VENGEANCE | MAXIMOFF TWINS

↪two.

VENGEANCE
( CHAPTER TWO )

After several hours of attempting to struggle out from beneath the massive sheet of rock that pinned me down, I had given up and took to crying. There was nothing else I could do, of course. I was a six-year-old who didn't have super strength. I was helpless under the weight of the rock.

A light hunger turned into starvation, and a light thirst turned into dehydration. I distracted myself watching the day pass above me, watching as the sun would rise and set with each passing day. There was no way for me to eat or drink anything. I could hear the sounds of others also trapped beneath the rubble, and several times I heard screaming and shouting for help.

However, it wasn't for three days that anyone came to save us. I finally heard grunting noises, and at long last, the rock that held me was lifted off. Sunlight blinded me, and I weakly lifted an arm to shield myself.

"Are you okay?" One of my rescuers asked, helping me up to my feet. I nodded, then hesitated.

"Mama...Papa." My voice was small and filled with fear as I remembered my parents. Were they alive? Maybe they were. At the time, I had no idea a fall like the one they had taken could kill them. Looking back, I was ever so naive. It's silly of me to ever think that way, but I was young. I had reason to think like that.

The man's eyes softened as he gazed down at me, brushing my dark, curly hair away from my face. "Oh... I'm afraid none of the adults survived the explosion, little one." My face fell when I heard his words. My parents were dead. How could they be? They were my everything. Without them, I had no one. No friends, no other family...I stepped away from the man in shock. What was I going to do? Where was I going to go? I had nothing.

My gaze landed on two kids, maybe a little older than me. A girl and a boy. They were clinging to each other desperately, the girl sobbing into her brother. My heart dropped even more than it possibly could. They looked just as heartbroken and alone as I felt. At least they had each other. Maybe I could talk to them, get to know them and maybe even find a place to stay. Perhaps they had somewhere to go.

Before I could properly process what I was going to say to them, my feet began moving toward them. The boy looked up at me with narrowed green eyes, holding his sister protectively. They almost looked identical, with brown hair and emerald eyes. His hair was short while hers was long. "What do you want?" Seeing him up close made me realize how truly tall he was. He loomed over me dangerously, and it almost scared me.

"You guys are alone too?" I asked quietly, looking up at them both. "I have no one..." I didn't know what to say. I suddenly wanted to back off, leave them alone. Maybe I could run away into the mountains that surrounded the city. I could find somewhere to stay, maybe in a little hut on a hill. No one would disturb me or cause any problems. I'd never have to worry again.

"Yes," he replied, watching me cautiously. I didn't blame him; I was a complete and total stranger. "Why?" The girl looked up, listening to us talk to each other in light interest.

"I...I need someone. I have no one to stay with." I shifted my weight, wringing my hands. "My parents are dead...I have no one now." I looked down at my feet.

"You need a friend?" The girl spoke up. Her voice was quiet and soft. I almost didn't even hear what she said. She was about my height, with a long face and bony structure. She almost looked like a ghost.

I nodded at her words quietly, not able to say anything else. My mouth didn't want to move. A friend. I'd never really had friends before. Friends would be interesting.

The boy watched me with narrowed eyes, still unsure about me. The girl, however, smiled. "No worries. Oh, don't worry about him. He's just overprotective." She waved her hand in dismissal, giggling lightly. I smiled. Her giggle was adorable.

"Nastasya," I said by way of introduction, holding out a hand happily. I hoped we would be good friends.

"Wanda. This is Pietro." She shook my hand, her eyes shining, like a little beacon of hope in the darkness. "I'd love to be friends with you."