Krystal

52

I wake up early one morning to see that I've received a text, it's from none other than Steve Rogers. He's invited me to some big celebratory party at Tony Stark's penthouse this weekend now they're back in New York.

I'm not even sure if I'm ready to go out and socialise with that many people all at once, but I agree to go anyway. What do I even wear?

"Stephen, I'm heading out for a run!" I shout upstairs to him, but get no reply.

I put in my headphones and set off running towards the park. I love how empty it is at this time of the morning. It's like I have the park all to myself.

Soon I start to pick up the pace, but suddenly get the strangest feeling that I'm being watched so I stop and take a look around.

When I'm confident there's no one else here and convince myself that I'm just being paranoid, I set back off running.

That's when I see two tall men standing on the path ahead of me wearing strange clothes, about twenty feet from where I am right now.

I quickly glance down and notice that they're both holding a sword each and they're looking straight in my direction. This wasn't good.

I'm not supposed to use my powers outside of The Sanctum yet and I've no weapons with me either, so I turn around and run as fast as I can back the way I came from.

Occasionally glancing back, I see that they're somehow able to keep up with me, meaning that there's no way that these guys are mortal.

I can't stay out in the open like this just incase they follow me back to The Sanctum, so I head into the tree line, hoping to lose them in there.

Once I'm confident that I've lost them, I climb up a nearby tree. They won't see me, but I'll be able watch them from up here.

It isn't too long before they come past.

"He will have both our heads if we do not kill the witch" one of them says to the other.

"She is not here. What are we supposed to do?"

"We cannot return without proof she is dead. We must continue our search".

Luckily, I remembered to bring my phone with me this morning, so I quickly text Stephen to let him know what's happening. It's only a few seconds later before he appears through a portal to confront the two men.

"You are trespassing on this planet" he tells them.

"We only want the witch".

"We have come for her head. This is no concern of yours, sorcerer".

"She isn't yours to take".

Wong steps through the same portal, showing them that they're now evenly matched. The men charge at them with their swords drawn and they start fighting.

Soon after, that all four of them go tumbling through the portal which leads back to The Sanctum. I climb down the tree to help, but the portal quickly closes up before I can reach it.

I set off running again, praying that I'll make it back in time to stop someone from getting seriously hurt.

Finally making it there, I burst through the doors to find all four of them still fighting, not even noticing that I'm here when one of them manages to cut Wong across the chest, injuring him badly.

"STOP!" I scream at the two strangers.

They suddenly drop their weapons and stand to attention like soldiers. Wong and Stephen look confused when both of the men remain standing there doing nothing.

"Star, how did you just do that?" Stephen asks me.

"I...I don't know what I did?"

I rush over to Wong's side while he sits down on the stairs so I can start healing his wound while Stephen begins interrogating the two men.

"Why did you come here?"

"To kill the witch" one of them answers.

"I know that, but why?"

"She is a threat" the other tells him.

"A threat to who? Who sent you here?"

"We will tell you nothing, sorcerer!"

"Fine" he tells them, opening up a portal beneath their feet that they swiftly fall through before he closes it.

"Are you okay?" I ask Wong worriedly as his wound heals beneath my hand.

"Yes, I'm fine. Do not worry yourself".

"What on earth were you doing out there alone!?" Stephen yells at me.

"I went out for a run so stop shouting at me" I reply calmly, not wanting to upset him.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going out?"

"I shouted you earlier to let you know, it's not my fault if you didn't hear me".

"You could've died! Wong could've been killed protecting you!" he made a good point.

"I'm sorry, okay?" I cry.

"Who were those men?" Wong asks.

Stephen picks up one of the swords that the men had dropped and begins examining it closely.

"I don't know yet, but I'll find out soon enough".

Stephen rushes off, leaving me alone with Wong, whose injury is nearly fully healed.

"I'm so sorry" I carry on crying.

"Hey, that's enough of that now, there is no need to get upset".

"What if you would've died? I'd never have forgiven myself".

"I'm fine. How did you even do that?"

"I don't know? I just knew that I wanted them to stop attacking you".

"They seemed to do it just because you said so? Like you compelled them?"

"Is that even a thing?"

"It's a near impossible skill to master for a witch and it takes many years of practice. You don't just do something like that by accident one day. You must've had that ability before you lost your memories".

"So you're saying I must be a lot older than I look?"

"It's most likely, yes" he tells me and I remove my hand from his chest now that his wound is completely gone.

"Is there any way to find out how old I actually am?"

"Possibly, but we mustn't tell Stephen".