39. 17th Birthday

        I woke up that day not expecting anything except a few birthday wishes from Wanda, Aunt Nat, Uncle Sam, and Dad. Instead, I was woken up by whispered singing of 'Happy Birthday.' I opened my eyes to see Dad and Uncle Sam standing on the side of my bed. Aunt Nat sitting beside me on the bed, and Wanda sat criss-cross at the end of the bed. Dad held a small cupcake in his hand with a single candle. I smiled when they finished and blew out the candle, making a wish to see the rest of my family again soon.

"Thank you, guys. You didn't need to do anything for me today."

"Of course we did. It's your birthday," Wanda protested. I chuckled while shaking my head and took the cupcake from Dad's hands.

"A cupcake for breakfast. That's healthy," I laughed. "Are we moving out today?"

"Later," Dad replied, "Enjoy your cupcake, and then you can start packing."

"If we could go out, we would have taken you to a restaurant," Aunt Nat told me with a sad smile.

"Nat, you don't have to give me a fancy birthday. As long as I have you with me, it's perfect."

Dad gave me a hug, followed by Wanda and Uncle Sam. Then, I went to have a shower and get dressed in dark blue jeans, a white tank top, and a red hoodie. Wanda and I played Go Fish until everyone was packed and ready to leave. I grabbed my backpack, and we were out the door. We walked down the street of Toronto, Canada in our winter coats. I held Aunt Nat's hand, and we stopped inside a small cafe for lunch, making sure no one recognized us. Uncle Sam didn't need to change his appearance much, and neither did I. But Dad had let his head and beard hair grow out, Wanda had dyed her hair a reddish colour, and Aunt Nat had dyed her hair blonde. There was a radio station on in the cafe, and I listened to the topic of conversation.

"Today is Monday, January fifteenth. Tony Stark's niece, Katie Rogers, is meant to turn seventeen today. When asked about how he felt about not being able to see his niece and missing a second birthday due to her being on the run, Stark refused to comment. The question about the whereabouts of Katie Rogers, Steve Rogers, Wanda Maximoff, Natasha Romanoff, and Sam Wilson is still on everyone's minds," the newslady spoke. I hated being reminded of the fact that Uncle Tony wasn't with me.

"Baby, I'm sorry we can't be with everyone else today," Dad apologized. I sighed,

"Dad, it's fine. I made my choice almost two years ago. Now, I'm living with the consequences, but I don't regret my decision. So stop apologizing."

When we all finished eating, we walked to another three-star hotel. We unpacked and then played Monopoly for the rest of the night. It was a great day, despite the circumstances. I missed everyone but hoped my birthday wish would come true.