another thing that brought her annoyance. She knew that the rules at the academy were for a reason, that they were good for her. But she wished that something's were different. That's how Mara knew that she needed to go back. These thoughts were bad, punishable.

Since she had the house to herself, Mara took advantage of it and sat in the living room to read. She let the glass windows open in order to let the outside air in, which was a very relaxing thing. What would Miss Sokolov think if she saw Mara now? That lead to another question, would Mara be punished once she is back home?

It was only another hour before she heard the ruckus of Tony coming home, which was coincidentally the same time as Pepper walking in. The woman seemed to be on a mission, which Mara knew would be postponed the minute she found out what her father had been up to today.

"Where is your father? He's not been answering my calls all day," Obviously Pepper was frustrated, which Mara couldn't find herself caring the least bit about. It was Peppers own fault for getting involved with a man like Tony Stark, a man that doesn't pick up his phone.

"Downstairs," Maras reply was short and simple, but sure to cause some chaos. As she flipped the page of her book, she listened to the sound of Peppers heels retreating down the stairs. This would be interesting for sure.

——
Short and simple. We're in the endgame now lol. As in there will only be a couple more chapters left in this book before I publish the sequel! I've been procrastinating for so long, but it's really going to be happening. Within the few years I've been writing, this will be my first book I ever finish.

What do you guys think about this chapter? How do you feel about this book finally coming to an end?