BOOK 3 of the ORPHIC Series
CHURLISH
/ˈCHərliSH/
marked by a lack of civility.
~~~~~
Lucille 'Lucy' Opal Baker finds herself in the 21 century sporting the title of Aunt while lugging along h...
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"I am."
Manhattan, America August, 2015
STEVE PARKED THE QUINJET ON top of the Avengers Tower, unstrapping himself from the piloting seat. He glanced back at Lucy, who opened her eyes as soon as she felt the engine turn off. She swung her legs over the side of the bench, waving at Steve. She wouldn't fall asleep in front of two enhanced persons she didn't trust. Her mind wouldn't be very protected if Loki was attending a banquet, and Wanda could manipulate her memories, either purposefully or accidentally, and trigger her soldier-like state.
Lucy didn't really intend on losing the pinch of control she had over herself.
Steve nodded his head at her before walking towards the exit. Pietro awoke after hearing his footsteps, glancing at him, then at Lucy.
She caught Pietro's eye as she stood to her feet, approaching him and his sister, who hadn't caught a wink of sleep either.
Lucy held a hand out in front of Wanda as Pietro stood, raising a curious eyebrow at her, protectively squaring his shoulders. But Lucy ignored him as she waited for Wanda to grasp her hand. She stood patiently, giving the young teen an encouraging look. It was a peace offering—Wanda was still a young woman, and making mistakes was a way to learn.
Peggy had said so all those years ago.
Wanda looked up at her, guilt flickering clear between her eyes. She bit the inside of her lips, before hesitantly grasping Lucy's hand. She pulled her to her feet and gently patted Wanda's shoulder.
Wanda observed her expression like he couldn't quite understand her, nor the display of kindness. Lucy wondered if she'd gone a little too far with her threat, or if HYDRA had traumatized them just as much as they'd traumatized her. Both reasons seemed plausible, and she felt faintly regretful for being so aggressive.
But aggression had saved her from beatings. It was only when she was desperate enough to rip out someone's throat with her teeth that the agents became cautious of her.
She had been uncontrollable, and that had saved her pain.
"I'm sorry." Wanda said. "I wanted to know if we could trust you. But I—I didn't mean to invade your privacy. Sometimes I cannot. . .control it."
Lucy understood what she meant.
She couldn't fathom using her abilities all alone, and yet Wanda was doing a remarkable job. Lucy supposed the only reason why she couldn't grasp onto the magic inside of her was because she had a lack of control.
