Loki's Little Witch [en]

chapter 13. unexpected revelations

Little Nathaniel Barton gasped as he eased his tiny fingers releasing the arrow from his bow, quickly opening his closed eye as he put this one down, eager to see his shoot, however, his arrow barely landed on the outer circumference of the target that hung from the old tree on the back of the shed from his home farm, the same target with which both of his siblings had learned to shoot as well, whom couldn't help but laugh as they watched the little boy's arrow land next to another who barely had made it into the target.

"Is not funny!" he shouted furiously, turning to the teenagers who sat on the wooden picnic table the same way they had been through the young boy's entire archery lesson.

"Yeah it is," Lila Barton replied at his little brother, as she and Cooper laughed once again.

"Yeah, it's time you give up Nate," the eldest Barton added, "you suck."

"Hey!" Laura Barton blurted, lifting her eyes from her sketchbook as she sat behind her older kids, "I'll remind you both that you were no better than him at that age. Coop, you couldn't even make it to the target."

"Mom."

Cooper barked, rolling his eyes, turning to his mother behind him while the girl next to him couldn't help but laugh again just like the little boy who finally replaced the frustration in his face with a soft giggle.

Nevertheless, the young girl's laugh suddenly stopped as her eyes caught a female figure in the distance that walked towards them causing her to frown for just a matter of seconds before her eyes recognized her, making the confusion in her face turned into astonishment as she stood up without thinking it twice, running towards the redheaded who approached them, an action that made her family turned as well in bewilderment.

"Wanda!"

Lila shouted with excitement as she approached the girl, hugging her tightly as both Barton's that sat on the table stood up, turning their frowns into smiles while the young Nate walked to his father, who couldn't share the same joy as his family as he gazed at the Stark-Strange girl.

"What are you doing here?" Lila inquired as she stepped away from Wanda, who did her best to smile back at her, yet she was barely able to hold a grin for the young girl, "I love the new color, it looks great on you."

"She is right," Laura intervened as she arrived next to them, "it really suits you," she added before embracing her into a big hug, softly caressing her back as she let go what Wanda perceived as a sigh of relief, "it's nice seeing you ok honey," she whispered almost only to her ear before leaning back from her.

"Is the Carnival in Rio really as it seems in the videos?" Cooper asked this time, also arriving next to his mother and sister, only making the grin on Wanda's face fade into a confused frown.

"Yeah, did you get to go to those awesome falls? Or visited those weird sand dunes?" Lila replied, raising her eyebrows, "I really missed you this Christmas. I got so upset when dad told me we weren't celebrating together this year."

The girl's enthusiasm was too much for Wanda, who couldn't help to get stunned by the speed with which her words bombarded her, something Laura was able to sense, putting her hands over her daughter's shoulders making her step back, "alright, alright, why don't you guys help me fix a quick dinner? That way Wanda can tell us everything about her year in paradise."

Lila snorted annoyed at her mother's request, knowing full well she had no choice but to do what she was asking them, so she leaned giving the redheaded one last hug  before she started walking towards the house, following Cooper while little Nate arrived next to his mother, holding her hand as his eyes and Wanda's meet for a couple of seconds.