Escaping Maximoff

Please Please Please

Water swirled beneath my fingertips, bubbles erupting from below the surface and escaping the dark blue depths of the river. Small silver fish darted through the water, their shimmering bodies reflecting light like coloured jewels. The crashing of a waterfall drowned out the soft chirping of birds and annoying groans from the boy lying on the riverbank next to me. His golden hair spread out from his face like a crown, and his piercing cerulean eyes gazed up into the sky with a glint of despair. I sighed and lay down next to him, wiping the droplets from my hands on the soft blades of grass, wishing things were different.

It had been a week since I last saw Wanda Maximoff. Her fiery locks and the sparkle of her enticing green eyes were already fading from my mind, our memories ingrained, but the pictures fuzzy and curling at the edges. I was already forgetting her. Or maybe I was just being whiny and paranoid. Either way, being without her was torture, and my pain was Sam's pain.

I had decided to drag my best friend to our favourite place in the forest: a clearing by a waterfall just a few hundred metres from Wanda's house. I had thought the peaceful sound of churning water and the soft grass beneath my fingers would bring me comfort, but instead, I longed for the redhead. It was torture. She was so close, yet I was unable to be in her company.

I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent of earth and mist, allowing the sweet aroma of wet flowers to linger at the back of my tongue. But no matter how hard I tried to shake my thoughts of the witch, I simply couldn't. Even in her absence, Wanda Maximoff was ubiquitous, lingering in every corner of my mind and every whisper of the wind.

"Sam, this isn't going to work!" I lamented, covering my face with my hands to block out the blinding sun and hide the hopelessness which had made a home in the pit of my stomach.

The boy let out another eye twitching groan, a sound which only added to the frustration I was feeling. "Just stop thinking," he replied, acting as if it were the most simple thing in the world, when in fact it was much easier said than done.

I was about to make a snarky remark when I heard something in the distance. Sam and I shot up, our bodies twisting to locate the source of the loud shouts. Meeting his gaze, I nodded to the left, indicating the direction I thought they were coming from. He gave me a lopsided smile in return, then grabbed my hands to pull me off the ground.

I had a bad feeling that we weren't going to just find a couple out on a hike. So, I crept through the forest, urging Sam to do the same. Each step I took was calculated, with leaves and branches only crunching slightly under foot. The voices got closer until I was forced to grab my best friend and throw both of us behind a bush.

Brushing my dirty hands on my trousers, I dared to peek up over the wall of twigs and browning leaves, cringing when I saw a large group of soldiers and a man with greying hair. His cold eyes stared mercilessly at the men and women in front of him, he seemed to weigh up his options as a shaky hand raked through his short hair before he continued to bark orders.

It was clear he was some sort of director. When the soldiers tried to explain themselves to the man, whom I quickly learned was called Hayward, I understood exactly what he was searching for: Wanda.

He was so close. Her house was just past the waterfall, and with the number of people looking for her, I doubted it would take long for them to discover where she had been hiding. Every second I spent hearing Hayward spit lies about the woman I had grown close to worsened my dizzying fear. These people truly believed that Wanda was a monster, and that was terrifying. It meant they would stop at nothing to find her, and eventually kill her.

Before the anger bubbling in my chest became too much and caused me to rush at the stupid man and his even stupider soldiers, Sam gently took my hand in his, rubbing his thumb against my palm.

He leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Let's go warn Wanda."