finding wanda: a tale of discovery and trust

"Anne"

"You knew?" I exclaimed, my voice filled with disbelief as Lucas revealed his knowledge of the situation. His face was stern, lacking any sign of jest, and my dad remained silent, not even bothering to acknowledge my question. It was clear that no one here cared about me, and my frustration was mounting. "Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt.

The woman I once called mom, stood up. "Yeah I can't do this anymore," she said and was about to leave. I couldn't do it anymore, I was so done with everything. First, I lost my mother. The one that was really there for me. Refusing to lose another one, I grabbed her by the wrist. "You kept me away from Wanda, and for what? The only person I could call home, you took away,"

"You think it was easy for me?!," my mother snapped, her arm jerking away from my grasp. "You have no idea what I've gone through, what I've sacrificed." She turned to face me, her eyes filled with a combination of anger and desperation.

"I was trying to protect you!," she said. "Wanda was dangerous. I couldn't risk letting you get involved with her."

My voice shook with anger and pain as I continued, "You acted as if she was a threat, when all she ever did was care for me, more than you ever did. And now, after everything we've been through, you're just going to walk away? How dare you?" My grip tightened on her wrist, my eyes searching her face for any sign of remorse or compassion, but all I could see was coldness and indifference. "She doesn't care about you," my mother said.

"And what makes you say that?" I snapped back defensively.
My mother raised an eyebrow at my boldness, clearly surprised by my response, but she quickly composed herself.

"There have been rumors about Wanda and her magic," she replied, her tone growing serious. "They say she's not to be trusted. That she is destined to be the scarlet witch,"

I felt a wave of anger and frustration wash over me as my mother spoke so nonchalantly about Wanda's fate. My grip around her arms tightened as I tried to steady myself. "She's a witch and besides, you don't care about money? My mother continued.

"She's not just some destiny to be fulfilled, Mother," I snapped, my voice filled with a mix of disgust and protectiveness. "She's a person, my friend. And if anything happens to her, you lose me as well. How can you think of money when we used to be so close?," I asked, but she ignored my question, telling me how Wanda was a monster and stuff.

I looked away, feeling a pang of disappointment. "If you really don't care about the Avengers that much," I questioned, my voice laced with disbelief, "then why did you threaten to release that video?" My mother's laughter sent a chill down my spine.

She responded with a cold and calculated tone, "Who cares about the Avengers? Once the public realizes they live among us, they'll go wild, and It would've got tons of likes and views."

Her words hit me like a punch in the gut. It was worse enough to be back in my city again, with my mom, dad and my brother in a room. Or should I say, Anne, Toby and Lucas. Since they are not my real family anyway. "Unlike you, I actually do care about them, and I want you to let me see them," I commanded.

As she laughed, I couldn't hide my hurt and disappointment. Her words stung, revealing the truth behind her priorities. She prioritized her work with my dad over caring for me. She agreed to let my dad take care of me without any regard for my well-being.

"What's it going to take for you to trust me, that they can be trusted?," I asked. But she laughed again. "No, I won't ever trust them. Especially not that ginger read head that seemed so protective if you,"

"Her name is Wanda," I said frustrated. I felt a surge of frustration at my mother's or actually, Anne's words. How dared she talk about Wanda like that? She didn't know a damn thing about her. I clenched my fists, feeling the anger building inside of me.
"Wanda is not a monster," I said through gritted teeth. "She's an incredibly kind and caring person, and she would never hurt anyone unless she had no choice."

Anne let out another arrogant laugh, clearly not taking me seriously. "You're delusional," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "She's a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off. She is and always will be a monster,"

"Wanda isn't a monster," I retorted again, my voice filled with determination. "She's the only person to ever take me in, to treat me like family. She's not dangerous. She may have her flaws, but everyone does. Wanda has shown me nothing but kindness and loyalty. I will not let you speak ill of her." It was clear I got more angry by the second.

Anne's smirk widened, her eyes narrowing as she observed me intently. "Oh, how naive you are," she said mockingly. "You really think you know her? You have no idea what she's capable of. She is a monster compared with what she did to west view,"
She then walked outside, ready to get away again.
In that instant, I felt a surge of protectiveness coursing through me. My heart raced with anger as my fists clenched tightly. Without conscious thought, I found myself following my mother outside. As she turned around, my fist connected with her face, the impact releasing the pent-up emotions that had been building within me.

Frustration and anger boiled within my chest as Lucas held me back, but I wouldn't be held back. I lunged for Anne once more, determined to make her pay for her scathing words. But this time, she fought back, and it was evident that she was far stronger than I was.

My father finally stepped in, his tone dripping with disappointment and anger. "You ungrateful little brat," he hissed, striking me hard across my face twice, each blow harder than the last.

With a painful grunt, I ended up on the ground, my nose bleeding heavily. My father's anger flared as he saw the result of my action: my mother's bruising eye. As I attempted to rise, he knocked me down again, his hand raised menacingly.

Suddenly, Wanda's anguished voice calling out, "STOP!" rang out, her tone filled with panic and tears threatening to fall. In a swift motion, Wanda used her powers to send my father flying into the nearest wall with a thud.

Trying to get up, to hug her, to throw myself in her arms, everything became a blur. "Wanda?," I mumbled out before I closed my eyes, and I was gone