Agony (Wanda Maximoff)

Chapter 8

||"Twins are special and they are magical; what they share in their souls is something they can only understand."||

With her mind bustling with miserable thoughts, Wanda decided to get some fresh air. She knew she wasn't supposed to go outside without an escort, but she didn't want to bother anyone. So she decided to go alone. The last couple of days had been hard for her, especially since no one wanted to explain to her why Bruce had suddenly gone away and why Tony seemed to never be around anymore.

Something was going on and Wanda wanted to know what it was.

She quietly made her way out of her room and to the elevator. It was almost lunch time, so she knew everyone would be busy doing something, so it was the perfect time to sneak away. The Stark tower was always hectic during this hour, and it wasn't hard for Wanda to make her way down the lobby and outside without getting caught. When she stepped out into the wild streets, the rain hit her like a ton of bricks. She hadn't even realized it was raining until it was too late, but she didn't let that stop her.

Wanda pushed her way down the street, not even trying to shield herself from the downpour. She had no idea where she was going, but she followed the crowd and let it take her deeper into the city. The sounds of the on-going traffic and the chatter of the conversations around her made her feel invisible. To the people next to her, she was just a girl, not the scarlet witch. No one knew she had powers, and that made her feel so good.

"Excuse me, Miss? Would you like to participate in the 'Feed the Hungry' foundation today? We start in a few minutes right in here," Wanda looked at the man in front of her; his long beard made her smile, and she wondered about what he was talking about. She looked behind her at the building that stood tall and mighty; people traveled in and out, all of them smiling widely while carrying trays of food.

"What is all of this?" she asked him. The older man acknowledged her question for a moment, then smiled at her.

"Well, Miss, 'Feed the Hungry' is a foundation that we do here in New York every month where we provide food for the less fortunate. Many families come together and make food and we share it to the families who struggle to feed their own families. We're running a bit low on servers, and I noticed you were just wandering around so I wondered if you'd be in the mood to do a good deed today?"

Wanda saw a young mother with a small daughter in her hands walk into the building, and Wanda knew immediately that she wanted to help.

"I would love to," she said, and the older man threw his hands up in the air and yelped in excitement. They walked inside of the building and that's when Wanda saw the dozens of people sitting down waiting for food. They all looked so different then she did; their faces were exhausted, not by sleep, but by hunger. But even though they all looked famished, they all had smiles on their faces. Something inside of Wanda excited her, and she followed the older man to the kitchen, where he informed her of what she was going to be doing.

Ten minutes later, Wanda was helping the other servants serve food to the families. Wanda was all smiles as she placed large plates of food down on each table.

"You've got a nice smile there, young lady," Wanda looked down at the older woman who complimented her and sat down beside her.

"Thank you, I like your smile too." The older woman furrowed her brows, picking up on Wanda's accent.

"You're not from around here, are you?"

"No, I am not. I'm from Sokovia," saying the name of her country out loud felt odd. She hadn't spoken of it since Pietro died, but she felt comfortable talking about with the older woman, because she knew that the older woman only saw her as a young girl, and nothing more than that.

"Hmm, never heard of it. Come and eat with us, we have all day here." Wanda's face lit up and she scooted closer beside the older woman and took a piece of bread from the bowl in the middle of the table. She knew that in that moment, her mind would be on something other than the agonizing pain of her dead brother.

___

Steve had just gotten off of the phone with Clint, giving him updates on what was currently happening in the Stark tower. Clint spent most of his time on his farm with his family and the team only saw him when they went on missions. Clint was just as surprised as Steve was when he found out that Pietro was alive. It just seemed so unexpected. 

Not being able to tell Wanda that her brother was alive hurt Steve beyond words. He had watched her suffer through so much for so long, and now he was being forced to stay quiet for longer, all because her safety was at stake. None of it made sense to Steve; it didn't make sense to him because how would telling Wanda her brother is alive put her in danger? What higher power was part of the equation? What was Vision not telling them?

When the smell of cooked food encircled Steve, he stood up from the couch and walked to the elevator. Wanda hadn't stepped foot out of her room all day, and Steve figured she was probably hungry. Quietly, he stepped out of the elevator and down the hall. Steve couldn't see the light from Wanda's room peeking out from under the door, and he wondered if she was asleep. He knocked a few times before opening the door, and when he turned on the lights to her room, he realized she wasn't there. 

He walked down the hall to Natasha's room and knocked loudly. 

"What is it?" Natasha opened the door half way, preventing Steve from looking inside. 

"Is Wanda in there?" he asked her. 

"No, she should be in her room. If not then she's most likely upstairs." Steve rested his hands on his hips and shook his head. He was just upstairs, so he knew she wasn't there. Then, with a quick thought, Steve ran down the hall and back to the elevator. He knew Jarvis would know where to find Wanda; he would be able to pin point her exact location. 

The elevators split open and Steve walked out, walking straight into Tony's lab. Tony and Pepper weren't home, and they wouldn't be back until tomorrow, and Steve didn't want to waste any time trying to call Tony. 

"Jarvis, you there?" Steve asked out loud. 

"Yes, Mr. Rogers, what can I help you with?" 

"I need eyes on Wanda, can you tell me where she is?" The sounds of electromagnetic waves buzzed around Steve, and he watched as the computers around him turned on with video footage of every room in the Stark tower. 

"She is not here, Mr. Rogers. She is seen leaving the building about three hours ago." Jarvis pulled up a video of Wanda walking through the lobby and out into the street. He felt his heart sink, and he reached up to touch the screen. Where could she possibly have gone? Wanda didn't know the city well enough to maneuver around. Luckily, anyone could spot the Stark tower from miles away, so at least she would know how to get back, but that still didn't tell Steve where she had gone. 

"Can you find out where she is, Jarvis?" Steve asked. 

"It will take some time, but I will find her Mr. Rogers." Steve pulled out the chair in front of the computers and sat down, watching as the screens changed from one video to another. Trying to find someone in New York was like trying to find a needle in a hay stack. It would take some time, but Steve was counting on Jarvis to get it done quickly.