↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

The young runaway scratched her scalp as her rival stepped away from her, "This will have to do..."

Diana cringed as she stared at herself in the dingy mirror. The bottle of blonde dye torn open on the motel countertop, while her perfect pink locks stained the sink. Her hair had been bleached to the best of their abilities, leaving it a tainted reddish colour.

Surprisingly Diana didn't care as much as she thought she would. After all it was just hair and would grow back, but Colette's face was what made the runaway's stomach turn, "You... okay?"

"We can get it fixed when this is all over," she exclaimed as it was a necessary precaution to stay unnoticed. Pink hair on the run was asking for trouble.

But would Diana's coppery red be any different?

Still, the teen nodded as they walked back out to the small room they secured for the night.

With only a few Commands they were able to get a few more dollars from a gas station and thankfully remained undetected. Though considering it wouldn't be too long till Hydra located the trashed vehicle they left behind the night prior, their head start could only get them so far.

Their motel room was simple. Quaint even. Two twin beds, a box television and a door that led to the washroom.

When they first arrived Harley was quick to throw his arm around the girl and and tease her, "Now Didi, this is a motel. It's a place poor people like Nathan sleep in on vacation," he had said before getting backhanded.

As the girls entered the main room they had found the two brothers on the ground fighting over a remote. Colette found herself rolling her eyes as Diana didn't even blink. Stepping over the pair before heading to the window to keep watch.

She had dealt with fighting inside the tower that this truly wasn't even a strange occurrence.

The only reason she eventually glanced back was due to Colette's scoff, "Oh my god. Could you two be any louder? I'm sure the Paragon can hear you wherever the hell he is," she huffed as the boys finally stopped fighting. "You just let them fight like this?" Colette crossed her arms and looked up at the avengers.

Diana looked between the fighting boys and the annoyed girl, "Is... fighting not normal for siblings?" She tilted her head.

Colette huffed, "No, it is. It's just tiring to watch. Is fighting something you see a lot at home?"

She shrugged, "Fighting is kinda like white noise to me," and with a swish of Diana's hand, the remote vanished from the boys' grips and went into Colette's hand. "How's that?"

She smiled and plopped down on the bed, "Perfect. Thank you," Colette started to flip through the channels before something caught her eye, making her flip back to the breaking news.

The runaway huffed and stepped over the boys to sit next to her rival, "Anything new?"

"Well they've got some newer pictures to go on our wanted ads."

The boys quickly gasped at the sight of the photos and got off each other to see, "Oh god, not that photo!" Nathan basically cried as his face took the screen.

The group looked at the picture, slightly confused until they saw Nathan's middle-school nightmare. Diana tried her best not to react at the sight on the screen, but both Harley and Colette were quick to laugh. Coming straight out of the yearbook Nathan's photo looked to be taken mid sentence. His scruffy hair was everywhere as his teeth barred at the camera.

"Well at least they think we're still in Tennessee," Diana tried to lighten the mood, taking the remote and shut the television off. "That's a plus."

"But it could also be a bluff," Nathan took the remote from the younger girl. "They said you were still in New York when they attacked my house. We can never be too careful."

Harley groaned as he pulled out the map and placed it on the bed, "If that's the case I've been thinking about something."

He took a complimentary pen and crossed an X on their current location, "They probably think we're somewhere near Tennessee because of Didi's sudden and only one time apparently travel across state lines. So I've been thinking..." he trailed the pen under Tennessee making them go through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina and finally Virginia. "We take the long way."

The three stared at him with blank or upset expressions, "You want us to take the extremely long way?" Diana deadpanned.

He nodded, "Yes."

"Harley, disrespectfully... what the fuck?" Colette's lips pressed together, "The Avengers could be killed by the time we drive through Louisiana."

"If they're not dead now..." Nathan trailed off.

"Stop it," Diana told them all. "Harley, why would you suggest this?" She calmly asked.

"The Paragon is expected you to be near Tennessee. It's not like they don't know you can't portal far, they probably think you can go anywhere. They haven't found the other half of the car yet, so if we're lucky he has no idea of our plan to go to Washington. Meaning we have the upper hand," he explained. "So if we stay by the coast and avoid major cities we can stay under the radar."

Diana sighed, "I guess that makes sense."

"If that's the case we should pace ourselves," Colette added. "Diana, they probably know your track record of hating to stay in any place for too long. So if we do like a state every day or so we can stop and refuel. Find some people to Command money out of. Maybe steal another car if need be."

"Not to mention food..." Harley trialled off.

"That way we can be in the Capitol a little after next week or so, depending on traffic; and you'll be recharged enough," Nathan looked over the map. "It'll be longer but... I like the idea."

The three then turned to their leader, awaiting her response. Though that only terrified the young avenger more. Her fingers slightly ran over her music note pendant as she thought it over. Even though she would have liked to have taken the short way, it could end up in another fight. If they wanted her family dead they would've killed them by now. Diana needed to keep her thoughts down right now.

Thinking about what happened to them wouldn't bring them back. Wondering what was happening to them right now wouldn't make it any better. Crying over her thoughts of where her family was, was keeping Diana from finding them.

So, Diana Rogers-Stark pushed all her worries away and thought of all the people she had to protect instead. This wasn't a test. This wasn't like anything before. This was a mission.

This was her mission, "Okay. Let's do it."

"Hell yeah!" Harley placed his hand in front of the map and expected the rest to do the same, "Team Runaway has got this!"

The three glanced up at Harley before shaking their heads, "Yeah. That's not happening."

"I'm good."

"Jesus Christ, dude."

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺
Louisiana

"You cannot be serious!"

Diana chuckled, shrugging, "Sadly, I am?"

Harley gripped the back of her seat, "This isn't sad, Didi. This is downright depressing."

She continued to awkwardly chuckle, "I don't see what the big deal is, it's just food, isn't it?"

"Just food?!" Nathan gawked, "Diana, it's not just food. It's an experience. It's the atmosphere, the feeling, the overall enjoyment of the drive there!"

"It should be considered child abuse," Harley added, making Nathan agree.

"Are you two really trying to explain child abuse to a girl frozen by hydra for like forty something years?" Colette scoffed from her seat, "I think you boys are being a little bit dramatic. All Diana said was that she's never had McDonalds before."

Diana nodded, "Thank you! Besides, it's not like I haven't had fast food before. I've eaten Burger King this one time when my cousin was fostering me in Malibu."

That made them shut up before Colette sighed, "Never mind. You no longer have an excuse... how the hell have you never had McDonald's?!" She yelled at the teen.

Diana put her hands out defensively as they yelled, "Geez it's not a big deal! I've done stuff you haven't before. Have any of you ever been kidnapped? Huh?" She swished her finger at them. "See? We all have different lives!"

"I mean... I had a terrorist use me against Mr. Stark once," Harley shrugged.

Nathan glanced back from the driver's seat a little concerned, "The hell'd you just say?"

"Oh yeah, when Mr. Stark and I were working together during Christmas break some crazy terrorist tired using me to get a file from Mr. Stark," Harley casually exclaimed.

Nathan and Colette's jaws fell as Diana turned back from the passenger seat, "Nab and grab or did they knock you out?"

"He kinda had fire powers so I froze as he grabbed my jacket and threw me over his shoulder," Harley said.

She hummed, "You know, I prefer that way. Less trauma-" Diana's words would have to wait as Nathan suddenly made a sharp turn off the highway, "What the hell are you doing? Washington is that way!" She pointed towards the highway.

Nathan ignored the teens collective groans and fixed his hat, "Colette, how much money do we have?"

She huffed and fixed her hair, "Well from what we spent in the thrift shop, the front clerk Diana Commanded, plus the wallet the real owner of the jeep left in here we have... about two hundred."

He smiled, "Great," he took another turn until they ended up in some strange side town.

"Nathan, where the hell are we going?"

"We've been driving all day and I don't know about you but I'm starving and I saw the perfect place for us to grab a quick bite," he pointed off in the distance where a pair of golden arches rested.

Diana blinked. Looking up at the place he pointed at and sighed, "Oh, god damnit."

Harley let out a gasp and leaned forward, "Yes!" He cheered as they got into the drive through line. "Okay so I want a-"

"Happy Meals only," Colette suddenly said. "As the designated treasurer on this mission I've decided that we need to ration our money. Happy Meals are like four bucks a piece."

Diana's mouth gaped wide, "Four dollars for a full meal?"

Colette nodded as Harley let out a huff before leaning over, "I'll take a cheeseburger meal with an orange pop."

"I'll take a grilled snack wrap, sub ranch, with a spirit," Colette then said as she continued to count the change.

Nathan nodded, "What about you?"

The rich girl shrugged, "How should I know? What's a Happy Meal anyways?"

The driver cringed as they made it up to the speaker, "I'll just... I'll get you what Brooklyn usually grabs when we go," he stated before speaking out the window.

Soon a red cardboard box was in the avenger's lap as well as a small plastic cup of coke. She looked at it strangely as they parked. The other three quickly dug into their boxes as Diana slowly opened her own.

The teen's head tilted at the contents, seeing a small paper bag of fries, a yogurt tube, a box of nuggets and a plastic bag. Pulling out the bag first, Diana was a little confused by the plastic until she saw a strange purple bracelet with a Hawkeye charm inside, "What's this?"

"The toy you get with it. They've really cheaped out over the years," Harley scoffed as he held up his silver one. "What'd you guys get? I got the Thor one."

"I got Iron Man, wanna trade?" Colette asked before they swapped bags.

"Toys?" Diana slightly chuckled as Nathan held up his blue bracelet with her father's shield charm. "We all get them. Wanna trade?"

The girl glanced down at her own before shrugging, "I guess?" They swapped bracelets and put them on before continuing to eat.

Diana pulled out my box of four nuggets, causing the girl's face to slightly turned at the shape of them, looking a little unnatural, but with both her growling stomach and beeping watch telling the teen to eat, she slowly brought the nugget to her lips. Feeling a satisfying crunch once she bit into one, feeling a sudden explosion of flavour.

She let out a strange noise as she finished the first piece of chicken, "Oh my god!"

"There we go!" Harley pointed one of his fries at the girl, "She has been christened!"

Diana laughed as she grabbed a few fries, "You get it now?" Nathan asked.

She nodded and went to grab another nugget but was stopped, "No, no, no!" Nathan pulled out a small cup of barbecue sauce and held it out for her, "Dip it in this. Trust me."

Colette nodded as she sipped her spirit, "No, seriously trust him."

Lady Liberty chuckled as she followed her teams instructions and took a bite, "Holy fuck!"

"Right?!" They all screamed.

Diana moaned as she scarfed down her meal in total bliss, "My god, what else have I been missing out on?"

"So, so much, Diana," Colette chuckled as Harley quickly wrapped his arms around Diana's shoulders. "But don't worry. We're gonna show yea'."

Diana snickered, taking a sip of her cola, "Then let's get started."

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

"So the game is much more simpler than you'd think," Colette explained as they drove through the swampy state. "Everyone starts with five fingers and we take turns saying something we've never done before. If you have done it you put one down. Last person with a finger wins!"

"And what do you win exactly?" Diana glanced back from the passenger seat.

"The feeling of victory," she smirked. "But to make it fair you have to ask normal-ish things and not single anyone. You can't say things like, 'I've never been kidnapped'. It has to be things like, 'never have I ever had a pet'."

"So I put a finger down?" Diana asked.

She shook her head, "No you put it down if you've had a pet."

She nod, "Okay," Diana put a finger down.

"The hell?"

"You? You had a pet?"

"I was like eight in mental years but yeah," she chuckled.

"What was it? A wolf or something?" Harley joked.

Diana fake chuckled, "Oh har-har," she pushed him back. "It was a hamster. I went on a sleep strike to get him. Pepper was not amused but Tony bought one without telling her and my hamster was my everything for that week and a half."

"What happened to him?" Nathan asked. "'Cause I don't think I've ever heard of a hamster dying of natural causes."

"Committed suicide. Happy and I held a funeral for Sir. Corn Chip's remains," she sighed.

Nathan did the sign of the chross, "May he rest in peace."

Diana snickered as they continued to play, "Thanks. So it's my turn?" Colette nodded, "Great. So! Never have I ever... flunked a test?"

Colette huffed as she and Nathan placed a finger down. As the game went on Diana couldn't help but actually enjoy it. Hearing all the strange stories that came along with each round.

For example, Harley had got suspended for accidentally activating the fire sprinklers when he was trying to make something for his homemade Iron Man suit in the school shop. Nathan had once been simultaneously spit up on and shit on by his baby sister. Though Colette's made all our heads turn.

"No! No- you can't just gloss over that!" Diana demanded.

The dark-haired girl blushed, "Look... it wasn't a big deal or even a good prank."

"Not a big deal?" Nathan gawked, "You just admitted to something I'm pretty certain could be considered a felony."

She rolled her eyes, "It was just a few stink bombs..."

"Come on Zimmer, I gave the gorey details of my school fire. Spill," Harley pushed her.

With a groan she finally explained, "Okay so when the rest of my class was on this stupid field trip I couldn't go on I was a little pissed off. Plus, it didn't help that there were a few kids teasing me about it," she added. "So when they were gone I grabbed a few battery powered stink bombs and... uh. Well I placed them in everyone's pillowcases. So when they came back for bed I waited in the hall before... activating them."

Diana started to laugh, "Oh my god!"

"Just exactly how much trouble did you get into?" Nathan asked.

That's when the girl started to smirk, "None."

"Bullshit!" Harley snickered, "You're telling me you pulled a stunt like that on a Hogwarts-esk school of wizards and didn't get in any trouble whatsoever?"

"That's why you do it to yourself as well," Colette poked his stomach making us all quickly go silent. "Can't prove it if you also are crying over 'how bad it smells'."

The head of the Runaways blinked a few times before sitting back, looking out the window in utter shock, "You know I keep forgetting how smart you are Colette."

She snickered, "You think that's bad you should hear what I did to my bully's hair in kindergarten."

"I'm scared to ask but please go on..."

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺
Mississippi

"Have you ever played portal? Or is that like offensive to ask?" Nathan asked as the latest song they jammed out to ended.

Diana looked up from the map and raised a brow, "Why do you ask..?"

He shrugged, "Well I was just wondering 'cause it has all these cool ways they use portals to solve puzzles and I was thinking it could help us out in some aspects."

"How so?"

"You ever played the video games before?" Harley asked before Diana gave him a look, making him nod, "You right. You're right. Dumb question. Sorry."

"They do these cool things in that game where you have to get from place to place and solve puzzles with portals; And I was wondering how much control you have over moving smaller objects. Like food for example," Nathan explained.

Diana shrugged, "I think an okay amount? I mean I can move objects in the same room."

"I say you're pretty good," Colette hummed. "Maybe it needs a little work but it's better than before. Remember when you tried to pocket your mic over during play practice that one time?"

"Don't remind me," she groaned, slumping back in her seat. "But my training has been more focused on transporting myself from place to place."

"And we've seen just how amazingly you've mastered that Lady Liberty," Diana quickly slapped Nathan's arm after that comment.

He still chuckled as he drove, "That still doesn't answer the question, Di. How much control do you have? Think it's enough to help us steal some food?"

"I don't think it's a good risk," she exclaimed as she took off her bracelet. "My pockets are very bright and very distracting."

Diana created two small pockets in front of Colette and Harley, dropping her bracelet in one before showing off a small party trick she discovered, making the bracelet jump from portal to portal without stopping.

"Damn..."

"Showoff," Colette smirked.

"That's all the control I have," Diana eventually grabbed the bracelet and put it back on. "It's not like I have much of a chance to get better right now."

The gears in Colette and Harley's head turn as they glanced at one another, "Well..."

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺
Alabama

Diana groaned as she slumped in my seat. Her hands were killing her from all the work they did the night prior in their motel room.

The night was spent by them explaining the game portal and trying out different methods of making pockets. Colette even had had the boys move all the furniture against the walls so Diana could practice better. Learning a few strange things about Diana's Pockets. Like only is she able to move them around freely. Harely tried to touch one but his hand went straight through, resulting in him slapping himself in the back of the head. Meanwhile whenever Diana touched one it was like a wet cloth on tile, sliding wherever she slid it too.

The group also learned whenever Diana laughed too hard, multiple little pockets the size of ping pong balls would appear around the girl. She didn't know what was more surprising; the sudden little power upgrade or the fact that your stomach could hurt just from laughing.

As they drove on, Diana's hands suddenly clutched her stomach as she let out a cackle, small pockets appeared around us in the car as Colette paused from her reading, "Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. What does it say?"

The girl laughed from the backseat as she flipped back over the pages, "Oh, well it says in this exclusive interview with The Lady Liberty that, 'she believes it's an honour to protect the people from any harm and to always help her family any way possible,'..." the four continued to giggle even harder as Colette flipped through the magazine.

"Hey, I don't know what is so funny! This is a true and exclusive interview with the outlaw Diana Rogers-Stark," Colette teased the other as she continued to read the magazine they stole from a corner store.

"Oh yeah, exclusively not Di, that's for sure," Nathan snickered.

Diana did as well as she waved the mini-pockets away, "I don't even know what they were smoking when they wrote that," she smiled. "What else did they say?"

"Not much really. Just how happy you are to be an Avenger~"

"Like a hole in the head," Nathan hummed.

"Like an arrow to the heart," Harley snickered.

"Like a whip around the neck," Diana just gestured to her electrical burns around her neck.

Colette turned the page, "Oh! Oh! Wait, here's one! 'How to get fit with the official Diana Rogers workout routine'-"

"No! No! No! No!" Both boys started to scream, making the girls freeze.

Diana's mismatched eyes trailed over to Colette, seemingly just as weirded out by the two, "Uh... what-"

"No," Nathan pointed a finger at the avenger. "Just... just no."

"What the hell is up with you two? What's the big deal about a workout routine?" Colette closed the magazine.

The boys let out a long and drawn out groan, "Don't even bring it up. We don't need to hear those words right now. We know all about the Lady Liberty workout routine."

"And the dancing numbers, and the Christmas special, and Disney movies, the documentaries, the video game-"

"The card games, the broad games," Harley shivered. "If I ever have to play Liberty Land again I think I'll kill myself."

Diana blinked a few times, "Kill yourself?!" She gasped, not understanding the sarcasm, "Why would you ever want to commit suicide over a board game? Nathan turn the car around we need to take Harley to a hospital for some help. This isn't okay."

"Diana. Diana," Nathan reached over and patted her shoulder. "It's a figure of speech. He doesn't actually want to commit suicide. It's a thing we say when we hate something."

"Well that's just bloody stupid!" she shook her head, "Harley don't you ever say that again. That is so wrong!"

Harley tensed in fear as the Rogers-Stark yelled at him, "Fuck! Okay, okay, I'm sorry," he placed his hands up in surrender.

"What even is Liberty Land?" Colette raised her brow.

Nathan let out a groan as if he was reliving the trauma of a simple board game, "Imagine Candy Land but Avengers themed..."

Her nose crinkled in disgust, "Okay, yeah I can see why you'd want to now."

Diana looked at them, appalled, "I don't?!"

"Have you ever played Candy Land before?" Colette questioned.

Diana's expression shifted as Nathan chuckled, "Yes, because the girl who didn't know how to use a swing would have played Candy Land, Cole."

"Hey! I know how to use one... now!"

He laughed, "Yeah, because I had to push you!"

"Okay fine. I've never played it, so what? It can't be that bad," Diana blew a raspberry.

"Oh you have no idea, Didi. No idea!" Harley said as if it were a death sentence, "I once had to play it fifty times in a row. Fifty!"

"Why would you play it fifty times if you hate it so much?" She asked.

Harley scoffed, "Because our sister likes it. Likes it is an understatement, actually. Brooklyn loves it. Loves you actually."

The famous girl's head tilted, "Excuse me?"

"Brooklyn is probably your biggest fan, no joke," Nathan sighed. "Has all of your dolls, your costumes, your mom's movies and records, a few guitars, makeup... you name the product and she probably has three."

Diana blinked, "You're kidding?"

"Nope," Harley popped the P. "Brooklyn's obsessed with you. Like all girls her age. How jealous do you think she is right now, Nate?"

Nathan chuckled, "Probably throwing a tantrum in her room as we speak."

"Seriously? Why?"

"Why?!" Nathan gasped, "You seriously asking why?"

Diana nodded as Harley leaned over, "Didi, do you know how big of a deal you are to kids? Especially girls?"

The girl rolled her eyes with a huff, leaning back in her seat, "Yeah. I'm some damsel who happens to save the world from time to time. They call me Rupunzel for a reason, guys."

The boys slightly hummed as they drove, "Do you know what Brooklyn watched before 2012?"

Diana shrugged, "Princesses or something?"

They nodded, "Exactly. Before girls could only really see things like them being rescued by men and even though that's perfectly fine when you came along they got to watch on live television a girl close to their age saving the day."

"Okay that's being a little dramatic. I didn't save the day-"

"You're the one who closed the portal," Nathan challenged me. "You helped out and Brooklyn, just like many other girls, love to recreate the scenes of you saving the day. I can't tell you the amount of times I had to pretend to be Loki so she could take me down."

"Or how my stepdad had to pretend to be the fallen Captain America for her to rescue," Harley chuckled.

"Okay, but I don't understand why they look up to me," Diana cringed. "The world sees me as this girl who got kidnapped a couple times. That's what my family sees me as. A little Rupunzel stuck in the tower. My dad's too scared to let me go outside without supervision for Christ sake."

They shrugged, "Maybe to them, but to kids, like our sister, you're a girl they dream of being."

The avenger went to say something snarky but she closed my mouth. She always had a feeling that kids looked up to her. Though, I just always assumed it was because they wanted to be her so they could become Avengers. She never thought about being a role model for them... "I never... I never thought of it that way before..."

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺
Florida

The moment the door opened it quickly closed seconds later as Colette and Harley came inside.

Not even glancing up from the television as Nathan showed off a fun show called Gravity Falls, Diana waved, "How was the food run?"

The two seemed all giddy as Colette stole the remote and shut off the tv, "Hey!" While Harley sauntered over with something covered in a Walmart bag.

Once it plopped down in front of Nathan and Diana, the girl glanced up at the two, "What the-" before she could finish the sentence, Harley ripped off the plastic revealing a chocolate sheet cake. "Tada!!"

Blue and yellow eyes widened as Diana looked between them, "What-"

"Oh, wait!" Colette reached into another bag and pulled out a box, "We got some candles and a lighter too."

Diana looked at the three as Nathan quickly got up from his seat, "Great! I'll get the lights."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," she put her hands out as they started to fuss about with the cake. "What are you guys doing? My birthday was like well over a week or so ago."

They all smirked, as if this was pre-planned, "Well that doesn't matter. Not everybody celebrates their birthday on the actual date."

"Yeah," Colette nodded. "Sometimes you have a party the week or so after. It all depends on when you have everybody over to celebrate."

"And besides, you said you've never had a sheet cake before... and that is just sinful," Harley shook his head. "You need to eat this. It's just, your life is so sad."

"Wow. Thank you," Diana blanched as the lights shut off. The candles were brought before they lit the candles. It was a little strange considering she wasn't expecting it at all but after blowing them out, they cut into the cake.

The 'Birthday Girl' let out a moan as she tried Walmart icing for the first time. Listening to Harley as he explained all the different things they still had to try on the road trip. So far it had been a little entertaining to say the least. Diana wouldn't lie and say they didn't make a few stops on the way, hitting different places. Like the beach, parks and even to grab some treats like ice cream. Though Diana was still trying to get all the sand out of her hair from the four's mud fight last night.

As she basically licked her plate clean, Diana picked up another slice, "Can I tell you guys a secret?" She asked, face full of icing.

They all nodded as they continued to watch the tv, "I hate my birthday."

Colette glanced up from her position on the floor, "Really?"

Diana nodded, "Never liked it in the first place."

"Why?" Nathan asked.

She shrugged, "It's just never been good. I don't even know if May Fourth is my birthday, technically it's just the day I was found."

"Well did Tony ever do anything before the events of New York?" Colette asked.

"Obviously," I took another bite. "He always made sure I had a fun time, even though some were a little more dangerous than others, but then... Loki came. On my birthday."

Nathan sighed as he turned off the television, "Look, Diana if you don't wanna talk about it we won't force you."

She shook her head, "No. No, it's okay... I think I should," she lightly smiled. "When I turned eleven I was supposed to meet my dad for the first time but... Loki showed up. He never hurt me but... god that staff felt so intrusive, like all my free will was gone. That's actually why I hate using Command. It makes me feel like him."

"But you're not."

"I know," Diana nodded. "I know... then when I turned twelve is when the stupid Holiday came out, and everybody started celebrating the day I got kidnapped as the day the avengers assembled. Not to mention that my family knew how uncomfortable I was with my birthday, so they started to try and make me over excited by throwing these elaborate parties. Going so over the top every year I'm still cleaning glitter out of my hair from my thirteenth birthday. But it's not like I can tell them that so I just have to sit there silently hating every second."

Nathan tilted his head, "Why can't you say anything to them? Will they get mad if you do?"

"More like disappointed. They're only trying to help and I shouldn't feel entitled to anything. I mean I have so much already it's just wrong to ask for more," Diana explained

"Bullshit," Harley shook his head.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Bullshit," Harley put his plate down. "Why can't you ask for anything?"

Her eyes shifted between them as Diana slowly shrank, "Because I'm so privileged I shouldn't complain...?"

"No," Colette shook her head. "You shouldn't think like that."

"Why not, it's true?"

"Diana. You may have a lot and yeah you may be privileged, but that doesn't excuse the fact you have the right to say how you feel," she explained. "You can say no to things. Hell! You can say you want things!"

She shook her head, "But it's wrong. It feels wrong."

"It feels wrong because you've never done it," Nathan pointed his plastic fork at the girl. "Why not start now?"

"How so?"

Nathan got up with a smirk, "Well... you said you hated your birthday because of what happened in New York, so let's change that," Nathan grabbed a few cans of off brand coke and handed them to the others.

"Excuse me?"

"How can she do that?"

"You said it yourself, Di. You were found on the fourth you weren't born then. So why not make today your new birthday?" Nathan suggested.

Diana gave him a strange look, "Seriously?"

"Yes seriously! Think of it as your first chance of free will," he smiled. "So the world may see May Forth as Lady Liberty's birthday, but her and her friends say today the... fourteenth of May is Diana Rogers-Starks' birthday. What do you say?"

She smiled slightly, "Seriously?"

He shrugged, "No matter how rich or poor a person is they have the right to choose. So? What do you say?"

Diana's smile grew as she nodded, "Sure. Why not."

He smiled, "Then I guess we all shall raise our cups of off brand pop from the vending machine to Diana. Happy fifteenth birthday!" He laughed as the other two cheered along with him.

Diana felt her smile grow even wider as she took a swing off her drink, "Happy birthday to me."

And you know what? That was the first time Diana had said those words and actually meant them.

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

The sounds of Diana's friends' light breaths filled the room as she tried to sleep. Her and Colette had taken over the twin beds as the two boys slept soundly on the floor or couch, depending on what room they were able to sneak into. Though the girl was wide awake.

Blaming the large amount of sugar she had basically inhaled, Diana laid flat on her back as she played with her necklace. The teen's battery was fully charged meaning there was no reason to worry, but it didn't help that Diana felt a little bored.

Little bit of guilt was probably the real thing keeping her awake. Over the course of the week, she tried to keep herself from thinking about her family, but small things kept making them come back into play.

It also didn't help that all four of them wore avengers bracelets from their Happy Meals still, but what could you do?

It felt rather strange being in the world from the other side of things. Diana always knew her family was very important, but she never expected it was this big. So many people ranging from babies to full on elders wore their logos, had stickers on their cars, tattoos and even murals.

The world wasn't at all what Diana expected it to be like, but she rather I liked it that way. Her friends, it felt weird to actually call them that considering she'd never had any before, had started to show Diana how to actually be somebody she want to be.

The guilt kept Diana up as she hated how she felt. How she didn't want to make it to Washington just yet. The girl wanted to continue this road trip and see where else they could explore. She wanted to hear some more stories about their past and eat all the junk food they could steal.

She could go anywhere she wanted. That probably made her sound like a monster.

'Somebody to love,' Diana's eyes shot open as she heard a faint voice.

A bright blue light started to shine within her music note pendant as she continued to play with it. Seeing the others all still passed out Diana quickly threw her hands over it to muffle the strange sounds as she pocketed herself into the washroom and shut the door.

Taking her necklace off, Diana then opened her palms to reveal a blue hologram coming from the pendant. Her brow raised as she suddenly saw her eleven-year-old self singing at her very first musical showcase, dancing next to her father.

The teen smiled at the memory of the event as she reached out to touch her happy child self before the hologram quickly changed to the few of the avengers at Disney. All wearing our matching ears as Tony grumbled over the cost of a pretzel. Then it changed to herself and Steve in the kitchen of their very first apartment. The two of them were covered in cheese as the nachos they tried to make exploded all over the pair, while Natasha was laughing in the background.

The pictures and videos started to flash of the two remaining Rogers with sprinkles of her other family members here and there.

She felt myself slightly tear up at the sight of some of the memories she had almost forgotten. Diana had been so focused on trying to get some freedom she realized she had forgotten that it was these amazing people she was trying to escape from.

'Hey Songbird,' Steve Rogers' voice caught Diana completely off guard as the hologram now showed him sitting down by himself. 'I hope you enjoyed that little slide show there. God, this was hard to make but luckily Tony helped out.'

'Hell yeah I did!' Tony could be heard in the background.

Steve smiled as he looked back at the screen, 'Looking at some of those pictures was like a time capsule to me. God you look so much like my mother it's kind of scary,' he chuckled. 'Look, I know you're a little upset right now by all of the things going on and rules out into place but I just want you to know I'm going to be here for you no matter what, okay? We all are.'

Diana felt herself tear up even more as he smiled at his daughter through the recording screen, 'Think of this as a small... setback. We're gonna get through this I promise you and when it's all over I am going to be there in the front row cheering you on.'

Diana started to smile as the tears started to flow, "Yeah?" She asked the recording, knowing he wouldn't answer.

He sighed and got up from his chair, 'Until then I thought this recording in your necklace will suffice,' he looked right into the screen as if we were making eye contact. 'I love you, Songbird. Don't you forget it,' he smiled as the screen went black.

Diana sat there for a moment on the washroom floor as the tears started to soak the floor, "I..." she sniffled, "I love you too, dad."

And that's when the water works started to flood the tiles. The guilt came in full swing after that, after realizing she have no clue where he was or if he was even alive.

Yes it was true, Diana was finally free in some way. She could do whatever she pleased. Go wherever she wanted, but what was the point now?

Diana Rogers-Stark could finally go anywhere she wanted, but she just wanted to go home. What was wrong with her?

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