finding wanda: a tale of discovery and trust

"fear and eagerness"

There I was, looking at the forbidden era sign with the big red letters, hanging carefree. The rope held it between the trees, letting it swing in the air.

When I left the house, I was so certain. The need to know more, properly made me desperate a little, but I didn't care. I needed to do it. Yet I Just stood there. Torn between desperation and anxiety. my heart was bouncing in my chest like crazy. On one hand, I was eager to discover more. However, on the other hand, my gut was telling me to turn around, to walk away and never come back.

My hands were warm and clammy as the sweat made me realize I should go now, or I never would. The longer I stood there, the more lack of carouge I felt. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I told myself that in the worst case, I'd die. So that wasn't even that bad. I was kidding, of course but, since dark humor is in my nature, I couldn't help but laugh at my own joke.

While taking a deep breath again, I decided to just go for it. However, I flinched when I heard a voice. "I thought I'd see you again," The voice said.

I turned around and there she was, the famous redhead whom I hadn't been able to get out of my mind since our last encounter. She was dressed quite casually in black pants, white sneakers, and a hoodie. Her hair was hidden away. She head sunglasses in her hand and carried a bag with her.

"My undercover outfit," she said with a small chuckle, gesturing to her clothes. "Needed to get some ingredients from the market." She continued as she lowered the back she has been carrying on her shoulder.

It did make sense, I thought to myself. If I were a famous figure, I wouldn't like to get recognized by doing a simple daily task. Wanda chuckled again. Clearly hearing what I was thinking. "You have a loud mind, you know?" She said in her deep, but soft voice. I looked down, even tho I felt more relaxed this time. It was still weird to see her. She was still an avenger after all.

Wanda walked past me and headed towards the forbidden era sign. She stopped and looked back at me, her emerald eyes studying me intently. " So, Are you coming?" she asked, attempting to hide her smile. As I looked at her with widen eyes, I couldn't help but feel a wave of confusion and hesitation wash over me.

Nevertheless, I took a deep breath and made my way over to Wanda until I was standing just a few feet away from her. As she turned to face me again, she smirked, "I won't bite," she said. She was clearly amused by the way I was acting.

I followed her as she led the way. Her red hair now falling over her shoulders as we walked and reached an old building. It looked abandoned. "This was once a hotel," Wanda explained, her voice carrying a hint of trepidation as she fumbled with the key. I couldn't help but wonder why an Avenger like her would be nervous around me. I was just like everyone else; an average citizen.

"You're not like everyone else," Wanda corrected me. "You think differently,". She said. I swallowed. She could read my mind and she did. Somehow, I didn't totally mind. Verbally, I wasn't someone that could easily explain how she felt. So maybe it was for the better.

After a while, I watched the honey in my cup slowly disappear as I sipped my tea. We were seated in a room that seemed to be more of a personal space for Wanda. I could see how she decorated it to give the space a personal touch.

Wanda broke the silence, her emerald eyes looking out the window before returning to me. "I would offer to show you my guest room at the compound, but I know Tony would not approve of that," she said while leaning back in her seat.

I kept looking at her emerald eyes, admiring their beauty, before I felt a wave of embarrassed was over me, as I saw Wanda blushing. It was stupid how I forgot about the fact that she could hear my thoughts.

Wanda's voice snapped me back to reality as she asked me with a firm tone, "why did you come back?". Her voice serious but It was clear she wasn't upset.

"Why didn't you send me away?" I asked her, being curious about her answer. "What would've been the point? You already knew about my existence. I could tell you're a curious person so, I knew it would only be a matter of time before you figured stuff out," she did a small movement with her hand as she wiped away the dust that was resting on her hoodie.

"Now you. Why did you come back?" She asked and looked back at me. "I couldn't let it go. I was thinking about it a lot and..." I stopped as I heard myself talk. I sighed. Feeling a bit anxious about what I said, hoping Wanda wouldn't think of me as a weirdo.

"You're not a weirdo yn, you are being curious but who wouldn't be?". Wanda's words reassured me. Feeling relieved again, I looked around till my eyes lend on a book. Wanda followed my gaze and smiled. She stood up and went over to the light gray couch where the book was laying.

"You like to read?" She asked as she sat down again and handed me the book. "Pretty much, actually," I admitted. I smiled as I roughly read through some pages.

"You can borrow it, if you'd like" Wanda said since she probably knew I would. "Are you sure? I mean how will you ever get it back?" I mumbled while still looking through the pages. Getting more and more intrigued to read it, Wanda smiled.

"I have the feeling we will meet again," she winked at me and sipped her tea. A smile appeared on my face as I whispered a soft "thank you,"