Lilliana: The Oldest Maximoff [Discontinued]

Valentine's Day

Ding, ding, ding

I jerk awake, sitting up in seconds. My eyes scan the room, I must still be on edge from yesterday.

A sudden thought hits me, making me run my fingers through my hair and flop back down on the mattress.

It's Valentine's day...

It's my first Valentine's day with an amazing boyfriend and I'm waking up alone— halfway across the world.

I sigh deeply, rubbing my eyes to remove the remainder of the drowsiness, "okay,"

I rumage through my duffle bag to find that I only have one more set of clean clothes: white-washed skinny jeans, a deep green tank top, and a thin maroon jacket. My plaits are loose, but still intact, from last night so I leave them alone. There's no point in messing with them.

I stare down at my watch seeing that the plane departs in 15 minutes. Most of my belongings are still packed, but I scan the room to double check that I have everything.

I throw my bag over my shoulder, ready to move on from this point— ready to fall back into sleep, so I don't have to face reality yet.

The streets are quiet, most of the population still sleeping. The sky is blessed with beautiful shades of pink, orange, and yellow. Usually I would enjoy this, but today I keep thinking: Bucky would've adored this view.

I attempt to focus on the whirring of the plane instead of the melancholy thoughts in my head.

"Ready for takeoff,"

I might as well get some rest during the flight. It's almost impossible to sleep in the bed at the motel. Plus, this is the better alternative when paired with facing my lonely February 14th.

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

I almost immediately awake to the bzzt of my cell in the pocket of my jacket.

"What now?" I groan, ultimately wanting to avoid all forms of communication.

I see the Wakandan number and immediately my stomach churns, "Hello? Is everything okay?"

"Uhh, I don't think so– we need you here as soon as possible." Shuri rambles, fear lining her voice.

"Shuri, what happened?"

There's silence on the line...

"Shuri?!"

"It– its Bucky. He–"

"I told you not to stress her out, Shuri!" T'Challa yells frustratingly in the background.

"I know, I know, I'm not trying to!" She cries, "Lilli–"

"What happened to Bucky?!" I repeat questioningly.

"You need to get here, now."

"Shuri, what–"

The line cuts dead.

I stand ubruptly from the leather seat and rush towards the pilot, "I need you to turn around... Reroute to Wakanda, and fast."

"Where's Wakanda?"

"I'll show you..."

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

"Excuse me, you need clearance to be past this point." The guard presses his firm palm against my chest, blocking my path.

"Excuse me, but the King requested that I be here and, quite frankly, I don't care about clearance."