𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐢

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 as Adelaide weaved through the many people in the Lagos market city centre; she wasn't rushing, but she wasn't going necessarily slow either, people mustn't think she looked out of place. Her hands brushed away bits of cloth and blankets hanging from brightly coloured stalls in the market that usually would've caught the young girl's eye, but not when this mission was so important. Questions about Wanda's whereabouts and how she was were fired down the bridge in their minds, to which swift answers came back.

'I have just seen Nat, I think I see Steve.' Wanda said, stopping momentarily to check if the man she was looking at really was Steve, as instead of capturing the villain, he was just stood in front of him. Wanda sent all these images down to Adelaide, who confirmed her suspicions that it really was Steve.

'I'm right here.' Adelaide's hand brushed against Wanda's as they watched the pair of men talk, deciding whether to intervene. Wanda's eyes saw what Adelaide's did not: the man's hand on a small red detonator. She leaped forward, catching the blast and containing it with her scarlet energy. Adelaide jumped backwards, then ran forward to assist Wanda but Steve held her back.

'Let her handle it.' He commanded, and Adelaide did as she was told, watching Wanda struggle and attempt to carry the blast somewhere. What she didn't expect was for the blast to be projected by the scarlet witch into an apartment building only a few feet above them, exploding violently. Tears came to Adelaide's eyes as she heard the screams coming from inside and she rushed to Wanda's side, grabbing onto her waist and keeping her from sinking to the floor.

The fire blazed wildly, burning with no remorse and licking the sides of the building, scraping furniture and flooring in it's wake. Wanda cried out as she stared at the apartment, neither girl's hearing anything but the thoughts and silent pleads of people inside, their fear and torturous deaths echoing around the girl's minds. A telepaths curse.

Wanda sobbed in Adelaide's arms and the pair sunk to the floor, Adelaide stroking Wanda's hair and whispering quiet comforts in her ear. Natasha both tugged the girl's upwards off of the shattered floor and dragged them to where the Quinjet was waiting.

'We have to help the people!' Wanda cried out, reaching with her hand to the burning building. Natasha pulled her in close, seething through her teeth.

'What we have to do is get out of here, Steve will handle it.' She then whispered so only Wanda could hear, 'Before the ash starts to flow.' Both girl's looked at a bewildered Adelaide, looking up at the building and unaware of the thoughts in Natasha's mind. Wanda nodded at Natasha and the couple followed behind Nat into the jet where they sat down on the seats.

Swiftly, Natasha forced the blinds on the windows of the jet down, so they wouldn't be able to see the carnage outside.

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

The flight back to the compound was quiet, eery as no one felt like speaking. The press were already all over the scene, making stories and painting a very violent picture of the Avengers. Wanda ignored everyone when they got home, she went straight to her room and locked the door shut, not opening it even to Pietro.

Adelaide knocked several times, and even though she would be able to enter whenever she wanted with a twitch of the smallest muscle, she didn't wish to invade Wanda's privacy. So she sat outside for the hours that continued, not sleeping through the night at all; she never did anyway, but this time she didn't long for sleep or wish that she could close her eyes without seeing her father or Maw, she just longed for Wanda to come out of her room.

She didn't come out for breakfast in the morning, or lunch in the afternoon and by dinner Adelaide was still sat outside and willing Paprikash into existence with her mind. Adelaide laid it onto Wanda's bedside table as she knew where it was from memory and the countless times she'd been in Wanda's room.

Wanda appreciated the sentiment, and ate the meal ravenously as she was starved, though she would not admit it. As Adelaide waited outside, she remembered the introduction she'd had to the world at the Tower; what had happened after that question....

'Did you kill Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye?' Adelaide stiffened as a reporter close to the front shoved a microwave close to her face. Sweat dripped down her brow. The room blurred, her ears ringed and a large figure suddenly stood in front of her, announcing something to the press she couldn't hear. She was torn off of the large reporting stage and brought into a small room.

Too small it was too small and stuffy and small and she didn't know what to do because she'd killed Clint and everyone knew and-

There were arms everywhere, trying to calm her down and doing the exact opposite.

'Adelaide! Hey!' Who's voice was that? She couldn't tell who was speaking and where she was and what was happening as her body burned up, until the walls of the room burnt and heated up until they were black. Then suddenly Adelaide was on the floor, curled up as she remembered what she'd done to Clint, then what she'd done on that planet. Clint, someone so close to her like family and she'd killed him and she'd never be able to forgive herself.

The look on his kid's faces when they'd realised their father wasn't coming back. The shadow burst off of her then, killing everything in it's path, and seeping through the crack in the door of the room she and Tony were in.