Casandra POV
Ugh. Another hour stretched before me, standing in line with the other graduates. Or rather, *was* standing. I’m impatient, alright? And I’m hoping he’ll actually be here. He promised he would be, and a graduation feels… incomplete without family. Then the speaker began, droning on about something, and my mind drifted. “Sister, I’m so sorry I can’t be there today, but I know you’ve done great. Congratulations, dear Cas.” Predictable. My brother, one of Earth’s mightiest heroes, is notoriously unreliable. He’s broken promises before.
The line dwindled, and finally, I was the last person before the stage. Yup, you guessed it. Last because of two things: student council president and the graduate with the highest scores. “And now, for the person we’ve all been waiting for – our student council president, who will say a few words before receiving her diploma. You’ve all officially graduated! Here comes Casandra Stark.”
That was my cue. I walked slowly towards the stand, microphone in hand, and began my speech. “We’ve all lived through our ups and downs in school, and now we can confidently say we’ve reached the top. But one thing we all have in common is that we wouldn’t have made it without family and friends.” A tear welled in my eye, but I pressed on. “So when you go today, remember your friends and family, and cherish every moment with those you love.”
I glanced at the principal, who stood with a proud smile. I was glad. At least one family member was here, my godfather, guardian, and uncle. Principal Simon Milan Stark. He came over, gave me a quick hug, and then stepped to the speech stand.
“We still have to give the last diploma, but there’s a slight change. This person has accomplished an amazing feat. She’s made a new record for the diploma, and has also fought against the shadow of her family—something not all of us can do. The record she’s broken is none other than her brother, Tony Stark’s.” I wasn’t prepared for that. “Come here and get your diploma, your record picture, and your record. The previous record was ninety-eight percent; the new record is a full house with straight A’s, ninety-nine percent. Casandra Stark.”
He handed me my diploma, and we posed for pictures—with the principal, then alone. “Congratulations to all the graduates.” As the words left his lips, everyone tossed their graduation caps into the air. And then… everything went black after a few seconds.
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Meanwhile, in Avengers Tower
Tony’s POV
“Mr. Stark, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at your sister’s graduation?” Jarvis was right to question me, but I can't just leave. The others will grow suspicious of what I'm hiding, and she’s still vulnerable. My thoughts were interrupted by Jarvis again. “Mr. Stark, you should see this.” A television rose from a hidden compartment in the floor. It was the news. “Jarvis, what is this nonsense?” To my shock, Cas’s face was on the screen. “Jarvis, turn it up.” I could hear the news anchor clearly now. “This has come as an incredible shock to everyone. No one thought Tony Stark’s record could be beaten, but it was beaten by a girl.” What? How? She’s supposed to be lying low.
Steve, Clint, and Natasha walked into the room. I prayed they hadn’t glanced at the television. But my luck was gone. “Yes, someone beat Tony in something. School stuff.” They sat beside me as the newsman finished. “The girl there has beaten Tony Stark’s amazing ninety-eight percent with a price tag of ninety-nine percent, student president Casandra Stark.” She… she did what I told her not to. She showed herself. “Stark, you have a sister?” Natasha asked, disbelief and amusement mixed in her voice. “Yeah, I do.”
Hours later, I looked at the television again. This time, it was what was on the screen. “There has been a big explosion at the graduation ceremony right after the news crew had left. There are only a few damages to the building, but there are two people with life-threatening conditions, and it has now been confirmed that one of these two is none other than the new record holder, Casandra Stark.” When her name was said, rage and disbelief flooded me. I told her to stay low. Something wasn’t right. It’s the first time she’s shown herself to the world, but who turned it so awful so fast? “Jarvis, call a meeting in the meeting room for the team. I need a favor.” I muttered the last part to myself. Five minutes later, everyone was in the room. “Guys, I need a favor,” but Clint had found something else. “No way, Stark, your sister is in the top model magazine.” What? Top model magazine? "Stark, she calls herself Casandra Quin." She learned something. “Okay, guys, I need a favor, and it’s about my sister.” As I looked at them, I saw nervous glances. When I looked at Natasha, I only saw worry.
“After we had seen her on the screen there had been a big explosion at the graduation” all their faces dropped to shock “luckily only two had been hurt but one of them is my sister and I think someone might be after her... because of us Avengers.” their shocked expression grew to worry and Bruce was the first to ask this time “Is your sister alright?” I didn't take time to answer I just said everything I wanted them to know “she’s in life-threatening condition so I would like to ask if I could transfer her to my lap and call dr. Cho to look at her.” They all nodded their heads and then we began the preparations for my sister.