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The girl took another bite of the last slice of bread that was left in the bag. She was eating on the ground, resting her back against the kitchen counter and with the lights out. She had been really careful to not give away someone was in the house. She couldn't take the risk of being seen. And being caught.

Jessica brushed the breadcrumbs off her and then closed her backpack filled with provisions. She had only taken things that would last long. Canned beans and vegetables, packages of instant oatmeal and a bag of bread among other things, as well as a liter of water that she was going to need to carefully ration. Basically, what she already found in the now empty house. 

She knew nobody was going to come into the house because she knew very well who lived there. Or who used to live there. She also knew that the property was only used as a vacation getaway since the owner had moved into the city. That's why she chose to go there. Because she knew it was a safe place for her. It was the only place where she felt safe.

She hadn't been there since the funeral.

It had been easy to fool the lake house's security system. She had helped to install it. Once she had sneaked in, it took her no time to deactivate it. Her plan had been to stay there for a few days until she figured out what she was going to do or where she was going to go. That had been harder than it seemed. The first thing she did when she ran away was to destroy her phone and unable any protocol in her equipment that could help anyone track her down. She hadn't had access to the internet, so finding somewhere to go while hiding had been difficult.

But she finally came up with something.

She was going to leave the country. Though, she couldn't go flying. That might be the fastest and easiest way to get out but not the safest. She would definitely get caught. Instead, she was going to get a train north from Penn Station, try to blend in and not draw much attention until she reached the border with Canada. There she would start from scratch, leave her hero duties behind and live on her own.

The next thing she did after getting into the house was to use FRIDAY to hack into Tony's computer in the garage. That's where she spent most of the time since there were no windows down there and nobody could tell if she had the lights on. Either way, she didn't turn them on, just to be cautious. The only source of light she would get came from the computer's holographic screen. 

She managed to create something with the tools she found in the garage. It wasn't anything too out there. She didn't want to draw attention to her, she just needed something to defend herself with if required. After getting that done, she reset FRIDAY with Tony's computer, erasing any remains of her identity. She also commanded EDITH to delete all records of her. However, what she did next was the hardest thing she had to do. She left the EDITH glasses on his gravestone, right by the lakeshore. It was the same grave Mysterio had showed her in his illusion. The memory of that just made her anger grow, making her forget of any remorse she had. Whenever she thought about it, she didn't regret killing Beck. That's why she left the glasses. 

By leaving them there, she renounced to his name. She knew she didn't deserve it. She had to give up everything he ever gave her: her reputation, her duties, ... Everything. That wasn't her anymore. 

And now she was ready to leave. She was fully rested, had her backpack with provisions and her new equipment. She stood up, her ankle still stinging a little bit whenever she put pressure on it. She tried as much as she could to not think about the fight. But then a voice made her freeze.

"You forgot about the computer." She heard the feminine voice say. "They sent me a message as soon as you logged in."

Jessica turned around, already knowing who she was going to find there. She had recognized her as soon as she spoke, but also because she had expected her to come here. If there was anyone who could guess where she had gone, that was Pepper. "Are you sure this is the right decision?"

Jessica chuckled at her asking. "I don't know what's right anymore."

"It has consumed you. The guilt, the pressure, the nightmares..." Pepper stepped closer to her. Jessica stood still, showing no emotion nor response. "But there's a way of getting out of it. We can help."

"Nobody can help me." Jessica's tone was cold. She didn't sound like she was going to break. 

"I told you I wouldn't stop you." The older woman reminded her. "I know I can't." She was trying to get a reaction from the teen, but nothing seemed to work. She wasn't the same girl that left for her class trip to Europe. "Just think about the rest of us. What about Morgan? Do you think Tony-"

"Don't!" That triggered her. Jessica brusquely extended her hand forward and her powers thrust Pepper against the wall. The pictures hanged on it staggered but none of them fell.  "Don't mention him!"

The woman was struggling to breathe. Jessica was pushing her harder than she originally intended. There was still a part inside of her that wanted to ask for help and forgiveness, to let the only mother figure she'd ever had go. But she had become addicted to the adrenaline that came with freedom. She eventually let Pepper go, leaving her gasping for air. But Jessica didn't apologize to her. She wasn't going to apologize anymore. 

And when she left, she didn't even look back at her.

. . . 

Jessica hoped off the bus to be left in Grand Central Station. It was the third one she had taken that day, all to prevent being recognized because of spending too much time with the same people.

She tried her best to go undercover, although it wasn't much. A ponytail under a cap and a pair of sunglasses it was all she could get a grip of. She had thought about dying her hair but then decided to take care of that once she'd crossed the border.

New York City was busy that afternoon. That meant she could walk to Penn Station and blend in with the crowd.

All of a sudden, the screens on all the skyscrapers surrounding the area displayed the same image with a 'breaking news' sign. Everybody around her paid attention to it while she took advantage to keep going.

As she walked, she heard the reported make his announcement.

"We come to you now with revelations about last week's attack in London. An anonymous source provided this video. It shows Quentin Beck a.k.a. Mysterio, moments before his death. Many of you may find this video disturbing."

That was when Jessica decided to focus on the screens as well. Beck's face appeared on the widescreen as the girl watched confused.

"I've sent the elemental back through the dimensional rathe but I don't think I'm gonna make it out of this bridge alive. Spider-Man for some reason has weaponized Drone Stark Technology. He says he's the only one to be the new Iron Man, no one else."

The image cut for a moment but quickly showed Spider-Man on the Tower Bridge. The camera hadn't caught up his face, so in the video, only his legs and half of his torso were visible.

"Are you sure you want to commence the drone attack? There will be significant casualties."

"Do it! Execute them all!"

Jessica exactly remembered what happened there and that wasn't it. Mysterio had edited the video in order to make it seem like Spider-Man was the villain.

But what the screens showed next was even worse.

Jessica appeared grabbing Mysterio by the neck, strangling and poisoning him. Just like it happened. That was real footage. It wasn't fake or edited and it was what terrified Jessica the most. People around her gasped when they saw it and she looked down. She didn't feel embarrassed or sorry. Seeing herself killing Mysterio had shocked her for a second. But she still didn't regret it. She still thought he deserved it.

"The shocking video was released earlier today on the controversial news website 'Thedailybugle.net'"

A new man was revealed as the source of the video. He started talking very incandescently as if he had been personally offended by the heroes. 

"Now you have it, folks! Stark's successor, Cadmia, Jessica Lewis-Stark, was responsible for the brutal murder of Mysterio! An interdimensional warrior who gave his life to protect our planet and who, with no doubt, will go down in history as the greatest hero of all time! She helped to defeat him so that Spider-Man would be seen as victorious." 

After hearing that, Jessica had very clear that she needed to leave the country. As fast as possible.

"But that's not all folks!" The angry man wasn't finished."The dangerous mutant has gone M.I.A. since her criminal act. She's currently being persecuted by authorities all around the nation. And now you might wanna sit down for the real blockbuster."

Mysterio's face was visible again. He looked straight into the camera while he tried to reveal the big secret.

"Spider-Man's real name is P-"

Thankfully, right before he said Peter's name, the recording stopped. For a moment, Jessica thought his identity was going to go public. She wanted to believe she didn't care about him anymore. But that would be a lie. She couldn't stop staring at the screens. 

"Spider-Man's real name is Peter Parker!" 

"What the f-" Jessica mumbled under her breath.

After that, Mysterio's face went away and a picture of Peter was displayed all over the city. This was bad. This was really bad. 

The first thing that came to Jessica's mind was Peter. He was in big trouble. She wished she could go back to help him but she had to leave. Now there was no going back. She was officially on the run. If she stayed, they would put her in prison for something that needed to be done. Even if it truly hurt her, the decision was already made.

"Hey!"

Or at least she thought so.

"It's her!"

. . . 

a/n: I would strongly recommend reading the following part for some clarification