Chaos (Sequel to Agony)

Chapter 31

||"They call me a menace, they say that I'm cursed."||

Wanda sat in the back of the car, her hands folded gently on her lap. She was still wearing her training clothes, and she felt sticky and tired and sore, but when Emma strode into the training room, her eyes worrisome and wide, Wanda knew there was no time to change—let alone shower for that matter.

Pietro had sensed the sudden change in the atmosphere, because the moment Emma stepped foot into the room, he had run over and grabbed Wanda's hand. The White Queen didn't say much, but what she did say was that the Professor needed to see Wanda urgently.

So now that is where they were headed.

Crystal sat up front with Emma, her eyes bright and confused. There was something young about the way she looked right then—almost accidentally beautiful, as if she wasn't even aware that she'd let her features grow soft.

Pietro was staring at her too.

Wanda tugged at his sleeve, and he stared down at her, those blue eyes of his darker than usual. He wasn't given time to change either, so his dark tank-top and sweats were all that he wore. The tips of his bangs were drenched in sweat, and his skin held a glow that Wanda had grown accustomed to seeing on him back in Sokovia.

But those blue eyes of his were so full of worry, that she didn't bother saying anything at all. She just lay her head on his shoulder and tried not to think about the worst case scenario.

But all she kept thinking about was her nightmare, and how real it had felt. Down in her core, she knew this is the reason the Professor wanted to see her.

The school was loud and happy as usual when they arrived, but the sound of laughing children did nothing to lift up her mood.

"Come," Emma said, leading them down the corridor. They walked until they reached the elevator, and Wanda's breathing grew shallow. "He just wants to talk, that's it," Emma reassured her, but Wanda bit down on her lip and tightened her grip on Pietro's hand.

When the elevator door opened, they were welcomed to a familiar stretch of hallway. Wanda remembered the steel walls from that day they trained in the Danger Room, but instead of heading down that direction, they headed the opposite way. When it was abundantly clear where they were heading, Pietro and Wanda both looked at each other simultaneously.

The circular door, marked with an X, opened up just as they reached it, and Wanda held her breath for some reason, expecting to see something awful.

But all she saw was a large, open room, made of metal, containing one pathway.

The Professor was seated at the very end of the metal path, his back facing them, and his head covered in a large helmet.

Wanda

She heard his voice, and knew immediately that the Professor was speaking to her with his mind.

Come in, Wanda

Her fingers uncurled from Pietro's, and she took a step forward, her eyes focusing on nothing but the Professor.

When Pietro reached out to grab her, his hand stopped half-way, pulled by some invisible force. But Wanda didn't turn to look at him, she just kept walking toward the Professor.

She heard the doors of Cerebro closing, but just before they shut completely, Pietro's voice calling out her name slipped through the metal doors.

Her body moved on its own, taking her down the metal path until finally, she was by the Professor's side.

"Hello, Wanda," he spoke, his eyes shut. "Would you like to see something?"