Chaos (Sequel to Agony)

Chapter 9

||"A damaged soul does not equal a weak one."||

Wanda rested her body against Steve's as the Professor and Emma came into the room. Her chest still felt heavy, but the sizzling pain in her stomach had died down, which meant the power she felt was done for the day.

She breathed in and allowed herself to relax.

"What the hell was that?" Steve asked, resting his hands on Wanda's waist to keep her upright. "What would have happened if Wanda didn't help out? Would you have ended the session? Would you have let someone get hurt?"

Emma glared at Steve, silently ordering him to be quiet, and Wanda felt his heart beating rapidly as his chest pressed against her back. The professor didn't respond, he simply just placed his hands on his lap and waited for the room to quiet down. When it did, he spoke.

"I would never allow any of my students, nor my guests, enter this room if I believed they could not fend for themselves. This room is used to strengthen my students, and to push them to their limits in terms of working together and understanding themselves better went forced under stress. I would never allow a student—or anyone for that matter—in this room if I weren't sure they could handle the pressure."

Silence fell upon them, and Wanda looked down as the Professor glanced her way. Steve's hands were still resting on her waist, and she was fully aware that everyone was looking at them.

As the weight in her chest simmered away, Wanda looked up. "We did not mean any disrespect, Professor," she said, pulling herself away from Steve. "It's just, I wasn't expecting to be...tested today."

"Do not look at it as a test, Wanda, look at it more as an observation. You are truly a fascinating girl to watch in action, so please, take my thank you in doing this for me today. Thank you to all of you," he smiled at her, and she felt incredibly isolated for some reason. She didn't know whether or not his compliment was a good one, or a bad one. "Scott, take them upstairs while I speak to the Captain. It was nice meeting the both of you," he said, and Wanda looked at Pietro with uncertainty.

"I thought you wanted to have a talk," Wanda interjected, taking a step towards him.

The Professor waved his hand gently, giving her another smile. "You've done enough for today, but I'll schedule a proper meeting with you later, if that's of course, all right with you?"

Naturally, she peered up at Pietro, and he crossed his arms and nodded his head. She agreed, and Scott and the other mutants made their way out of the room. Wanda looked back at Steve before feeling her brother's hand grab hers. They walked out of the room and followed Scott and the others back towards the elevator.

She was bothered by the fact that the Professor didn't feel the need to speak to her today, and she wasn't sure why he insisted on speaking to Steve alone. What did Steve have to do with it? He wasn't the one with a raging power sitting inside of him—she was the one who needed advice.

With Pietro and Scott in the elevator with them, Wanda felt squished, and she had to lean against Pietro's body or else she would have to rub against Crystal for the small ride back upstairs. And with the way Crystal was staring at the ground, there was no way Wanda would bother her with a small nudge. The other mutants spoke to themselves quietly, and Wanda held in her temptation to look into their heads.

One thing Nik told her repeatedly was to start a conversation instead of roaming into someone's mind unannounced. He was a man of manners, and she hated that about him at first, but it began to grow into one of his most endearing qualities.

When the elevator doors opened up, they were bombarded with the sound of talking children.

Scott and the other mutants walked out as if it were any other day, but Pietro, Crystal and Wanda all stayed in the elevator for a few seconds too long. "I hate kids," Crystal snapped, stepping out first. "You two coming or not?" she turned, staring the twins down.