Chapter 37: New Life, New Chances

"I have this thing where I get older, but just never wiser." —Taylor Swift, Anti-Hero

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MIDTOWN SCHOOL OF SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY

LOCATION: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

JULY 15, 2016

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"WHY do I need to go to school?" Aurora voiced her frustration while glancing out the window, sitting in the passenger seat beside Happy driving through a street. Hogan could only sigh at her complaints, wondering why he had to put up with it. Of course, if Tony was the one to take her, it would create so much unnecessary attention that they didn't need. In truth, Happy was posing as her guardian since her parents were going through a divorce– at least in her cover story, she'll say for the orientation soon.

"Because you made a deal with Tony," The bodyguard remarked, intending on focusing on driving instead of listening. Aurora turned the volume up to hear some music, however, Happy turned it off for silence. She turned to glare at him, increasing the volume and then changing the song but he lowered it again.

"Ugh but why this one... Midtown School of Science and blah, blah, for nerds. It's so far away from the tower," The teenager groaned, leaning against the seat with crossed arms like a little girl who got scolded.

"That's why you'll live somewhere closer to the school with a roommate—," Hogan replied calmly, Aurora perked up at the mention of roommate and moving somewhere else. Turning to the bodyguard with a mixed expression, thinking he was lying to her. Except he wasn't this time.

"Roommate? Dad never mentioned that! That's it! There's no way I'm staying with someone else." She retorted as they were pulling up to the school parking lot. If she could describe hell, it would be forced against her will in attending school and living with someone she doesn't know.

"It's only temporary until the Avengers Tower is finished relocating their new headquarters upstate," Happy explained, thinking it would shut her up with the questions to get this over with. Now it was Aurora's turn to prove him wrong. Momentarily glancing at the school building before complying, if it meant visiting her mom she would do it.

"...It's it Maria Hill? Because I like her," Aurora voiced her opinion, wondering if she could at least get an answer.

"No, I don't know who it is. Now, be a good Hunter and smile when you enter. Got it?" He stated firmly, getting out of the vehicle as the girl rolled her eyes at his impatience. Opening the door before closing it, showing him her best fake smile as they entered the building. It took them some time to find the Administration Office until they were asked to wait for the Principal to return from his lunch break.

Happy's phone started ringing, glancing down to see it was his boss calling before looking at Aurora, "Behave, I'll be back."

"No promises," She reminded him, shuffling her playlist and listening through her earbuds while waiting. Placing her hands on her jacket, minding her own business as she carried her small saddle bag with some items like Bucky's journal and her mirror. For once, Aurora was slightly nervous about attending school, not because of the classes which she didn't care about. Rather than having to deal with over several hundred hormonal teenagers, the thought alone somewhat disgusted her.

The teenager eventually got bored and skipped through some songs, satisfied that one of her favorite songs was playing. Looking through her messages, hoping one would be from her friends or Steve but only to find the inbox empty. She wish that they were okay and the last time she heard from Natasha was a week ago in New York before going MIA. Tony didn't bother telling her anything, especially when he was going through another break with Pepper Potts. That was until she felt a light tap on her shoulder, turning around to see who it is.

"Hey, I noticed you were listening to some AC/DC?" A teenage boy about her age asked calmly, glancing down at her phone. Aurora felt slightly unnerved that he didn't understand the concept of privacy or wanted to ignore people in general. He was wearing a brown bomber jacket, white shirt, dark blue jeans, and some doc marten boots– something Aurora herself might wear. Which intrigued her, something that doesn't happen often.   

"Yeah, so?" Hunter slightly remarked, glancing down at her phone to see the album cover on the screen. Silently glad that Aurora switched the apps so he didn't see the messages or contact names on her phone.

"Most girls I know don't." The boy replied calmly, leaning back on his chair as if he had nothing better to do. The girl turned to look at him as she crossed her arms in a relaxed matter, unsure how to do small talk with a boy.

"They haven't heard great music then." Aurora declared with a shrug, adjusting her jacket as she observed the boy beside her. The girl tends to have this intuition about people and so far, he hasn't got on her bad side.

"I can tell," The male teenager commented, leaving the young Stark to doubt his words.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She retorted, sounding a bit upset yet deciding to act as if he offended her.

"Well... you're wearing a vintage AC/DC concert shirt, I'm sure one of your parents saw them when they were young. It's summer and wearing jeans instead of shorts or a skirt, suggests you prefer comfort. You have a jacket, and anyone who lives in New York knows that it's too damn hot for that but you don't seem to care. You don't wear much makeup or at all– but you don't really need it since you're naturally beautiful." The boy noted with a nonchalant tone, although held a small smirk on his lips.

"You got all of that because of what I'm wearing? I must say, I'm impressed... but maybe work on your 'flirting'." Aurora remarked playfully, turning to the boy with an amused expression.

"Thought so. And can't a guy compliment a girl?" He teased her, sensing that she was messing with him. Something different— refreshing to talk to a girl who shared similar interests with him instead of asking for help or whatever bullshit excuse to flirt.

"You can, just not interested." She insisted with a mischievous grin.

"Well, it was worth a shot. As I said, most girls would listen to Taylor Swift or whatever is trending." He explained, recalling the female classmates he had a few weeks ago.

"She's not bad but definitely there are better artists I like to listen to. Like something more modern I listen to Fall Out Boy, Waterparks, and The Weeknd... to name a few. But for something more retro, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and AC/DC as you know." The young Stark said at the top of her head, thinking her selection of artists was different.

"That's good, but I also do like Post Malone, Blackbear, and Imagine Dragons. And for something oldies, definitely Pink Floyd, Ramones, and Red Hot Chili Peppers." The boy recalled his favorites, earning a rather approving look from Aurora.

"You have great music taste." Now it was her turn to compliment him, slowly liking the idea that she came today to possibly gain a friend.

"So I've been told. What year are you going to be anyway?" The boy thanked her, his hands inside the jean pocket with a curious smile.

"...Sophomore. You?" Aurora told him, thinking she can't lie since they might see each other in school.

"Same here. The name's Levi Warren." The boy introduced him, outstretching his hand towards her for a handshake.

"Aurora Hunter." The young Stark softly smirked as she returned the gesture with a firm shake before retracting her hand.

"Oh, after the Goddess of Dawn?" Levi questioned, not realizing that Aurora was glad to hear that instead of the usual 'Disney Princess nonsense'.

"Yeah... what are you here for?" She asked him in return, considering it was still summer vacation. Noting how he lightly chuckled at the question, seemingly unsure whether to tell her or not.

"Oh, just something stupid." The male teenager answered nonchalantly, however, before she could ask him anything, someone came back. Happy Hogan finished his call but with a young woman with glasses beside him, Aurora glanced over with a peculiar expression.

"I'm back, remember your Aunt Darcy?" Hogan introduced Darcy to Aurora, seeing his insistent attitude meant to play along. So the teenager got up and 'embraced' her before pulling away, giving a sharp glare to Happy that he'll need to explain later.

"Miss Hunter? Principal Morita would like to see you." One of the office ladies called out to her, indicating to her guardians to head over to the back.

"Nice meeting you, Hunter. Perhaps we'll have class together when you come back?" Levi called out to her, sending a small wave with a soft grin on his face.

"Maybe— but I wouldn't get your hopes too high." Aurora playfully retorted a small smile in return before heading to the Principal's Office with her 'Aunt Darcy' and Happy. Although the Principal wasn't inside the room, the adults sat on the two chairs and Aurora stood in between them with a bored expression.

"Mr. Hogan, Miss Hunter... and who might you be?" Principal Morita questioned, walking inside the office. The man in charge cleared his throat before shaking hands with the adults.

"Oh, Darcy Lewis, Aurora's Aunt, sir..." Darcy answered with a smile, the girl in question glanced down at the woman.

"I see... Miss Hunter, I've reviewed your transcript and see you have excellent letters of recommendation for different tutors. And you have been homeschooled all those years?" The Principal acknowledged. although it's all bullshit lies. Tony must have paid someone to do it to forge the information in that file.

"Yes, her parents thought it would be best until they had a falling out. So I'm taking care of Aurora for the time being." Darcy voiced in, holding a sweet smile... a little too sweet in Aurora's opinion.

"As you know this is a rather prestigious school, so what makes you think you're Midtown High material?" Principal Morita asked, looking over at the teenager.

'I'm not Midtown material just being forced against my will to enter here.' Aurora pondered mentally about it, feeling Happy slightly nudge her. Therefore, she held a small smile as she thought about her answer before telling the man, "Well, I heard the school has an amazing program for engineering students... or is it called STEM?"

"It says here your favorite subjects are Engineering, History, and Science. All of which we offer, if you get accepted. Although I did note that you have an interest in languages," The Principal recalled as he reached down to get her file from one of the cabinets. In the meantime, Aurora glanced at Hogan as if they were having a telepathic conversation that he'll need to explain everything starting with Darcy Lewis.

"Yup, Aurora got that from her mother. Her pride and joy, you know it runs in our family of having intelligent women." Darcy butted in, seeing Happy giving a short head shake to indicate that she wasn't helping.

"Miss Hunter, you have a rather impressive resume considering your background in being homeschooled. Usually, there's an interview process that takes a few days but you're in luck that our interviewers are here today. We can start right now if you like." The man in charge told them, although Aurora knew that Tony pulled a few strings to make that happen.

"The sooner the better," Happy agreed with a firm nod, glancing at the teenager who stood between them. However, Aurora's eyes wandered around the Principal's office, noticing a picture frame behind Principal Morita. 

"If you don't mind me asking... is that your grandfather or someone you know who served in the war?" The girl indicated to the picture, the Principal turning around for confirmation before looking back at her with a faint expression of appreciation.

"Yes, my grandfather was a member of the Howling Commandos, alongside Captain America," Morita stated calmly, both Darcy and Happy glanced at the teenager as they were unsure what she was trying to do.

"Now I remember! I saw the Captain America monument a few years ago at the Smithsonian. A dedication to the Howling Commandos, a great honor it must be." Aurora acknowledged him, if there was one she knows is the best way to get what she wants is through flattery.

"It is, my grandfather helped invade Germany's bases around Western Europe." The Principal briefly explained as he didn't think that Miss Hunter was able to recognize his grandfather. Much less care since Captain America was always the one well-known among the Howling Commandos.

"My grandpa also served during the war, he help provide the machinery. An inventor you can say. The point is... he inspired me to be an engineer like him. And this school... will give me that chance to succeed, because he's a hero to me." Aurora lied through her teeth, in truth, since she never met her grandfather, Howard Stark she couldn't say if she liked him or not. What she did know was that he was a man ahead of his time.

"...Miss Hunter, I wish you luck with the interviews." Principal Morita simply stated, although this time he had a slight grin at the corner of his mouth. Aurora smiled that she was able to persuade him, still proud of herself for not losing her touch. The man gave her directions to where her interview will be, excusing herself as she felt confident in passing. Sending one last glance at Happy before leaving the room and starting heading to the conference room.

She didn't see Levi this time by the administration office, thinking he left as she walked through the halls. Trying to memorize the layout of the building since she'll be spending months at this school, noticing at the end of the hall some band students were exiting the music room. She didn't seem to care about interacting with them, walking right past them with her earbuds on. However, she didn't notice that a certain boy with brown hair with a certain spider ability glanced at her with curiosity.

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RETURNING to the car with Happy and Darcy waiting patiently, Aurora smirked that she got accepted. For two reasons, she gave excellent answers to all their questions and her father already paid for her enrollment along with a large donation for the science labs. She knew Tony was such a showoff but at least he invested in something she was interested in. The teenager remembered the little chat she had with her dad before heading to the school, needing to find Spider-Man for their training.

"So, you got in?" Happy retorted once he got off the phone, getting the door for her as she entered at the back since Darcy was in the front passenger seat. Aurora lifted a piece of paper that was her class schedule and student ID, a mischievous smile on her lips.

"Yeah, I did. Where are we heading?" Aurora stated proudly, glancing at the front mirror to see Darcy Lewis on the phone before putting the device away.

"Your new home. Hey, I'm Darcy Lewis, the roommate or your Aunt." The woman introduced herself, turning around to greet Aurora with a sweet smile. Happy sat in the driver's seat before turning on the car and driving to their temporary home close to where the girl attends school.

"Aurora Hunter." The teenager calmly with a neutral expression, feeling a bit defensive since she wasn't sure how much Darcy know about her.

"So, you're Thor's niece?" The woman noted, trying to make small talk. The teenager raised her eyebrows while crossing her arms, glancing at Hogan.

"Yes... and you are?" Aurora remarked, not understanding why Darcy would know about that. It's like she found that out on the internet.

"A friend— well, more like through Jane," Lewis responded with a soft nod, remembering the last conversations she had with Foster. The woman just never imagined that she would be taking care of Thor's niece, what a strange and small world.

"Jane Foster? The scientist?" The young Stark recalled her uncle's lover two years ago before he returned to Asgard.

"The one and only," Darcy said proudly, looking through the front mirror to glance at the girl.

"So, why did Tony choose you?" Aurora interrogated, her arms crossed above her chest as she slightly narrowed her eyes.

"Honestly, I don't know. But I do know that it pays well being your roommate." The older woman told her the truth, however, Aurora didn't pay attention when she noticed sudden movement from across the street. A runaway vehicle going at high speeds with a few police cars chasing after it, wondering if a certain webslinger is not too far behind.

"Happy, I have somewhere to be right now. Think you can drop me off here?" Aurora told the man, unbelting the seatbelt to have a better look. Not caring if he was still driving, her eyes focused on finding Spider-Man.

"Kid, I'm supposed to take you to the apartment...." Hogan sighed in annoyance, making a turn to the right which only made them get further away from the scene.

"Yeah, I know but there's someone I have to chat with." Aurora declared, abruptly opening the door which forced Happy to stop the vehicle. Some cars honked at them but the girl simply flipped them off as her eyes followed a red and blue blur on the rooftops.

"Rory, wait!" Happy got out and held something in his hands, Aurora glanced down as she immediately assumed the worse.

"I swear if you put a tracker on me, I'll cut your hands off." The teenager retorted as she put her hands in the jacket's pocket after she closed the door.

"No, here..." The bodyguard said calmly, tossing her a keychain that held a few keys and a tag which she caught with ease. Staring at the item intrigued as Happy continued, "The tag has the address of the apartment, don't come later than 9 o'clock. Now go, I'll tell Tony you went school shopping or whatever..."

"You know what, Happy? You're not all that bad... you just act like you don't care." Aurora sends a small smile before giving a short wave, running in the same direction as the hero. Going to a secluded area and she changed into her suit, placing her clothes in her saddle bag. Opening a small portal to put her bag in Hogan's car, hearing him complain to not do that again but simply closed the portal.

Aurora rolled her eyes as she started going to a nearby fire escape to reach the rooftop, trying to find Spider-Man while using her mirror to search for police scanners. Summoning small portals to step on as she noted the general direction the police cars were heading. Chasing after them as she occasionally used some of her energy ability to control the movement of the runaway car. Knowing that the masked spider hero would be nearby, he used their webs to hold the stolen vehicle while struggling a bit.

"Thought I would find you here, Spidey," Phantom acknowledged him, jumping down to land a few feet away with him. Walking close to observe the scene before them with a small smirk, deciding to sit on the ledge.

"Not you again..." Spider-Man lightly groaned, trying to bring the runaway vehicle to a stop as he wanted to focus on helping. Phantom only chuckled as she stood up and turned to the hero with her arms crossed above her chest in an amused expression.

"Oh, not happy to see me I see, well good luck with that then. Don't think your web like last," She noted, with moments the said webs slowly start to stretch from the amount of force and friction against them. Therefore Phantom lifted her hand to create an energy field around his webs so the car can finally come to a halt. The police officers get closer to find the thieves constrained and bound by the seatbelts, the girl sighing satisfied.

"Thanks... for your help," Spider-Man muttered, tying the web to a nearby lamppost, both curious and confused that she helped him this time.

"Don't mention it. Now you know why I'm here right?" Aurora shrugged as she got up from the ledge and walk towards Spider-Man, who was slowly backing away.

"I-I tried calling Mr. Stark or Happy but none of them respond. So how can I trust what you say is true?" He remarked, seeing that this can be some kind of trick. He knew about her abilities, or at least, what Mr. Stark told him. Aurora paused for a moment, based on the hero's body language he was telling the truth.

"Alright, fair point. We can call him right now." Aurora agreed as she pulled out her mirror as she sends a call to her dad, listening to the dial ring.

"How do you have him on speed dial?!" Spider-Man glanced at her in confusion, taking one step closer as Phantom clicked on a button to show a projection for him to observe.

"Let's say, I'm under his radar." The ex-assassin lied as she saw that the phone dinged with a notification, saying that Tony will answer in a few moments.

"Woah, did Mr. Stark make that?" Spider-Man, although under the mask, Peter Parker indicated to the mirror in her hand. Aurora looked down at her palm, clicking on a few buttons as another screen popped up with another message from Tony.

"No, it's my own invention. Don't touch it," Aurora told him, seeing Spider-Man reaching toward it. Peter immediately retracted his hand as he muttered a small sorry before the call connected, Tony face-timing her as he was seen walking around in the Avengers Tower.

"Hey, Firecracker! Webs!" Tony answered nonchalantly, while Peter was panicking yet excited from the inside as he hoped Phantom didn't see that. Meanwhile, Aurora placed the mirror on the ground so the hologram could enlarge for Spider-Man to see.

"Oh-h, hey Mr. Stark! Phantom said that-t you wanted me t-to uh, train?" The red and blue hero questioned as he tried to calm himself. Mostly so he doesn't look nervous around Phantom, who only sighed annoyed at the whole interaction.

"So you've heard? Firecracker here doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut." Tony retorted as he gave a pointed look at his daughter, going along with the playful banter so Spider-Man couldn't figure out her identity yet.

"He was going to find out either way, it doesn't change the fact I still have to babysit," Aurora muttered as she pointed at the hero.

"I'm literally right here," Spider-Man called out, glancing at the hologram of Mr. Stark and Phantom who only rolled her eyes.

"Give her a break, webs. She's still stingy about the whole thing. Look, if you can prove that you're the hero I know you were meant to be, I'll consider making you an Avenger." Stark turned his attention to Peter, giving an encouraging smile. The teenage boy took a moment to process the information... becoming an Avenger? It would be a dream come true to meet the other Avengers as well. Peter wasn't going to give up this opportunity, especially when he can prove himself worthy.

"You got a deal, Mr. Stark! I won't let you down." Peter immediately accepted the deal, facing Mr. Stark as he had a huge smile underneath his mask. From the sideline, Aurora noted Spider-Man's mannerisms closely as she deduced that they must share some kind of connection.

"Good, now Firecracker–." Tony addressed Aurora although she didn't give him a chance to finish whatever he wanted to say.

"I know the drill, bye." She hung up as the young Stark picked up her mirror before putting it away. Sighing that she'll have to deal with this for the next six months or so, glancing at Spider-Man. If she was going to make the most of training him... then she was going to make it worthwhile— at least for her.

"Alright then... let's start training."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Jordan Fisher, Levi Warren

THE BEST FRIEND!

You guys! I'm finally introducing Levi and Peter so yay! Levi coming to Aurora's rescue as the best friend and can't wait for you to enjoy their witty and sarcastic banter. Peter's going to be more involved with Aurora as both Peter and Spider-Man! Would you guys like scenes of them as Spider-Man & Phantom, Peter & Aurora, or both? Let me know and until then everyone and take care!