When I wake up, my arm isn't pale anymore. My mother is sitting in the corner, wearing a look of pure horror. I try to get up, but then I feel a sharp pain in my arm.

"I thought I lost you." She says.

"Mom, I'm okay. Once I can move my arm again, I'm going after those two." I assure her.

"Yeah, about that. Stark is taking me to court for custody of you." She replies.

"What? You're kidding, right? He is trying to gain custody of a child that he endangered." I ask, "Do I have a say in any of this?"

"I don't think so. He will probably bribe the judge into saying yes to giving you to him." She responds.

"When is it?" I ask.

"This afternoon." She answers.

I look at the clock as she gets up. Man, I was out for a while. It starts soon, I'm guessing. She leaves the room, and I close my eyes. I hear someone else walk in. The figure stands next to the bed, with his masculine shadow above me. I listen as his footsteps stop at the corner where my mother was sitting, and then the chair creaks.

"I know it's you. Shouldn't you be at the trial?" I ask. When I open my eyes, I see someone I didn't expect to see.

"No, I'm not. Tony wanted me here, just in case." He answers. I close my eyes again.

"He will not stop until he gains full custody of me, will he?" I ask. I already know the answer though.

"No, he won't." The man says, "When he wins, everything will go back to normal." His arm has a bandage on it. If you can't tell already, it's Captain America.

"Normal? I'm not sure what normal is anymore, to be honest." I respond. His shadow looms over me again. I look away and stare at my shoulder. It's bandaged, and there isn't any blood.

"Your mother should've told Tony about you. He would have taken great care of you, and gotten you into a good school." He says.

"She was protecting me. My arrogance is why I'm lying in a hospital bed after nearly dying from a gunshot wound." I snap. When I look up, I notice that his clothes are normal, and he only had his shield with him.

I don't want to live with Tony Stark. He will make my entire life public. My life won't be normal when he wins. I don't think that I can go back to normal unless my mom wins. I reach for my phone, which is on a small table next to the bed.

"Not so fast." He says, grabbing my hand.

"You've done enough damage." I respond, "I am making sure that my mom has evidence of the clear child endangerment Stark put me through tonight."

I take pictures of the bandaged wound, and send it to mom. He stares in shock of how I can use the phone with only one hand, and how committed I am to staying with my mother. I set the phone down on the bed, and turn to face him.

"Can you please leave? You aren't family and you certainly aren't a friend." I snap. Instead, he turns the TV on. Of course, Stark advertised the custody battle, so I watch. I don't get further than five minutes before falling asleep.

When I wake up, my mother's face is stained with tears as she shakes me to wake up. I have a feeling that he won. I sit up, and look around the room. The other two are at the door. My mother's quiet sobs make me want to punch him. He won. He gained full custody of me. I get up, and my mother helps me pull my backpack on.

"If you ever feel threatened, use the weapon." She whispers. I wrap my arms around her, despite the pain. The traitorous tears start to fall down my face, and onto her clothes.

"Let's go. I have a restraining order to fill out, just to make sure someone doesn't get any ideas." Stark says. She leaves the room before us, and right before she leaves, she slaps Tony across his smug face.

He pulls me behind him, and Cap is behind me, just in case I get any ideas about running. When we leave, I get swarmed by reporters and paparazzi. I quickly get in the car, and start crying.

"I'm guessing that you have everything? I need you to drive her to the tower, Cap. Like I said before, I have a restraining order to fill out." He says as I wipe my tears away. His armor is there, and he flies off.

As Cap pulls into the parking lot, I start crying again. There are more reporters, and more paparazzi. I don't want to be in the spotlight. I want to blend in, and be normal. Of course, that will never happen now. I plug my earbuds into my phone and ignore the people shoving microphones in my face. I keep my head down, and keep walking until I get inside. I grab my bag and run to my room. I throw my bag down and change into a pair of shorts and a loose shirt.

"I am not training. I won't be like them." I say to myself. I open my sketchbook and start drawing.

I fill the pages with sketches of snowflakes and beaches. I always had a passion for art, after all. I hear the door open, and I hide my sketchbook under the mattress. I turn around to see a note at my door.

Cassie,
Training starts in five minutes. I expect to see you there.
-Dad

Oh please! The last thing I'll call him is dad. The training is the last thing on my list. The top priority is getting out of here. I pick up my phone and text Luna. She can control shadows, and we have known each other for years. She also is an excellent hacker. She sends me the blueprints for the tower in minutes.

"Cassie? Are you ready?" Someone asks from the other side of the door.

"Almost!" I answer. I look at the rooms, and spot the ventilation system.

I take the hair dryer in the bathroom and smash it to pieces. As I search through the pieces, the door opens. An angry soldier and an angrier Stark stare at me with piercing glares. I only look up for a second before returning to my search. None of the pieces will work, so I shove them aside.

"Before you scold me for not attending a pathetic training exercise, I'll let you know that I'm not sorry about it." I snap. They look surprised, but I could care less.

"Actually, we came to get something from you." Stark says, "I'm going to need that sketchbook of your's."

"That sketchbook is my life. I can't give it over. I won't give it over. All of my personal thoughts and dreams are in there as pictures and sketches." I reply.

"Even nightmares?" He asks, "Nightmares about losing control or killing those that you love on accident?" I nod, and he starts looking.

I sit on the bed as they tear the room apart searching for the sketchbook. I guess they haven't considered that it's right under where I'm sitting. They finish looking, and turn to me. My clothes are everywhere, and my bathroom is a mess, too.

"Get this cleaned up by dinner or I'll make sure that you get two extra hours of training tomorrow." Cap orders.

When they leave, I start hiding the mess. I kick my clothes under the bed and hide the objects in the bathroom under the cabinets. Soon, my room looks clean, but it isn't. I check my bag, and the weapon is gone. Whoever went through my bag must've taken it. What is the weapon, you may ask? Why, it's a pair of gauntlets that unlock my powers' true capabilities. I designed them with Luna during our free period.

"Cassie, get out here. It's time for dinner." Stark says from the other side of the door.

"I'm not hungry." I respond.

That is a lie. I am starving, and they probably have all of my snacks. I'm not going to let them win, though. I walk over and turn the air conditioning down to a colder temperature. I cover the ceiling in ice, and the window, too.

"Young lady, get out here right now" I hear from the other side of the door, "I am your father. You belong to me!"

"You are never going to be my father!" I scream. The entire room becomes encased in ice and snow.

"Why is that?" He asks sarcastically.

"Fathers are kind, fathers protect you, and most importantly, fathers raise you." I snap, "I know you didn't do any of those things. You were too busy building weapons and Iron Man suits."

He starts pushing against the frozen door as I unlock the window. I add another layer of ice over the door as I shove my clothes into my bag. I grab my sketchbook as the door opens, and I jump.