Living With The Avengers

Chapter One- Recruitment

When I was young, I seemed perfectly normal. Nothing unusual ever happened to me. As I got older, though, this changed drastically. I remember one day in eigth grade when a couple of girls were being rude to me. All I had done was go to my locker to get my clothes for gym class, but those two girls just had to show up.

Clara and Jade. They were twins, and they had long , perfect blond hair and emerald green eyes. Everyone loved them because they were pretty and nice. That is, if you were on their good side...

I opened my locker and suddenly they appeared by my side. I sighed and grabbed my gym clothes, but suddenly I dropped them. Clara laughed.

"Oopsie!!" she said in a fake sweet voice. "Here, let me help you! From the looks of your raggedy gym clothes, you could sure use some!"

Jade laughed and I glared at them. "Leave me alone," I said. "Not everyone's perfect like you seem to think you are. Because maybe you hadn't noticed, since you were too busy putting on lip gloss, that it's not exactly easy to keep your gym clothes in good shape! Now go away!"

Instead, they laughed. "Ooh, Drama Queen has an attitude!!" said Clara. "You really think we'd listen to you? You, of all people!" Clara laughed. "Unkike us, you're not even popular."

That was it. I was so mad, madder than I'd ever been before. Suddenly I felt a weird sensation spread through my arms, then my fingertips. Energy blasted out of my hands and slammed Clara and Jade into a locker. I stared at my hands in disbelief. What had happened?!

Two days later I was being homeschooled.

No doctor could explain my condition. I was okay, it seemed. Then one, day, I got a job. My first one, at a small restaurant in the city. I was doing well, I was an adult now, I could handle myself, control whatever it was that had happened that day in eight grade that continued to haunt me.

A customer came up to the counter, asking if we had any more ketchup.

I handed him two packets, and he asked for more.

"Sorry sir, but we're running low at the time, we don't have many more," I said.

"Well you must have some more," said the man rudely, "so hand them over."

"Sir I apologize," I said "but I've already given you two and we need to save some for other customers who don't have any."

"Give them," he demanded. He held out his hand.

I started getting angry. Who did he think he was, ordering me around?! I looked him straight in the eye and told him, "I can't."

"NOW!" he yelled. "The customer's always right, and this one wants more ketchup!!!"

Now I was mad. Suddenly, the familiar tingle spread through my fingers, accompanied by a blast of energy that sent the man flying. I gasped at what I'd done, and so did everyone else.

"I quit!" I yelled, not knowing what else to do or say. I ran out and to my apartment, crying.

When I got home, a man was by my door. He told me he was Agent Coulson from SHIELD, and that he needed me to come with him.

"Is this about my powers?" I sobbed. "I'm sorry! Please don't arrest me!"

"I'm not the police, Miss Reinhart," said Agent Coulson. "But yes, it's about your powers. However, we don't want to stop them, we want to teach you to control them."

I nodded, still crying, and stepped in the car Agent Coulson had come in.