Inheritance of ash

don't.

She kept her secret close-an echo in the shadows of her mind, a warning she couldn't yet explain. And as the others exchanged worried glances, Vicky knew this was only the beginning.

⸻

Vicky rubbed her wrist gently, the faint warmth of the bracelet still lingering like a ghost. She looked up at Bruce and Peter, their faces etched with concern and curiosity.

"Okay," she said, voice low and steady despite the racing thoughts inside her. "You both have to promise me something."

Bruce raised an eyebrow, exchanging a glance with Peter. "What's that?"

She took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Don't tell anyone else what just happened. Not the others. Not Romanoff, not Tony, not anyone."

Peter blinked, surprised. "Really? Why?"

Vicky shrugged, trying to sound casual but unable to hide the edge of urgency beneath her words. "Some things... are better left unsaid for now. I don't want this to become a thing. People looking at me differently, making assumptions. I'm still trying to figure it out."

Bruce nodded slowly, his expression serious. "We get it. This stays between us."

Peter grinned, tapping his fingers on the table. "Secret Avengers stuff, huh? Count me in."

Vicky allowed herself a small smile, grateful for their understanding. "Thanks. I don't know what's inside this bracelet. Or why...

I can't tell them about the voice, they'll think I'm some crazy schizophrenic lunatic.

She continues. "But if everyone starts poking around or asking too many questions... I won't be able to keep it together."

Bruce placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll handle it. You're not alone in this."

Peter's grin softened into something more genuine. "Yeah, you've got a couple of nerds on your side."

Vicky looked down at the bracelet, its metal cool and unassuming now, hiding whatever power it held beneath its surface.

⸻

Vicky lays on her bed like a body washed ashore-limbs heavy, the room too quiet, too still. She stared at the ceiling, the same way someone stares at a locked door and wonders if they've got the wrong key-or if they're just not supposed to open it.

Her heart was finally steady, but her mind hadn't slowed since she'd left the lab. The green light still lingered behind her eyes like she'd stared into the sun. And the voice...

"Don't."

It echoed again, louder in memory than it had been in real life. If it was real life. She wasn't even sure anymore.

Don't... what? she thinks to herself, rubbing her temples. Don't touch the bracelet? Don't try to figure it out? Don't eat lab snacks while Bruce isn't looking?

She flopped her arm over her face, sighing into the crook of her elbow. "Cool. Hearing voices now. Love that for me."

She sat up slowly, legs crossed, staring at the bracelet on her wrist. It looked innocent. Like a cheap accessory from a flea market. A little worn. A little dented. A little too mysterious.

She took a slow breath, then another.

"In through the nose," she whispered sarcastically. "Out through the existential dread."

Closing her eyes, she tried to center herself like Wanda had taught her-breath by breath, pulling the world down to a quiet hum.

And then, once the stillness crept in, she reached toward it. Not physically-mentally. Like knocking on the inside of her own mind.