Fractured {Wanda Maximoff}

03 - "Weird Company is Still Company."

  Helena was beginning to like having Wanda Maximoff around, mostly because the witch kept their presence unknown by bewitching the hotel staff. It was how they got free room service.

There wasn't much conversation over dinner, as after a power blast, Helena needed a lot of calories to recharge herself. She scarfed down food as though she hadn't seen real food in ages. Let's hope I don't get another burst for a long time. Though, if it really came down to herself or someone else, life or death, she'd use her power. Grim a thought it was, but it was survival.

The night moved slowly over the hotel. The lights were out, and Helena had a hard time sleeping in her bed. It wasn't her bed, it wasn't home. She was in a hotel room with a complete stranger, with abilities, who apparently had a grudge against the Avengers. Helena's back ached from earlier, when Wanda had thrown her into a wall.

The thought of jumping ship drifted into Helena's mind. It was never her intention to go with Wanda, she had wanted to stay by herself. Regardless, she had to leave the complex, as it would look really suspicious if she was the only person still alive. She didn't want to be in the hands of government officials, because no sane police department would want to deal with her if they understood her abilities. In the government's control, thoughts of torture and pain came to her mind.

She certainly didn't want to be a lab rat for anyone. She wasn't fond of herself as it was with her power. It was a burden to her. It was something she most certainly never wanted. It tore down her life.

Faint red light glowed in the dark room. Helena's eyes cast over to Wanda's bed, where the witch was slowly levitating out from under her covers. She made no noise, her body floating as though being beamed up by a spaceship. Helena couldn't help but watch the girl curiously.

For a while, Wanda's levitation was peaceful...until she started to twitch and mutter in her sleep. The red tendrils escaping the witch grew an angrier shade of red now. The room became lit with the angry color, making Helena start to panic a little.

When things started to float, like Helena's bed, this was when she decided to act.

Helena leapt from her bed, misjudging how big a fall it was to the floor. She made a not-so-graceful landing before setting her eyes on Wanda. The witch fretted now, tossing and turning in the air. Her muttering was stopped for now.

Helena wasn't sure what to do. How could she snap Wanda out of her sleep without harming either of them? She barely knew this girl.

If this gets worse...Helena was having a hard time imagining what further damage could look like. She'd only had the tiniest of glimpse of Wanda's magic. She wasn't about to undergo the witch's sleeping fury.

Well, I can't touch her. So Helena did the soundest thing she thought of: she clapped her hands very loudly.

It was enough. Wanda snapped awake, all the red from her magic vanished. Their beds crashed loudly against the floor, surprisingly not going through and giving the neighbors below a hell of an awakening. Wanda landed on her bed, producing red light in the palm of her hand.

"What happened?" she demanded rather loudly.

"You were, uh, I don't know, having a bad dream," Helena stammered. "You were making things float. It didn't look like it was getting better."

"So you woke me?"

"I would think you'd want to thank me for waking you up." Helena stunned herself with how brave her words were. "Whatever you were dreaming about, you weren't having it."

"What goes on in my mind is none of your business."

"Can you guarantee it won't happen for the rest of the night?"

"You want to stay, still? Even after what you've seen?"

"I don't get me, either," said Helena. "I feel like I don't have to walk on eggshells with you." If we ever get to the hugging point of our friendship, I'll never be able to touch you. Though a simple thing, contact was something Helena wished she had the luxury of again. "You still didn't answer my question."

"I can't guarantee things won't get weird while I sleep," Wanda told her firmly. "Sometimes, the magic has a mind of its own."

Wanda resituated herself under the covers as Helena sat back on her own bed. She warily watched the witch fall back asleep.

"I cannot rest if you're staring that hole in my back," Wanda muttered.

Helena looked away, a furious blush rising in her face. "I wasn't staring."

"You're afraid of me." Wanda turned over.

"I'm—"

Wanda put a hand up to cut the girl off. "You're not the first person to fear me, Helena. You certainly won't be the last. I don't take offense to it anymore. It's why I question why you stay with me."

"Hey, weird company is still company." Helena shrugged. "If anything, you should fear me."

"I have no reason to. I have not done anything to you. In turn, you've done nothing to me."

Helena laid atop her covers, hands clasped over her stomach. Her eyes were upwards at the ceiling. She didn't dare side-glance at Wanda.

Maybe we can be friends. Maybe I won't be so alone anymore. She'll never fully understand me, but at least we can sort of relate to each other. For the first time since she developed her powers, Helena felt the smallest bit of hope rise in her chest.