Heroine ϟ Marvel [3]

7.1

CHAPTER ONE

Friendly Faces

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SAN FRANCISCO
CALIFORNIA

"Oops, sorry, ma'am..."

Ana sent an sheepish smile towards an elderly woman who was too busy with her tiny puppy to notice the younger woman had almost tripped over the dog's leash. When it finally clicked, the woman melted into an amused smile, and waved it off, before continuing down the steep roads of San Francisco. Ana hadn't spent much time in California, so the place was foreign to her, and she couldn't find her way around the town. She had a folded up piece of paper with Scott's address scribbled incoherently on it in blue ink. She would've used her phone but she had forgotten to charge it after FaceTiming with Peter. Ana glanced down at her watch and sighed. It was going to get dark soon, and if she couldn't find Scott's house in time, she would be forced to find a place to stay.

Ana figured the best way to get to where she wanted to go faster was to ask a local for directions. As she strolled down the street, she scoped out her options. There were a couple of teens typing away at their phone, chewing their gum with their mouths open. A woman had her hands full trying to calm her young child down from screaming. A lot of other bystanders looked like the were hurrying to get from one place to the next. Ana pursed her lips, slowly coming to a stop in front of a small convenience store.

She did a quick check of the street signs up and down the road, coming up short. Ana placed a hand to her forehead, groaning softly. If only I picked up another Sling Ring back in New York, she thought to herself. Stephen and the Kalkartho kept her preoccupied though, and that thought slipped her mind before she could go back on it.

The doors to the convenience store opened and Ana hadn't realised how close she was standing to the entrance, and quickly shuffled back before the glass could smack her right in the face. The man who had pushed them open noticed her, and winced, moving the doors back behind him. The beige hoodie he wore was rolled up to his elbows and Ana could see a series of tattoos up his left arm. Despite the rugged exterior, his face was kind. His eyebrows softly rose as a little smile grew on his face.

"Sorry, almost hit ya." He apologised, letting out a short laugh.

Ana smiled at him. "No, it's my fault. I was trying to read the signs and didn't realise how close I was."

He gestured to the paper with the address on it. "You need any help?"

Ana paused for a second. "Sure. I'm looking for this place. Know it?" She handed him the paper and waited for him to read it.

The man nodded, looking up at her. "That's actually just a few blocks down from my place. You're not from around here, are you?"

"New Yorker." Ana shrugged, causing him to nod. "Queens native. Not used to anything other than Manhattan."

"That makes sense." He hummed. He handed Ana the paper back and dropped his hand that carried a grocery bag down to his side. "I can show you the way. It's close by."

Ana knew it wasn't exactly a good idea to follow a complete stranger in a strange town. But she could handle herself pretty well, and if the man did anything out of the ordinary, she would deal with it. The man could sense her hesitation and immediately extended his hand out.