Agony (Wanda Maximoff)

Chapter 39

||I'll be here for you, always and forever.||

The White Queen--Emma Frost--was stunning. Wanda found herself captivated by her shimmering skin; the icy tone to her aura was glorifying. Wanda had never seen such beauty. 

And she tried, forcefully, to get into Emma's head,  but she failed each time. The woman wasn't letting Wanda in. 

"Stop it," Pietro told her once they both left Bruce's lab. They were headed to the cafeteria for food, but Wanda couldn't stop herself from looking back. "I don't trust her."

"You don't trust anyone," Wanda said, finally looking forward. 

"I trust you."

"That's a given," she said, smiling up at her brother. "She's tantalizing, I can't see inside of her mind. She won't let me. It's frustrating." 

"Maybe that is a good thing. I doubt someone who can turn into a diamond has nice thoughts. But... she is here to help, so that's better than nothing." The twins pushed the cafeteria doors opened and Wanda took a seat at one of the round tables. There were no windows in the cafeteria, but Wanda could hear the rain that was pouring outside. The sound of raindrops splattering against the roof was loud enough to let anyone know it was raining outside. 

She could also feel the wet air seeping in through the thick walls. 

"I'll get us some food," Pietro said, leaving Wanda by herself in the corner. She watched her brother stride over to the food, and she felt herself relax. Wanda couldn't even remember the last time they had a meal together. When her eyes roamed around the cafeteria, she saw a group of nurses sitting down together, all smiling and giggling as they stared at Pietro. 

One of them caught Wanda's eyes, and they all immediately stopped giggling, pretending to be focused on their food instead of Pietro. Was she that intimidating? Was everyone afraid of her? 

The clatter of a tray startled her, and she looked down to see her food. Pietro took the seat in front of her and sat down. She really did believe he needed a haircut. 

"Do you think they will come?" she asked her brother, grabbing the fork beside her plate and digging it into the baked macaroni. Her stomach growled with delight, and she shut her eyes as it melted inside of her mouth. 

"I don't know anymore," he answered, opening up the water bottle beside him and sliding it over to Wanda. "Drink," he said, and she grabbed it, letting the water smooth out the cheese inside of her mouth. "You look skinny, tired, and weak. You need to keep yourself healthy, Wanda." 

She knew he was right, and he was the only person in the world who would tell her that face to face. Over the months she had noticed her weight loss, it was minimal, but enough to notice. Her cheeks were hollowed, and the darkness under her eyes more poignant. Wanda didn't do it on purpose, she just never worried about it. 

But Pietro was back, and that meant he was going to make sure she got back into shape. The thought of it almost made her laugh. 

"What did it feel like?" she asked him after minutes of silence. "Death?" 

Pietro put his fork down, and she worried that she'd asked him a horrible question. But she wanted to know, she needed to know if the pain she felt when he died was equally as painful for him. 

"Quiet," he said, and she reached out, resting her fingers on his. She urged him to go on, and he wrapped is fingers around her dainty hand, holding it firmly. "I heard you scream. That was the worst part about it. Just before everything faded, I heard your cry. It coiled around me, making the pain of the bullets feel like nothing."