𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐯𝐢𝐢

𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐃𝐄'𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐏𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃 with the sudden arrival of the space stone on her father's ship. Her body ached and seemed to want to reunite with the stone, even though she had never seen it before. After a few hours, she yielded, and made her way into the war room where she felt the stone's presence. Indeed, Thanos sat at the large table, gauntlet on the table.

He looked up and signalled for his many general's and war-chiefs to leave the room. They did so promptly. 'Child, what is it?' He asked, and Adelaide had to pry her eyes away from the stone to look at him. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

'The stone, may I... see it?' Adelaide asked, trying to hide her fear. Thanos looked from Adelaide to the stone, then nodded and huffed, laying the gauntlet out on the table. Adelaide rushed around, head screaming and lay her arm over the stone.

What stories do you have to tell? Adelaide demanded to know.

You have returned for me? Let me help you, mother, let me give you the power you so desperately need.

Blue from the stone swirled into tendrils, and they crawled up Adelaide's arm, Thanos tried to pull the gauntlet back to his side and Adelaide tried to retrieve her arm, but all they could do was struggle as the stone held them both in place. The blue smoke made its way up Adelaide's arm, not touching her until it got to her face, and then the smoke pressed down hard onto Adelaide's skin.

Blue singed her arm, and she cried out in pain, the blue marking her with swirls on her arm and then all the way up her shoulder, neck and it ended around her ear. Finally she pulled away, landing backwards on the floor. The blue marks faded, and stars replaced her arm, stars and that endless void. Thanos' eyes widened, and a smile grew on his face.

'You're needed upon Terra in a few hours, get ready, suit up. We'll talk about this lovely development when you get back. You're going with Maw.' He commanded, and Adelaide got up and stood still on the ground.

'No. I'm not going to to Terra.' She said, and Thanos rubbed his brows.

'Yes you are, Adelaide.' He tightened his fist and pain erupted in Adelaide's neck, the purple of the stone lit up like embers in a fire. 'You're going to Terra, you're going to get the mind stone and time stone, and you're going to come back here.' Adelaide nodded, nearly crying from the pain, which subsided in time for her to run to her room, and bury herself in her covers.

In punishment for her defiance, the fire was lit, and even though she tried to put it out, ash collected at the bottom of the fireplace. Not even Wanda's consoling words across their connection brought Adelaide out of what she fell into that day.

Proxima knocked on her door, and Adelaide changed her disheveled appearance to look more appealing; maybe those shapeshifting lessons were going to pay off after all. Adelaide opened the door, and Proxima looked her up and down, Adelaide adorned in leathers.

'Change of plan, you're coming with me and Corvus to... Scot... larn... Scotland. Be ready in twenty minutes.' Proxima's voice was dull, which Adelaide knew meant Thanos had done something to her, likely a beating or got one of his general's to do it. Adelaide shut the door and leaned against it.

'Where are you?' She sent the question down the connection and immediately felt Wanda liven up on the other end.

'Edinburgh, why?' Wanda answered, shooting images of where she was to Adelaide's mind.

'Shit, who are you with?' Adelaide kept the questions going, if she was to be retrieving the mind stone-

'Vis and Pietro. Adelaide you're scaring me.' Wanda replied. Adelaide got up from where she sat and paced in her room.

'I'm going to be there soon, don't tell any of the others. All you say to Pietro and Vision is pretend you guys don't know me. Me and my sister and brother are coming down to you, to get the stone.' Wanda's heart pounded in her chest, a small smile creeping to her face.

'You're coming... here?' She asked, not hiding her joy at those words. Adelaide sighed, not reciprocating her feelings.

'God, Wanda. That isn't the point. I'm going there to murder you, not to have some sort of family reunion. They're going to make me kill you, and you're excited?' Adelaide asked, and Wanda's happiness, dulled but did not disappear.

'Well, I'll do as you say then. See you soon?' A giggle rippled down the connection, and Adelaide smiled too then, sent the imagine down their bond.

'Yes, see you soon.'