Chương 229: Cindy Moon and Morgan Stark
[One Month Later]
Cindy sat on the side of her bed, staring at the clock that buzzed on her nightstand. She'd silenced it fifteen minutes ago but for some reason, she just sat there looking at it. Her room in the Parker household was cozy and bright, with the posters she picked and plants May insisted upon adding, to make her feel at home. It was a far cry from the dark, cold bunker she had lived in for so long. Well, she still feels the cold shivers of the bunker's cold floor every now and then.
A knock on the door brought her back into reality.
"Cindy?" It was Michelle's voice. "We're leaving soon. You coming?"
"Yeah," Cindy yelled back, shaking herself awake. "I'll be right down."
She yanked on a pair of jeans and a hoodie, grabbed her backpack, and ran downstairs. The smell of pancakes greeted her as she entered the kitchen, where May was busy flipping a fresh batch.
"Morning, sweetie," May said, smiling warmly. "You have time for breakfast or should I pack it up?"
Cindy looking at the clock. "Uh… maybe just one pancake."
Peter was already sitting at the table, casually dressed. Today, he decided to take things slow and take a break from his regular hero duty. MJ and Michelle were sitting on his left and right and were giggling as they teased him over something. Maddie was busy in the living room with a new schedule and an inventory list. It was a scene so normal, so full of life, that made Cindy forget her lonely past.
She slid into a chair, accepting the plate May handed her. "Thanks, May."
"So, big day, huh?" MJ asked.
Cindy nodded, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "First full week of classes and… uh, I'm thinking about finding a part-time job."
With Cindy's intellect, it wasn't that hard for her to get into college, well, Peter might have pulled some strings. She wanted to live the life of a normal teenager and he helped her. At first, Peter wanted to add her to his team but later decided not to and let her have a peaceful life, away from danger. But he sent her to one of his time chambers at Kamar-Taj to help her learn about the new worlds and to catch up with her studies since she was entering in the middle of the semester.
'Well, money can buy anything...' That's what Peter thought when he donated a hefty sum at the college.
Peter raised an eyebrow. "You don't need to, Cindy. We have already talked about this."
"I know," she said with a sigh. "But… I want to. You know. You did so much for me and I just... Want to feel like I'm contributing something."
May reached out and put a gentle hand on Cindy's shoulder. "That's sweet, honey, but don't push yourself too hard."
Cindy smiled faintly. "I'll be okay. Promise."
...
[Later that day]
The campus was a beehive of activity as Cindy walked toward her first class. Students milled about in groups, chatting, laughing, and rushing between buildings. A frisbee hurtled through the air, just missing her shoulder, and she ducked instinctively, letting her sharp reflexes take over. She reminded herself not to overreact, that this was a normal life and not a battle.
Cindy stood under the arc of the main quad for a minute, looking up at the brilliant blue sky. It was surreal to find herself here, with so much life and noise around her. A month ago, she had been unable to tell day from night, counting her days in the darkness of that bunker. And now, here she was, a student, just like everyone else. She didn't know if she belonged, but she was going to try.
Her first lecture was in a gigantic hall filled with students, whose murmur was barely audible as they settled in. Cindy slid into a spot near the back, hoping to fade into the crowd. The professor arrived, and soon the class began in was a flurry of introductions, highlights from the syllabus, and reminders about assignments.
Cindy tried to focus. Her mind drifted, though. She glanced around at the rest of the students in the room. Most of them were furiously typing up their notes or speaking softly to their classmates. A few sat with arms crossed, disinterested. Cindy sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Hey, new around here?"
The voice startled her. Cindy turned to see a girl with auburn hair tied in a messy ponytail and a friendly smile. She looked about Cindy's age but carried herself with an air of confidence that immediately set her apart.
"Uh, yeah," Cindy said hesitantly.
"Thought so," the girl said, sliding into the seat next to her. "You've got that where-am-I-what's-going-on look. I'm Morgan, by the way. Morgan Stark."
Cindy blinked. "Stark? Like Stark. Stark?"
Morgan grinned. "The one and only. Anyway, don't let that bother you, and don't run away from me, like everyone, please. I'm just a college kid trying to survive Psych 101 like the rest of us."
Cindy relaxed slightly, her curiosity piqued. "Cindy. Cindy Moon."
"Nice to meet you, Cindy Moon," Morgan said, extending her hand. Cindy shook it, finding Morgan's energy infectious.
As the instructor droned on about course expectations, Morgan inched closer. She whispered in a low voice, "So, what's your story? You don't look like a freshman straight out of high school."
Cindy hesitated, unsure how much to share. "I, uh… took some time off before starting college. Personal reasons."
Morgan nodded, her face understanding. "Got it. Everyone's got their thing. Anyway, if you need help with studies or going around this place, or maybe if you want to grab lunch or hang out, let me know."
Cindy chuckled softly. "Thanks. I might take you up on that."
"Was that too forward?" Morgan asked.
Cindy shook her head. "No. It's nice, actually. To have someone be nice to me without having to think twice about it."
Morgan tilted her head, studying Cindy for a second. "You're interesting. I like you."
Cindy smiled, grateful for the friendliness and not quite knowing what to say. Morgan didn't seem to mind.
"You might be thinking why the heck is this girl babbling on and on? Well, no need to ask. You see, with my dad being the Iron Man and an Avenger, everyone around me always tries to get close to me for personal gain or stay away from me. And I don't have any friends. Sigh!" She sighed. "But you, you don't look like the type. And you are pretty cool, so that's a plus."
Cindy blinked in surprise. "Oh, well... thank you, I guess."
"Don't sweat it. We should exchange numbers or something. That is, if you don't mind?"
"I'd love to," Cindy said with a smile.
Morgan handed over her phone. "Here, just put your number in."
Cindy took the phone and typed in her contact info. She noticed that Morgan had already set her name as 'Cool Moon Girl' in her contacts. She snorted with laughter. "Moon Girl?"
Morgan smirked. "It's a thing. You'll get used to it. And hey, you do have superpowers, right?"
Cindy shrugged. "Uh… how did you know?"
"Well, I saw you dodge that frisbee earlier," Morgan said with a grin. "You weren't even looking at it and still managed to dodge it with an inhumane reaction time. And your jacket's sleeves...Tiny strings of web... So, if I were to guess, you got similar power to Spiderman, right? Don't worry, it's cool. I'm not gonna tell anyone."
"You're… surprisingly okay with this," Cindy was surprised to see that Morgan found out about her ability just from that.
"Like I said, I'm a Stark, my family has connections to superpowered beings since forever. My dad knows Spiderman. We are cool with it," She shrugged.
Cindy's eyes widened. "Your dad knows Spiderman? Like personally?"
"Yeah. He saved my dad and they sometimes work together. So, you know, if you want to meet him, I can arrange it."
Cindy chuckled. "Wow. I'm really glad I met you today."
Morgan grinned. "The feeling is mutual, Moon Girl."
...
After the lecture ended, Cindy stood up and stretched her arms. Morgan hopped up next to her, looking energized despite sitting through three hours of lecture. It was lunchtime.
"So, wanna grab some food? There's a nice burger place right outside the campus," Morgan asked. "The rules say to stick to the canteen and not to wander around off campus, we have to sneak out." She took out a wristband from her bag. "Invisible wristband, courtesy of my dad."
Cindy was about to decline but then changed her mind. It would be fun. "Sure. Let's go."
....
[Meanwhile] [Kamar-Taj]
Today's the day. May, Gwen, MJ, Michelle, and Maddie came to Kamar-Taj to train in magic. With the constant danger popping up on Earth, Peter thought it would be better for them to know how to defend themselves in case something goes wrong. And they agreed. So, he took them to one of his time chambers to train.
--[POWERSTONES.]---
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