The Deadly Nightshade | { BOOK 1 of The Flower series }

[38] The Accords

That was a month ago. A month ago, when Jade thought that she could finally complete a mission with the other Avengers to show them that she wasn't something evil. After the press conference of her father's new project, this mission came to where she was mostly to blame for people killed. People that wouldn't be able to go back to their families.

Jade's eyes were filled with guilt as she sat in her room, the tv playing, but she ignored what was on the screen. She was waiting for the news reports. She had been avoiding everyone. She didn't want to see the disappointment and the pity in their eyes as they looked at her. She had been like this for a month for accidentally throwing Rumlow's suicide explosion into the side of a building.

After the mission in Lagos, she made a mistake in reading the articles, listening to the news reports, and running the new opinions of her over and over again in her mind. The result was not going to sleep at night due to it keeping her up.

Eleven Wakandans died that day. She felt ashamed that she had a direct part in that. They were on an outreach mission, and now they would never return to their families. Wakanda was an ally, even as traditionally reclusive as they were.

She heard the cries of distress around her as the people stood and watched them in terror. She should've ignored the distress cries and should've focused out there. She should've been able to stop Rumlow in one swoop.

But she didn't. She messed up. That building exploded because of her. Those innocent people died because of her.

Tony scolded her for using two abilities simultaneously, but he stopped when he noticed her facial expression. He had looked at Steve, who was softly shaking his head. Steve knew the guilt state Jade was in, and he didn't want her to feel worse even more.

Tony told her that she at least tried and was glad to see her okay. He promised her that he would work on fixing her bionic chip to allow her to use two abilities simultaneously. He was going to go beyond what Ivanov ever created.

"What legal authority do enhanced individuals like Jade Stark and Wanda Maximoff have to operate in Nigeria?" The anchor lady questioned.

Jade silently scoffed with hurt. "Don't blame Wanda," she whispered to herself. "She did nothing wrong."

Wanda passed her own room as the latest television report cut out. She peered around the corner to see Jade sitting at the end of her bed, a palm holding up her head as she stared at the news report. "You did nothing wrong either."

"Then explain this," Jade spoke up. She glanced at Wanda for a split second as she leaned against the doorframe.

Wanda reached for the tv remote, turning the television off as she folded her arms across her chest. "What if you hadn't gotten to the explosion in time? Everyone on the ground would've been killed, including you and Steve."

Jade frowned, gesturing at the tv. "It could've ended differently," she whispered, her gaze lowering on her lap. "A lot differently, but I—"

"Stop," Wanda said softly as she slowly moved inside her bedroom. "If I hear you say 'I failed', 'my fault', or anything that relates to what happened out there, I will literally throw a pillow at your face."

Jade raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Wow, okay."

Wanda shook her head. "Sometimes I think to myself, why do bad things always happen when you're doing good. I can't seem to understand why it always has to happen to us. You risk your life to stop a bomb, and we get a building exploded. . .and people die on our watch. I just don't understand."