Ion Heart

Chapter 27: Saudade

I once imagined death to be like a bird. That, when I died, I would be flying not falling. No danger would ever touch me, I would watch over the people I'd left behind, I would soar gracefully amongst the clouds. I'd be free.

And I still imagine that to be true. I believe that there is a heaven I'll go to. I imagine that's where Pietro is now. I don't know whether you believe in that kind of thing but, for me, I like to think Pietro is at peace. It's a lot better than being stuck in the ground. 

The team stand together on a hillside that watches over what used to be Sokovia. Wanda said that before the war, her and Pietro came here as children. At night they would camp under the moon and count the stars in the sky. Pietro liked the stars. Wanda is doing a remarkable job of holding it together. Her speech on her twin brother is touching, a light inside her that will never die. I'm doing my best not to cry. If she can do it so can I. Dad is clinging onto me like I might collapse any second. The team have been treating me like cracked glass, waiting for the moment when I will shatter into a million pieces. It's true, I do feel like that; but I don't want them to know.

A clean bandage covers my wrist. It's the only visible scar left from the battle. The doctor was surprised I hadn't passed out from the pain, the bullet had shredded my wrist. I guess shock kept me going. Luckily for me, I didn't require surgery, just stitches. My advanced healing has left me with a jagged scar that stretches from my elbow to my hand. It will heal in time; I don't want it to. It's a permanent reminder of why I'm still alive. I find myself scratching it again. I must stop before it bleeds. A tear trickles down my cheek initiating Dad to squeeze my hand. I force a smile and instead fiddle with the hem of my dress. It's boring really, I never plan on wearing it again.

'Pietro loved music. He inherited that from our mother. When she died, so did the songs. Until one day, he smiled at me and said "I've found the voice of an angel." Of course, I laughed at that. Pietro didn't know Katy for a very long but she impacted him in many ways. She brought back the song in his heart...'

Oh gods it's my turn.

'...and I know how much he would have liked to hear her sing again.' She pauses, tears prick in her eyes as she looks to me. 'Katy?'

I swallow the lump in my throat and push my feet one after the other to the front. I give her a small smile as she trudges back to Vision. I don't know what to say. What do I say? I just ask SUNDAY to start the song.

Ooo-ooo Ooo-ooo Ooo-ooo Ooo-ooo

Ooo-ooo Ooo-ooo Ooo-ooo Ooo-Ooo

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high

And the dreams that you dream of once in a lullaby

Oh somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly

And the dreams that you dream of, dreams really do come true

"You didn't see that coming?" He taunts in a thick, Sokovian accent.

"I don't have time for games." I sneer, calling the lightning to my hands.

Someday I'll wish upon a star

Wake up where the clouds are far behind me