SHE | Marvel's Avengers [10]

Chapter 41 - Explinations

2 Days Later...

I sighed as my phone, which had been fixed since my escape from Jersey, rang. I picked it up, holding it to my ear. 

"Hello?" I asked.

 "Hi, Ahmi! I, uh, called to say that Bruce and I are on our way to come to get you! We've been flying all day, and we're about an hour out!" Kamala chirped. "Okay, thanks! Um, Bruce knows where to land, right?" I asked.

"Hold on, let me check," I could hear them, but they were extremely muffled. 

"He says he does, and he also says to be ready. We're meeting the Chimera halfway since we just got a mission," She said.

 "Thanks for telling me. I'll be ready to leave when you get here," I said, then she hung up and I put my phone up. I was in the marketplace of the Border Tribe, which was in the center of the main village and was bustling with life. 

All around me, people were haggling for better prices, browsing vendors' goods, and chatting with their family as they walked through the crowded streets.

I tugged at the traditional blanket tied around my torso. Mama had given it to me, and I had worn it to make her happy, but I secretly preferred my normal clothes. 

I had learned a lot about Wakandan culture in my two days here. I was a member of the Border Tribe, which was responsible for upholding Wakanda's illusion of being a poor, third-world country.

 I had met W'Kabi, who was a Royal Adviser for the Border Tribe, and my family bred White Rhinoceros, which were used in battle.

"Mama! I'm home!" I called, pushing opening the hut door.

 "I'm in the backyard!" She called, and I jogged to the back of the house. My mother was bent over, tending to the garden in the backyard that was full of juicy vegetables, sweet fruits, and fragrant spices that she used in cooking. 

"Um, I just got a call. Bruce and Kamala are coming to pick me up. They said there's a mission," I said, leaning against the wall, and she nodded.

 "I'm sorry I have to leave so soon. If you want, I can stay. I don't have to go if you want," I said, and she straightened up.

"No. Go with them. These past few days have been a blessing from Bast and Sekhmet," She said, placing a hand on my shoulder. 

"I promise I'll visit when I can, Mama. But, it is a long trip from New York," I said, and she laughed. 

"When will they arrive?" She asked.

 "About an hour," I said. 

"That's plenty of time for some Melktert, no?" She asked.

I lit up. Out of all the dishes, Melktert had been my favorite that my mother had served me. We headed into the kitchen, where a fresh one was baking in the oven. She pulled it out, setting it on the counter and filling the room with the sweet smell of freshly baked pastry. 

Steam rose from the baked good, lazily curling out the window.

"So...what happened to your father?" Mama asked tentatively. I sighed. 

I didn't like talking about it, but she deserved to know. I took a deep breath, curling my fingers to hide the black creeping up them. I took another deep breath before starting my tale.

 "We were there, on A-Day. I remember it like it was yesterday. Mr. Stark had just flown in, and an explosion went off on the bridge. We were standing on the VIP balcony. The Avengers took off, heading towards the bridge while Cap and Snake stayed on the Chimera, going below deck. Everyone was running around, screaming. Baba turned to me, and he told me to always stand up for myself and to never forget who I was. He made me promise I would do that, no matter what happened. I told him everything would be fine, but he insisted, so I did. He told me to get onto the quinjet. He was going to stay behind and help people evacuate. I ran off and got on the quinjet. I was so scared. I could see the fighting on the bridge from my seat. The jet took off, and as the back was closing, we watched the Chimera blow up in blue and red explosions while being sucked down into the Bay, Cap, and Snake still on it. Baba had never gotten on the jet. The entire way, I kept telling myself he was fine, he had made it off in time. When we landed, someone asked me where my parents were so I told her. She promised they would look for him, but they never found him. Not even a body," I said. She had a frown on her face.

 "I'm so sorry you had to go through that," She said. 

"It's alright. I've had plenty of time to accept what happened," I assured her, and she looked at my hand. 

"Mzantsi, what's wrong with your hand?" She asked, and I looked down to see that the black had spread.

I pulled up my sleeve, seeing that the black ended about halfway up my forearm, fading back to my natural skin color. 

"You're not...?" She trailed off, and I looked down.

 "A few days after A-Day, I got encased in some sort of strange rock cacoon. When I emerged, I could do this," I summoned a shadow ball, watching as it hovered a few inches above my hand. "I'm sorry. I should've told you earlier. I just didn't know how," I admitted. 

"It's okay. Your father and I knew there was something special about you," She said, and I nodded.

"I know. He, uh...he left me a message, in case something happened to him. I found it about a week ago. He told me everything," I admitted. 

"Well, how about we have some of this pie instead of letting it go cold?" Mama asked, and I perked up a bit. She pulled out a knife, slicing some and plating them. We were finishing off our pieces when I heard the familiar roar of the quinjet engines. 

"That's them!" I said, running to the room I had been staying in and grabbing my backpack.

We went outside, watching the grass ripple under the engines as they landed. The ramp lowered, and Kamala came running out, tackling me in a hug. 

"Kamala, you saw me two days ago!" I reminded her as she let go. 

"It felt like longer," She admitted as Bruce approached, a smile on his face and his hands in his pockets. 

"You must be Ahmi's mother. A pleasure to meet you. I'm Bruce," He said, holding a hand out to Mama.

She shook it, smiling at him. "Please, call me Ake," She said. 

"And you must be the famous Kamala my daughter's told me about," She said, looking at Kamala and extending a hand. 

"You told your mom about me?" She asked.

 "She asked," I shrugged.

"Have you had a good time, Ahmi?" Bruce asked. 

"Well, I'm an official citizen of Wakanda and I met my family, so...yeah. I'd say so," I nodded.

 "Well, we really should get going. Again, it was a pleasure meeting you, Ake," He said, nodding to my mother.

 "Wait, before you go!" Mama ran inside, emerging with a picture. "Your guardian sent this to me on your 14th birthday. It belongs to you," She said, holding it out.

It was a picture of me and all the Avengers on A-Day, a moment of happiness from that day of infamy.