𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐯

𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐇, 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓'𝐒 how long it took Wanda to go a night without waking up in a hot sweat, panting and her throat screaming. Pietro was beside her the whole night, and it was the first time both twins slept through the night. Steve and Nat were surprised, as well as Sam and Vision who were normally staying in alternative residencies. They visited often though, Sam checking up on Pietro and Vision making sure Wanda was okay.

No one really understood what Pietro went through when he was in the hand of Thaddeus, he hadn't told anyone. Wanda had probably seen, through snippets of dreams he'd had and thoughts he'd thought of when he was reminded of it. Utalitonium hadn't been seen since that day at the airport, since Wanda had it strapped around her neck, since she was wrapped in a straight jacket, infused with it.

'You sure you're ready?' Natasha gripped Wanda's hand, making her jump back into the present. Wanda smiled.

'Yes.' She answered, and focussed her eyes around her. It was difficult, under the sunglasses and coats and hats to stay cool in the hot weather of summer, but their identities were more important than their comfort, so Wanda and Nat strolled around the empty town. They were somewhere in Europe, Wanda had forgotten where during her long days cooped up in her room. This had been the first time she'd properly been out, the first time the summer breeze wafted against her hair, and licked at her arms. The first time she'd truly been happy.

'Oh no no no you are telling a complete lie.' Adelaide yelled across the table at Gamora. She rolled her eyes and Rocket laughed hysterically, a drink in his hand.

'She beat you!' He erupted into laughter again, throwing his head back and Gamora pushed him off his chair. Adelaide laughed too then, and soon enough the whole team were in stitches.

'Hey that was the first and only time, and Father gave you an unfair advantage.' She defended, and Adelaide pointed at Gamora.

'No! You liar! I had a tiny dagger, I was ten and you had your years of fighting behind you.' She carried on saying and Gamora wafted her hand toward her and shut her up. They all laughed again, after slaying another beast. Groot sat next to them on the table in the pub playing with his action figures. Their glasses were at last empty, and they laid down a hefty pay for their drinks.

The Guardians left the pub, and got into the ship, the cold air biting their faces. Adelaide snuggled close to Gamora as they sat down inside the ship. They had a bit of rest time before their next scheduled mission, as the beast they were to hunt only appeared at a certain time, and for a short period of time. The pay was very large, so the team had been preparing for weeks, Adelaide trying to become more accustomed with her abilities.

As she lay next to Gamora, she lit a small fire within her body and warmed herself, making her body a heat pad and Gamora snuggled closer.

'You will fight with us tomorrow, sister?' She asked tentatively, not wanting to push Adelaide as she did years ago, that being a mistake. Adelaide pondered for a bit, making small shadows creep around her in practise. She exhaled quickly.

'Alright, yes.' She said, and Gamora hugged her even tighter. Adelaide smiled, to herself, because she was excited, looking forward to it even. Adelaide wouldn't let go obviously, she'd keep a tight tether on her power, but a short lead was freedom, and a welcome one. Adelaide would use her powers, her abilities to help her friends.

Believing that treacherous lie: The first mistake.

Weapons strung upon their bodies, armour and likeness equipped, and a small figure gripped tightly in Groot's hand. They walked out of the ship on the outskirts of a city, large and futuristic. Unlike anything Adelaide had ever seen before. However, there was no time to dwell on that, as a tremor hit the ground, the weapons clattered upon them.

'Here we go.' Quill commented, looking at the dusty, bare ground. Then, a wyrm, so large and terrifying it shocked even Adelaide to the core. Instead of fleeing like any rational being, the Guardians stood their ground, Rocket even yelled at the thing. Adelaide gathered a ball of breath stealing shadow in her hand, and her hair flittered in the high ponytail it hung in. The shadow crafted a sword, Adelaide's favourite weapon, and she stood in the face of the wyrm.

'Come on, Shithead. Let's dance.' She beckoned it, and it's large body slammed towards them. Rocket fired bullets into its thick skin, and Quill shot at it multiple times. It was Drax, Adelaide and Gamora that ran headfirst into the wyrm, jumping and dodging out of it's path, but taking with them sliced bits of flesh.

It screamed and howled, and as soon as Adelaide was on the floor again, she turned towards it and bare her teeth. Shadow creeped around her body, scraping at her skin to be unleashed. She let a tiny crack of power seep through, and in her hands she gathered energy so dark that it seemed to be crafted from an endless void. She threw it at the wyrm and it singed a hole into it, a hole large enough that it could've likely been a wrecking ball that did the damage. Adelaide turned to Gamora smiling, but was met with a face of fear, and as Adelaide began to turn around again, she was met with the hard exterior of the wyrm.

It shattered into her, tearing away the leather on her back, exposing the star ridden body underneath. Quill gasped, then went back to shooting the wyrm as it flew towards them. Adelaide pushed past the thoughts screaming at her that they knew, that she was no longer hidden, and she instead yelled at the team.

'We need to jump off this cliff and into the water, shoot it from below. The belly is it's weak spot.' The team nodded and they all ran in unison to the cliff edge. None of them jumped, instead they stared into the void of the water, licking at the sharp cliff walls, likely to kill anything that smashed against them.

The wyrm came closer.

'We jump, we go now.' Adelaide shouted, the howling winds now fuelled by the slashing rain.

'Jump then, Pussy.' Quill egged on, and Adelaide's look held venom.

'Shut up, Quill.' A black fire burned in her eyes, and she looked toward the water. 'Now or fucking never.' She flew off the cliff, and at the sight of it, so did the rest of the guardians, following behind and all yelling.

The water bit at them, and the wyrm too flew off the cliff, not seeing the end of the strip of land. Adelaide shot up out of the water, sword crafted from the blackest night in her hand. It met with the grey exterior of the wyrm, and cut through. As she passed through it's body, Adelaide shot shadow into the creature, obliterating it's insides and sending bits of its flesh into the water around her friends. Quill breathed a prayer.

'Holy Gods.'