The Magician's Apprentice

Staff, or Wand?

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine, Evie."

"Then stop looking."

Even though Stephen's voice was slightly muffled by my bedroom door, I could sense that he was beginning to lose his patience from my silence. An entire day had passed since I had seen the visions the Time Stone granted me, and I had secluded myself in my room since.

"Evie, I need you to tell me what happened."

I hesitated. This had been the umpteenth time he has told me this, and a small part of me was beginning to get the feeling that it would do me some good to finally confide on what had happened.

"Fine," I said. I tried to make my voice sound hard and derisive, but it came out feeble and weary. "The door's unlocked."

When Stephen let himself in, I was once again glad that I was unable to make eye contact, because if I had been able to, I wouldn't.

"Let's talk somewhere else," he said. "You've been cooped up in your room all day."

"Pass," I muttered.

"If you don't, then I'll make you run errands with Wong."

Growling softly under my breath, I heaved myself out of bed and followed Stephen, and I stopped in my tracks when I saw that he was heading out of the sanctum.

"Nope," I said, still frozen mid-step. "I am not going out there, and you can't make me."

"Yes, you will."

"Try me, Strange." I firmly planted my feet on the floor and folded my arms.

Stephen sighed (I seemed to be making him do that a lot lately) and said, "Fine, fine. At least go out in the back where you'll get fresh air."

Stony-faced, I obliged and followed him out to the back.

Once we were outside in the back plaza where Stephen and I would study, we sat down on a bench. I stared blankly ahead and waited for Stephen to pester me on why I reacted the way I did.

I was expecting myself to remain in a stony silence and for him to coax me out of it, but before I could stop myself I opened my mouth and I unleashed everything that I had witnessed. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but I soon found myself breathless from a mixture of anxiety and, strangely, relief.

"Stephen...he was huge. You—you don't understand. I can't describe the aura he was emitting...it was like a personification of a freaking planet, but more. And he's coming for the stones. He's—he's coming to Earth. He's going to attack. I don't know when, but—"

"Evie."

Although we weren't physically touching, something about his voice was comforting enough to make me shut up. I ran my hands down my face and took a shuddering sigh. I was suddenly desperate to hear my mother's voice, and the realization of this made my eyes burn with tears.

"Things are going to be okay."

I scoffed and wiped my eyes with the heels of my hands. "Right. Sure."

Stephen was silent for a moment, and I sensed how awkward he was feeling, as if he wasn't accustomed to consoling others.

"Okay, I'm going to be honest," he said. "Things are going to go...badly."

"No, duh," I snorted, but cracked a smile in spite of myself.

"But we're going to put up one hell of a fight," Stephen continued. "Remember, there's still the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and the members of the Avengers."