Y/n wakes in the same old stinky alleyway she had stumbled into just hours before. The events of the night before slowly coming back to her. "Fuck" she mumbled as pain washes over her small frame. Y/n reaches a shaky hand to her vest pocket opening it, she feels around for the folded piece of paper inside. The teen takes it out unfolding it ever so gently to read the sentence she had been stressing about since she escaped the red room 2 days before.

hey y/o/n, (your old name) April 2

i haven't herd from you for like 5 years but today is your birthday happy 15th if your ever back in new york here's my number **** *** *** (number at top).

Ciao, Ned Leeds

Y/n folds the letter placing it back into her vest pocket for safe keeping. Struggling to stand she leans on a smelly dumpster nearby for support. After lots of effort she successfully makes it to a standing position.

One painful step after the other Y/n makes it over to a shard of reflective glass looking into it to take in her appearance. She glances at her bruised yet beautiful face (although she never considered herself pretty) cursing at how bad she looked right now. She had bags under her eyes, a bruise on her pale cheek, dried blood down her forehead, a deep cut on her jaw. Clearly her enhanced healing wasn't working considering how malnourished she is in this moment from the lack of food, her fast metabolism not helping either.

Y/n shakily makes her way out of the ally way and into the bustling streets of New York. Her thin bare arms pale against the green army vest, faded Black (now grey) cargo pants loosely hang from her thin waist. short red hair that curled fell just below her shoulders, She heads forward following the signs informing her she was in Queens.

As soon as she steps across the street Y/n's warn-out small shoes cause her to run into someone inevitably making the small girl fall laid sprawled out on the floor. The people of New York walking around her absentmindedly going on with their day. Y/n looked up to the woman in whom she had ran into taking in her features.

The woman's long red hair similar to her own sat in front of her shoulders showing curls that sprung up. The woman's intriguing emerald eyes full of concern.

"Are you okay I'm so sorry i bumped into you" y/n quickly apologised despite her being the one on the floor.

"Yeah I'm fine but i should be the one apologising to you. Your on the ground" The woman states reaching out a hand for the girl to grab. Y/n smiles a weak smile accepting the hand allowing the woman to pull them up.

Y/n thanked the woman she learned to be Natasha with another small smile before the girl left taking off limping down the street.

I watched the small girl walk away limping and I couldn't just stand there not do anything so I quickly spoke into my comms informing the team I was held up and sped up after the girl.

"Uh hey" y/n says seeing the presence beside her.

"Ah hey, I noticed you look pretty banged up, you look tired plus you limping" I explained noticing her appearance. If it wasn't for this lead on the red room I would have taken the girl back to the compound so Bruce could look over the obviously malnourished hurt child since I knew the regular doctors wouldn't be so understanding however with the teams nagging I decided to do my other option, "Can I take you to a hospital or at least home?" I question stopping in front of the girl.

Hospitals mean questions most likely questions I don't want to answer so I concluded to reply with a simple

"no thanks, i'm okay" adding a small smile at the end which I hoped Natasha would find convincing.

I wasn't convinced a bit that this girl was ok but with the team bombarding me with questions I had to leave the girl. "Okay" I replied "Make sure to get that head checked out" I ordered and with that I returned to running down the street.

Both Nat and yY/n could not shake the feeling that this would be their last encounter.

Y/n walked back up the street to their favourite convince store ( i'm Australian. is that what you call it) after she turned the final corner y/n notices that it was closed. Walking up to the window she peels the sticker off to peek inside, all her eyes could see was a dimly lit room and like 2 moving boxes. She sighs pulling out her old cracked Iphone 5 dialling the number she had memorised.

Ned.

I know it's been a little bit but i'm back in New York do you buy chance know what happened to the convenience store on 32nd and also where the nearest next one is i need a few things? thanks ciao.

Uhh i'm not 'Ned'.