THEY SAY HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS. Normally, Eszter would always answer that, but nothing felt the same anymore after certain events. Maybe it was the emotional disturbance that crashed Eszter's world, and the witch had finally snapped, or maybe it was Wesley appearing out of the blue, calling her a witch. Eszter's world changed within a matter of seconds, and she wasn't sure what was real at this point; the idea of claiming Pepper's home as her own felt like a joke, and Eszter was kidding herself if she thought she could reside there and acting like her life hadn't spiraled more out of control.
A lost soul scouring the earth, searching for her place when she only felt out of place.
Somehow, Eszter's feet trailed along the concrete ground after she had appeared outside in the woods, nightfall settled in the sky. Green eyes shimmered with the stars practically dancing in her eyes, and the moonlight shining down on her face. Eszter warped the magic up and down her body, transforming her suit into casual clothing. Hesitancy lingers on her face as she gazes at the familiar cabin, reminiscing the one memory linked with other memories that still haunt Eszter's thoughts.
Eszter approaches the cabin with a shaky breath and walks up the steps of the front of the home. The woods creak beneath her shoes, whining under the weight as Eszter found herself standing at the front door; hesitating, Eszter stared at the door as her heart began to pound loud in her ears, and it seemed to be the only sound that she could hear. Blood running cold and head feeling light, Eszter was sure she was going to pass out. The witch blinks slowly as she catches her breath, fighting the fear and guilt trapped inside her mind.
Finally, Eszter tapped her knuckles against the first door before pulling her hand back into the pockets of her sweater, taking a step back. She waited for nearly a minute when the door finally opened, Pepper's voice cutting through mid-sentence as the woman reels the door open.
Noticing Eszter at the door, Pepper frowns. "Eszter, honey, what are you doing here?" Concerned, the blonde woman opens the door wider. "You're supposed to be on your trip. What are you doing back so soon?"
Eszter forced a smile on her face, but her eyes were burning. "Yeah, we were, but a lot happened; we got sent home pretty early."
Pepper smiles in puzzlement. "I didn't get a call about you guys arriving?" She leans against the door frame, wondering the truth, but Pepper has grown to know much about Eszter, and the woman could tell there was something Eszter wasn't telling her. Pursing her lips into a tight smile, Pepper bobs her head. "Doesn't matter. I'm glad you're here. Morgan's been missing you like crazy. Want something to eat?"
Slipping the door wider and moving aside, Pepper motioned for Eszter to enter the building; obliging, Eszter walked past Pepper and stepped into the familiar cabin, trailing her eyes over the room as she soaked in the view. Like it would be the last time she'd see it, Eszter wanted to remember the way everything looked and the memories she created.
"Uh . . . yeah, I can eat, actually."
Pepper nods as she closes the door after Eszter, locking it before making her way into the kitchen while the witch meekly trails behind her; Eszter peels out of her sweater and hangs it over her chair, sliding into the seat as she sits at the island to watch Pepper whip something up. Deciding to go special on the food, Pepper decided to make them both avocado toast with eggs on top. The two let the silence fill the space with a knowing tension rising inside, leaving Pepper skeptical and drowning in questions; however, it was as if the blonde woman knew Eszter was upset because Pepper didn't want to interrogate the girl.
Eszter was grateful.
"So . . ." Pepper scrambles the eggs while pulling out a handful of spinach, then cutting it into the pan. "How are Michelle and Ned?"
A pang sliced at Eszter's heart, nearly knocking the wind from her lungs as she got a harsh reminder of their last situation. "They're good. Michelle knows about Peter being, you know . . . Spidey," she nods her head when Pepper turned her head, perking a brow. "Yeah, that happened."
"And Peter? I heard about what happened. Is he okay?"
Emotionally, Eszter bobs her head as her vision got blurry. "Yeah. Yeah, he's fine," the cracking of her voice caught Pepper's attention, and as the woman glanced back at Eszter with a concerned frown. To her surprise, Eszter was on the verge of crying, but the girl was trying to keep herself composed even when her mind told her the opposite. "He's fine. Uh--" Eszter felt something touch her face. Quickly, she wipes her cheeks. "Everything worked out for him, so that's good. He got back E.D.I.T.H."
Pepper turned the dial down on the stove to let the eggs cook slower, not wanting them to overcook. She walked around the island and beside Eszter. "And what about you?" Pepper tilts her head to get a better glimpse of Eszter, but the witch had turned her head slightly that her gaze avoided Pepper. "Sweetie, you know you can always talk to me."
Eszter looked at Pepper, mustering a weak smile. "I'm fine. Really, I'm--I'm awesome," she laughs through her tears, making Pepper's heart hurt increasingly.
Before Pepper could speak, the doorbell rang. The woman didn't move as she kept her gaze on Eszter, wanting to understand the girl better and what happened during her trip, but was interrupted. Never mind that, but Pepper was certain Eszter wouldn't want to talk about the situation back in London.
Pushing herself away from the table, Pepper drags her bare feet to the front door.
But the hair on Eszter's skin stood up, and the witch turned her head directly at the door. "Wait, don't open it," she stood from the chair.
Pepper scoffed lightly. "I think I can handle whoever it is," the woman peels the door open, greeting two strangers. "Uh, hi? Can I help you with something?"
"Sorry to bother you Mrs. Stark, but we've got a call to bring in the enhanced that you've been holding."
"What? What are you--this must be some kind of misunderstanding . . ."
"Mrs. Stark, I believe you're hiding an illegal immigrant within your facility," the man abruptly says, speaking hard. "I'm gonna need you to release her, or we will be forced to enter the building."
Protectively, Pepper blocked the man's view. "You can't just show up at my house in the middle of the night calling out demands," Pepper snapped, gaining dominance. "Show me some ID."
Sighing, the man takes out his badge from the inside of his blazer. "Tyler Hayward, Acting Director of the Sentient Weapon Observation Response Division, otherwise known, S.W.O.R.D.," he flashes his badge to Pepper. "I know you have the enhanced known as Eszter Maximoff."
Pepper crosses her arms. "And your point?"
Eszter approaches the door and peeks around the barrier that hid her from Hayward's view; the witch walks around the door, narrowing her eyes darkly at the man before her. "I didn't do anything," Eszter flicks her eyes at the woman beside Hayward. "I just wanna be left alone, that's all I ask . . . please."
Hayward presses his lips into a thin line. "Sorry, kid, but that's not how the real world works," there was a sense of taunting and knowing that radiated from Hayward, and Eszter immediately caught it. "I think you know why we're here, Eszter." Hayward glances at Pepper. "Mrs. Stark, I assume you don't, so I thought it would help to explain the trouble Eszter is in."
Agent Rodriguez held a table in front of her as she tapped on the screen, turning it around when a video started to play. Eszter furrows her brows as she drifted her eyes away from the strangers and to the tablet, examining it with Pepper at her side. To Eszter's dismay, it was the same scene where the witch had fought Beck's drones, but it didn't appear that way; instead, Eszter was fighting civilians with her magic, and it was brutal.
Eszter's eyes widen. The witch stammers breathlessly, suddenly growing faint. Jerking her head away from the tablet, Eszter turns her attention to Pepper, but the woman had kept her gaze stuck on the video. She could feel Pepper's thoughts shifting. This wasn't right.
That wasn't real.
Eszter knew it wasn't real, it was all an illusion. However, it didn't seem like it to Hayward. It looked like the enhanced had brutally attacked a group of civilians.
"Eszter Maximoff, you're under arrest for the murder and several assaults you've committed overseas and on US soil."
Eszter Maximoff
will return.
☁︎𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞☁︎
❝ it's official, the dusk is completed and we're at the end of our story with peter and eszter. however, i know you might be confused since eszter already embrace her witch, but there's a twist! you're gonna have to read and find out. i can't believe how long it took me to even finish this, but it's actually kind of sad.
unfortunately, my baby essie doesn't get the happy ending as everyone else and is still undergoing more and more crap :(
3 books and this is how far the dusk series have come :') i can't believe it. thank you guys sooooo much, seriously. i've grown to love eszter and a few characters that i made along the way. i made this when i was about 16-17 years old, so it's nostalgic to me. i pictured eszter in each scene that i decided to finally write her a book.
thank you to every single person who interacted with this story--thank you for commenting and voting! i loved reading every single comment, and interacting with as many of you as i could--wattpad notifications suck and so most i never noticed until months later, i apologize. you guys made me laugh, scream, tear up, and feel loved. i never expected this story to ever blow up the way it did, and i appreciate every single one of you guys.
part of me still wants to in a way incorporate my other oc's into their own books, but with this semester coming up, i already know it's going to be difficult. i've struggled with theirs but i still haven't made up my mind, lol.
if you guys have any questions regarding future stories or want to be updating, follow me and i will keep you posted. you can also message me on my message board any questions--i don't recommend the private messages because then i won't see it.
I hope to see you guys again in the unnamed book 4 :)
love, isabel ❞