IN WANDA'S MIND

The city was calm and peaceful at sunset in Sokovia. A mother and father had just gotten home early from work to have a pleasant evening with their two children. The intended meal was to be pot roast with sweet potatoes and hot buns. The children were anxious for the meal, for they rarely ever have a meal this divine. Their family isn't the wealthiest, as a matter of fact, their country is plagued by poverty. Still, the spirit and drive of its citizens are what makes its culture so unique. The family sits down and gives thanks for the meal and their blessings. They look very content with each other as they settle into their own normal.

Wanda stands behind the young daughter, while the revived soul of her brother stands against the wall behind the young son.

"Do you ever miss it?" Pietro asks, gazing with a sentimental glimmer in his eye. "The time we had together? The time before this moment?"

Wanda had been keeping her eyes on her twin brother ever since he had presented himself to her. It felt like a piece of her soul had returned and she never wanted to let it go. But still, Pietro's spirit was interacting with her, asking her to contemplate what he was asking. She finally turned her head toward the family at the dinner table. She knew their faces all too well.

Robert, the father, was still in the suit that he had worn at the office that afternoon. No sign of a wrinkle or a stain, as he was a very deliberate man that stood up for what he believed in and did so using numbers and charting. Madeline, the mother, still had a damp stench on her clothes from her tiring shift at the cleaners. You could still see the dry sweat on her forehead glisten in the evening sunlight. After the parents, she turned to the brother; a young lad with a mix of brunette and ebony locks with the occasional smirk on his face. You could tell he was the troublemaker of the two children. You could almost imagine him taking a scoop of the sweet potatoes and flinging it across the room or at his sister next to him. Finally, Wanda looked at the young girl, whose expressions were exactly as she imagined. Small smiles for most things that were said, and big smiles for things that made her laugh or happy.

"It's been a long time since you've smiled like that" Pietro commented upon seeing the young the younger version of his sister smile at the table with their family. "Are you not happy?"

She hesitated on her words, trying to think about whether she was happy or not. "I'm happy to see you. That's for sure" she said.

"It's good to see you too, Wanda," Pietro said, walking over to stand next to her. He opened his arms to give her a hug, but Wanda quickly stopped him. He looked at her puzzled-like, wondering why she would deny and hug her long-time dead brother. "I know you're not really here," she said, "you're just an illusion made by Morgan to persuade me to her side."

"Of course, it is" Morgan's voice sprung out from the kitchen of the small apartment. The twins look over to see the medieval witch leaned against the corner of the counter. "I don't expect you to believe I can bring your brother back just by showing him to you, or your parents for that matter," she says, gesturing toward the married couple in the center of the apartment. "But I must admit, you do look happy here" she continues, gazing at the young girl. Wanda followed her gaze and couldn't help but think how simpler that time of her life was, as childhood should be. "Too bad it had to end here" Morgan added, smirking immediately after.

"Don't" Wanda asked, keeping her eyes on her younger self. She knew what Morgan was going to show, and she did not want to relive that experience over again, or rather, watch it unfold before her eyes. She looked up at the Arthurian mistress to see her grinning malevolently, only to disappear in a misty green cloud. "DON'T!" Wanda shouted as she faded, leaving the illusion of her brother still standing behind her. As the witch's figure vanished, the kitchen window became visible, along with something speeding toward the building in the distance. "Oh, God!"

The missile struck the apartment two floors below their own, causing the little family apartment to implode. There was hardly any time to react, meaning that Robert and Madeline were the first to go in without warning. Wanda watched on, again, as her parents' faces went from peaceful to horrified in a matter of milliseconds. The biggest difference this time was that she was able to see them fall into the dark grey cloud of debris and fire below them. To now know that that was what awaited them made her heart shiver. The blast rocked the building enough to send the twin children back to the wall near their bedroom door. Young Wanda is in tears and fearing for her life, while Pietro makes a quick decision to grab his sister's wrist and pull her into the bedroom to hide under the bed. The building continues to shake while the children scream and squirm. The adult versions of the twins stand watching, unaffected by the destruction happening around them. Wanda's eyes became misty, sad to have seen what she and her brother looked like in one of their earliest memories.

"Two days," Pietro said from behind her. "We laid there for two days, wondering when we were going to die. Wondering when our worrying would stop."

The image of them under the bed changed to the sight of their town in ruins, while rescue teams restlessly tried to find any survivors. Finally, the twins were found, with a dud bombshell with the word "Stark" printed on the side sitting right in front of their faces. "Even after we were saved" he continued, "I remember how traumatized you were, and how it haunted you in your sleep. Do you remember?"

Wanda didn't answer initially, still reeling herself back together after re-watching the horrific moments of her past. She finally answered with a silent nod. "But you were always able to make me feel better."

Pietro smiled, "Right. And you were there for me." Images start to flash through times in which the twins were together in their most dire moments. Trying to make it through orphancy, trying to make their own living, finding their place in society, and their rebellious efforts to protest the war in Sokovia. Wanda watches with sentimental eyes, as she remembers how much she loved her brother.

"Heh-" she chuckles, "if I didn't know any better, I would actually believe you were him. I miss him." Pietro purses his lips, knowing fully well that he isn't truly what he ought to be.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry I was taken from you, just like our parents were taken from us." With her emotions running at full steam, she caved in and let the illusion of Pietro embrace her. She hugged him tight like she was never going to let go. A few tears streamed down her face, happy to hold her brother again. Pietro rubbed the back of her head and shoulders, comforting her as she felt his reassuring love for his sister. "I'm sorry you've lost everyone." She gripped him tighter, closing her eyes to make it mean something, only for him to dissolve in her grasp.

When she opened her eyes, it was dark. The ground felt like gravel and large pieces of rock beneath her. Nothing stood out at first, just a bunch of debris from the looks of things, then she noted her brother's body lying down on the ground with bullet holes in his upper-back. Wanda immediately felt her commonsense fade, while her emotions took over. She brought her hands to her face, trying to contain the tears but ultimately failing. She lost power in her legs and fell to her knees. As soon as she landed on the ground, a bright red light enlightened the air above her. She looked up, only to find that the light was the hue of energy coming from a younger version of herself. She saw as she vaporized a few Ultron sentries with her scarlet energy, not even putting any physical effort into it. It all stemmed from the emotional turmoil of losing her brother. The image of her on her knees and screaming was slowed down, letting Wanda recount all the little details of that moment.

She kneeled there, watching herself in emotional pain when Morgan re-materialized behind her. She watched on, looking at how miserable she was, but in awe of the power, she presented at that moment. What she could do if she was able to let loose with the right teaching. "You see Wanda. Your power is limitless, but you allow others to contain it and use it for their own gain." Images of her time with the Avengers start flashing in front of her. "And each time" she continued, "they have blamed you for all their worst mistakes. How is that fair?"

The destruction of the Sokovian meteor flashes in front of her, zooming in to see her falling inside a bus along with it. Then, the sight of her sending a fiery Brock Rumlow high into the air in Lagos, resulting in an explosion that killed many volunteers and relief workers. The looks of doubt on her teammates' faces as they turned their shoulder to her. Seeing her isolated from everyone else, showing that she was truly alone in the world.

"They rejected you, child" Morgan spoke. "And it's because they know that you are too much for them to handle. By their side, you are nothing but a liability. Otherwise, you are a threat! But you'll only be a threat, as long as they allow you to believe you are." She placed a gentle hand on the shoulder of the young enhanced. "With me, you would have a place in the world. A new purpose. And in time, who knows, I may be able to help discover new abilities within yourself that would dwarf my own. Such as recreating life, which would help in bring your dear brother back, where I cannot." Morgan summoned the image of Pietro's dead body once more, lying right in front of Wanda's knees. Wanda looked over the dead body once more before the particles of the body swirled to life in a cloud. And like the phoenix being reborn in the ashes of its fiery death, Pietro stood tall and content before her. "You could be happy again," he said, extending his hand for hers. "All you have to do know that you are capable of making it happen."

A tear fell down Wanda's face, hearing and seeing her brother say these words of confidence. It didn't take long for her to extend her hand for him to take. At his touch, they both smiled, while Morgan grinned widely behind her. She nodded and stood to join him. "Yes, Wanda" Morgan hissed contently. "I knew you would eventually listen to reason. Now, we can rule this world together."

BACK IN REALITY

Morgan retracted her sharp nails from Wanda's head, and the young Avenger stood willingly. She behaved normally and her appearance seemed like nothing had changed. Sadly, the same couldn't be the same for her mind. Morgan had placed a deep spell in the girl's consciousness, slowly brainwashing her and erasing any happy memory that wouldn't motivate her into aiding her captor's deeds. In other words, she was being used for her powers once more, but not being able to use them as she saw fit to a small degree. Morgan opened her cell and lead Wanda to the center of the hall, where they would begin the ritual that would begin a new age of darkness on Earth. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N- Hello folks. I do apologize for constantly keeping you waiting. Still, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Leave a vote if you did, and don't forget to express your thoughts in the comments. Until next time, BYE!!!