Flower - Marvel Fanfiction

Twenty-Eight

A R B U T U S

Throughout all her years, Elena had been through hell. In China, she had been bullied and ridiculed for her name, which only led to rocky relationships. She had studied hard to escape to the United States and even then, her nose was still stuck in a book. College was not easy, and the English language was nothing compared to what she'd learned in primary school.

She'd met Nicodemus at college, and it was with his help that led her to success. Then, graduation came, and she was given a small break before her residency began at the Metro-General Hospital. Nic had been accepted with her, and there, they met Christine and Stephen. Those were the good times, and Elena truly thought she'd found her place.

But then, she was invited to Dr. Hallman's experiment, and everything she had worked for disappeared with the blink of an eye. The cells came to life, and Elena was fired. Her life was shattered.

Four years she had spent alone in a dark apartment. It was all hazy, and Elena found it hard to believe that those four years ended two months ago. She had done so much in that period of time that she never thought possible.

She'd met the Avengers and even lived with them for some time. She had found out that Dr. Hallman was Lieselotte Whitehall, a Hydra agent who wanted something with her. She'd found a cure to her condition. She reconnected with Christine. And she managed to borrow a car, wrecking it two days later. Then, the weeks that she spent in captivity came. She worked for Lieselotte, and she helped kill innocent souls, providing a serum that turned people into stone.

Elena had gone through all that, proving the impossible wrong. So much so that nothing ever phased her anymore. The world was so horrible she had begun to get used to it. But then, she met Will.

He was charming, funny, and despite Elena's initial thoughts on him, she had started considering him as a friend. He was always so kind, and nothing ever weighed him down. Not even his past. He was everything Elena ever wanted to be and so much more.

So it was a surprise to her when Lieselotte walked through the front door with no lipstick and a real, genuine smile. Her expression mirrored Elena's before finally settling on a hard frown. Her lips curled down both in confusion and in annoyance.

Elena, on the other hand, was frozen solid. Her blood chilled underneath her skin, and her jaw had slackened. Her feet were planted down on the disintegrating floor, but she was not at all balanced. One small touch would have sent her down onto her knees.

This wasn't happening. It was all just a cruel dream. She was still asleep after playing the board game. This was just a dream. This was just a dream. This was just a—

But it wasn't a dream. It was real. Very real.

Lieselotte was Will's sister. And Will was Wilhelm Whitehall.

The name felt strange and foreign. It went against everything Elena knew. It was just wrong. So very wrong. How was it even possible? Will was so nice, and Lieselotte—Elena didn't know what Lieselotte was.

Elena blinked, stepping back as she brought a hand to her head. Was Lieselotte really the sister Will had so lovingly described? The artist of all the beautiful, symbolic paintings. The girl who lost her mother at a young age.

The sister who cared for her brother when no one else would.

It just didn't feel possible.

Only when Will emerged from the bathroom did it finally sink in. Elena looked between the two, and the similarity was unmistakable. They had the same hair, the same cheeks, the same eyebrows. Elena flushed. She didn't understand.