meet me at our spot | n.r x oc | ✓

11 - i live on in your heart

[stefaniya's pov]

I open my eyes and it's a little blurry. I rub at them, realizing that the glove is no longer on my hand. And I'm not on the battlefield-- I'm in my childhood bedroom that I shared with my sister.

The walls are painted a light green, almost white if you look from far enough away. A couple of books sit in a stack next to my bed. The small closet door is open, showing the contents inside that barely filled up the space. An old record player and some vinyls sit on the floor in the corner of the room. I sit up on my thin mattress, which is also on the floor. Another mattress is laid across from mine. My sister's.

"Stefaniya! You're awake!"

I freeze at the Russian voice that I've long forgotten, but still recognize it so well from just the sound of it.

"Alyona?"

My big sister walks in through the door. Except, she's not the same as I remember her. She looks older, like how she would right now if she were still alive.

"Hey, there. You were out for a while. Are you feeling okay?"

"I... I had the weirdest dream."

"It wasn't a dream, Stefaniya. It was real."

"Then why am I here?"

Alyona reaches out to touch my hand.
"You're dead. For real."

"What? The last two times I died, I instantly resurrected. It was like, in the blink of an eye. Why am I here now? Why am I not alive yet?"
I ramble in nervousness.

"You died and came back to life three times in one day, Stefaniya. Not to mention, you used a lot of your energy fighting Thanos and his army. Your body couldn't handle all that. If only you weren't so stubborn and just stayed in bed,"
she added in Russian, rolling her eyes.

"Thanos would have attacked then anyway."

"That's a good point."

"So, like... I'm dead now? Totally dead?"

"Yes, you are. But you can't, not yet. It's not your time."

"What do you mean?"

Alyona cradles my face in her warm hands.
"You are strong, little sister. You have proven that over and over, time and time again. You still have fight left in your body. Use it."

My eyes prickle with tears.
"But I don't want to leave you."

Alyona chuckles.
"What was that thing you said to Natasha? Hm... the thing with the particles?"

"Quantum entanglement?"

"Ah, yes! That's it. I will never truly leave you. We are sisters,"
she taps the heart charm of the necklace she gave me.
"I live on in your heart, and you in mine. Forever and always."

I lean forward, hugging her.
"I miss you so much, Aly."

"I miss you, too, Niya. But you have a family back at home, and I can't keep you from them."