"ᴘᴀɪɴ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴜꜰꜰᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ɪɴᴇᴠɪᴛᴀʙʟᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ʟᴀʀɢᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴅᴇᴇᴘ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ. ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴍᴇɴ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ, ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ, ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ꜱᴀᴅɴᴇꜱꜱ ᴏɴ ᴇᴀʀᴛʜ."
- ꜰʏᴏᴅᴏʀ ᴅᴏꜱᴛᴏᴇᴠꜱᴋʏ
<>
Chapter 11
Scene One
11 Years Prior
"How magnificent you are, my darling Sage, genuinely an otherworldly creature, eternal of this planet. You shall live on after me, past devastation and peace. Beyond this earth... Forever." As flames raged around their bodies, the only warmth the young child felt amongst the heat was the feeling of her mother's hands encompassing hers. "I don't want to live forever, I just want to live with you, mother," She wept uncontrollably, her tears barely reaching her cheeks before vanishing into thin air. Smiling humbly, the woman's eyes twinkle with pure love and adoration as she takes in the image of her only child one final time. "Rest easy my daughter. I will be with you always."
"Oh mother," The girl wept, squeezing her mother's limp hands firmly. It was obvious to her that this was the end. There was no getting out of this scenario, and no one was coming to save them from the looming devastation that awaited just around the bend. The humble smile coating Gaia's cracked lips slowly faded into an inexpressive line, as did her eyes, which lost their twinkle. As the fires raged, the young child's lips pressed softly against her mother's warm skin for a few moments. A few of her tears managed to drip onto her hand. "I will search for you in every lifetime until we finally stay," She mumbles, with heartbreak gripping her words. Blowing past her shoulders, a sudden cold breeze swirled around their bodies, not only subduing the raging fires surrounding the child but along with it, whisking away her mother's soul, which lingered within her lifeless body.
As she watched the winds flutter away. Along with the remains of her life, and the only person she had loved in the world, her tears couldn't help but choke her. The realization of loneliness had suddenly set in and a raging anger had bubbled up within her stomach, shooting up through her throat and erupting through her lips. An ear-curdling scream pierced through the atmosphere, expressing the insurmountable grief and anguish she had been filled with. "I... I'm sorry mother... This is my fault," She chokes out, barely being able to contain her sobs. Suddenly, unbeknownst to her, a strange presence had found its way amongst her mourning, looming over like a shadow. Bright red eyes pierced past pitch blackness, as hands reached out towards the child, with claws so sharp they could rip your heart out. As they grew closer, the more unsettled the child suddenly began to feel, until those fearful palms took a whole of her shoulders.
"Sage!"
________________________________________________________________________________
Scene Two
[ Avengers Base]
[3:20pm]
"Sage!?" Wanda's panicked voice hisses, finally breaching Sage's eardrums. Sage finds herself gasping for air after being startled awake. Her eyes are flooded with tears, which fall onto her cheeks the moment she blinks. They scurried to remote and intimate corners of her bedroom, her eyes like those of a deer in headlights. Everything appeared strange to her at first, especially the woman dangling in her peripheral view. Wanda's eyes flare up with astonishment as Sage darts away from her, leaving a noticeable gap between them. She couldn't help but feel upset by the woman's behavior at first. She naively believed it was due to their differences, but it was actually due to Sage's muddled thoughts.
"Who the hell are you?" She asks abruptly, clearly hostile in tone. In bafflement at the sudden interrogation, Wanda begins to speak. "It's me Sage... Wanda. Remember?" The young witch asks in confusion, as she takes a step closer, but stops dead in her tracks as she sees Sage's hands lift threateningly. "Not another step!" She lashes out, making Wanda nervous. "I've never met you... I have no recollection of you or this place," She spits looking around frantically.
"Where am I?" " She asks, her voice suddenly faint, as her mind struggles to reassemble the puzzle. Wanda couldn't help but sympathize when she heard the desperation on her tongue. "You're home, Sage," She says, attempting to shake the woman out of her stupor. "Home? " Sage repeats to herself, her brow furrowed. "Yes. You've been here for a long time. Tony brought you here as a child, and you two have always been quite close... Like Father and Daughter," Wanda says solemnly, contemplating the absurdity of the situation. Here she stood, having to remind Sage of her and Tony's formerly close relationship, even though it seems to be unraveling at the seams presently. "What?" Sage exhales quietly. "I live here?" She speaks quietly to herself. Wanda nods as she speaks. "Don't you remember?" She inquires, hopefully.
Sage's thoughts appeared to be racing as she stood there. Meanwhile, Wanda waited, both anxiously and nervously, for some sort of revelation. If Sage was unable to recall, things may quickly deteriorate. It appeared like the two were simply playing a waiting game. Sage was still on the offense, and Wanda suspected she'd be forced to defend herself shortly.
Suddenly, the Synthezoid man appears, bombarding through the walls of the woman's room, drawing all attention to himself. Wanda's pulse seemed to quicken at that moment, and panic surged through her body. With Vision's abrupt appearance, the woman may attack them both in an act of fright. But, she was left both astonished and relieved. "Vision," Sage's voice ripped through the air, grabbing all the attention for herself. "Sage," he responds with a pleasant smile. "I wasn't expecting to see you both here at the same time. "Did I disrupt a vital moment?" he wonders, shifting his gaze between the two ladies.
"Well-" Wanda begins to speak but is cut off instantly. "No, Wanda simply dropped by to see how I was coping to life under lockdown," Sage quips, knowingly staring at Wanda, in an attempt to cover both their tails. "She's right, it wasn't anything major," Wanda adds, faking a grin. "I see," Vision remarks, satisfied with their engagement. "Is there a reason you rudely barged in on us unannounced?" Sage inquires with furrowed brows. Vision's face flushed with guilt at the thought of his uninvited intrusion. "I'm sorry ladies, but not only was I looking for Wanda, but I'm here to deliver a message to Sage," he informs them both. "A message?" "What exactly is it?" The woman inquires. "The prince T'Challa respectfully seeks your presence. He's about to depart for his residence and would like to see you off," he conveys the message.
Sage's heartbeat quickened in response to Vision's words. "He does?" She gasps in shock. "Yes, he's waiting in the Lobby," Vision confirms. Nodding, Sage casts a brief glance toward Wanda. "We'll catch up later. We still need to have that chat," she admits, smiling. "Of course," Wanda agrees quickly, letting Sage know she got the message well. "I think I'll leave now. Have fun, you two," she says as she walks out of her room, leaving Wanda and Vision behind.
As she travels down the corridors, still disheveled and bewildered about what transpired minutes before, she notices herself in a passing glass. For a brief moment, it appeared as if it were a completely different individual. causing her to come to a halt and stare at her own reflection for a minute or two. She had noticed the fatigued and anxiousness on her face and she had taken note of it. She appeared to have lingered there, preoccupied with the vision of herself, for far longer than she had planned. It wasn't until the piercing voice of the woman she'd grown acquainted with over the course of three weeks disrupted her train of thinking that she snapped back into reality.
"Is vanity a new habit you've developed? Has being insufferable not been plenty for you?" Ayo's critical voice interrupts Sage's thoughts. "Ayo? What are you doing here?" She wonders, looking over at the woman a few paces away. "You've kept the prince waiting, so I've come to get you," she states, her tone irritated.
"Ohh... I'm sorry, it seems I got distracted for a moment," Sage apologizes honestly, taking the woman by surprise. Looking the woman up and down briefly, Ayo takes a step to the side, gesturing for the woman to go. "The prince is waiting," she adds.
Sage nods as she walks down the corridor, not far from where she was previously. As she walks into the empty lobby, the first thing she observes is T'Challa's back turned away from her, his gaze fixed on a lamp. "You must have a taste for the finer light sources in life," she remarks, seeking to draw his attention to her presence. Spinning around to greet her, a smile appears on the prince's face as their gazes connected. "I guess so," T'Challa says, returning his gaze to the item. "I was informed you wanted to meet me... You know, before you left," she says, as she walks awkwardly farther into the room. "Yes. I wanted to bid you farewell, for now, and ensure you were okay," he explains as he moves closer to her. "I see my well-being is bothering your thoughts again," Sage smugly smirks. "Well, when you walk away after the discourse that took place today, some apprehension is warranted," T'Challa adds. "I intended to check in sooner, but I couldn't, I'm sorry," he apologizes sincerely. Witnessing Sage's heartbreak today as she went back and forth with Tony before everyone, left a bad taste in his mouth.
"I guess you're right. It's the proper thing to do, right?" She mocks his words playfully. "Yes," he agrees, as he draws to a halt in front of her. "Thank you for your concern, prince, but I'm fine. No need to worry about Sage," she attempts to reassure him, even though both of them knew it was a lie. "Okay, maybe I'm not fine right now, but I'm confident I'll be fine someday. Hopefully," She sighs out unsure of the future.
"Let us be positive here. Better days are undoubtedly ahead for you," T'Challa tries to reassure her. "Thank you, prince; that makes me feel perfectly fine," she laughs, making him smile. "I'm not going to lie, I'm going to miss having you around. The place will be dreadfully quiet without you," T'Challa confesses honestly, calming their laughter. "That may be true, but I'm sure Ayo will like it tremendously," She snorts, returning her gaze to the woman in the corridor. "Still, getting to know you was enjoyable... In some way, I don't fully regret being kidnapped by the Black Panther," she admits.
"I'm relieved I made a positive impact on you," T'Challa replies, somewhat sheepishly. "Yeah well, it's better than what I left you both with."
"Not true," T'Challa disagrees. "I've always found you quite intriguing," he says abruptly, making the woman flush faintly. Turning away from him, she has no clue what to say; the only thing that seemed to respond was a quick fluttering of her chest.
T'Challa was ready to speak again when Ayo suddenly cut him off. "Pardon my interruption, my prince, but the princess is attempting to contact you," the woman informs as she walks into the room promptly. Sage's gaze returns to him, then to hers, as she considers her next move. T'Challa appeared to halt for a minute in thinking but was encouraged by the woman to make a choice. "It's your sister, who knows what she's calling for." Sage advises, "You should accept her call," in a sympathetic tone she assures him. Although feeling somewhat dissapointed by yet another interruption, she understood the circumstances. T'Challa felt the same way.
"We'll meet again, next time," He confidently assures, passing her an apologetic smile. Sage merely nods and smiles back. "My prince," Ayo insists once again. "Go ahead, we'll save the goodbyes for another time," she instructs this time.
Without another word, he hurries away. Sage could hear him greeting his sister in the distance. Ayo hung behind, passing a fleeting glance at Sage. "It was both intriguing and frustrating getting to know you," she says flatly. "Thanks" Sage responds calmly. "I think you're a badass, even though you were really uptight," Sage responds, making the woman scoff with a smile. Ayo murmurs something in her own dialect, before briskly following after her prince, leaving Sage behind. Sage stood in the base's foyer, watching them both leave her sight before heaving a deep sigh.
T'Challa had left, and she had remained as planned. It was clear how serious this issue had become for her. F or everyone. She had no clue what would happen next, but she was certain it would be catastrophic.
________________________________________________________________________________
Scene Three
Avengers Base
[5:09 pm]
Sage opted to remain in the lobby for a bit longer after talking with T'Challa. She assumed Wanda and Vision were still talking and didn't want to interrupt them. She also felt she needed to speak with Wanda before it was far late. Although she wasn't sure what transpired or where the conversation would lead, she needed to get certain things clear. Wanda, for all she knew, may know something about what happened. Perhaps she witnessed something. Sage, after all, had been awakened from this dream by her.
Sage's mother's death had always haunted her. It was one of the many reasons she despised some aspects of herself. It was one of the reasons she became estranged from Wanda. The young woman had resurfaced the memories of her mother's death, which she had worked so hard to overcome. She not only pushed her back eleven years, but also buried her in all the anguish, heartbreak, and shame she had felt as a child. Suddenly, everything repeats itself, and the first person she sees when she wakes up is Wanda. Coincidence? Perhaps, but she needed to be certain.
It was late afternoon by the time she returned, and the sun had already begun to set. Interestingly, no one came looking for her during the short hours she was gone. Perhaps because they knew she couldn't escape, or simply because they were too preoccupied. In any case, it appeared to be a small fortune. On another fortunate note, Sage ran into Wanda on her way back to her room. When the two women caught eyes, they realized it was time to talk. Sage led the way back to her room, with Wanda trailing after her uneasily.
She shut the door as she walked in. Sage began to talk as soon as she was certain they were alone. "Look, I know this all seems strange and suspicious, but I need you to explain what happened in here earlier." Wanda sighs lightly as she recalls herself. "To be honest, I'm not sure," Wanda testifies. "What do you know then? You came in here and woke me up. There must be something," Sage insists. "I found you here, unconscious on the floor," Wanda admits. "What were you doing in my room, Wanda? How did you get in when I locked the door?" Sage investigates, eyes narrowed in question. Wanda scoffs back in disbelief, "I didn't have ill intentions."
"I stopped by a couple of hours after you and vision passed by earlier. I wanted to check in with you after everything. I left since you weren't answering the door and I assumed you were ignoring me. But when I returned the second time, hours later, there was still nothing... I grew concerned," Wanda admits
"I confess it, I broke into your room, but I had no bad intentions."
"When I came in, you were unconscious and muttering in your sleep. It scared me a little," Wanda says, averting her gaze from the woman. Sage could clearly tell that she was telling the truth. "Did you hear what that was?" She inquires, her gaze fixed on the woman. Wanda pauses for a bit to consider whether she heard anything specific Sage said coherently. "No, I didn't. I was panicked, and you were face down... Nothing you said made any sense. But, you seemed disturbed."
"You looked like you were about to cry when I turned you over," Wanda notes.
"Well, I did, didn't I?" Sage scoffs, surprised that Wanda saw it. "What happened?" Wanda asks suddenly, glancing at Sage with interest. She knew the question would soon come, but she wasn't to keen on answering it.
Sighing, Sage leans against her wall. "I'm not sure," she confesses. "One minute I'm in my room thinking, and the next thing you know I can hardly stand. I tried to get outside before collapsing, but I was too late."
"Next thing I know, I wake up to your face and a completely mixed-up state of mind" She explains. "The fact that you knew neither myself nor Tony told me that much... It was strange," Wanda agrees. "Do you remember what you dreamt? For all those hours? When I found you... you were really distressed. I tried to guess what thoughts could have left you in that state," Wanda continues to ponder in curiosity, but the response she gained was one that sent a sudden wave of guilt through her heart.
"My mother," Sage states honestly, staring Wanda dead in the eyes. "More specifically, her death. I'm sure you remember how that scenario ended," she scoffs, causing Wanda to pull in a quick and unpleasant breath. "You believe I'm to blame for this?" Wanda investigates. "No, Wanda, I don't," Sage clarifies. "Then why are you making me feel guilty? I was the one who found you, yet I feel like I made a mistake."
Sage pushes herself from the wall and walks over to her closet. She hadn't changed out of her morning attire yet. "I'm not trying to make you feel anything, Wanda; I'm simply trying to get to the facts."
"It's not my fault you feel guilty about your actions," she adds as she begins digging through her clothes. "You talk as if you had no residual animosity for me," Wanda charges, but Sage's retort stuns her. Even if it came as no surprise, it was still distressing to hear, especially now that her suspicions had been validated. "Of course, there's animosity there, we both know that," Sage huffs, eventually drawing back, clothes in her grasp. She shuts the closet doors and turns to meet Wanda's pained stare once more. "Wanda, we've both been playing pretend here. Pretending to accept what we've done to one other. For the benefit of the team, pretending not to be influenced by each other's presence," Sage begins to point out.
"I mean, come on, one. You toyed with my psyche in unethical ways, and conjured up the painful memories of my dead mother. In return I tried to crush you for it."
"How can one simply move on from that without some ruffled feelings?" Sage insists. "I thought we were attempting to create something new. Everything that occurred in the past would remain there and we would be able to start afresh."
"No, you didn't," Sage disagrees. "Perhaps you keep trying to tell yourself that's the reality we should be living in, but you know better than anybody that isn't the case."
"You keep insisting that we're fine. That there is nothing there. But I assure you that the slate has not been wiped clean; we have just ignored it for the past year."
"I'm not happy with what I've done. I realize it was wrong and harmful to everyone, but I'm here, and I'm trying to create this new chapter in my life," Wanda adds, her insides churning with remorse. "What can I do to make you stop hating me?" She begs abruptly, shocking the woman in front of her. "I know it doesn't seem deserved after what I've done, but I'm trying here."
Sage shakes her head softly as she tosses her belongings onto the bed. "I don't hate you, Wanda," Sage explains to her. "I hate what you've done to me."
"I spent years of my life trying to come to grips with the death of my mother. Trying to convince myself that I wasn't to blame. All for some random witch to flip a switch in my head and send me back all years."
"Because of what you did to me, I had to endure everything all over again!" Sage exclaims fiercely as she approaches the woman. "It was hell on earth for me."
"I'm not sure about the others, but that stuck with me. I couldn't close my eyes for months after that without thinking about that moment. All those years had abruptly vanished, and here I was, that miserable young girl again."
"So forgive me for not getting over it sooner," Sage huffs as she comes to a halt in front of the woman. Unfortunately, Wanda's eyes flicker away from Sage's stare, as she tries to maintain her calm in front of the woman.
I'm sorry, truly" She apologizes abruptly, unable to find any further words. "I don't know what more to say. I know it's not enough. After all, enough condolences and apologies couldn't bring my brother back."
"Just quit pretending," Sage sighs, drawing Wanda's gaze back to her. "Stop trying to impose something between us."
"I don't hate you, Wanda. It's been a year since you joined. I've come to realize that you're not a horrible person; you simply made some dumb decisions. I've done the same as well. I feel awful for what I've done, but it doesn't give me the right to forgiveness," Sage says, Vision's words from earlier replaying in her thoughts as she spoke.
"So what, things aren't perfect between us, but after everything we've been through, that's to be expected."
" If we are to become more than just colleagues, it will happen organically. So quit trying to push something; it will only make matters worse."
"I guess you're right," Wanda ultimately sighs. "I understand I've been trying to force this relationship out of guilt and shame. "I can't create a relationship with someone if it's not genuine," She understands.
"Whether we like it or not, we're teammates. I tried dumping a bolder on you once, but I wouldn't do it again. Instead, I'd throw boulders at other people for you," Sage says, a gentle soothing grin on her lips. "I'd never do anything awful to you Wanda, and I'm still here for you because I care for you."
Wanda nods in agreement with Sage's comments, a little grin on her face. "I appreciate that," she responds warmly, moved by Sage's comments.
Wanda admired Sage despite all that had occurred between them. She always appeared to be confident and well-put-together. She aspired to be like her eventually.
She clears her throat and recalls her original worry for the woman. "I'm guessing what happened today stays between us?" Wanda requests clarification. Sage promptly nods, "Correct."
"This Is just stress...This entire thing is stressing me out. I don't want it to become something bigger than it is. You know they won't let me out of their sights if they knew," She explains, trying to convince Wanda of her situation, but it seems like she's trying to convince herself more.
Wanda simply nods in response to Sage's plea.
Of course, she understands Sage's point of view, but she still feels uncertain about the entire thing.
"All right then," Sage huffs, offering the woman a forced smile. "I've taken up enough of your time, and I'm sure we've both had a long day," she adds, attempting to get Wanda out of her hair.
"Yeah, I should leave now," Wanda agrees awkwardly, moving closer to the door.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Wanda bids her farewell as she starts to leave.
"Yes, tomorrow..." Sage responds as the door shuts in front of her. Yet again, leaving her all alone.
"Gosh," she exhales exasperatedly.
"What a day."
________________________________________________________________________________
ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴄᴏɴꜰɪʀᴍᴇᴅ. ꜱᴀɢᴇ ʜᴀꜱ ɢᴏɴᴇ ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ.
ʜᴏɴᴇꜱᴛʟʏ, ꜱᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɪ. -