Burned

1.08: The Meeting

WITH THE FLAMES IN HER EYES, SHE BURNED.

The four of us, that being Morgan, Peter, Harley and I, sat down on the couch in the living room where Morgan and I had played Mario Kart the night before. We were waiting for Ms Potts to come back with you and Wanda. To say I wasn't nervous or anxious would definitely be a lie, because I did feel butterflies in my stomach and this time it wasn't because of Morgan's soft brown eyes. This meeting with you two had to go well, you had to want to help me, or my plan would fall apart.

So, then Ms Potts came back into the living room with two people. One of them was a beautiful girl in a red leather jacket, black t-shirt and plain black jeans. Her hair was a lovely shade of auburn. The other person was you. Your blond hair shone in the light of the lamp on the ceiling. I remember thinking that you looked far more peaceful and soothing for some reason in everyday clothes instead of your blue uniform. You smiled at me the first time you saw me. I have no idea why, but that really made me feel a little less anxious.

'Steve!' Morgan exclaimed happily, giving you a short hug after which she sat back down on the couch again.

'Morgan,' you chuckled. You turned back to me again. 'I'm assuming you're the one Pepper told us about?'

I stood up, ready to shake your hand like any polite person would. 'I'm assuming Ms Potts told you about a nosy Witch? I'm Artemis.'

'That spot is already taken,' Wanda Maximoff joked with me.

You walked towards me and took my hand in yours. Your grasp was firm, but not in a way that you wanted to show me you stood above me. Your hand was cold, so I assumed you always had your hands out of your pockets to be ready to use them in case of a sudden emergency. I had only just met you, but I already knew that you were serious. You were very serious, yet a kind person, judging on the smile you gave me a few moments ago.

When I shook Wanda's hand, she looked me straight into my eyes. The look on her face was filled with sympathy and warmth. Her hand was really soft. Probably because I knew she wore gloves quite often, therefore her hands wouldn't get exposed to the cold wind a lot. She softly shook it, swiftly dropping my hand again and taking one step back. Not because she feared me or disliked me, but because she wanted me to have personal space.

You looked at me again. 'So, what's going on? All we understood was "murderous Witches" and that you needed someone to teach you?'

'Well,' I began, biting my lip again, 'I'm a Witch, obviously. The Witches Community killed my parents when I was three. I found out a while ago it was because both of them had magic, so I have double the potential of an average Witch. They're planning on sacrificing me to their Community when I come off age. So, I ran, but I now need someone to teach me how to get the Witches of my trail.'

'And you thought I was the one to help you?' Wanda asked with a thick accent.

'You're the only person with magic outside the Community,' I explained, suddenly feeling the heavy weight laying on my shoulders.

You looked up with confusion in your blue eyes. 'How about Doctor Strange? Doesn't he have magic? What did he say he was, again?'

'Master of the Mystic Arts,' Peter interrupted.

'That's different magic,' I explained to you. 'My magic, as well as yours-' I nodded to Wanda, '-comes from within ourselves. The Mystic Arts is about manipulating Universal aspects. There's also magic known by Dimensional energies, but I never really learned about that one.'

I still remember that one time when we got a lesson by the woman who was Master of the Mystic Arts back then. People called her the Ancient One. She was wise, she really was. She had different kinds of magic, since she manipulated the Universal energies. She couldn't really teach us anything, but what she did teach us was how the different aspects of magic worked. It was because of her I know now that neither Doctor Strange nor the Ancient One could help me control my own magic.

'I wasn't born with magic, you know?' Wanda told me with a serious look in her eyes. 'I'm not the best person to help you.'

'Can't we find someone else then?' you asked, always trying to find a solution for the problem.

I shook my head. 'There is no one else.'

'But what if you're wrong?' you continued, not wanting to be wrong.

'I'm not wrong.'

'How do you know that?'

I didn't. In fact, you, Steve, were the first person ever to tell me things could be different. The Witches obviously taught me magic, but never really had something to tell me wrong with. If I would've had parents, they would have been the ones to put me in my place. But I didn't. My teachers weren't my parents either, so it wasn't their place either. And I didn't really have friends. I was weird, who would want to be friends with the freak?

'Then what do you suggest we do? It's not like there's a machine to find magical human beings,' I told you, crossing the line a little.

'And you really can't remember whether there's another Witch outside the Community?' I gave you a sad nod. 'It's not like you have a superhuman mind or anything like that?'

I chuckled, but shook my head. 'Sadly enough, no. I'm not some kind of Sherlock Holmes with powers.'

'Can't Wanda look into your head, though?' Morgan suddenly suggested like the incredibly clever person she was. 'To, you know, stimulate your memories?'

I turned to Wanda. She met my gaze and nodded, which I did, too. She went to stand in front of me. It was a really strange experience to endure. She moved her hand in front of my forehead, a red wisp coming from her fingers. I knew that she was showing me something, but I can't remember what I saw. I now obviously have my suspicions. So, when Wanda retracted her hand, her eyes were filled with confusion and a little bit of fear.

'Did you see anything?' you asked Wanda, noticing the emotions in her eyes, just like I did.

Wanda shook her head and lied.

'No.'