Hey everyone! This is the first chapter to a new story that I am writing. I started to write this around the time when the new Annie movie was coming out back in 2014. I grew up on the musical Annie (and no, I did not enjoy the new one a lot because of the way the changed the music). I hope you enjoy and leave a response to let me know your thoughts!

Yes, this story is starting off very similar to the musical, but don't worry because after a chapter or two, it will be different!

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Marvel and Annie or it's characters. The girls in the foster home and Ceri are based on the orphans from the musical Annie.

Chapter 1

It was late that summer night in Manhattan as the chilly air seeped through the cracks of the window of the home. Five girls curled up in their beds in one room. One was trying to sleep, while the others were wide awake listening to a story one was telling.

"Iron Man came banking around the corner of the building with the giant alien behind him. And a man turns into a giant green monster and roars while he punched the giant alien in the face once it came close enough!" The girl, Emily, held up her hands and curled her fingers in as if they were claws and roared. Her blonde hair whipped around at the exaggerated movements and almost smacked another girl, July, in the face. "The explosion after that was so loud, I could feel it in my bones - my heart jolting as pieces of the alien's armor flew everywhere!"

A girl in the bunk bed beside her, rolled her eyes. "There was no way you could have been there. You were with us the whole time as the city went into lockdown!"

"You're wrong, Lexi. I was there. I cannot forget about it. I sometimes even have nightmares. In my dreams, I always come across those smaller aliens on the hover scooters that came this close to me." She held her hands a short distance apart. "And it attacked with its giant teeth and blade until the one and only Captain America saved me. He fought it off with his shield!" The girls awed while Lexi just rolled her eyes once again and pulled up her blankets to her chin.

Emily kept going on about her story until the end. Once all the girls decided to go to sleep they were awaken by someone crying. The girl who was the first to fall asleep jumped down from her bed to the one underneath.

"What's wrong, Angie?" She asked the six year old who laid, twisted up in her sheets with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Sitting up, Angie wiped the tears away. "I'm scared no one will adopt me."

Groans echoed across the room.

Lexi propped herself up on her elbows, her dark almost black curly hair sticking up in odd places. "Why are you still whining about that? You know no one is ever going to adopt us. Not living like this in this dump run by the Grinch."

"Cállate!" Lessa hissed.

Narrowing her eyes, Lexi retorted, "What? You know it's true!"

Angie ignored Lexi and stared up at Lessa. "Don't you ever wish you had a mom and dad?"

Lessa nodded, brushing Angie's brown hair away from her face. "I always do. In fact, I think I am going to try find them tomorrow!"

"Yeah and it will be the fifth time you will. Someone will catch you. You know how strict the Grinch is."

Lessa shot a dark look at Lexi. "I have it all planned out. I have a few tricks up my sleeve so she won't ever find out about it. Now go back to sleep. We don't want to wake up the Grinch."

"And when she wakes up…" Angie shuddered. Lessa nodded. Angle laid back down in her bed and pulled the sheets up to her chin. When she spoke, her voice was quiet enough to where Lexi wouldn't be able to hear her from across the room. "She doesn't mean it, does she?"

"No she doesn't. She is just messing with you. Night." Nodding, Angie's eyes slid shut. Lessa climbed up to her bunk,

She stared up as the ceiling as she heard Angie's breathing slowed as she slumbered into sleep. Lessa wished could fall that easily asleep at that moment, but too many things were on her mind.

Fantasies of what she imagined her parents to be like floated around in her head. She could see her mother, who had the same dark brown eyes and small smile, help her with her homework while her dad who had her hair and crooked nose, cooked a famous family dish that sent her stomach growling. Of course, she was guessing what her parents would look like. Growing up in a few foster homes her whole life, she never knew what her parents were like and whether they were heartwarming or the rudest people she would ever meet. As the years rolled by, only having a small note saying that her parents would return for her, she hoped they were nice.

Tony Stark pushed away from the computer. His eyes drooped with exhaustion.

Pulled up on the screen of his were the blueprints to his current project. The structure and outline was to the building he currently lived in after the Mandarin destroyed his mansion in in Malibu. Stark Tower survived Loki's invasion, which was a surprise to Tony, except for the top main floor. Of course it was up to the Hulk on deciding to pound the god of mischief into the tiled floors of the new building creating a crater in the middle of the room.

Music blared from the speakers that lined along the walls of the room and he leaned back in his chair and hummed to the song that played.

"J.A.R.V.I.S.," he said aloud. "I need you to save the files. I'm taking a break."

"Yes, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony's artificial intelligence said. "Files saved."

With that, Tony got up from his seat and left the room.

Walking out of the main doors, Tony didn't know exactly why he wanted to walk around the city. He could have just sat on the terrace of the tower. However, it was rare for Tony to walk among the streets of the city. For a billionaire and a superhero, it could be risky, especially after all the attention the media was giving him. At that moment, he could actually care less. He needed different scenery.

Lessa's feet pounded against the ground. Maneuvering around the crowd of people along the sidewalk, she needed to find a different place since the library was full. She also looked for a place to hide. It would be minutes until Lessa would start seeing the police bikes and cars wandering around the streets of Manhattan. While paying attention to what was behind her, her sight was a blur as she kept whipping her head around.

Her first task was the get as far away from her so called foster home. Since it was in a less populated area of the city, being able to disappear into a larger crowd would work. Guilt started to set in the moment she sneaked out of the window. The knowledge of the other girls working all day long when she was roaming around the city didn't sit right with her. Especially when she was leaving Angie.

Maybe once she finds her parents, they could adopt Angie!, she thought. Lessa didn't know how exactly she would find her parents, let alone knew what they looked like, but deciding to just search around the city first was a good way to start.

The street was free of any police behind her. Last time she went out of the house without permission, the Grinch found out and called the police. When Lessa was finally back, she got an earful from her foster mother for at least two hours. She didn't want to relive that again. Filled with relief, Lessa turned her head around. She had hit a hard surface making her wonder if she ran into a bus stop. Lessa flew backwards onto the concrete with a cry.

"Watch it!" A deep voice snapped at her. Opening her eyes, Lessa peered up to see a man reaching down and grabbing her arm. Panic began to set in.

"Let me go!" She screamed.

The man did not let go of her arm, he only held onto it tighter. Lessa tried pulling her arm away, but all the man did was just laugh. She caught glimpses of his features as her mind was whirling. He had long terribly cut long brown hair with half of it hanging in his face and a dirty old beat-up jacket.

Not good, she thought.

Lessa screamed and thrashed around as the man started to drag her down the sidewalk. She tried to latch onto someone for them to help, but everyone she passed just stayed clear of the two keeping their eyes straight ahead as if everything was normal.

This infuriated Lessa. She was being dragged behind the man so she took the advantage and kicked him in the back of his knees. The man's legs buckled under him, loosening his hold on her. Taking another advantage before he could come to his senses and stand back up, Lessa lifted her foot and kicked him in the head.

The man cursed at Lessa as her foot slammed against his head. With her foot was still on his head, Lessa used that to twist her body around and launch herself off into a run across the street at a stop light ahead.

Cars honked at her and screeched their tires as they stopped before they could hit Lessa. The drivers yelled, but she ignored it.

"Wait!" Someone shouted from behind. Footsteps followed her across the street and down the two blocks she ran. Lessa searched for somewhere to hide but a hand pulled her back. Lessa threw her fists up and pounded on the person, not opening her eyes believing it was the attacker.

"Hey! Calm down!" The person said. Lessa slowed her fists noticing the different voice. It wasn't as deep as the kidnapper, but she could tell it was male. "I won't hurt you."

Lessa opened her eyes to face a different man. He didn't look menacing to Lessa at all. Hiding behind sunglasses, the man had blue eyes. His hair was short and black that was spiked up at the front and wore a band t-shirt and jeans. He had a goatee that extended along his jaw but didn't connect to his mustache. His appearance almost looked familiar to Lessa.

The man pulled her aside close to the doors of a store and kneeled down to her height. His expression was full of worry. "You okay, kid? I saw what happened back there, and I have to say how you pushed off into a run like that after kicking him was awesome."

"Thanks," she said, her answer coming out clearer than she expected. She was beginning to pull away when he rested his hand on her arm. Lessa tensed and sent him a dark look.

The man lifted his hand away and it up in surrender. "Sorry. Anyways, why is a little girl running around the city alone? Where are your parents, kid?"

"Don't call me kid!"

"Fine, what do you want me to call you then?"

Lessa took a moment before answering. She was almost going to say her real name, but decided on using a fake one, even when something in her gut said that she could trust the man. "Scarlet. Call me Scarlet." She remembered the name belonging to an actress who was in a movie the girls watched a few days ago when the Grinch had let them have a movie night. It was different which suited her just fine. "What should I call you?"

"Tony," The man said. "And Scarlet? Interesting name. Where are your parents, Scarlet?"

Lessa pursed her lips. "I don't know. I lost them somewhere in a store."

"I'm assuming by you roaming around the streets and almost getting kidnapped, they never taught you Stranger Danger, did they?" Tony sighed. He couldn't tell what age the girl was. She couldn't been eight years old...maybe even eleven by the way she held herself. The girl had dark long frizzy brown hair that reached past her shoulders, dark olive skin tone, and round dark brown eyes.

"Maybe, maybe not. Did your parents ever teach you?" She taunted, crossing her arms.

Tony smiled at the girl's comeback. "Maybe, but that was years ago. Do you want me to help you find your parents?"

At his question, Lessa's heart sped up. Was this the chance to actually find them? If it was, she couldn't refuse. But from a total stranger? Lessa frowned. The man, Tony, did seem familiar. Especially his name. She would have to keep both eyes open. "Yes," Lessa answered truthfully, smiling. She held out her pinky finger to him. "Do you swear you will help me find my parents and not play any schemes with me? As for an example, kidnapping me or doing any other bad stuff?"

He stared down at her hand. He never had done a pinky swear in years, and he knew it was serious when a little kid did it. Agreeing to her terms, Tony stretched out his pinky and hooked it around hers. Tony clapped her small shoulder and smiled. "Okay, Scarlet. I know a place where there's a database that can't even compete with one at a police station."

Lessa furrowed her eyebrows as she stood straight, bringing her hand back to her side. "What place is that?"

Also a little end note: I am not familiar with how the foster care system (despite all of the research that I did and the prior knowledge I have) so if any info is wrong or if anything needs to be addressed to how it works, please share! The help will be awesome!

Thanks for reading this first chapter!