||"If you want my light then you will have to take my shadows as well."||
The sweet smell of Sokovia traveled around her in the wind, flowing through her long hair, kissing her skin.
A raw scent of earth and beauty that only Sokovia had.
If Wanda thought hard enough, she might actually make it feel real.
"Don't work yourself out like that. Come sit and enjoy this with me."
Behind her, Nik tapped the thick grass beside him, and Wanda sat down and brought her knees up to her chest, breathing in the air, hoping to somehow remember it when she woke up.
"I think I'm sick," she said. "I think something is really wrong."
"Explain that to me," Nik said, leaning over to catch her eye. "Explain it to yourself."
If she knew how she would have. But as she sat there beside him, her dream world comforting her in her time of need, she realized that she hadn't yet quite knew what to make of her situation. Even if she did admit to herself the reality of what was happening, it wouldn't matter. Because when it was time to leave Nik and her dream, she'd remember nothing of it.
Only in this world of hers was she able to see things as they were, even if they were blurred in certain areas.
"When am I going to remember?" she asked him, pleading. "I'm supposed to be stronger than this. Now I sit in a room, pregnant and crazy. When am I going to remember, Nik?"
But he didn't answer. He just looked away.
"When you're ready, Wanda. Your mind needs to heal. Let it run its course."
With a choked sob, she said, "I don't have time."
"There is always time."
Just as the words left his lips, her dream world began to fade, and in a matter of moments, the comfort of her home, the sweet scent of a place she'd grown up in, was gone.
A black, bottomless void appeared, and a second later, Wanda opened her eyes.
"You'd sleep the day away if it weren't for me," Vera said, laying out clothes at the end of Wanda's bed. "Dream of anything interesting?"
As Wanda sat up, she tried her best to remember the dream she knew she had, but all she could grasp were images of trees and land. "I don't think so."
"No worries, we have so many dreams while we sleep. It's hard to remember even one." Vera wiped her forehead with her back of her hand and sighed. From the looks of it, Vera had probably been awake for hours already, most likely preparing Wanda's things for the day. "Elijah's expecting you in an hour, so I say we get you in the shower, then get some food and then head down. Yes?"
Wanda gave her a sleepy nod.
In the corner of the room, the shadows lingered, but there was still no Nik. Not since her nosebleed.
It saddened her that he hadn't made time to see her.
After a quick shower and some food, Vera and Wanda, along with their guards, made their way to Elijah.
As usual, he was seated on the couch, his notebook and pen beside him.
"I do hope you're feeling better, Wanda," he said, standing quickly to greet her. "I've had my fair share of nosebleeds growing up. They're no fun."
"Tell me about it," she said, taking a seat. For their session today, Vera had arranged a snack on the coffee table as usual, and Wanda immediately picked up a cube of cheese and plopped it into her mouth. "What part of my mind are we delving into today?"
