The date was the 21st of June, 2014. Why was this day so important? It was the first day of summer and it meant that Clara Uchimura was officially back from boarding school. Her foster parents didn't pick her up from the airport when her plane landed, but that didn't bother her. She took a lonely taxi down the familiar streets of Washington D.C, sticking her hand out the window as she continued her ride. No one was waiting for her outside of her apartment building to welcome her home but she had grown used to the neglection of her foster parents. She paid the taxi driver and began to roll her wheeled suitcase up to her floor.

Clara waited patiently for the elevator doors to open, toying with the blue tie of her uniform. She hated boarding school, especially when she seemed to be the only one of different culture. It was easy to tell that Clara's foster parents weren't actually her parents since they were American and– well she wasn't.

Clara was originally from Japan before tragedy struck. She was too young to remember, but her foster parents told her that her parents were killed by a drunk driver. She didn't think much of it but it still saddened her.

The elevator doors opened and inside was Ms. Redford. She didn't smile at Clara when she entered but she did acknowledge her with a curt nod. However, Clara did smile at Ms.Redford. "Hello Ms. Redford," she chimed, looking at Ms. Redford's cat kennel. "Another cat ma'am?"

Ms. Redford gritted her teeth. "No Clara, I'm coming back from the vet," she explained, sighing tiredly. "Happy to be home?"

Clara shrugged, leaning down to pull her sunflower socks up her shin. "I suppose."

Ms. Redford frowned slightly, knowing that Clara's foster parents weren't at all out of a fairytale. "How was the martial arts program this year?"

Clara's face lit up once more. The only highlight of boarding school was the martial arts program. She'd been in that program since she first starting attending boarding school and was rather exceptional at it. "It was freaking great, I won the championship...again."

The elevator doors slid open and they walked out together, Ms. Redford's cat purring loudly. "Well," Ms. Redford fished for her key in her purse. "You have a nice night."

"You too Ms. Redford," Clara bent down to the kennel, seeing which of Ms. Redford's cat it was. "You too Garfunkel."

Ms. Redford nodded awkwardly before opening her apartment door. She shut it behind her, quick to lock all seven locks. She leant down to let Garfunkel out of his kennel before groaning out. It was another day full of the usual repeats. One of her five cats would throw up and she'd immediately think that something was wrong with them. She'd take her crappy pickup truck to the vet and wait a few hours before the doctor told her that there was nothing wrong with them.

"Come here," she muttered to her calico cat, Rodney. She extended her hand, letting the timid animal sniff her fingertips before he rubbed his nose against the side of her fingers. "That's a good boy." She scratched the cat in between the ears, reaching to grab the remote. She flipped on the TV, changing channels until she could find something. Another cat named Fitz, whose coat was far too fluffy and white, jumped up on the coach as well. Soon, all six of Ms. Redford's cats joined her on the couch.

The story was quite simple, all of Ms. Redford's cat came from the alley, the streets or the dumpsters. Not one of them came from a store. She felt the need to rescue them because no one else would, and that's what she was good at.

Rescuing things.

The next channel over was a documentary, one about Captain America. This interested her. They found his body, completely frozen, in the ocean almost five years ago. By some miracle (or the fact that he was a super-soldier) he was thawed and recovered. Ms. Redford followed his success, every step he made since being asleep in the ice for seventy years. She knew that he joined the Avengers, a team assembled to save the world from threats that a silly little military couldn't save. Not to mention she knew that he was acquired by S.H.I.E.L.D not to long ago. It probably helped since she had access to almost all of S.H.I.E.L.D's files.

"Alright," she hummed, carefully removing Rodney from her lap. "I'll be right back." she told her cats, which seemed kind of pointless since they didn't understand a word she was saying. She grabbed her car keys, her wallet, a black flight jacket and locked up her door as she left to get some takeout.

"Oh," Ms. Redford jumped and almost grabbed for something under her jacket as Clara startled her. "Hey there Ms. Redford."

"Clara," Ms. Redford breathed, dropping her hands to her sides. "I didn't see you."

"Well I'm here," she waved, sporting a knockoff varsity jacket with Captain America's shield on the back. She was also wearing ripped jeans and boots that went up to her knees, besides the jacket, she looked rather mature for once. "How are the cats?"

"Wonderful," Ms. Redford replied. "How are Brittany and Chad?"

Clara frowned at the mention of her foster parents. "Alright, I guess. They aren't home yet but Brittany called to tell me not to make a mess."

"She's not excited to have you home?"

"No," Clara tried but failed miserably. "She is."

"Well, I need to get dinner before all the places close down," Ms. Redford shuffled away. "Uh, er– do you want anything?"

"I'm good."

"Okay, see you later Clara."

"Bye Ms. Redford."

Clara watched as Ms. Redford walked down the hallway until she reached the elevator. Ms. Redford's jumpiness never surprised her anymore. Clara thought Ms. Redford was a funny lady, a really funny lady. Ms. Redford was clearly under thirty, very beautiful and living on her own. Yet, she had six cats and never left her apartment for longer than one night.

She put a hand through her raven hair, glancing at the clock on the wall before heading inside her apartment once more. She didn't bother to lock the door, even a burglar's company would be nice at this point. Clara sat on her twin bed, laying flat against the green sheets. A small breeze from her window made her fifty or so medals bang against each other. She didn't do martial arts because of the medals or the over a dozen trophies on her shelf, she did it because it made her feel like she had a purpose.

She sighed again, watching as the hand on her alarm clock slowly began to change the hours until it was the next day. Clara was fast asleep when her foster parents came home but neither one of them came to welcome her home. 

—

She didn't smile at Clara when she entered but she did acknowledge her with a curt nod. However, Clara did smile at Ms.Redford. "Hello Ms. Redford," she chimed, looking at Ms. Redford's cat kennel. "Another cat ma'am?"