Picking Up The Pieces

40. Swim Team?

   "Good morning, Ms Stark." I groaned as OCTAVIA's voice rang through my room, grabbing my pillow from out behind my head and smashing it against my face.

"No..."

"It is currently sixty-three degrees Fahrenheit. A light sweater is advised."

"Thanks, OCTAVIA."

"You also have a missed call from Doctor Earl. Shall I play the message?"

"Yes," I grunted, sliding my legs out from under the sheets and stepping on the floor. I winced as I passed my reflection in a mirror; my hair was sticking up every which way. "Play call." A holographic version of Earl filled the room, showing every detail almost perfectly.

"Hey, Isabel, it's Earl."

"Where are my glasses?" I mumbled to myself, my eyes widening when I saw that the frames were missing. I slowly turned on my feet to see Harley in her bed with my glasses in her mouth. "No, no, no. Harls!"

"So, I figured out the reason why you fell unconscious at our last appointment when you were in the radiation room," Earl's hologram continued as I chased the blue staffy around my room. "At first, I thought it could be because you're tired or due to the events that have happened within the past year."

"Bad dog!" I shouted at Harley, nearly loosing my footing on the ground as I made a quick turn. Harley skidded through Earl's holographic legs. There was a loud crunch, and I knew what had happened. "Shit!"

"Then, I remembered you have told me about your encounters in space. Most importantly, your time with the..." Earl snapped his fingers, trying to remember the name. "Ravers- no, Rav- Ravagers! That's right, Ravagers."

"Give me that," I hissed at the dog, using my telepathic abilities to stop her in her place. I took the pieces of my glasses out of her mouth. Harley whimpered, knowing what she had down. "Damn it, Harley..."

"All of the blunt force to your head created something we doctors like to refer to as Superhero Syndrome." I raised an eyebrow at the hologram. "It injures an area of your brain that helps you keep consciousness during moments of extreme activity. And whatever HYDRA did to create your hydrokinetic powers made it easier for the force to affect you in such a way."

I set the remains of my glasses back on my nightstand and plopped back down on my bed, rubbing my eyes. I had about forty more minutes to get ready for school. "End the message, OCTAVIA."

"Yes, Ms Stark." The hologram of Earl faded away, and I gave a quiet sigh. Within the past twenty-four hours, Ned had discovered my true identity (along with Peter's), I had used powers that were apparently hurting my wellbeing, and my fake glasses were now destroyed. What a good way to start a school morning.

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I sat beside Stacy as our PE teacher, Coach Wilson, put up a video up on his small pullout TV. So far, my entire day had been crap. Losing my glasses made almost everyone forget who I was. I was dealing with teachers struggling to remember my name and numerous catcalls that had never happened before. Plus, I heard that the history lesson was going to be on the Sokovia Accords. I just really wanted to punch something.

The video began in an empty locker room, and a few seconds later Steve Rodgers entered, wearing his original Captain America suit. A small caption on the screen read Captain America's Fitness Challenge.

"Hi," he smiled. "I'm Captain America." Apparently, my father made fun of him for weeks after he shot the school videos. "Whether you're in the classroom or on the battlefield..."