one fridays uptown

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       THIS IS A HERO'S STORY — maybe not the one Isabelle thought she'd be in the middle of, but whatever. It's been a year since Isabelle helped the Avengers fight Ultron, and since then, she's been a little... busy with the super side. Since Isabelle punched Ultron and shoved rocks down its throat, words gotten around that Moroi Morningstar lives among us, in the Upper East Side. First it was speculated to be New York, then some dick with an angel's blade broke into the Met, and then it was determined that Moroi's in the Upper East Side. Which is true... Just a little annoying that her enemies know her exact whereabouts now.

       The thing is, when Captain America said to her, all those months ago, "You did good, kid," she knows he didn't expect for her to stroll back into her neck of New York and spend nights fighting demons and angelic monsters alike. Like, she isn't even gonna bother, saying, he probably didn't expect, because she knows the truth, and that's the fact that he wouldn't expect any of this. Like, last week, Isabelle was fully kicking someone's butt on a Church's roof, and the authorities found the guy hanging from a gargoyle. Plus, someone managed to get a picture, so now there's an image circulating of Moroi fighting a demon on a Church roof. Wicked.

       Not much has changed though, besides from fighting baddies every few days. She's still got the usual stuff to deal with; now she's in high school the amount of homework's doubled, thanks to a string of different AP classes to help her get into an ivy league. Then there's everything that comes with the world she lives in — you've got the galas, the dinners, even the brunches... Everyone's trying to uphold this image of themselves, and for some reason, they always equate to weird events on Friday nights when you really wanna be at home, watching something like Heathers or maybe even the weird reboot, but instead, you've got to stand in some decorated hall near Central Park with the most forced smile known to man because for fuck's sakes it's been a long ass week and I want to go home.

       Normally Izzy can get out of these things. The meaningless ones, anyway. She'll send a pathetic note about how she's feeling super ill and that'll be that. But, tonight's the night of her dad's event, the opening of a new science institution. He's a Senator and apparently sponsoring this building will help him get the vote come next election. "It's going to be open to schools for field trips, and jobs and paid internships will be available for college students," he had said on the TV that morning. It's weird, Izzy thinks, when she sees her dad speaking on CBS but she hasn't seen him in a month. It's weird, but the sort of weird that no one can really get. Like, she gets it. How more first world can you get? My dad's on TV but it's like, super weird!

       But anyway. The Oswald Centre of Science and Technology opens its doors tonight, with big scissors cutting the ribbon and everything, and obviously Izzy's got to be there to attend. Even Elijah's back from college for tonight. They've been able to bring her nanny Marie, too, banking on the fact that no one connects the dots between her nanny, the blonde woman that's been spotted with Captain America before, and the faded photographs of the lost princess of Belgium, who went missing at the start of World War Two. Tonight's a big night for Izzy's dad.

       "Isabelle," says someone — a husband of someone her dad works with — as they smile at her. The sympathy across their face instantly tells her what this is going to be about. "You're looking well... How have you been, since... what happened?"

       'What happened' is a lot less scandalous than it sounds. It really refers back to when HYDRA kidnapped her — they all think it's because of her dad, not the fact that she's the Devil's daughter. And Isabelle never truly knows how to reply. Because, she can't honestly tell them how she's been. No one wants to know, 'I've been having recurring nightmares about being kidnapped!' and 'I can't open the front door anymore because I think an organisation made from Hitler's fucking sperm is going to kidnap me again!' And don't forget the best one: 'Because of that whole Thing I had to later fight evil robots in Sokovia and I watched someone die! Right in front of me! Because they were protecting me! They barely even knew me, but they died for me! Love that!"

       "I'm doing great," says Isabelle, nodding, already spiralling in her head. She looks around, hoping she can get out of this conversation soon. "Yeah, uh... Super duper great, really..." She forces a smile, and she tries to block out the image in her mind, of the door to her apartment being opened by a sinister force... "If you'll excuse me..."

       With that she walks away. She doesn't know what she's going to do. She can't leave, not until everyone else does, this is her dad's special night, but she can't deal with another person asking how she's been. It makes it worse. Already does she spend every day a little jittery, already does she spend every day blocking out every memory of what happened, thinking to herself, don't think about it, Izzy, don't think about it... Sometimes she wishes she could forget it.

       Other times she acknowledges that she doesn't really want to forget it, because if she forgot being kidnapped, she'd forget meeting the Avengers, and even fighting alongside the Avengers. Whenever she thinks about what happened, she tries to focus on the best part: how little Isabelle, who was stumbling through the corridors, this close to collapsing, was found and rescued by the person she's looked up to her entire life... Like, it was as if she was on the brink of death, and Hannah fucking Montana helped her out. It was that level of amazing to her.

       But, it's hard to keep that part in mind. Quickly, thinking about being kidnapped, that split second when she opened the door and they restrained her, turns into a spiralling mess, remembering the way she kept on thinking to herself, Why didn't I keep the door locked? Why didn't I fight? Why didn't I hide? Those forty days of suffering are hard to think past most of the time. Which is why, right now, Izzy's making a bee-line out of the hall, to the stairs leading all the way downstairs. She isn't going to leave, but she sits down on the steps, and she puts her head in her hands.

       "I — uh..."

       Isabelle looks up. She sees one of the kids from a public school stare back at her. They had to invite smart kids because this place is meant to help the future, blah blah blah whatever. The boy looks at her awkwardly.

       "The bathroom's that way," she says, motioning towards the hallway adjacent. He looks over his shoulder, towards where she's pointing, and he nods, but then he turns back around. She frowns.

       "Are you, uh, OK?" he asks.

       Isabelle looks at him oddly. He seems genuine? That's a first?

       "I should be," she tells him.

       "Wait," he says, realisation kicking in. "You're his daughter, aren't you? You're the one that was kidnapped?"

       Isabelle forces a smile. "That's me."

       The boy's eyes widen, as he raises his hands in panic. "I didn't mean it in a bad way—"

       She looks up at him, raising an eyebrow, a little smirk on her face. "You think kidnapping's a good thing—?"

       "No — I—"

       "I'm just messing," says Isabelle. She smiles at him. "I'd introduce myself but you know who I am."

       "I'm Peter," he tells her.

       "Cute," says Isabelle. "So you're one of the smart kids that was invited, right?"

       "I guess," says Peter, looking a little sheepish. "My school's in midtown. This is all a little new for me..."

       Isabelle nods. "To be honest, I avoid these sort of things most of the time," she tells him. "I'm only here because it's my dad's... And I'm only out because... Well, you know."

       Peter frowns. "Do they always ask about it?"

       She pauses for a minute, before she thinks, fuck it. "Yep... I mean I get it, it's not every day someone's kidnapped by Hitler sperm but like, it's weird, the whole country knows I was kidnapped, but known of them get that I was taken like that," she tells him. She feels weird, dumping all of this shit on this poor guy. So she shrugs. "I met the Avengers though."

       "Really?" says Peter.

       Isabelle grins. "Pretty wicked, huh?"

       He nods. His smile fades a little, as he goes, "How—How long were you—?"

       "Forty days," says Isabelle.

       Peter nods again, looking awkward. "Like... Jesus."

       Isabelle blinks, before she bursts out laughing. What the fuck. Who the fuck is this person? How—How has she managed to find the only decent teenage boy to ever exist? Like ever? What is happening?

       "Like... yeah," says Isabelle, giggling still. She doesn't say his name, because she physically can't. Her throat burns when she tries. And believe her, she's tried before — her school's called Mary Immaculate, they have a church attached, she's tried before — but she can't. It's something to do with how she's sinful or whatever. If anything it's annoying, because she's the only person under the age of forty and living outside of the Bible belt that says, "Oh my gosh!"

       He smiles at her. His cheeks have gone rosy, which she thinks is cute.

       "Do you—Do you go to these sort of things a lot?

       Isabelle raises an eyebrow. "Is that a play on 'come here often' or...?"

       "No, no!" says Peter. "I was just... wondering."

       "Ah," she says. "Well, yeah, I do. Not gonna lie, they're always a little boring, so sorry about that." She gives him a grin. "The upper east side isn't always this dull."

       "Then what do you do, Fridays uptown?"

       A massive crash sounds from inside the hall.

       Isabelle stands up. Peter's looking towards the door, and Isabelle looks towards the staircase. She's still standing on the stairs, if she were to turn into a bat she could disappear before he turns back around...

       She frowns, she focuses, and then she turns into a bat, quickly flying upwards and landing on the floor above.

       She's already in her Moroi gear, having figured out an old spell doused in black magic that allows her to change into it when needed. An all-black suit, with a mask covering the lower half of her face. She keeps her necklace on underneath, the one with the delicate gold chain and the orange jewel, so bright it almost glows, but that's because she knows how important it is.

       Her hair's been tied back into a ponytail already, and she looks over the railing, seeing that Peter's gone. She turns back into a bat to get down the stairs quickly, and she hovers next to the door, looking through the window. Someone — one of the waiters, by the looks of the outfit — is lying on the floor, a tray and smashed glasses covering the floor around him. He's completely still, and for a second Isabelle doesn't know if Moroi's even needed, especially when someone checks for the man's pulse and says that there isn't one.

       But then he reanimates.

       The man — the zombie — jumps back to his feet. Everyone scrambles backwards, but the zombie doesn't move. It doesn't go for anyone. It just stands there, it's skin already turning blue. She watches in horror, her stomach filling with dread. There's one thing Izzy's scared of, and it's zombies.

       But, still, she pushes open the doors, frowning at the zombie in front of her. He doesn't look dangerous... "Are you OK—?"

       An awful, choked voice comes from the zombie:

       "Moroi Morningstar, you will pay for your actions."

       And then he darts forwards, to try and tackle her. She turns into a bat and darts out of the way, switching back and landing behind him. She puts him in a chokehold before he can spin around, but she looks around, at all of the people, and she pauses. What if they're bitten? Will they become zombies? This thing might not even be a zombie, just one of the many creatures popping up around the upper east side because Isabelle's been using her powers more. She doesn't want any of these people to get hurt... And if this thing's only after her...

       "Not here, Ghoulia," she says, and she looks across at Marie, who nods as if to say I'll sort it out here, before she throws the zombie onto the ground, and bolts out of the hall, into the corridor, about to turn into a bat when she sees someone else, dressed in a super suit. "Who are you?"

       "Spiderman!"

       Isabelle nods frantically. "Can you get the zombie to the roof, please?"

       "Sure?"

       "Thanks!"

       She turns into a bat seconds before the doors slam open. The zombie almost grabs her, but she bolts up the stairs, as she hears Spiderman say gosh knows what. Isabelle switches back to push open the door to the roof — she can hear the zombie getting closer, a few floors below, and her heart's already racing. Why did it have to be a zombie?

       She gets onto the roof, grabbing two of the poles used to keep the door wedged open. She uses one for that purpose, and she holds onto the other, using all of her superhuman strength to hit it across the steel door, slicing the end into a sharp edge. She moves backwards, and she waits. You can do this, Izzy... Ultron was a lot worse than this.

       The door opens. The zombie runs at her.

       "Moroi Morningstar—"

       "Will pay for her actions, I get it," says Isabelle, as she hits the zombie with the sharpened pole, cutting open his torso. She throws the pole up in the air, and she turns into a bat, so she can land behind the zombie, and grab onto the pole again before they can turn around. She grabs the hair on the back of its head, and she forces them to the ground, stabbing the pole into their back, into the roof, to trap him. "What did I do wrong, anyway? Like, I know some of my outfits last year were questionable, but I was a freshman, you get it, right?"

       "Morningstar..." 

       Someone lands behind her. She turns around, where Spiderman is.

       "Oh," he says. "I guess you had that covered!"

       Isabelle shrugs. "Not really," she says. "He only can't move because there' a pole in him and it's shoved into the roof, so."

       "I think it's cool," he says.

       "Thanks, Spidey!" she says. "So where—"

       "You might wanna turn back around—!"

       Isabelle does so, frowning — and the zombie's standing up again. It looks her, dead in the eye, and holds onto the pole, sticking out of its chest. Slowly, it pulls the pole back out, blood dripping from it. Isabelle's eyes widen, as the zombie holds the pole like she had done.

       "Oh, shit."

       The zombie dives to stab her with the pole, and she darts out of the way, turning into a bat to escape a couple of feet. White string flies through the air, and pulls the pole out of the zombie's grasp: Isabelle looks at Spidey, who's holding on the pole. He tosses it to the side, wiping the blood of his hand. She smiles.

       She dodges the zombie's fist, and she kicks him, hard, in the crotch. She looks across at Spidey. "How do you stop a zombie?" she asks him, as he uses that weird string to restrain the zombie, the stuff tying around it's hands.

       "I think you stop the brain!"

       "Cool!" she replies. The zombie charges at her still, and Spidey throws the other end of the pole back at her. She catches it, and she slams it into the zombie's face, using all of her superhuman strength to make a dent.

       And then the zombie falls down, dead.

       Isabelle drops the pole on the ground, and she looks across at Spidey. "Thanks for the help," she tells him. She smiles, and she thinks he can see, even though her mouth's covered. Her eyes move, in the way they do when you mean a smile. "I hate zombies."

       "Isn't your dad the devil?" he says.

       "Still doesn't mean that zombies aren't terrifying! Did you see that one?" says Isabelle, as she shudders. "Creepy."

       Spidey looks over at the zombie, then back at her. "Why was it saying that stuff, anyway?"

       She shrugs. "They're convinced I'm evil," she explains. "I'm not, by the way. But they think that, because of the whole Morningstar thing..."

       "And now they want you dead."

      Isabelle grins, her eyes lighting up and her eyebrows quirking slightly. Even with a black mask covering the lower half of her face, she's still too fucking expressive. "Cool, right?"

       Spidey laughs a little.

       "Where are you from?" she asks.

       "Queens," he says.

       Izzy nods. "I'll see you around, then, maybe."

       She moves to walk past him, skipping cheerfully, and she stops, raising her hand to give him a high-five. He takes the hint, and she smiles.

       "See ya, Spidey," she says, before she disappears, turning back into a bat and making her way downstairs.

       Everyone's panicking when she returns, now back in her normal outfit, her blue dress and black heels. She opens the door back into the hall and before she can react Marie appears out of nowhere, hugging her tightly. Isabelle hugs her back, and she waits for it — she knows Marie's gonna mention what she just did — and then, like she expected, Marie says quietly, "You're lucky you didn't get killed, Isabelle..."

       "I didn't, though?" says Isabelle. "I think that's a cause for celebration."

       The two pull apart. Marie looks unimpressed, but relieved that Isabelle didn't, like, die, or anything major like that. Isabelle's dad walks up to them, having spotted her through the crowd, and he gives Isabelle a hug, too. Elijah stands next to him, and gives her a fist bump.

       "Where were you, Isabelle?" her dad asks.

       "Oh, I went to the bathroom," says Isabelle. She nods as she speaks, and her dad frowns at her. She knows he's reliving the day she was taken; afterwards, Elijah told her how scared their dad had gotten. Like, sure, he isn't around much, but there's no denying that he's a good dad. "And I heard all the noise so... I stayed out there."

       Elijah nods. "That's smart."

       And then he gives her a look, because he too knows it was her, who kicked that zombie's butt, it's just their dad that's in the dark about it. (And will always be, by the way — can you imagine, if the word got out that a senator's kid was a fucking superhero? Je—Yeezus Lice.)

       "You know, Dad, I think I should take Izzy home early," says Elijah, and Isabelle nods frantically, thinking, let me go let me go let me go!

       Alexander looks at his eldest, Elijah trying to look as sincere as possible, before he sighs. "Fine," he says. "Uh, Marie—?"

       Marie nods. She looks a little annoyed, because here's the thing — she's Isabelle's nanny, sure, but she isn't employed by Alexander. Marie, who sold her soul for immortality, was told by Lucifer that she was to look after Isabelle. Like, Isabelle isn't being funny, but, Marie's still the princess of Belgium...

       "Shall we head out, then?" says Elijah.

       Isabelle begins, "Yeah..."

       And then she glances around the room. She sees Peter.

       "Uh... I'll meet you downstairs," she tells Elijah, who nods, not exactly bothered. Marie has already left, most likely pissed off by Alexander trying to tell her what to do — Isabelle remembers when she first found out who Marie was, when she was thirteen, and when she googled Princess Marie of Belgium, there were no pictures (the royal family wanted to protect her identity) but there were stories about her. Most of them included the words spoilt brat. Marie isn't like that now, she's too old for that shit... But sometimes, she gets a little... passive aggressive. Mostly at Izzy's dad. She thinks it's just a "At one point I was going to rule a country don't fucking boss me," which like, Izzy totally gets.

       Isabelle walks over to Peter. He's talking to a boy, probably someone else from his school, and it's the other boy that spots Isabelle walking up to them. His eyes widen, which is weird. She isn't that scary... At least not right now...

       Peter turns around. "Oh, hi!"

       "I just wanted to check you weren't, like, dead or something," says Isabelle. She smiles awkwardly. "Which you're not. Which is good... So, uh..."

       "Where did you go?" says Peter. "You disappeared..."

       "Well, you know," says Isabelle, thinking, fuck fuck fuck. "You get a little more... paranoid, about this sort of stuff, when you've... been kidnapped..."

       "Oh, yeah," says the other boy. "Like Spidey senses."

       Isabelle frowns. "Like what?"

       She doesn't see Peter, who looks like he's shitting bricks.

       "There's this superhero in midtown called Spiderman, and apparently he has these things called Spidey senses," says the boy. "Like, a sixth sense."

       Isabelle smiles. "Cool."

       "I'm Ned, by the way," says the boy, smiling cheerfully at her.

       "Izzy," she says. "Listen, I've gotta go, but, uh..." And then she thinks, I'm never going to see you again. Uh... "Maybe I'll see you guys again."

       Peter nods. "Maybe we'll get invited to another one of these things."

       Isabelle smiles back at him. "Maybe."

       She leaves them after that, knowing if she were to say any longer, her brother would show up and drag her to the car. And then, her brother would know that Isabelle didn't want to leave because she wanted to talk to a boy. Like, Izzy knows her brother well enough to know that if he were to see Izzy, smiling and talking to a boy, he would tease her to death about it. It would be torture.

       It's a little sad, actually, Isabelle wishes she could talk to Peter again. She thinks he's nice. And his friend Ned is nice, too. Like, they're both friendly... And look, Izzy's used to the upper east side, it's a nightmare for her to meet anyone that's genuinely nice. There's Nate, and that's it. Riley's a scholarship kid, up until her mom got the big job at one of her dad's business', they didn't have much money. No one in the upper east side is themselves — even Isabelle isn't, only hers is more, my dad's the devil, and I've been dressing up in a costume to fight crime. She likes to think it's a little different to the usual my parents are cheating on each other and because I know they're buying me shit to keep me quiet. That's more Elijah's thing, back when their dad was married to Elijah's mom.

       Isabelle gets home a little later. She trudges through the lobby and into the elevator, planning to get into her pyjamas early, and watch a movie, or something. Maybe she'll watch Hannah Montana, when she goes back to Tennessee, or one of the Bratz movies... Like the one where they get drugged in Paris...

       Anyway.

       Elijah disappears quickly after they get back to their apartment. Marie, before Isabelle can do the same, puts her hand on Izzy's arm. She has a concerned look on her face, and Izzy knows she's going to berate her for earlier.

       "What happened with that man?" says Marie.

       Well. That's not so much berate, but more worry?

       "I, uh, managed to sort it... Some kid called Spiderman helped out, as well..." says Isabelle, running her fingers through her hair. "Did you see I made a fr—?"

       "Are a lot of things after you?" says Marie, her brows furrowing.

       Isabelle shrugs. "I guess. It's no big deal, though—"

       "Isabelle," says Marie.

       "Marie," says Isabelle.

       "Please be careful," says Marie. "I didn't realise that so many things are after you now. I'll try and speak to Steve and see if—"

       Isabelle's eyes widen. "Please don't!" she says. "That'll be embarrassing, if the Avengers get a call from you because I can't deal with a couple zombies!"

       Marie gives her a look. It's the sort of look that Isabelle's seen Riley's mom give her, same with Elijah's mom before she stopped seeing him. "I was told by Lucifer to keep you safe," she tells her. "And that's what I'm going to do."

       "But I'm fine!" says Isabelle. "I stopped the zombie, didn't I?"

       "Yes, with the help from a little boy in a onesie—"

       "Not everyone has spare Saint Laurent lying around, nor, do everyone get a special suit from the Avengers because, oh, I don't know, I saved their butts in Sokovia—?"

       Marie looks annoyed. Isabelle sighs.

       "I won't let someone hurt you, Isabelle," says Marie.

       Isabelle wants to say, well that's fine, because I heal quickly anyway, but she knows it'll just annoy Marie even more. And like, Isabelle gets where Marie's coming from — Izzy doesn't know how severe this order from the devil is, but obviously it's going to include dire consequences. And not only that, but like, Isabelle knows that Marie loves her, because Isabelle loves Marie to pieces, she's just annoying sometimes.

       She excuses herself to her room, the words I won't let someone hurt you ringing in her head. Isabelle walks down the corridor to her room, in their big apartment overlooking Central Park, and as she opens the door, she sees her best friend Nate sitting at her desk.

       "What have you been up to?" says Nate, frowning. "You've been ages."

       Isabelle closes the door behind her. She spots Riley, sitting on her bed, her hair messily tied up and an iPad in her hands.

       "Yeah," says Riley. "We've been here since we heard about the zombie."

       Isabelle sits down next to Riley. "You know there's a superhero in midtown?"

       Riley raises an eyebrow. "Boy or girl?"

       "Boy," says Isabelle, and Riley gives her a look. "Not like that... Although, there was a boy at the actual event, his name's Peter and he... he was really nice, Riley, oh my gosh..."

       "Does he have a friend?" says Riley, beaming.

       Isabelle grins. "Hell yeah he does—"

       "You—You guys," says Nate, frowning.

       Isabelle gives Nate a look. "You didn't see this boy, all right—?"

       "Izzy," says Nate. "The zombie...?"

       "Oh, yeah," says Isabelle. She exchanges a smirk with Riley, who lies back on Isabelle's bed, focusing on her iPad again. "The zombie was after me, blah blah blah, and then Spidey suggested going for the head, which stopped it."

       "Spidey?" says Nate.

       "Uh, yeah, we're like, friends now," says Isabelle. "Maybe you could meet him, if you ever stopped being a pussy—"

       Riley snorts. Nate puts his arms up in defence.

       Here's the deal: Nate's dad was a superhero, this guy called Invisi-man. Some freak accident meant that he could turn invisible, and that happened to pass down into Nate's genes — only, Nate doesn't want to use the powers. Which Izzy thinks is weird. It's not like he can fucking hide from the scary evil people, if it got too much... Izzy has to turn into a bat and hope they don't grab her...!

       "Nice one, Iz," says Riley, quietly.

       "No, not nice one!" says Nate.

       "But the streets need Invisi-boy, Nathaniel!" says Riley, and she starts to laugh at the name.

       Nate scowls.

       "The zombie was fine, though," says Isabelle.

       "Was it hard to fight off?" says Nate.

       Isabelle shrugs. "I mean, it was a little stupid, because it was a zombie," she says. "But it was only interested in getting me, so everyone else was safe... Although I wish I knew who the man was, before that..."

       Riley sits upright, and scoots towards Isabelle, showing her the screen of the tablet she's holding. On the screen reads a news update from one of the local newspapers: "ZOMBIE" APOCALYPSE?

       "I hope not," says Isabelle, gravely.

       "No, read under," says Riley.

       The alleged"zombie" in question has been linked to the experiments of scientist Theodore Strigoi, who was arrested minutes before the alleged zombie began to attack... It has been reported that allegedly, this zombie was in fact reanimate by Strigoi, who claimed that a "red-skinned monster" told him to create them, and to target superhero Moroi. Moroi is alleged to be the daughter of the devil...

       "So they've already caught him," says Isabelle.

       "Makes our job easier," says Nate, with a grin.

       Isabelle smiles.

       "It might help to talk to him, though, if some monster told him to attack you," says Riley. Nate nods, and he sits down on the bed next to him, pulling out the old pager his dad used to use. His dad got his abilities through HYDRA, and now the pager focuses solely on anything of interest that old HYDRA members could be up to... Normally it's dormant, just an old piece of metal sitting in Nate's backpack. But now — the screen's flashing red.

       Isabelle and Riley look towards Nate, who's frowning. Quickly he looks up at the two of them, a shit-eating grin spread across his face as he shoes them the message, two words; arguably the most the thing can receive.

       LAGOS — CROSSBONES

       Isabelle's face lights up.

       "Let's go kick some Nazi ass!"