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As she pulls up to the school, fear grips her heart. Still broken over what transpired, Malka had done what she does best: run away. She lost everything she thought was important to her, everything she could think to love. First, the blip, then Natasha. Even bringing everybody back only brought on Tony's death and Steve's disappearing act.
She thought she had Bucky. She thought she had Wanda. She thought she had them back, but she just fell into that trap of naivety again, like a fool.
Now, they're both left her too. And it's her own damn fault.
Pain grips her throat as she knocks on the large doors. It takes a moment for a middle-aged woman to answer, her hair now flowing down to her waist. An emerald crystal presses against the woman's chest, light making the gem sparkle. "Malka," Ria Lehnsherr says with a smile. "It's been a while."
"Charles is a telepath," Malka says, forcing the words from her mouth. She had not been here since Pietro's funeral. Though having met the woman years before when her only living friend was on his deathbed, Malka hadn't had the courage to ever form a relationship or bond with Ria, even after meeting her again when Wanda dragged her and Barton to the school. She never thought she would return, yet here she stands, utterly desperate. "Can he help me?"
Ria frowns as she nods, straightening her back. "We can do the best we can. Why do you need a telepath?"
"They broke my mind." Tears fill her eyes before she can stop them. Ria's expression, while carefully blank, holds a darkness Malka recognizes. "They put something there, and I have been trying to get rid of it. I mean, Bucky's free from it, but Aura's still there. I can feel her, and I need... Science can't fix this. Erik trusted you, and he was the last person I had left after I escaped even if I was too cowardly to say goodbye. Now he's gone, but...he trusted you. So, here I am. I'm done running from this problem."
Ria watches her for a moment before opening the door. "Welcome to the school. I'll show you around."
✗ ✗ ✗
End of book 2! Get ready for more feelings in the next one! And some, shall we say, multiversal mayhem :) (can you tell I have plans for MoM?)
