I glowered at my clock, trying to will the machine to revert back to a more reasonable time. Something more like 11 pm last night would have been beneficial for my now ruined sleep schedule. Feeling grumpy, not groggy, I pulled myself from bed and tiptoed out of the room I shared with my mother. She was sleeping; she only got home from work a couple hours ago. She hadn't woken me, she never did, I just didn't sleep.

I filled a mug with tap water, then dumped it not so gently into a small pot on the stove. As I heated the water, I opened a cabinet to pick a tea bag. My eyes wandered over the cardboard boxes, pausing to rest on my usual morning earl grey. Frowning, I decided that caffeine was not what I needed right now. A clear head would do me more good than extra energy. I settled on a newer flavor, "lemon lavender mint". I really liked that one.

Sipping my tea, I gazed quietly out the window. The main view was another red brick building, dirty and worn from the city air and time. The blinds in the other window were shut up tight. I'd found that if I looked at just the right angle, I could see the street from the small apartment. It was expensive, but mom's salary was enough to get us within decent walking distance of the Hudson that the price was worth it.

My name is Jacqueline Thompson, and I never wanted to come here. I preferred living in Pennsylvania, along the Delaware River, in the woods where no one would bother me. It was remote, yes, but there was plenty of water to go swimming in, as well as my moon pool.

Moving to Manhattan was a heavy hit to me, but it could have been worse. The polluted river emptied right into the ocean, and I was safe from prying eyes there. Getting there was much more of a problem here than it was back home.

I'm a mermaid, and the moment my skin comes into contact with water I have 10 seconds to dry off completely, or get somewhere safe before I swap my legs for a coppery colored tail. My mom is aware of my situation; she was less freaked out than I thought she would be when she walked in on me in the bath. That's why she made sure to get me near a river so that I had a place to swim.

But that's another problem, the area along the river always has people on it. Tourists, residents, druggies, hobos. There's no secret spot where I can slip in and out without being seen. I didn't have a chance to fully master my powers, the ones that came from my becoming a mermaid.

I could move water with my mind; force it to freeze or to boil. I can make it turn into some sort of gel like material. But the one I'm having the hardest time with is my newest power. It only popped up after my most recent encounter with the full moon. Invisibility. I could only hold it for a few seconds when I was trying to move around or use my other powers. I'd been working on it but it was difficult.

I brought my mug to my lips, but was met only by a couple drops of tea. I sighed and walked over to the sink to put the mug in. My predicament with water meant I was excluded from any chore that involved the element. The only problem with that was, everything that didn't require getting at least a little damp was exclusively mine.

I grabbed some clothes from the bedroom and walked into the bathroom to change. A comfy tee shirt, jeans, and a hoodie would be enough to wear for a walk to the river. I could use a swim.

[Change of P.O.V.]

A shockwave ripped up my arm as my fist connected with the bag. Each strike cleared my mind, and focused the images that flashed before my eyes. Music, proud and patriotic rang in my ears as though they were being played through a radio. The adrenaline of a battleground pumped through my veins, and I could almost feel blood, sweat, and mud on my skin. It only made me feel angrier.

I swung hard, and the punching bag in front of me broke. Sliding to a halt at the brick wall in front of me, the bag leaked sand from the hole I'd torn in the tough material. Everything disappeared, and I was by myself in an empty and silent gym. The anger faded, replaced by an overwhelming sense of emptiness.

Breathing hard, I stood there. My legs trembled as I stared at the small pile of broken sandbags against the wall. Glancing behind me, I saw I still had a few more. I contemplated hanging up a new one and having at it, but depression gnawed at my core. What would be the point? Heaving a sigh, I turned around and walked back to the locker room.

The water fluctuated between warm and cool as I rinsed the sweat from my skin. My head was quiet, and although strange, the lack of thoughts was relaxing. For once, I'm just a man, not Captain America, not a soldier out of his time. I'm just Steve Rodgers.

Shutting off the water, I dried off with a towel and changed into the fresh set of clothes I'd packed in my duffle bag. Tying the laces on my sneakers, I stepped out of the gym and into the early July morning. I took a deep breath, then started walking.

I didn't expect anyone to bother me, a 6-foot tall hulking mass of muscle, but muggers now-a-days carry concealed weapons so I still had to be alert. I stepped over a puddle as I crossed the street, swollen from last night's rain. Cars had already filled the streets, even though it was already 9 am. That's New York for you. The city that never sleeps…

Despite my better judgment, as I walked my mind began to wander. I thought about World War 2, and about Red Skull. About S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers Initiative. There's so little I know about this new world, and about it's inhabitants. It's confusing, and a part of me doesn't want anything to do with it. They say we won the war; I would have liked being there to end it myself.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by a scream. Looking up to find the source, I saw a young girl on the sidewalk. She looked like she was about 18, with curly red-brown hair and tanned skin. Her legs were dripping with water, splashed by a car that had driven past. I calmed down, assured that no one was hurt, but I noticed a panicked look in her eyes. Something wasn't right here.

"Miss, are you alright?" I called out. She looked up, and I was surprised when her eyes widened. The girl turned away from me and jumped over the railing into the river. I ran to the metal bars to see what had happened but all I could see was water churning where she had fallen. Then I saw a flash of what looked like gold scales as a large fin breached the surface of the water and it was gone. Whatever that girl was, I felt pretty sure that she wasn't human.