THE APPRENTICE III

15

TW: abuse

Hazel got up on her feet as she took in the new environment. Nausea overcame her, and she immediately aimed for a bowl behind them. Within seconds, she found herself sharing it with Strange, the idea of them puking in one bowl making her even more sick. Stephen pulled away and she kept on going, then relieved herself after one last cough.

"Damn, I just had those pizzas." She frowned to herself and eyed the cloak that had a nasty burn. She walked up to it and began to stroke it. "Aw, poor thing,"

"America, get us back," Stephen ordered.

"I can't,"

"But you just did,"

"I don't know how!,"

"Wong is back there alone, and we're the only hope he has!" Stephen raised his voice. She couldn't lie, there was something satisfying about seeing him get angry with her.

She had a newfound annoyance with the girl. She eyed her ring that began to glow yellow, Wong's color.

"You must be able to control it somehow, even I could control-" Stephen stopped himself when the girl took a cautious step back. "Sorry,"

"Well then maybe there's a better you here, someone who can control her powers." Hazel suggested coldly and crossed her arms.

"There's no other me, none of them do. I've looked." She revealed "and I never dream,"

"What about the book of Vishanti?" Hazel suggested. "We could look for ourselves, they could be useful!,"

"We need to go find other, other us!" Stephen nodded along as they made their way down the building.

The universe they were brought into was almost like one from those dystopian books. They were filled with green, people dressed almost completely identical in corporate wear. It still had that busy, New York energy, but it was miles different.

"What's been going on with you?" Stephen asked as they travelled along the street. "Hey!-"

He pulled on her collar when she tried to walk the pedestrian lane. They looked up at the red lights.

"You go on red?,"

"Rule number one of multiversal travel: you don't know anything,"

"So what's rule number two?" Stephen asked, and she was nowhere to be found. "America?!"

Hazel frowned at the way he searched the streets for her. She scanned the crowd and found her before them with a bowl of food.

"Eat, preferably pizza." She popped one into her mouth as they continued on. "It was free. Food's free in most universes, actually,"

"Hey, you didn't pay for that!" A man from behind them called. "Pizza poppa always gets paid!,"

"Pizza poppa?" Hazel curled her lip at the nickname.

"Alright pizza poppa, relax-," Strange held his hand out in between them.

"-you're seriously calling him that?!" Hazel made a sound in between a laugh and a cry.

"You relax there, doctor strange! Where'd you get this cape from, anyways? That's authentic!" He grabbed onto the cloak and checked it out.