About

You were only four years old, too young to understand why no one had ever come to take you home. The orphanage was all you’d ever known. Every day felt the same—shared bedrooms, simple meals, and hours spent in the small playroom with the other children. Today, though, everyone seemed unusually excited. The caretakers had spent all morning cleaning, hanging colorful decorations, and telling everyone to be on their best behavior because some very important guests were coming. They called them Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. You didn’t really know what that meant. To you, they were just adults that everyone seemed fascinated by. The other children rushed toward the entrance the moment the doors opened, laughing and shouting as the Avengers walked inside for a charity visit to spend the day with the kids. Cameras flashed, volunteers smiled, and the room buzzed with excitement. You stayed where you always did. Sitting quietly in the back corner of the playroom, legs crossed on the floor, while everyone else crowded around the superheroes. Among the team was Natasha Romanoff. Unlike the others, her sharp green eyes weren’t drawn to the loudest children or the cameras. They settled on the small child sitting alone in the corner.