finding wanda: a tale of discovery and trust

"mom vs mom"

Before we could react, Peter stumbled out of his room. Wanda and I remained seated in my room, listening to his clumsy movements as he tripped over something.
With a confident shout, he yelled"I got it" and opened the door.

Wanda sighed, her gaze meeting mine. "I really don't know what you see in him," she said with a chuckle. In response, I gave her a mock glare, which only made her smirk further.

As we sat quietly in the room, The door creaked open and Peter's voice filled the air. "Oh hey Natasha," he said, his tone light and casually. Wanda and I both looked up in surprise.

"Natasha?" we both repeated in synchronization, our voices filled with a mix of shock and curiosity. We quickly got up and walked out of my room, finding Natasha standing in the room with a serious expression on her face.

Wanda looked at Natasha with a mixture of surprise and intrigue. Her cheeks flushed a little as she watched Natasha move closer.

"Okay, how many of you are there?" she asked, her voice a touch annoyed, as if she was worried that the rest of our group would soon show up as well. Natasha chuckled softly, appreciating the question. She maintained her serious demeanor but added a hint of warmth to her tone. "I just had to see you, that's all," Natasha explain and Wanda's blush appeared more visible.

Normally I would've found it cute, but right now I was seeing this as my change to get her back. "You know, I really don't know what you see in her," I teased. Wanda cheeks blushed more as she gave me a stern look. Normally that would've been enough to make me shut up, but right now I laughed.

Natasha's smirk grew wider as she glanced between Wanda and me, clearly enjoying the playful banter between us. "Good to see you too, darling," Natasha said, opening her arms and embracing me warmly.

Wanda rolled her eyes, but I could see a hint of a smile on her face. Natasha turned to Wanda, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "See, even Wanda missed me too," she teased. Wanda blushed slightly and rolled her eyes again, trying to maintain her composure. "Oh, shut up," she sputtered.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing at Natasha's boldness. Natasha grinned, clearly pleased with herself. "Wanda," she said suddenly, her tone more serious, "we need to talk, in private,"

"Ooh," Peter and I laughed.

Natasha rolled her eyes in amused annoyance as both Peter and I exclaimed our excitement at the same time. Wanda chuckled at our childish enthusiasm and teased, "Looks like we're dealing with two babies." There was a hint of playfulness in her voice, and the corners of her lips curled up into a small smile.

As they left the room, Peter and I wasted no time and made our way to the game hall, eager to continue our nighttime activity. It was well past midnight, but we were far from being tired.
We played some games and stuck with basketball for a while.

As Peter retrieved the ball that had escaped across the game hall, I caught a glimpse of something outside the window. A woman with striking white-blond hair had briefly passed by but was gone before I could fully process what I had seen.

Whispers of disbelief escaped my lips, "It couldn't be," I muttered. Yet the sight had ignited a sense of uncertainty in me. I found myself unable to shake the feeling that it might actually be true. As I wandered out of the game hall, Peter caught up to me, his hand in mine.

As I walked out of the game hall, I spotted the same woman I had seen before. She was talking to a few people nearby who appeared to be her friends, walking a small dog.
"Mom?," I called out as I approached her. She turned around, surprised and puzzled to see me standing before her.
"Yn?," she said, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What are you doing here?," she asked, her gaze shifting momentarily to Peter, who was standing beside me.
I nodded in response, steeling myself for the reunion

Despite the earlier encounter, I forced myself to keep moving forward and hugged her. But once again, I felt a pang of disappointment as she didn't return the hug. My heart sank, and I fought back the tears that threatened to spill. Despite my efforts to maintain my composure, the rejection stung deeply.

As soon as I saw Wanda, my smile spread wide across my face. "They are friends," I quickly explained in response to my mother's question.

Wanda responded by returning the embrace, a stark contrast to the cold rejection I had grown used to from my mother. Standing there, surrounded by my friends, I couldn't help but notice the difference in how they treated me.

Their warm embraces and genuine concern for my well-being in comparison to the detachment and lack of care I had experienced from my own family in years. It filled my heart with gratitude and a sense of belonging.

Wanda looked questioningly at me, her eyes filled with a silent question. "That's my mother." I explained.

Wanda's face immediately turned serious, visibly uncomfortable. She knew how my mother was. She made no effort to shake my mother's hand as my mother stepped forward to offer her a greeting. In fact, Wanda even pulled me a few steps backward, shielding me from my mother's touch in a protective gesture.

I couldn't help but chuckle at her overly protective behavior, but it was heartwarming to see how fiercely she showed me who I really belonged to.

"You're not even wondering why I'm here?" I asked my mother.
She chuckled in response. "I don't really care where you are in general," she said with a nonchalant tone.

"Clearly," Wanda said, already wanting her to vanish.

Wanda tried to keep her temper in check, but it was clear she was struggling to hold back her disgust. I sent her a subtle warning sign, pleading with her not to escalate the situation. However, I could see that she was finding it very difficult to restrain herself.

"So," I said, looking at the small village once again that my mother called home. "This is where you live?"
She nodded and continued to walk her dog without another word.
I stood there, feeling frustrated and hurt by her lack of interest in how I was really doing.
"Aren't you going to ask how I am?" I irritably asked.

She stopped and turned back to face me. "Well," she replied, "I assumed you didn't want me around with your friends."

Seeing my tears, Wanda smiled gently at me, her arm wrapping reassuringly around my shoulder. She made a face, finally showing her disgust towards my mother's behavior.

Wiping away my tears, she talked again." It's okay," she whispered. "I'm here now." Her warm presence and words of comfort filled my heart with a sense of relief and security. I knew that as long as Wanda was by my side, I could face anything, even my mother's cold and cruel nature.

Her presence alone was a source of strength and courage, and I knew that with her support, I would not have to feel alone.

My mother began to walk away, in despair to distance herself as quickly as possible. But suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, as if a realization had dawned on her. She turned around, her mouth falling open as she gasped.

I could sense the realization and panic setting in as she slowly began to piece together who my supposed "friends" truly were.

Trying to ease her worries, I spoke in a calm, steady voice. "Mom, no! Calm down, okay? We can explain everything." But it was too late; she already held her phone in the air.