Robin's Cousin

chapter thirteen

Wanda's POV

Even though I was technically not supposed to be using my powers, I had to practice what I learned while under Queen Bee's control. So while my team was off training for the day I had locked myself in my pseudo hospital room at the mountain.

I sat crisscross on the bed, letting my body relax as I felt the swell of energy flow through my body. I opened my eyes, no doubt revealing pure scarlet as I focused on the empty paper cup on the tray in front of me. Letting the energy out, I concentrated on making the paper cup into something living, something organic. Before my eyes, my powers infused themselves with the cup, interlocking with the molecules before changing the very matter itself into something alive, something breathing.

This time I was not surprised to see a monarch butterfly flutter her way out of the ball of scarlet energy where the cup used to be, landing on my outstretched finger. I grinned, cooing softly to the beautiful, innocent creature. "I am sorry your life must be so short, my dear. But it is for the cause." I reached out with the energy, engulfing the monarch butterfly and turning her into inorganic glass. I smiled sadly, placing the butterfly on the tray once more.

Satisfied that the power within me was still at its peak, I stood up from my bed and decided to take a walk to see how training was going. As I was exiting my room and entering one of the many winding corridors, my head suddenly began to throb. Crying out, I clutched my head and fell to my knees, trying to will my head ache away. But in doing so, I seemed to have opened my mind up to some channel of communication.

I was once again standing on the glass like water I had been when Queen Bee was in my head, but this time there was no blue tint. This time, it was tinged scarlet. We were on my turf.

With a smirk, I turned to face my adversary. Simon emerged from the water, paying no mind to me. I furrowed my brow, about to taunt him when something stopped me. I realized that maybe he hadn't noticed I was here when he began to talk to someone I could not see.

"You are almost ready, the time to strike is within sight." I tried to see around him but there was no one there, he was talking to a blank space. He paused, as if the person was replying. "Yes, I suppose you will need more training in order to master that. But no matter, you will not need that trick. We have bodies to spare."

Now I was dying to know who he was talking to. I concentrated harder, wincing when I saw a flash of recognition in Simon's eyes. He knows now. He turned to look directly at me. "Ah, Wanda. A curious one, aren't you?"

"What are you playing at, Simon? Calling me here to see you talk to yourself?" I scoffed.

"Do you really want to see who I was talking to?" I just raised my brow. He smirked. "Very well. Come out from hiding, dear."

A figure slowly emerged from the water, their back turned to us. They had long, curly, brown hair cascading down their back and two vaguely familiar points at the front of their hair line. When they turned around, I gasped, not believing my eyes. There stood...me.

But how? I was at the mountain, recovering from my coma. This other me was dressed in the same outfit I had worn right before I was rescued, the one I conjured when I was under Queen Bee's control. And she looked pissed.

Simon must have seen my confusion because he laughed, waving a hand between me and this...imposter. "Wanda, meet the Scarlet Witch, your clone. We knew that we would lose you back to the Justice League and the Avengers sooner rather than later so we made...arrangements." He cackled again, patting the Scarlet Witch's head. "She has all your abilities, with none of the emotional baggage. Perfection."