Kamala Khan

Hi! It's Kamala! Leave a message that I'll probably ignore because who doesn't text these days?!

Seriously Ammi, have Aamir show you how it works.

The family meal was done and the dishes had been cleaned and put away and the entire family had retired to the living room. The living room always had a place of importance for the Khan’s. It was where Kamala’s multitude of punishments were handed out. It was where Aamir proposed to Tyesha. It was where Kamala often begged to go out and do normal teenage activities and where she announced she had super powers.

It was also where the Kree showed up and tore the house apart. But that wasn’t going to happen today.

Nope, today was a different day and for once she didn’t have to stand in front of the fireplace and do anything. That was for the person who came with her today. Kamala gave her a nudge with her elbow. “It’s time. Don’t be nervous,” she whispered.

[For one in particular]

The past weekend had been a lot for Kamala. What she'd hoped would be a sweet, low-key time with her family and friends had spiraled into drama, family tensions, and the kind of conflict that left Arden seriously hurt. For the past four days, Kamala's world had mostly revolved around shifts on the roof with Cal, watching over Arden and doing her best to help her friend heal.

But now, with Arden on the mend, Kamala found herself with a rare quiet moment alone, and the events of the weekend, the highs and the lows, were tumbling back into her thoughts, one after another.

She flopped onto her bed, planning to lose herself in a quick snuggle with her napping pillow. But the more she tried to settle her mind, the more those moments from the weekend played on repeat in her head, refusing to be ignored.

Finally, she gave up on the nap and reached for her sketch pad. ( Cut as this got long )

When she finally set down her pencil, the sky outside was beginning to shift to dusk. Kamala let out a relieved sigh, feeling like some of the weight from the weekend had lifted. She flipped through the sketches one last time then stacked them neatly on her desk. With her heart a little lighter, she headed up to the roof, ready to give Cal a break and check on Arden's progress.

Kamala and Eleanor had spent the day soaking up the sun and enjoying all the touristy delights Laguna Beach had to offer. They began with an early morning whale-watching tour, catching glimpses of majestic whales breaching the surface. Afterward, they dove into a spontaneous swim and splashing session. Later, they wandered through the art galleries, Kamala animatedly pointing out her favorite pieces and excitedly pulling Eleanor from one artwork to the next.

Lunch brought its own adventure with Kamala’s hilarious attempt at eating a poke bowl (“Nope! Nope! Not for me.”), which eventually led them to a much safer bet: tacos. They strolled through the bustling shops afterward, picking out souvenirs for themselves and friends back on the island.

Now, they lay side by side under a beach umbrella, watching as the sun began to dip toward the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over everything. Kamala, with her nose smeared in pink zinc oxide, idly played with the sand, letting it sift through her fingers. A cool breeze drifted by, taking the edge off the lingering heat and making the atmosphere feel almost perfect. There was no rush, no urgency. Just the quiet, contented lull that follows a fun-filled day.

“I think we’ve still got some time if you wanna go swimming,” Kamala offered, with a bright smile. “If you’d like?”

[NFB - For the other girl in the narrative]

One moment there had been a sloth hanging from the bed and in the next moment a naked Kamala was falling to the floor. Kamala laid on the floor for a moment or two letting her girl brain reorient to being human as opposed to a sloth. Which, okay, sloths are awesome but being naked in your girlfriend’s room needed to be rectified right away. She was able to find the clothes she was wearing on Monday but quickly changed out her top for the Space Journey pinball shirt from Shenanigans because there was no way she wasn’t stealing that shirt.

Fully clothed, she recovered her phone to see about 50 messages from her mother which Kamala didn’t even want to read as the sheer number was anxiety inducing let alone the content. So instead she sent a message first to Eleanor:

Hey! I’m back to normal. I’m in your room. Thanks for looking after me! Should I wait for you? Meet you someplace? I so owe you for this week.

Also I’m stealing your pinball shirt and I’m not sorry.

And then she sent off other messages just to let friends and family know that she was fine. Everything was okay. She was a sloth all week, long story.

After classes and a day at home yesterday, Kamala needed a break from reality. So when class was done for the day, Kamala headed back to her room and get caught up on her favorite hero fan fiction site and finish a fic she had started a long time ago and needed to update.

And of course there were comments declaring how wrong her story was, how it was out of character, etc. And of course Kamala could not let that go because first of all no one knew Carol Danvers better than her.

Well except for maybe Valkyrie.

After rebutting their comments she started going through the tags and saw something that surprised her.

There was a Ms. Marvel tag now.

"I have fan fiction?"

She clicked on the tag just to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

"I have fan fiction!"

Delighted she clicked on the first link that had the most amount of kudos. "Awww! It has a flerken!"

The mood swiftly changed after the next paragraph.

"What?"

...

"Oh. No. No no no no no no."

Less than a second later, Kamala had violently clicked the browser window closed and slammed her laptop shut.

"When I wanted to be a hero this is NOT what I had in mind."


[Open]

So. This afternoon had been... interesting. As in eating shark meat that smelled like ammonia interesting.

And wow was her stomach making a lot of noise.

So Kamala was on her bed, a bottle of pepto-bismol next to her. And naturally she Facetimed her friends back home.

"I have re-evaluated my list of favorite Avengers and Thor has been moved down significantly."

And then went on to describe the Hákarl challenge.

"At least you got a cool shirt?" Nakari offered.

"Lie on your right side," Bruno wrote. "It helps with digestion."

Kamala groaned and rolled on her side.

"If the test to be an Avenger involves fermented shark meat I may have to change careers," she groaned.

Luckily Pepto-Bismol will probably not be involved in any future Avengering for Kamala.

Ok, so getting a picture of yourself might be off putting for some people. For Kamala a version of her in the future where she got to be a hero and was close to all her friends was an inspiration.

Sure there were a couple of things that weren’t great. But that didn’t mean it could be made better.

So Kamala was up early and starting her Carol Danvers approved workout routine with added vigor.

[Open!]

Kamala had left the island early Sunday morning so she could attend services at the mosque and also spend father's day with her family. Yusuf had been thrilled of the portrait that Kamala had drawn of him, Aamir and Kamala dressed for Eid and had immediately hung it over the fireplace much to her mother's disagreement. But that was her father's problem, not Kamala's.

But today was Monday. And this was the day she was looking forward to most.

The Eid al-Adha celebration at the street fair was filled with vibrant colors and lively sounds. The streets of Jersey City near Kamala’s mosque were adorned with strings of lights, and colorful banners fluttered in the warm breeze. Booths line the sidewalks, each one offering your typical carnival like atmosphere. Face painting, carnival games and balloon animals were everywhere.

Children darted between the stalls clutching brightly colored balloons and eating all the sweet treats they could get their hands on. Henna artists sat at small tables, their hands deftly moving to create intricate patterns on children and adults alike. In the center of the fair, a large stage hosted a variety of performances. Dancers, clad in shimmering costumes, twirled and leaped to the rhythm of the drums and the melody of the sitar. The audience clapped along, their faces smiling and laughter everywhere.

Kamala stood at the corner, dressed in her new outfit and waiting for the Portalocity portal to show up with her friends. She watched as families strolled through the fair, dressed in their finest traditional attire. Women wore elegant abayas and intricately embroidered hijabs, while men wore crisp shalwar kameez and kufis. The air was filled with the tantalizing aroma of kebabs, fragrant biryanis, and sweet baklava. Vendors call out, inviting passersby to sample but none was louder than Najaf the owner of the Gyro King, who truly did have the best gyros in Jersey City. (No matter how many Halal Boys gyro shops had opened up)

As much as Kamala loved Fandom, coming home to Jersey City and reuniting with friends and family reminded her of just how much she had missed this place. What made the day even more special was being able to introduce her new friends to the hometown she cherished.

[For a certain few. NFB due to distance]

With the week done and Kamala finally getting her room exactly the way she wanted, Kamala flopped down on the bed and made her semi-weekly phone call back home.

( Phone call with Ammi )

Kamala ended the call and let out a long groan. Clearly you could take the girl out of Jersey City but you can never escape the clutches of Muneeba Khan.

[Door and post open]