Life was good. No, really! It was! Aurora's grades were good, her family life was fine, and she wasn't really struggling financially with anything. So, life was good.

At least, that's what she told herself. Every day as she got ready for school, she told herself that since these things were a constant, that meant her life was good. It was fine, and she was fine. She'd have time for friends later in life. But now, as she was soon leaving her junior year of high school behind, she began to worry more. Soon she'd be a senior, and after that she'd have to go off to college, and after that... well. We're getting ahead of ourselves aren't we? Let's start from the beginning.

Her name was Aurora Borealis. And yes, she's very aware of her parent's creativity in naming. Born to one Leonora and Christopher Borealis. Her mother was a very educated woman, and chose her occupation in phlebotomy. Her father was a kindly nurse that worked at a nearby clinic. She had no siblings, nor any pets, but was raised in a very loving home! One that was located in an average apartment, in an average building, in an average area of Queens. Aurora grew and went through her schooling, finding it easier to slip into the background and mind her business as the days went on. It was a bit lonesome, but it was safe. Soon she found herself attending Midtown High, taking any advanced classes she could, and pretty much passing them with flying colors. Then, her parents began to ask about her finding a job, or somewhere to intern at. 

That brings us back to the current day. Aurora stood in front of her dresser's mirror, making sure she looked somewhat presentable. From her comfortable tennis shoes all the way up to her purple colored hair. That had been an impulsive attempt at standing out during the first week of school, and she had just decided to upkeep it. She picked up her backpack, slipping it over her shoulders, before silently sneaking out of her room. Soft snores came from her parents' room, where she could only assume her father was, after returning from one of his night shifts. A small smile graced her face as she grabbed a couple of granola bars from the pantry and slipped out of the apartment with a silent goodbye.

It was now the last week of school, and she had planned to drop by a few places after school today to fill out some applications for some jobs she thought she'd enjoy. Just for the summer, of course, as she wanted to focus on her classes as soon as her senior year started up. The one she was really looking forward to however, was an interning position for Stark Industries. That form had been online, and she had filled it out that morning. She didn't think she'd get in easily, so the after school plan was a sort of fallback, if she didn't get the internship. 

Aurora ate one of her granola bars on the way to school, stuffing the other into her pocket for later, probably for lunch. Balling up the wrapper, she shot it into one of the trashcans on the sidewalk, before hurrying on her way. She paused and said hello to a few of her favorite street vendors, promising to stop by after classes to get some real food. One of her favorite past times was to banter with them about how their food outranked the cafeteria food by miles. 

"Kid! Still planning on stopping by after class for the usual?" Bobby, a street vendor at a pretty popular hot dog stand, asked her as she was passing.

"I've got some applications to fill out, but I'll be sure to stop by for it!" Aurora called back. 

"Alright! I'll have it ready for ya!" He replied with a light chuckle. "You could always apply here, I'd be happy to have ya!" He offered in a booming voice. Bobby was a typical New Yorker, with a heavy accent and a voice that carried for miles.

"When I want to go home smelling like hot dog water, I'll be sure to apply." Aurora quipped, accompanied by a lighthearted laugh.

"Hey! You're killing me kid!" Bobby bantered back, but knew it was all in jest. His voice faded away as he turned his attention to his customers, and as Aurora moved farther away from him.

Carrying on, she shortly found herself on the steps of Midtown High. She started the trek into the school, once again sinking back into her role as a background character to the other students' lives. She'd sit back and observe, keeping to herself as the day went on. Gratefully enough, even the bullies really didn't pay her any mind. She found her way to her locker, fiddling with the lock to try and open it. The damn thing had always been tricky, getting stuck one way or another. It took her a solid five minutes to fidget with it enough to pull it off. Shrugging off her backpack, she removed her necessities from the locker, replacing the newly emptied space with her recently removed bag. 

Onwards she went, moving through her classes like a ghost. English, then Art, then Biology, then Study Hall, then Lunch. She enjoyed her brief break outside, munching on her granola bar and looking over some notes. Then on to Gym, then Calculus, then Chemistry. 

Aurora found her way to her seat, one conveniently chosen at the back of the room, nearest to the door, at a pair of connected lab tables. The class went quickly, with the teacher having lectured about the newest unit and having handed out some busywork for the class to complete. 

As soon as she thought the day was going to end smoothly, the teacher announced every loner student's worst nightmare. A group project. At least the partners were pre-assigned, which meant she didn't have to worry about awkwardly asking someone else if she could group with them. This wasn't as accepted by the rest of the class however, as many complaints arose from her peers. Mostly from their inability to team up with their friends. Her eyes scanned the room, picking out some classmates she wouldn't mind partnering with, and others where she hoped she wouldn't be matched with at all. It wasn't like she had any control over that however. This was made apparent as the teacher began reading off the list of new lab partners. He trailed down the list, earning some whoops and some whines in return.

"Aurora and.. Peter! Looks like that's the last two on the list. Make sure to-" The teacher was interrupted by the bell, and the class was thrown into a flurry. As it was the last class of the day, the students were eager to pack up and leave. Aurora wasn't excluded from this group, and made quick work of packing her things and escaping the room before things got too hectic. She'd have time to meet her lab partner tomorrow. For now she had work to do. At least, that's what she told herself as she found her way back to her locker. After struggling once again to open it, she pulled out her backpack and headed on her way.

Pulling her phone from her pocket, she decided to check her email for any news on the internship, or previous online applications. Coming to a full stop once she was back on the sidewalk, she noticed one new email. And from not even an hour before that. 

Stark Industries

With a hesitant click, she opened the email to read their response. She just prayed they'd let her down easy. 

Miss Aurora Borealis, 

Thank you for applying for an intern position here at Stark Industries. We've reviewed your application, and looked over your given background. We are happy to inform you that you've been accepted for an interview! Please email back to assure your attendance.

We here at Stark Industries look forward to working with you during your upcoming internship, should you be accepted after the interview. We hope that we can provide a stable and well educated environment for you to learn in! We are confident that you'll be able to grow and develop new skills under the guidance of our senior interns and skilled staff. 

Good Luck and Best Wishes!

Stark Industries.

Attached was a link to different open timeslots for an interview, some being for that day and over the course of the next few days. After getting over her initial shock, she clicked on the next available appointment, which was within the next hour. 

She had gotten an interview. She had actually gotten an interview! ...And she had accepted the nearest timeslot. Which was within an hour. 

A loud swear escaped her mouth and she turned on her heel, booking it towards the subway. Aurora found the nearest subway entrance, dipping into the underground to catch the next train. Stopping by one of the transit maps, she found the one track that led her nearest to Stark Tower. Good. Seemed the next train would be there in about fifteen minutes. If she calculated everything correctly, she should get there right on time. 

She continued down, skirting around some of the other people crowding the platforms. The subway arrived somewhere close to on time, and she hurriedly boarded. The ride went as planned, with most people minding their business, as did she. She kept her gaze trained on her phone, ignoring  those around her. 

Once the subway stopped where she needed, she slipped out among the flow of people exiting the subway, and headed back up to the bustle of the city. This part of town was much busier than she was used to, but she wouldn't let it bother her just yet. She had somewhere to be after all. 

Pulling her bag straps tight in her hands, she started off in a jog towards Stark Tower. Unfamiliar faces passed her by, and she stumbled more than she'd like to admit to avoid running into one person or another. Eventually she found herself in front of the building, her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Once she found she was in a good enough state, she straightened her clothes, ran her hands through her hair to somewhat tame it, and clapped her hands together once to pump herself up.

"Okay, let's do this. It'll be fine. You just have kiss some serious ass and it'll be fine. Don't worry about it!" She tried to convince herself, before reaching out and pulling the door open, finally stepping inside.

Honestly, she didn't know what she'd expect inside. It wasn't gold and hotrod red, but instead shades of grey and white, with some advertisements here and office plants there. It looked rather boring to be fair. She was casted a few odd glances as she stood there and stared, so she stepped towards what seemed to be a receptionist desk. The woman sitting behind it had short black hair, with sharp eyes and a professional outfit. Her eyes were laser focused on the computer screen in front of her.

Aurora fidgeted with the straps on her bag as she stood in front of the desk. Should she interrupt? Clear her throat to draw attention? She should just speak up already, she's been standing there for too long now and it's getting awkward-

"Can I help you?" The woman spoke, not once glancing up from her screen. Her fingernails clicked in a satisfying way as she worked.

"Oh, uh, sorry... I just got an email not too long ago about an interview for an internship? Um, I chose a timeslot that was right about-" She pulled her phone out to check the time and swallowed harshly. "Now, and-"

The woman cut her off and jutted her thumb over her shoulder to where a man was waiting. "Tom will show you around. He'll conduct the interview as he gives you a tour."

"Oh, thank you ma'am." Aurora told her, before backing up and heading over to the man. He had lighter hair, a pair of square glasses, and wore a white lab coat. In his hands he held a clipboard and a stack of papers. As she came closer, he took notice of her and sprouted a welcoming grin.

"Hello! You must be Miss Aurora. I'm Tom, one of the hiring team leaders here. I'll be conducting the interview and giving you a tour around the places you might be working." He introduced himself, before turning and starting off towards the elevator. He produced a lanyard with a keycard, which then activated the elevator, allowing them inside. "If you get accepted, you'll receive a keycard that will allow you access to the floors you'll be working on."

The rest of the interview consisted of many questions, all of which Aurora answered as she saw fit. Tom seemed to be interesting enough, and made the interview a lot less stressful than she thought it would be. He led her through a few floors, explaining what they did there and what the interns on that floor helped with. Eventually, they came to the last floor, and thus came to the tail end of the interview. Tom led her over to what seemed to be a chemistry lab, where many people were running back and forth, busy with their own work.

"This is basically a free for all lab! Mr. Stark wanted to fund an area where anyone can create anything! With proper supervision and safety precautions of course. Projects here range from small serums to fully functional robots." Tom explained. Just as he was to start speaking again, a crash sounded from behind Aurora, making her nearly jump out of her skin. She whirled around, finding two scientists had full on collided with one another.

"My work!" They both seemed to cry, before beginning to bicker with one another on who was at fault, and lamenting at the projects they had broken. One seemed to have been researching a box of small, exotic organisms, while they other had been carrying around some sort of chemical. An accident waiting to happen, if Aurora was being brutally honest. Tom excused himself to go sort out the argument.

She had to step to the side to avoid the chemical spill, and even evaded a couple ants that had escaped the researcher's travelling habitat. She had no plans on ruining her shoes today. The chemical expressed colors not unlike an oil spill, but with a vibrancy that could rival a rainbow. It didn't produce a noticeable smell, but the surrounding workers still slipped masks over their faces. 

 A couple more workers passed her to help in the fray, and the small distraction was enough to draw her attention away from the floor. Long enough it seemed, for a certain eight legged creature, recently bathed in unknown chemicals, to travel up her shoe, over her pant legs, and up into her shirt. Even then she still didn't notice the arachnid as it traveled into the sleeve of her sweatshirt, and down to the inside of her wrist.

Aurora did notice, however, when the damn thing sank its fangs into her skin.