#Scarlet Witch has a remarkably tall forehead

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #156: The Private War of Doctor Doom!

February, 1977

So, fun fact: this was used as the title of an episode of Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. I knew that the show borrowed its titles from comics but I didn’t realize this was one of them.

It fit the plot of the episode a little better than it fits this issue. But I’m a little biased because I love EMH by a ludicrous amount.

Just so ludicrous.

So last issue ended with Vision ditching the Avengers to go make some manner of deal with Dr. Doom and this cover features Doom trying to murderlize the Avengers with Vision as his left-hand man?

NOT ENTIRELY ACCURATE!

But if nothing else, it probably got people reading.

Last time: Dealing with the mystery of Wonder Man’s resurrection, the Avengers are tossed into a world of hate and war when Attuma has them captured, outfitted with slave collars, and sent to kill Namor. Due to shenanigans, they end up fighting and getting beaten by Dr. Doom instead.

Meanwhile, Attuma heads to a sealab of sorts to steal a science ray with the Bvengers (Wonder Man, Whizzer, and Beast) trying to stop him. And they would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for that meddling Namor who just took Attuma at his word that the Bvengers were his pals and took precious Attuma stopping time punching Namor unconscious. Meanwhile, Beast followed Attuma onto his submarine.

And also that thing I said earlier about Vision going to offer a deal to Dr. Doom.

And that brings us to now, right now, right where we left off, with Doom again endlessly disappointing me by not saying “even an android can die.”

You had two chances, Doom, and blew them both.

Vision starts off his offer to Dr. Doom recapping the previous issues. Basically Tyrak stomping the Avengers and then the collared heroes being sent to hydrobase to fight Namor but getting stomped by Doom instead.

And then he poses a question: if Tyrak was strong enough to beat all the Avengers, why bother sending the Avengers to fight Namor instead of Tyrak?

Obviously, Attuma has a larger game. Using the Avengers would mean that Namor wouldn’t have been immediately clued in that Attuma was behind the attack. Namor would have been out of the way while Attuma moved forward on his plan.

And Vision believes that plan is to create an entire army of warriors like Tyrak, an army full of people that can stomp entire superhero teams. And with power like that, he could put the world under his heel.

Even Doom’s Latveria would eventually fall, even if it held out longest.

And that dog won’t hunt! Nobody puts Latveria in the corner! I’m mixing idioms!

But yeah. Doom grudgingly agrees to work with Vision. And by “work with” of course I mean “boss around.” This is Victor von Doom after all.

But as Vision follows after, he considers that it had to be this way. If he had freed the other Avengers, their squishy human emotions would have led them to try to attack Doom again. And since Vision is in the throes of yet another bout of robo-angst, he insists that he does not have those emotions.

So he also gets sad wondering if he really loves Wanda or just thinks he does.

MEANWHILE, the cause of Vision’s recent robo-angst and puncher of the king of ablantis, Wonder Man. Also, the Whizzer and Namor.

Namor has come to after getting his block knocked by Wonder Man. Which means that instead of pursuing Attuma, they just sat around and waited for Namor to wake up. Although, to be fair, the ocean is enormous and they have no leads. Well, except the homing signal that they seem to have forgotten.

But with Namor up and less fighting mad, he agrees to team up to fight Attuma. And then he gets the most glorious begrudging face of all time when Wonder Man apologizes and offers to shake hands.

Beautiful.

Also, only now does everyone kind of notice that Beast disappeared. Namor reveals that he saw Beast follow Attuma into the water but never surfaced. So I guess he’s dead forever.

Or not. Because when the three get inside the Quinjet, they have Beast waiting on line 1 to speak to them.

He reveals he stowed aboard the submarine and is very coy about how he managed that.

He also tells them to follow the homing signal and Beast will signal them the most propitious moment to attack.

Meanwhile, at Hydrobase, the Avengers finally get to air out their necks as Atlantean scientists under DOOM’s command detach the slave collars.

And Vision is still in full no-emotions robo-angst mode and is now taking it out on Wanda. While snarling. Which seems like it would indicate emotion but what do I know.

Basically, she was worried when he took off and is just so relieved. BUT I’M A PERFECTLY LOGICAL SYNTHEZOID, WANDA. I DO ONLY THE LOGICAL THING FOREVER.

For bonus, Hank Pym Yellowjacket giving Vision a little shit for going through identity problems again. When Hank Pym Yellowjacket Giant-Man Goliath Ant-Man gives you shit, you know you done goofed. Or that he’s a massive hypocrite.

One or the other.

Okay but seriously, Hank understands that the resurrection of Wonder Man is making Vision feel conspicuously artificial.

Elsewhere, some actual work gets done.

Doom reveals that he can follow the ‘psyche-energy’ from Attuma’s vessels going to the slave-collars to find his location. But they’ll need to hurry before Attuma figures out that the Avengers have been freed and cuts off the signal.

MEANWHILE, Attuma’s ship arrives at his cool ocean citadel with domes and a circuitous arch. Also, there’s a sighing fish and I don’t know why.

Inside the ship, Beast discovers that either bright blue is bad for espionage or he just needs more practice at it. Because he’s spotted by some guards and put down with a shark cattle prod.

And Attuma is thrilled that he survived that because that means they can make some sport out of his slow death.

Attuma is kind of terrible.

Elsewhere meanwhile, Namor gets impatient of waiting for Beast’s signal and flies off half-cocked and immediately starts getting his ass kicked by an even swole-er Tyrak, who is being pumped up with the chloro-ray.

Wonder Man, swimming in both a sea of existential quandaries, also goes swimming in the actual ocean because someone has to go babysit Namor.

So he’s there to watch Namor get rekt and also notices an unconscious Beast being unloaded from the submarine.

Namor is tossed like a soggy pile of fish at Attuma’s feet by Tyrak, while Attuma gloats that soon Tyrak will be ready for another dose of the chloro-ray and then another! Soon his power will be unimaginable! And I hope that his loyalty is also unimaginable because you are rapidly growing him beyond your ability to contain!

Wonder Man is still spectating this and reports to Whizzer (left waiting in the Quinjet because somebody has to be). He also confesses that he’s scared. Not that he’ll get hurt or whatever. But afraid he’s going to blow it! He doesn’t know what to do in this situation!

Remember that before he died, Wonder Man had never really done any solo work. Of the fights we see him in, one was staged and the other ended up with him dead. He has no experience or instincts to draw on. He was an inventor and businessman before he got made scientifically buff. He’s out of his depth!

There’s a lot of really good character stuff you could do with Wonder Man but a lot of it tends to get forgotten for the same few beats.

Thankfully, help has arrived. A ship carrying the Avengers and Dr. Doom plunges into the ocean to do some Avenging.

In this case “Avenging” means “flying around blowing up subs.” But the special Atlantean craft, modified by Doom, also heads to the main dome airlock and disgorges some Avengers.

And since the dome houses sensitive electronic equipment, it is air filled. Which gives the Avengers an edge.

And they all kick ass, for a while.

Vision even gets to do that thing I love so much where he just stands stoically and lets his intangibility/density do his fighting for him.

It’s pretty great.

But then Tyrak arrives. Bigger, stronger, and neckline plungier. And he swats the Avengers aside with ease.

But luckily, Wonder Man followed the Avengers to the main dome (and also has been still just spectating instead of doing something) because he thought they might need his help. Or maybe hoped they would. And he jumps out and WHAMs Tyrak right across the jaw.

And with his flow disrupted, the Avengers surge in to keep him off-balance.

Iron Man shoots him in the gob. Scarlet Witch does vague magic to make a big thing CLONG him on the head (I think the writer forgot what her new powers were supposed to be again), Yellowjacket and Wasp zap his ears, and Captain America hits him in the damn eyes with his shield.

And as Tyrak staggers under the onslaught (but not Onslaught), Vision and Wonder Man advance as one and

KA-BLAM

strike as one.

With that Twin Tech, Tyrak is felled. His gas nipples did not avail him this time. And the Avengers go looking for Attuma.

And find him beaten up and reeling.

While the Avengers were beating up Tyrak, Doom found Attuma, kicked his ass off-screen, and stole the chloro-ray.

That scamp!

No-emotions robo-angst Vision instantly loses his temper, takes his cape back from Attuma, and tells him to crawl away like a worm.

A lot of Vision’s robo-angst would be solved by some more self-awareness, really.

But anyway, obviously Doom didn’t take the chloro-ray for benign reasons nor to do the world any good, except under the perception that being ruled by Doom would be good for the world (but he’d just get bored of the job). So the Avengers return to the surface and board the Quinjet to pursue DOOM.

Whizzer already made a good decision and got a radar-lock on Doom the instant he high-tailed it, presumably on the basis that, y’know, its Doom. He’s never not up to no good.

Meanwhile, Attuma attempts to launch missiles at the Avengers because Attuma. But Namor was still down there and he beats the crap out of Attuma because Namor. And because Attuma tried to repay the Avengers’ mercy with death. But also because Namor and Attuma. He’d beat him up either way.

Later, Doom has returned to DoomHydrobase with the chloro-ray, smacks Tamara when she asks him where the Avengers are, and immediately starts contemplating the device.

The scientists who invented it didn’t even realize the potential of its cell-stimulating rays BUT DOOM DO. So he’s going to dismantle the machine, analyze it, and discover its secret.

Except he has a bad infestation of Avengers on his balcony and they immediately get into a scrum. And while Doom is busy dealing with Beast, Captain America, Scarlet Witch, and Iron Man, Vision just do as Vision do.

He intangibles over to the chloro-ray, shoves his hand inside it, and slightly tangibles so the ray will blow up. The machine destroyed so its evil scientific advancement can no longer threaten the world.

Its interesting to me that Vision is probably the heaviest hitter that the Avengers have but he generally finds his greatest success ghosting in from unexpected angles. Like a really buff rogue.

... Maybe I was a bit hasty to criticize the idea of Tyrak when I like Vision so much.

Of course, Doom swears vengeance and flies off. That’s what Doom do. No point fighting when there’s nothing left to fight over and when you can instead fly away shouting about all the ruing other people will do.

So with all the menace temporarily resolved, Scarlet Witch tries to get Vision to talk about what’s bothering him because open and honest communication is the foundation of a healthy marriage.

But Vision wishes to be alone and sternly stands in the middle of the room facing away from everyone.

After all, its not a real Avengers comic unless someone is brooding at the end. Vision is standing on the shoulders of brooding giants like Giant-Man but also Hercules and Captain America.

Also, Wonder Man sort of flirts with Scarlet Witch, setting up a long running sorta love triangle and major source of tension.

Also also, Captain America disappears for three panels to set up his appearance in Super-Villain Team-Up #11 and subsequent issues. Chasing that sweet exposure. And punching Red Skull in the face.

Which I guess means Cap runs off to cameo in several issues of Super-Villain Team-Up but still returns in time for the next issue of Avengers which takes place the next day.

FACING THE MOST UNEXPECTED VILLAIN OF ALL!!

Who is the Ghost of Stone?? Tune in Friday to find out. Or just google it. Both are equally valid choices.

Another equally valid choice is whether or not to follow @essential-avengers. But, hey, consider it.

[randomshyperson]

The Scarlet Witch Prophecy - The Third Year

Series Masterlist ||  Read on AO3

Summary: As the youngest daughter of Howard Stark, you have ordinary expectations for your years at Hogwarts. Little do you know what adventures await you when your destiny is intertwined with the legendary Scarlet Witch.

Warnings: +16. Adaptation of the Harry Potter Saga, Magical Thematic, Prophecies, Mentions of Violence, Torture and dark magic, Language (swearing and minor/major offenses), manipulation of will, Underage kissing, insinuation of smut with minors, Smut (overage), descriptions of death, aggression, obscurity, angst, fluffy, soulmates analogies.

Chapter Words:  7.290K 

Chapter Notes: Wanda x Reader friendship is here. And more about the world history. I’m pretty sure this is the last chapter where things are easy going. Just like Harry Potter, things start to get dark during four year. Good reading to everyone, i hope you like the story so far.

Tag list ( let me know if you want to be tagged or removed idk haha) @mionemymind​ / @abimess​ / @stephanieromanoff​ / @yourtaletotell​ / @tomy5girls​ / @justagaypanicking​ / @thegayw1tch​ / @idek-5​ // @myperfectlovepoem​ // @helloalycia​ // @ENSORCELLME // @AIMEZVOUSBRAHMS // @imapotatao​ / @aimezvousbrahms​/ @ensorcellme​/ @helloalycia // @ichala

//-// x //-// //-// x //-//

Your list of materials is much longer in the third year.

Tony complains that you shouldn't have taken so many classes, but you are so curious to explore the areas of magic that you can't help it.

This time, Mantis meets you in the diagonal alley. You were hoping to spend some time with Gamora and Nebula as well, but once you get a glimpse of their father, you know that's not going to happen.

Thanos is a tall, muscular man, and has a permanent aggressive look on his face. He also kept his hands on the shoulders of his two daughters while they were waiting to be attended to at Flourish and Blotts. You also noticed that your friends were wearing very beautiful and remarkably expensive dark green capes, and just like their father's outfit, they had a bundle of a silver snake. That was the first time you understood what Slytherin pride meant.

"He's scary." Mantis commented softly beside you. You nodded in agreement. Groot, who was a little bigger since you saw him last year, jumped on your shoulder, sitting next to your ear. You smiled at the creature before looking forward again.

You and Mantis were standing at the entrance of store, and saw your friends through the window. You gave up the idea of complementing them when you saw their father.

"Let's restock the potions list first, Mantis." You tell her. "Then we'll buy our books."

You meet Tony again at the Leaky Cauldron after you finish. He hides something from you quickly, but you are distracted by an apple muffin flying towards you, and you don't ask.

Bucky was staying at the Leaky Cauldron because his house had a magical accident. His father said something about a persistent spell flood. Since the rest of Bucky's family were muggle, only he and his father were staying there, solving the problem while Bucky's sisters were at his aunt's house.

Since everyone needed to buy the materials for the new school year, Tony asked you to join his friends when you were done buying your stuff.

After lunch with everyone, Mantis said goodbye to you, and you returned Groot to her hands.

You led her to the exit of the bar, but as you walked back to the table, a conversation caught your attention.

"I'm telling you, they saw him in Sokovia." A bearded man whispered. He looked so nervous, you couldn't help but pay attention. The woman standing next to him, a cup of a strange liquor in her hands, rolled her eyes.

"That's miles away, Thomas." She said. "If Korvac gets anywhere near London, the ministry will send him back to Azkaban in two seconds."

"He's already escaped once, Sara." You rebut the man. 

You frown at the conversation. Walking back, you have a thoughtful frown on your face, and Tony teases you.

You get distracted by Steve's jokes about the coming year, and forget all about it.

It's only after you've packed your bag, during dinner, that you remember.

"I heard something strange today." You say casually as Tony and your father dine beside you. "Some folks in the Leaky Cauldron were talking about someone escaping from Azkaban."

Your father chokes. Tony stares at you, and ducks his head when your father looks at him angrily. Howard gaze softens when he looks at you however.

"Honey, who told you that?"

You shrug.

"No one told me dad." You reply. "I ended up overhearing two strangers talking about it. I never knew about anyone escaping from Azkaban before, it seemed important."

Tony kicks you under the table, and you frown in confusion. Your father takes a deep breath.

"Honey, listen to me carefully, will you?" He begins, and you worry at his serious tone. "There are important things going on at Daddy's work. Things that could be dangerous." He says and you look at him in surprise. "You and your brother are too young to be getting into such matters, and I hope you will trust me to keep you both safe."

"Yes, dad." Tony assures, but you remain silent. A moment later, you add: 

"Daddy, is there anything I can do to help you?"

"No honey." He says taking back his fork. 

"It's okay to tell me what's going on, I won't be scared. I can help..."

"Enough!" He exclaims angrily punching the table. You jump lightly in your chair, startled. Your father doesn't look at you. "I don't want you to hear anything about this anymore. You two are children, and it's dangerous. Have I made myself clear?"

You look at Tony, but he is glaring at the plate in front of you. 

Swallowing the urge to cry, you get up, hurrying to run to your room.

Your father calls you several times, but you don't answer. 

A few minutes after you are in your bed, he appears in your room. His posture is much gentler than before, and he kneels down beside your bed.

"Honey, hey." He calls to you. You keep your face in the pillow, and he sighs. "I'm sorry for yelling at you." He says, and with your silence, he continues. "Can you forgive me?"

It takes a few seconds, but you look at him, and nod. Howard smiles faintly.

"You and your brother are the most important things in my life." He says fondly. "And I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me."

"Dad, you can't control what is in the rest of the world."

Your father chuckles lightly. 

"Yeah I know." He says. "Damn, I wanted you to stay a little girl forever, so you wouldn't be so smart."

You laugh, pushing his shoulder lightly.

"You're not going to tell me what's going on, are you?" You ask and your father sighs, looking away.

"It's nothing that will affect you honey." He says. "It's just problems of the magical world. I don't want you meddling in something like that. Not at this age."

You sit down on the bed next, raising your pinky to your father.

"I swear I won't pry into such business if you promise to tell me if things get serious enough for me to know."

Her father laughs, raising his own pinky then.

"I promise, kiddo."

You both laugh as you take the oath, and your father hugs you next. When he lets go and stands up, you pull his hand away.

"Apologize to Tony, Daddy." You ask surprising him slightly. "He doesn't like it when you yell either."

Your father sighs, bending down to kiss your forehead. He asked you to go to sleep before he closed the door.

//-//

It is very cold when you arrive at Hogwarts.

But you don't care because all your friends link arms and walk together, making you laugh at the confused looks you get when the other students notice the small row.

Over dinner, your mood changes quickly however.

"I imagine it has come to the attention of many students here, especially the older ones, the recent untoward events in the magical world." Principal Harkness began during the announcement of the new school year. She had a serious and authoritative tone, and deep dark circles under her eyes. You have never seen her like this before. "But for those of you who are not aware, the dark wizard known as Korvac escaped from Azkaban a few months ago." The hall exploded into murmurs at the mention. You saw Professor Strange lock his jaw, probably disagreeing that such a topic should be broached with eleven-year-olds. "After much consideration, the Ministry of Magic thought it best to apply additional security to the castles."

"So, starting next week, we will have special guests at the Hogwarts castles; The ministry has determined that aurors and Azkaban guards will be guarding the outside of the grounds."

The crowd erupted in boos as soon as the words echoed in the hall. Your Hufflepuff colleagues remarked in horror that the dementors, the guards of Azkaban, were terrifying, and you sought your brother's gaze at the Slytherin table, but he was looking earnestly at the principal.

Agatha sighed impatiently, and the hall fell silent. She asked everyone to be careful with the guards in Azkaban, not to give them reason to fight back. And then she returned to the daily announcements as if nothing had happened.

You didn't eat very well after that.

History of Magic with Professor Okoye was one of the hardest classes in school.

You were hoping to get decent grades this year, but you were assigned to be with Peter as your pair, so you knew you would have to work for two, as your friend had no interest at all in that subject.

"Why don't you try to pay attention?" You asked slightly annoyed as you made your notes. Quill was drawing small dragons in his notebook.

"I want to be a famous Quidditch player, I don't need to know the history of the Goblin revolution for that."

You sighed, turning your attention back to the blackboard. Several minutes after class had begun, a Gryffindor student raised his hand.

"Professor Okoye, may I ask you a question?" it was Thor Odinson, and he seemed to have grown at least twenty inches over the summer. You noted that his hair was also longer when you looked back, wondering who was speaking.

"Of course, Odinson." The teacher said with a gentle smile. Thor cleared his throat as he lowered his hand, seeming to hesitate.

"Could you tell us about the Mephisto followers?"

The room fell absolutely silent at the mention of the name, and many students looked at Thor with wide eyes. The smile on Professor Okoye's face completely disappeared.

"Where did you hear that name, boy?" she asked sternly, Thor swallowed dryly.

"M-my father, ma'am." He replied. "I heard him send a bawler to the ministry quoting that name. When I asked, he told me to study the history of the wizarding world. I thought I would ask you because I couldn't find anything in the books."

The room looked at the teacher expectantly. Okoye sighed, seeming to decide whether to talk about it or not.

"Listen to me carefully please." She asked as she walked around the tables. "Some years ago long before any of you were born, there was a sorcerer who made all the wrong choices. He sought immeasurable power, and was never satisfied with his own abilities. And many other wizards believed that the quest for ultimate power was something worth dying for. When this wizard became a symbol of power and cruelty, he named himself Mephisto."

Her classmates exchanged startled looks, but the teacher continued to tell.

"The dark wizards and witches who supported this quest became known as the Followers of Mephisto, or Walkers of Death. The magical ministries around the world banded together to put an end to the group, and there was a great battle, where most of these wizards were imprisoned or killed in a duel."

"What happened to Mephisto?" Thor asks suddenly, interrupting the narration. The teacher hesitates, but then gives a reassuring smile.

"He's dead, of course." She assures.

"My mother says he was never found." Added another classmate, you think her name is Valkyrie, but you've never talked to her. Much buzz runs through the room at her utterance, and Professor Okoye twists her fingers nervously.

"When the Walkers of Death were eliminated, Mephisto lost his power." She tells seriously. "The last person who faced him is related to someone in this room actually."

Professor Okoye turns to you, and you want to sink into your chair, feeling your heart soar.

"Auror Howard Stark was the last sorcerer to fight Mephisto before his demise. Thirteen years ago." She says and you feel all the stares on you. "But that's enough from this matter for today, students. Mephisto's story is taboo in our witch community because of the thousands of lives that were lost during that period." She adds, "I hope you will be respectful about the memory of those victims, and not comment on such a thing, or mention the name of this despicable wizard again."

The teacher closes the subject after that, looking upset. You can't pay attention to the class again when she goes back to talking about the magical revolution.

//-//

"Did you knew about that?" You ask angrily when Tony looks unimpressed when you approach him in the third floor hallway, after searching all over the school for him.

He looks tired.

"Stop talking so loud, will you?" He asks looking around. "Of course I knew, I've been researching this story for months."

You frown in confusion, and Tony rolls his eyes leaning against the bookshelf next to him.

"I didn't tell you anything because you're only thirteen!" He adds nervously. "That's not children's business."

"It is my business if it involves our family!". You retort angrily. A group of students walk past you, looking at you curiously, but Tony just pretends to be admiring the trophies until they leave.

"Look, I don't really know what happened, but dad used to be an auror when mom was alive." He recounts. "And then he took on this powerful sorcerer, and mom died when you were born. He became an inventor, switched departments in the mystery, and nobody talks about this Mephisto guy nowadays."

"Do you know what this has to do with the wizard who escaped from Azkaban?" you ask with your arms crossed, Tony gives a chuckle.

"Isn't it obvious, sis?" he retorts wryly. "Korvac was Mephisto's greatest ally at that time. And he escaped from the most secure prison in the world. A lot of people think that means the walkers are getting back in business again."

"My god Tony, why didn't dad tell us any of this?" You ask worriedly and Tony laughs humorlessly, looking upset.

He straightens his posture and points to the glass on the trophy shelf that was propped up. 

"And there's more." He says. "Take a look at that."

You turn your face to stare at the objects that were stored there. Most were trophies, but there were also pictures of the Quidditch teams from previous years. Tony is pointing to one of those.

"No way." You whispered as you see it. In the caption on the board, it read "Howard Stark and Erik Lehnsherr receiving awards for their honorable service to the school." It was your father and your teacher, probably in their senior year, and they seemed both content. The magical photograph showed them hugging each other by the shoulders, huge smiles on their faces, and two golden cups in their hands. 

"Yes, little sister." Tony said also looking at the picture. "Dad and Magneto were friends in school days. I wonder what happened to Professor Lehnsherr to make him so bitter. He looks happy in that picture."

The sound of the bell announcing the next period makes you jump in fright, as you were completely distracted by the photograph in front of you.

"Let's talk about this later, Tony, I have charms now and..."

"No way, Y/N!" Tony interrupted frowning. "That's none of your business. Dad told me that you promised to stay out of it, and I agree with him. You're too young!"

"Oh and you think he'll like knowing you're investigating this whole story?" You retort and Tony sighs, looking away, "That's what I thought.

"I'm not going to get you mixed up in this story."

"Fine, I'll find out on my own, then."

"Y/n..."

"See you, Tony."

//-//

Having dementors in the castle is really scary.

It's been two weeks since classes started, and with the first Quidditch game of the year approaching, you're pretty anxious.

You didn't make much progress in your research during those days. None of the professors wanted to say anything about Mephisto's time, and you lost fifteen points when you tried to ask Professor Lehnsherr about his school days, for being a snoozer.

The only things you found out other than what Tony told you were what Gamora and Nebula shared with you. They mentioned that Thanos was particularly busy during the summer, and that they had never seen him go to the Ministry so often before. 

You also started reading the Daily Prophet, and every day they would publish something about Korvac's escape, even if it was only to say that there was no news in the case. 

When the day of the first match arrived, you ignored the strange feeling that settled on the edge of your stomach as if something bad was going to happen.

You are overjoyed when you are in the air, waiting for the match to start, and notice that all of Tony's friends, including yourself, have yellow flags in their hands to cheer you on.

Everything goes well until the end of the first half.

You noticed a bludger almost reaching your chaser team mate, Clint Barton and moved forward to defend him many meters above the stadium. Because it was raining, your visibility was very poor. You knocked the ball away, but lost sight of Clint, although you heard him shout a thank you. As you dived down again, lightning exploded beside you, and you jumped in fright, feeling your ear whistle as you became completely disoriented.

As you began to get used to your surroundings again, you felt your body become completely tense. The cloud in front of you was almost a face shape, it looked like someone with horns or maybe wearing a tiara. The image dissolved in the next second, and you felt a strange chill run through your body. Releasing the broom handle only to hug your arms, you looked down, the whole team many meters away. 

When you tried to join them, something came in your way.

Dementors must have been the scariest thing you had ever seen in your life. And there was one of them right in front of you. You widened your eyes in shock, and the creature looked straight at you.

Losing your strength quickly, you felt yourself slipping off the broom. A feeling as if you had been wrapped in a very painful spell overtook your body as you fell. 

//-//

You woke up in a jolt, and warm hands pushed you back into bed.

"Relax, kid." Your brother spoke with a smile. "I swear I'll actually forbid you to play at some point."

"What happened?" you asked confused. All of your friends and Tony's friends around your bed.

"You fell off the broom, damn it." He retorted and you rolled your eyes.

"Yeah but there was a dementor up there..."

"Yeah, everyone saw it." Tony interrupted looking annoyed. "Professor Harkness kicked everyone out of the stadium after Professor Strange conjured up the patronus."

"I have never seen Professor Strange so angry." Gamora remarked next. 

"Oh, there's something else." Natasha warned moving around the crowd to stand beside you on the bed. "Your broom fell into the Whomping Willow, and well. It' s right here."

In Nat's arms were the remains of what had once been your Nimbus 2000. You sighed in displeasure, but at least you could ask Jarvis to buy you another one.

After you were released from the nurse's office, Principal Harkness was waiting for you in the hallway. She waved for all your other colleagues to go their ways, as she escorted you to the Hufflepuff common room.

"Tell me, dear, are you feeling all right?" She asked tenderly. You nodded in agreement as you walked.

When you reached an empty hallway, she stopped walking, and touched your shoulder so that you would do the same. She knelt at your height and looked deep into your eyes.

"Tell me what you saw up there."

" Professor, I don't remember..." You started to say, but then fell silent, immediately recalling what you saw as you gaze the purple glow in front of you. It was as if your thoughts came out of your lips before you even thought to say them. "I saw an image in the clouds, it was like a horned creature or someone wearing a crown. Then the dementor reached me and I felt an immediate chill and unhappiness. I had the feeling that I was wrapped in a sensation of pain as I fell down."

The professor seemed to absorb every one of your words. She smiled then, her eyes returning to their normal color quickly, making you believe you had imagined the whole thing.

"Thank you dear." She said. "Let's keep this between us, okay?"

When you two walked back, you didn't remember any conversation at all.

//-//

Your first trip to Hogsmeade is amazing.

You buy two bags full of candy at the Honeydukes, and then you and your friends go to the Three Broomsticks, to have some buttery beer.

Quill seems to have become friends with Pietro Maximoff during Quidditch practice, because as soon as they see each other, they greet with a hug.

You ignore the feeling of nervousness that settles on the pit of your stomach when your gaze meets Wanda's.

Your friends don't mind sharing a table with the Maximoff twins, and that's how you end up sitting a few feet from Wanda, Gamora's watchful eye on you trying to understand why you're so quiet and flushed.

"Everyone is so nervous about the dementors at the castle, that I think we should try to do something fun. Like throw a party." Quill suggested to the group. Mantis looked excited.

"I think we could do something before Christmas." Gamora suggested and the group agreed.

"Does anyone have any idea where we can have this party? Quill asked." Since we are from different houses, maybe the common rooms are not a good option. I heard that the Slytherin kids don't really like the Hufflepuffs.”

Quill's teasing makes Wanda roll her eyes, but the rest of the table giggles. You look away to your cup.

"We could use some empty room on the seventh floor." Pietro suggested, and Quill gave an excited exclamation.

"This is a great idea." He said. "If the older students are going to participate, we can get some prefect to cover for us."

Quil looks at you and Mantis has to poke your shoulder for you to notice and pay attention.

"Sorry, what is it?" You ask when you notice all the looks on you.

"Can't you convince Steve Rogers to join us? He's your brother's boyfriend."

You laugh, nodding in agreement

"Okay folks, I'll try to call them all."

On the way back to the castle, after you spent the afternoon talking about the most diverse random subjects and telling jokes, you leave your hands in your pocket, because it is very cold.

Quill and Pietro start playing tag, and Wanda walks alone. You hurry up to join her.

"Hey." You greet with a smile, Wanda also has her hands in her pockets.

"Hey". She responds kindly.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yes?"

"Are you asking me?" You say back with humor and Wanda laughs, looking at the floor as she walks. "I… I thought it was cool this afternoon." You confess the next moment, feeling your face get hot. "With everyone together, I say. And you and your brother, it's ... you two are nice."

"Thank you, Stark." She replies with a smile. You move your fingers inside your pocket before you speak again.

"If we're going to be friends, you can use my first name". You say and Wanda looks at you, but you keep looking forward.

"Are you sure?" She asks after a moment. You frown without understanding. "Are you sure you want to be my friend?"

You look at Wanda in surprise. But then your expression softens.

"I thought we were going to be friends last year, but you looked angry every time you saw me."

Wanda laughed lightly, looking ahead.

"Yeah, I… I'm sorry about that." She says. "It wasn't something you did. It was just a few things I heard. And I ended up thinking that you were judging me like everyone else at that school." She tells you. "It would make sense since you saw me face the troll." Wanda whispered the last part. You bit your bottom lip before speaking again.

"You could have talked to me, you know?" You say. "I kept thinking that I had done something wrong."

Wanda said nothing, and you sighed, running your hands through your hair.

"We can forget about it and be friends now, what do you think?" You then suggested a smile on your face.

Wanda looked at you, and her green eyes cause something in your stomach to sink.

"I would like that."

"Cool." You comment breathlessly.

//-//

Being friends with Wanda is so natural that it almost surprises you.

Now whenever you sit down at the Slytherin table, there are two new members in your group of friends.

Eventually you discover that it was Quidditch that build Quill and Pietro friendship, as they stopped fighting because they were spending a lot of time training together.

At the Slytherin table, you know that Pietro and Quill receive angry looks because they are from Gryffindor, but no one has the courage to say anything to you, perhaps it is the deadly stare that Wanda gives anyone who dares to look foully at her brother.

You also succeed in inviting Steve and Tony, in addition to your brother's other friends, to the party before Christmas. Steve says that you all can use the old Astronomy room on seventh-on Saturday, and that the curfew would be at ten o'clock. The news of the party ends up spreading quickly around the school, but your friends don't seem to mind that it stopped being something small just between you guys.

When the day finally comes, you wear a comfortable jeans and sweatshirt set, realizing that it is a choice of clothes much more similar to Muggle-borns than pureblood but no one seems to care.

"Hey, you took so long" remarked Gamora as soon as you went up to the seventh floor and met her at the door of the room. "Come on, everyone is already in there"

As you took some of the non-alcoholic fruit drink that Mantis helped Quill make, you looked around the room. You waved sheepishly when your eyes met Wanda's, who was coming in. She looks very beautiful in her wine red sweater, and she smiled at you, and you didn't understand why you felt your stomach flip.

Soon everyone were all together, talking animatedly on various subjects. When Quill and Pietro started doing a dance competition, you laughed so hard that your belly was aching when they were done.

//-//

You have your first Divination class that week.

Professor Heimdall was already waiting for the students while he was sitting on a kind of ivory throne in the corner of the room, which smelled of incense that made your head spin slightly. It really was a remarkably mystical and mysterious environment, even for a magic school. The illumination was limited due to long white curtains on the walls, and there were many candles scattered around the room. Mantis whispered that this kind of thing was done to increase concentration when working with this kind of magic. 

"Welcome to our first meeting on Divination, students, the most complex and unstable of magical arts." began the professor as soon as everyone was seated at the tables spread around the tower. "I must warn you that if you seek answers to your most personal questions here, you will most likely not find them. There is no stability in this subject."

Some students commented softly among themselves, but no one seemed willing to contradict the professor, his yellow eyes roaming over everyone in the room.

"Let's begin today's class with an introduction to the basics of study in divination." He warns, and with a flick of his wand, the cupboards at the back of the room open, and from there several sets of cups fly out to all the tables. Then the professor touches his wand to the teapot on the table, and it multiplies into four pairs, flying around to serve everyone.

When everyone has their cups full, Professor Heimdall goes to the small blackboard, and begins to explain how divination works. You hurry to start writing it down.

Many minutes later, when you have finished your tea, Mantis pokes your shoulder.

"Let me look at yours and you do mine?" she asks and you nod, handing her your cup. You clear your throat, looking intently at the dregs of tea in Mantis' cup.

"I don't see anything." You grumble, trying to concentrate. The powder doesn't seem to form anything. 

"Remember to check the symbols in your books." Warned Professor Heimdall aloud the next moment. You took a deep breath, running your fingers across the paper as you tried to identify the images.

"Mantis, let's switch, I don't think I'm getting anything..." You start to say softly looking at your book, when you glance at your friend however, you frown in confusion. She has her gaze glazed on your cup, one hand covering her mouth, "Mantis, what happened?"

She gasps softly, and you straighten your position as you notice a thick tear running down her cheek, feeling your heart soar with worry.

"I'm... I'm so sorry." She sighs breathlessly, dropping her cup on the table. The noise attracts everyone's attention, but Mantis is getting up the next moment, and running out of the room. You stand up, but Professor Heimdall puts his hand on your shoulder.

"Don't worry, miss Stark." He says. "It's common for those more sensitive to divination to have that kind of reaction in their first contact with the spirit world." He explains with a tender look. You don't understand why, but his voice calms you. "Go back to your activity, I will talk to your friend."

He waves to the rest of the room next, and then leaves. You sit back down, exchanging worried glances with Gamora and Nebula who are at the table in front of you. 

Your first action is to look at the cup that Mantis has thrown on the table, but the impact has broken it at the bottom, and the liquid has run down the cloth. You sigh in dissatisfaction, using your wand to clean up the mess.

When class is over, Gamora and Nebula quickly join you.

"Any idea what that was about?" Gamora asks as you walk together through the castle. 

"No, she just got a glazed look in her eyes, and then she ran off." You count. "I'll try to ask her in potions class."

"Maybe she saw some evil omen." Nebula comments, and Gamora elbows her in the stomach. "Ouch."

You frown worriedly.

"Does that mean something bad is going to happen to me?"

Gamora denies with her head, forcing a smile as if trying to reassure you.

"Bad omens can be many things, even something silly, like losing a sock in your room." She says and you leave your hands in your pockets, not feeling reassured by this information.

"Yeah, but Mantis wouldn't cry over a sock." You retort and Nebula nods in agreement, but Gamora has a serious expression.

"I'd rather think it's nothing bad." She says. "Professor Heimdall said it's normal for sensitive students to have that reaction, isn't it?" She adds and you shrug. "Maybe she's just been watching you lose a game or something, but she was so overwhelmed with having seen something, that she got emotional."

"I hope you're right." You grumble as you reach the stairs. You sigh. "See you at lunch, girls. Have a good History of Magic class."

Gamora and Nebula wave goodbye and head in the opposite direction from you after they watch the staircase move.

You hurry to avoid being late for potions.

//-//

Mantis doesn't come to the dungeon either. You poke Quill in the back as he sits down in front of you, and ask if he's seen her anywhere, but he shrugs, worried that you don't know either. You just sigh, telling him what happened in class.

"I'm glad I didn't take that subject." He says as he hears the story. "I've heard that some people learn to see the day that the other person is going to die. That's scary."

You laugh incredulously.

"That sounds like a lie."

Quil shrugs his shoulders. "That's what I heard."

You wish you could talk more, however Professor Erik entered the room the next moment, and everyone fell silent. You tried to forget about the divination class by concentrating on making your poison antidote correctly next.

//-//

You only found Mantis at lunchtime.

Or rather, she found you.

You had just come out of charm class, and she was waiting for you outside. You looked at her with surprise and concern, but she just smiled, looking much more relaxed than earlier.

"I'm sorry I disappeared." She says. "Professor Heimdall thought it best that I get some rest, and then he taught me some things about aural sensitivity."

"I don't know what that means." You comment making her smile. 

"It doesn't matter." She says. "I'm sorry for scaring you earlier."

You shake your head.

"Mantis, come on, no need to stress about it." You retort. "I was worried about you, and I'm sure it wasn't your fault." 

Mantis smiles, looking forward. You bite the inside of your cheek, finding her strangely calm and distant.

"Do you remember what you saw in my cup?" You ask hesitantly, and a small glint passes through Mantis' eyes, but then she smiles quietly, denying it.

"It was no great thing, I believe." She says. "Professor Heimdall has assured me that it must have been just a bad memory, and that there is nothing to worry about."

You frown, but something in Mantis' expression tells you that she just won't talk about it anymore. Not wanting to make your friend uncomfortable, you don't press the issue again.

//-//

It's Christmas again, and you don't go home.

This year Hogwarts is much emptier than it usually is, and you know that it's because of the dementors. 

The vast majority of the families, even those who usually leave their children at Hogwarts, have asked the students to return home. Your father briefly mentioned in his last letter how there were many requests for shift changes during the holiday period.

Tony also stayed in the castle, you knew he was planning to enter the forbidden section of the library, and he had told you to mind your own business when you asked if you could help.

Surprisingly, Gamora and Nebula returned home. It was very unusual because Thanos didn't like parties, but they promised to write to you. Mantis always returned home, so you just handed over your present before hugging her goodbye. Quill and the Maximoffs stayed with you.

"You know you're losing right?" you remarked with amusement as you were spending time with your friends in the Gryffindor communal room, a wizard chessboard in front of you. Quill let out an annoyed groan. 

"That game is harder than it looks." He grumbled looking at the pieces. " Knight move to E3 please."

The piece moved, cursing softly that Quill was making a stupid move, and you laughed.

"Can't you see her bisbe right there you idiot? "Squinted the black item, and Quill sighed in irritation.

"You want to play by yourself, do you?" He retorted, and Pietro and Wanda who were watching you two, giggled.

"Are you talking to the game, Quill?" Pietro teased as if the boy in front of him was crazy. 

After you beat Peter, it was your turn to face Pietro. He was a much better player, but he still made a lot of thoughtless moves.

Someone walked past the door, and you heard noises of footsteps, and then there was a girl joining you all.

"Hey, Monica!" Pietro greeted the girl cheerfully as soon as he saw her. The girl smiled at him. "Guys, this is Monica Rambeau, she is..."

"Professor Rambeau's daughter." Quill completes as if it is obvious. And you and Wanda smile at the girl. "Everybody knows Monica, man."

"What are you guys doing?" The girl asks curiously.

"Playing chess."

"Losing at chess, you mean right?" you tease with a smile. Pietro and Quill laugh in agreement, Wanda is distracted by the book in her hands.

"Do you want to hang out with us?" Pietro asks.

"Actually, I'm going to go outside." Monica says excitedly. "I just went in to get a coat. Darcy and I are going to make a snowman. Why don't you guys join us?"

You exchange glances with your friends. They all seem to think the same thing. And that's how you end up in the outside yards, in a snowball war.

" Back off, Pietro, I'm on your team!" You yell at the older Maximoff who has just hit you with an icy snowball to the chest. Pietro laughs.

"In war it's every man for himself!" He shouts running toward you. You laugh as you run away from him, preparing to hit Quill who is in the opposite direction.

"Hey, get down!" You heard someone shout and you turned around, obeying the order as soon as you noticed Darcy's raised arm toward you. She threw a snowball at someone behind you, and you laughed when Pietro let out an exclamation. Running toward the girl, you thanked her with a wave of your hand before running back. 

After hitting Monica and Quill twice, you ran out of Pietro's reach when he appeared at your side, laughing. Stumbling, you ended up miscalculating your speed, and knocked Wanda down next.

"That's a foul." Joked Pietro as he watched you two fall, laughing along with both of you. Before he could throw a snowball at you, Quill was back and he ran. You helped Wanda up as you apologized for knocking her down.

"One point each." She says holding the snowball at chest height. You smile, and wait for her to throw the snow at you. She laughs when she has done so gently, pushing the ball against your shoulder, the icy liquid running down your blouse making you shiver slightly. 

You pick up a snowball from the ground next, but when you look at Wanda, her face flushed with cold, and emerald eyes sparkling with amusement, you don't have the heart, and just smile wryly, making her look at you curiously.

"What is it?" she asks confused by the way you are just looking, making no mention of throwing the snow at her.

But the moment was broken next, when you all heard an animalistic noise nearby, and turned your heads with curiosity.

A few meters away was the guardian of the lands, Drax, leading a line of winged horses through the snow. You and your friends let out a chorus of excitement.

"Wow, look at the size of those horses." Pietro commented looking in the same direction. 

"They're not horses, people!" Monica exclaimed excitedly. "They're unicorns! Mom said we were going to study them next class don't you remember?"

Only when Monica said this did you squeeze your eyes shut to get a better look, and you could see the white horns in the distance. Drax waved at you from a distance when he noticed that you all were looking. He led the horses to the area where the class on Magical Creatures was usually held, and you saw that Professor Rambeau was waiting for him.

After that, it seemed to get colder. And you all decided to go inside and have some hot chocolate, as you took your friends into the kitchens. The elves were happy to serve you sweet breads and cakes, even outside of dinner time.

//-//

On Christmas morning, all of your friends, including Tony and Natasha who was Tony's only friend to stay at Hogwarts, gathered at the same table in the main hall for the gift exchange.

"Stop fussing, boy, you'll mess up the presents!" You heard Darcy complain to Quill. She and Monica were also with you because Pietro invited them. Neither of you guys minded, because they were very nice.

"I'm just trying to get a peek." Retorted Peter raising the gift package in the air out of Darcy's reach.

"It's not your gift, so you can't look!" 

You laughed at the interaction, finishing opening the package in front of you. Natasha had given you a new collection of wand care products and you loved it.

"You do need to take better care of your wand indeed." Teased Tony when he saw the gift. You laughed while waving a middle finger at him, and stood up to hug Nat in appreciation.

Most of the gifts were clothes, and candy. You bought a collection of exploding snap cards for Quill, and he was very pleased, already throwing the cards on the table to play with everyone. Pietro and Monica eventually agreed to participate, while Darcy watched them.

"That's mine right there." You said shyly to Wanda as she picked up one of the packages from the stack. "I hope you like it."

Wanda bit her lower lip in anticipation as she opened the package. And when the red scarf became visible, she fell silent, and it was your turn to be nervous.

"I know you're from Slytherin and all, but I've noticed that you really like red." You hasten to justify. "And then I saw this scarf in Hogsmeade and I remembered that day after charms class that you forgot your scarf and Pietro lent you his and so I thought it would be a good idea and..."

"I loved it." She interrupts looking at you. Her cheeks redden and a tender smile on her lips. You relax with relief immediately.

"Oh, right." You say. "Good, then."

You think you've been looking into Wanda's eyes too long, because your face is starting to heat up. But Peter gives a celebratory shout for getting the card move right, and you and Wanda look away quickly. She puts on her scarf next, and you look down at your lap to hide the silly smile that insists on escaping your lips.

//-//

When classes at Hogwarts return, the Dementors leave.

Apparently there was a big commotion in the Ministry of Magic. You hear many students commenting on this during the class break. And then there is a story in the Daily Prophet saying that Korvac was killed in combat with aurors in London, but there are also many people saying that this is a lie, and that he has run away again and the Ministry of Magic doesn't want to assume to the public.

Anyway, Headmistress Harkness removes the dementors from the castle and the atmosphere in the school improves considerably.

Nebula has a large purple mark on her left eye when she returns. Gamora tells everyone that she fell off her broomstick. You choke when she tells only you that it was Thanos who did this after he caught her snooping in his office.

"You can't tell anyone about this, okay?" She asks tearfully and you nod frantically, hugging her to calm her down. "I've never seen our father like that."

"It's okay now, Gamora." You say tightening in your embrace. "I will help you."

When you write to your father, asking what to do in a situation where the dangers are indoors, he says that Stark Mansion is big enough to accommodate your friends.

When you come home for the vacations after doing very well on your final exams, Gamora and Nebula are with you.

[screamxqueenx94]

Caught In Your Web// Initation

A/N: This picks up right where part 1 left off. I had a lot of fun writing this part so I hope you guys enjoy it! (Not my GIF)

Pairings: Stiles Stilinski x OC Raven Connors (Hood)

Warnings: mild violence

Italics= thoughts

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Raven stirs into consciousness. She wakes up and finds herself in what looks like a cell. But it's no ordinary cell. It has a plexiglass window with drill holes across the center. All white walls and floor with an all white metal frame bed and a small, white table and chair. She looks around, trying to figure out where she is. Instead of calling out for anyone, she tries to teleport, but can't seem to make it work and gets a zap of electricity. She then tries phasing through it and not only gets zapped again, but is actually thrown against the wall, knocking over the table and chair. As she gets up again, she sees handcuffs on her wrists, but they weren't like any she had seen before. These were new age, tech handcuffs. 

She goes from confused to angry. She grabs the chair and smashes it against the window, thinking the glass would break, but all that happens is the chair breaks into bits. She looks around, still furious and props the corner of the table leg under the glass and uses all her weight to force it up so she can push the window out of place, but that doesn't work either.  

She looks around, yet again, but this time to see if she can find a way to get her cuffs unlocked. She finds a nail from the chair and tries to use it to unlock the cuffs, but gets shocked again. She throws the nail and screams in frustration and irritation of being stuck. 

She hears a mischievous laugh come from across the room. She looks ahead and sees a dark haired boy wearing a long, green jacket and a sadistic smirk in the cell across from her. 

"What are you laughing at?" She asks annoyed as she sits on her knees.

"Oh nothing," he laughs again. "Just truly entertained by your stupidity really. I haven't seen anything this entertaining in a long time." He continues. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" She gets increasingly annoyed. 

"Those cuffs you have on? They're the brainchild of Whittmore Industries. They prevent any powers from being used and are completely impenetrable… you're not goin' anywhere, Sweetheart." He answered slyly, picking up his head so she can look into his deep brown eyes. 

Just as she is about to ask him how he knew all this, the metal door in the room rises open automatically, and in steps, two tall men. One has stubble and thick dark eyebrows wearing a leather jacket and jeans. The other is significantly taller and younger looking and has curly, light brown hair and is wearing a scarf. They come up to Raven's cell and eyebrows guy punches in some numbers on a number pad. The plexiglass window slides to the side automatically. Eyebrows signals to her with two fingers to step forward. Raven, though weary, complies. 

"Out that door." Scarf boy points to the door they just came in from. 

She walks forward down a dark corridor, being guided by the two men who let her out of the cell. How am I gonna get outta this one? She thinks as she has a second nail from the chair hidden in her sleeve.

They suddenly make a turn. Scarf boy places his hand on a digital palm reader and another automatic metal door opens. Leading to what looks like a meeting room. It has a long, sleek, glass table with 12 sleek, black chairs aligning it and a small area with burgundy counters and a see through fridge with some black couches around a glass coffee table. Eyebrows grabs a chair and places it behind Raven as Scarf makes her sit down. An elevator dings and in comes nine other people. All superheroes by the looks of it. One she immediately recognizes. Spider-Man.

One of them walks up to her. Captain America. She knew who he was. She'd seen him on the news, along with his friends. He takes off his helmet and sets the helmet and shield on the table next to him. 

"Derek, Isaac, I got it from here." He motions them to back off, which they comply to as he speaks. He looks really young. Maybe 16 or 17. He smiles at her. His jaw is crooked, but his smile is bright. He quickly looks down at her hands then looks back at her with a friendly smile.

"It's a safety precaution." He reassures. 

"You think I'm that dangerous?" She scoffs

"Not our safety… Your safety." Answers some guy in a power suit. She recognizes him too… Jackson. Fucking. Whittmore…  Richest douchebag Beacon Hills had to offer.

"Right," she scoffs again, adjusting her position to a more comfortable, laid back one with a smirk on her face. "Like you all could really stop me from leaving." She continues.

"If it's so easy for you to leave, then break out of the cuffs." Jackson snapped back. Her smirk gets wiped away instantly."Go on, do it. Right now, show us all how big and bad you are." He continues, crossing his arms and leaning up against the wall. 

"Enough, Whittmore!" Captain America called out with a tone of authority. 

Jackson stopped talking, but Raven stayed in her relaxed position. He turned back to her.

"I apologize for… him. He doesn't do well with guests." He puts his hand out for a handshake.

"I'm Scott McCall. You might know me as Captain America. Pleased to meet you Miss…" he trails off questionably, waiting for her to introduce herself.

"Hood. Just call me Hood, okay?" She answers back almost sharp. "I don't like people knowing my real name." She continues. She doesn't shake back.

"Okay, Hood it is." He replies cheerfully, forgetting about the handshake. 

"Would you mind explaining to me what the hell I'm doing here? And who was that guy in the cell across from me? Am I under arrest or something?" She asks in rapid fire. 

A girl with a bow and arrows on her back walks up next to Scott, arms crossed. "We will answer all your questions later, but you're here, because we've been watching you. We think you could be beneficial to our team."

"Yeah? And could I be beneficial?" Raven asks, using air quotes on the last word. 

"You have abilities that can help us on stealth missions. When we need to spy. When we need to be somewhere in seconds." The girl answers. 

Raven nods her head. Her mouth turned down, she looks down then back up to the girl. "Mhm… so you want me to be your mole?" 

The girl and Scott look at each other. Before any of them can say anything, Raven speaks up. "Look, I don't know what any of you thought I'd say, but after what I just went through, I absolutely, will not, be helping you, or anyone for that matter." She stands up and clears her throat. "So, good day, Avengers." She turns and walks away to the door, but stops right in front of it, turning her head slightly to the side so she can see through her peripheral vision.

"By the way, who was it that hit me in the alley?" She asks calmly. 

"That would be Allison, here." Scott answers, pointing to the girl next to him with his thumb. 

Raven nods. Then turns and throws the handcuffs and hits Allison directly in the forehead, zapping her and knocking her to the ground so quickly, nobody knows what just happened. Derek lunges at her with a fearsome roar and metal claws out, but she's not phased. She, in fact, phases through him, making him fall face first. Isaac runs towards her in a blur, but she blends with the shadow of the room, throwing him off. As he looks around for her, suddenly, she grabs the back of his cardigan and pulls it over his head, making him flip and fall flat on his back while she snatches his scarf. 

Scott comes at her, shield in hand. He charges at her, but she jumps and bounces off of it with a backflip and kicks Allison in the face before she can get back up and uses the scarf to wrap it around Scott's hand when he throws a punch. She takes it and flips him over her shoulder. Jackson runs towards her, armoring up, but she throws the chair she was once sitting in at him and takes his feet out from under him, falling on his face, then she charges at the rest of the group. 

She stops in front of the last five. A tall man with dark brown hair who looks slightly older than the rest, cracks his neck and yells "Flame on!" He bursts into flames as a tall, thin girl with short brown hair hits her fists together and they flame as well. A shorter boy with brown hair and piercing blue eyes starts to grow bigger and greener and roars loudly as his shirt starts to rip off his body. A girl with long, strawberry blonde hair moves her hands in some weird motions and things start glowing red and floating around her. Raven looks at them and raises an eyebrow with a smirk on her face. 

"This is gonna be fun." She remarks as she cracks her knuckles and smirks. Hulk came charging first. He goes to grab her, but she grabs his wrist and swings herself on it and jumps on his back, making it difficult for him to grab her. As she's climbing his back, Human Torch blasted flames at her, she made Hulk turn and get hit in the face with the flames. Hulk falls to his knees as he holds his face. Captain Marvel comes at Raven, but Raven kicks her in the face so hard, she goes flying back, hitting Scarlet Witch and knocking her down, making her lose her concentration. She flips off of Hulk's back, knocking him to the ground, spins in the air and lands on one knee.

She looks up and sees a familiar face. Spider-Man. He's ready to throw down, but she's ready to let him down easy. Something about him made her not want to fight him. He shoots a web at her, but she teleports behind him, but not before getting a good grip of the web. She had the web in her hand and wraps it around him, making him fall onto his butt. She teleports in front of him. 

"Sorry Spidey boy, but this initiation was never gonna work out. I like to fly solo." she remarks with a smirk. 

Before he can say anything, a fog of smoke flashes before him, and she's gone. He uses all his strength to break from his own webs as everyone else gets up, rubbing their heads or nursing an aching joint. 

"Impenetrable cuffs, huh?" Spider-Man asks sarcastically as he looks at Jackson, who shoots him a dirty look as he rubs his head.

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

@mrs-mitch-rapp93 @teenwolfmarvel-obsessor @mummybear @bisexual-magnus-bane @fullangelimagines @stiles-o-dylan24 @nicole-lynne @daisyxbuckley @azgeina @iilexi13 @lavenderrosegoddess

[complicatedandstained]

The Other Day  at Hot Topic: The Lion, the Witch, and Marluxia

The Claire’s employees Marluxia had said were looking forward to meeting Xion look like they would much rather be watching beige paint dry. 

They remind her of back-up dancers that just stepped off the set of a punk rock music video, all tall, tat’d, and pierced, with lean muscle, barely concealed by skintight clothes. Blasé attitudes and dead tired. 

Xion had thought that flower crowns and purple aprons would make anybody look approachable, but she had been dead wrong. 

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop or anything,” Xion continues quickly, waving her hands in front of her, “I promise!”

“Of course you didn’t,” the woman says in a falsely sweet voice. Her eyes return to examining her manicure. She’s gorgeous—looks like an Amazon who accidentally got a cute pixie cut. 

The other one doesn’t say much of anything, his eyes flitting out the store altogether like he has better places to be. He looks like a lion turned into a man, clad in metallic gold jeans and sporting a literal mane of untamed scarlet hair. Even his eyes are feline, lined with sharp, neat strokes of black. 

He sighs and slips his phone out of his apron pocket. “Why would she?” he mutters and whether he doesn’t believe Xion either or he’s challenging the Amazon is difficult to tell. 

Xion’s not sure which of them makes her more uncomfortable. She knows deep down she should be giving them the benefit of the doubt. She’s probably going to be spending a lot of time with them. 

They’re probably super nice once you get to know them. 

But it’s a little hard to convince herself when they look so miserable.

Marluxia seems to agree. He clears his throat again.

“So…” The Amazon perks up, running her hand back to adjust her lavender flower crown and giving Xion a once over like an unsatisfied military general picking out imperfections in her uniform. “You’re Kairi 3.0.” 

Xion doesn’t understand what she’s saying, and even if she did, she doesn’t think she can make her mouth do the talking thing. 

The lion man rolls his eyes. One hand lands on the hip of his eye-catching jeans and the other gestures to Xion with his phone. “She means to say that you look a bit like a couple of our coworkers,” Lion corrects in this smooth, almost gratingly lyrical voice.

Xion’s cheeks get so red they could probably glow in the dark. 

Oh. So they think I’m the stereotypical bubble-headed Claire’s employee, is that it? 

That stings a bit. I was hoping being pleasant and liking cute things would be a-okay here...

Having two more of me might be nicer than this. 

Marluxia groans then offers Xion an apologetic smile. “They mean to say it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He levels a hard glare at the pair of them, and it’s mildly reassuring that this at least isn’t the impression he was going for. “Really, you two...” 

He gives both of them another shoulder squeeze, and they scowl in unison. Realizing that they have, they smirk at each other, earlier tension apparently set aside for the time being. 

Marluxia lets them go and nods at Xion, pushing heavy bubble-gum pink hair off his shoulder wearily. “Sorry, darling. I only wish I could say they’re usually better behaved.” 

He can’t be much older than either of them, but his face is the dictionary definition of beleaguered dad, and Xion can’t help but giggle, even if it sounds bell-like and nervous to her own ears. 

Marluxia primly swishes his hand before her like a noble introducing a princess. “Larxene, Axel, I would like you to meet our newest associate, Zion.”

Xion smiles. If she had a dollar for every time someone accidentally called her the kingdom of heaven, she could start some kind of small, hood-wearing cult of her own. “Xion,” she corrects. 

“She-on?” he clarifies with raised eyebrows. 

Seriously, how is it that all of them have such good eyebrows?

Xion nods in encouragement.  

“Xion,” he corrects smoothly, drawing neatly manicured nails out toward the blonde Amazon, “Xion, this is Larxene.”

Larxene gives Xion a quick, businesslike handshake, and a purred, “Charmed, I’m sure,” that Xion can’t tell whether she means to be sarcastic, flirtatious, or just hella scary, but kind of comes off as all three. 

“Pleased to meet you,” Xion says anyway, smiling, telling herself maybe Larxene’s just having a bad day. 

Marluxia clears his throat emphatically again, though Larxene does not look particularly apologetic. Marluxia swishes his fingers toward the lion man. 

“And this is...” Marluxia pauses for the other man to introduce himself.

The lion’s arms are crossed and he doesn’t reach out a hand or even react until Marluxia repeats his name. He texts another few words and lowers his phone, half smiling. “Good news. Demyx says crisis averted.”

Larxene laughs sharply. “And you believe him?”

“Excellent,” Marluxia replies dryly. “Now you can put it away and introduce yourself.”

“Really was a crisis, Mars,” Axel insists, slipping the phone back into his pocket and peering down at Xion like he’s a little surprised to see she’s still there. He nods. “Hey there.”

Maybe he’s...also having a bad day?

“Axel,” Marluxia concludes for him, just a note of irritation, “your name is Axel.” 

The lion’s eyes narrow, his lips quirk. “Thanks for the info, Marly.”

“Axel,” Xion repeats, and she can feel her brows bouncing up. Why does that sound so familiar?

“That’s it,” the lion man—Axel—has a grin like he’s planning to eat somebody. “Get it memorized. You’re gonna need it.”

“She doesn’t need to memorize it,” Larxene objects, poking the little metal name plate clipped to the man’s purple apron. “You’re wearing a nametag, dipshit.”

“Oh,” Axel glances down to confirm, straightens up, “Huh. So I am.” But he’s paying more attention to Xion now, which is not an entirely welcome sensation. His eyes kind of narrow in and burn. 

Marluxia seems anxious to keep the ball rolling, “Axel’s our resident piercing artist. He’s very good at what he does, but he has trouble with the concept of ‘dress code.’” He turns to Xion, nodding at her wardrobe choice in approval. “You may want to think of him as a counter-example. If Axel’s wearing it, you probably shouldn’t be. Today being an exception, although from the sound of it,” he smirks ever-so-slightly, like he can’t help but find nagging Axel a little bit amusing, “that was largely an accident.”

Axel’s tight black tee literally has Let’s Fucking Dance printed across the chest of it in slate gray cursive, but Marluxia doesn’t seem to have noticed, and Xion’s not sure now is the right time to bring it up.

“Yeah, yeah, I scare the children, I’ve heard it before…” Axel’s hands gesture dismissively. Free of his phone he seems livelier. One hand pats Xion’s shoulder. “I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about that with My Little Care Bear here.” 

That feels a little uncalled for and a lot condescending.

Xion can feel the burn in her cheeks travelling to her ears. He’s officially her least favorite. 

Marluxia adjusts a bending display sign, beside Axel’s shoulder. “I just want her to realize that we do have standards.”

Xion feels a little burnt on Axel’s behalf, but he just smirks lazily. “I hope you’re also going to tell her that Larxene is our customer service counter-example.” 

Sign corrected, Marluxia pockets his hands. “That goes without saying.” 

Larxene doesn’t look up from her manicure. “You’re both assholes.” 

“Case in point,” Marluxia replies glancing around to ensure no customers heard this latest remark and looking relieved to find no one nearby. “Anyway, Xion, one of these fine, upstanding employees has volunteered to train you this morning.”

Xion’s mouth tries to shape an objection, her lips opening and closing like a goldfish. She kind of hoped Marluxia would be taking the reins on this one.

 “Volunteered.” Larxene snorts. “That’s cute.”

Axel tilts his head, sparing Xion another glance, grinning. “Marly, you’re really cracking the whip here.”

“I’m sorry!” Xion says immediately, eyes feeling hot, wishing she could train herself. Her boot scuffs uselessly along the carpet. “I don’t mean to be a burden!”

“Hey, hey,” Axel’s saying before Xion’s even done apologizing, smile evaporating. He steps up to her side, hands spreading in the air as if to physically smooth things over. “Not to worry, Newbie, I’ve got you covered.”

“Really?” Xion blinks up at him, trying not to cringe. 

He elbows her arm, winks at her, stage whispers, “Least until someone nicer arrives.”

“Uh… Thank you, Axel. I’m… I’m sure you’re perfectly nice.”

Axel gives her a brief flash of teeth that it wouldn’t be fair to call a smile. “I’m basically Prince Charming.”

Marluxia gets a little divot between his brows and shakes his head slightly. “Behave.”

“Right, right. So.” Axel steps past Larxene, hopping up into the adult sized chair at the piercing station. He plucks a sharp looking piece of equipment from the depths of his apron pockets. “How squeamish are you?”

Xion takes an involuntary step back. 

“Axel.” Marluxia palms his forehead. “Maybe start with something else?”

“Oh.” Axel glances at Xion, brows bouncing in concern that Xion has trouble believing. “Sure thing, boss.”

Larxene gives Xion a sympathetic grimace and a brief flutter of her fingers. “Good luck with that, 3.0.” She struts off to man the register, where the Christmas shopping mom has wrangled her kids. 

“Right, well, Xion, I’ll clock you in. I’ll be in the back for a bit if you need me.” Marluxia glances down at an elegant wristwatch, and observes, “Aurora should be here to relieve Axel by noon. That is, if she hasn’t overslept again…”

Xion’s not sure if this comment is meant to reassure her, Marluxia, or Axel, so she just hums. 

Axel smirks, says, “Roger that, Captain.” Axel’s tone and the tiny, cheeky salute he pairs with it, feel almost… flirtatious?

Xion blushes. 

Marluxia stiffens for a half second, like he’s second guessing several life choices that have led him to this moment, but then he gives his head another little shake, chuckles, and starts to walk off.

Xion wonders how Roxas would feel to know this mall has so many flirty red heads on the loose. What are the odds? Two doors down and...

Wait… What are the odds?

Axel. His name had sounded so familiar. Axel. 

Axel gives an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Alright, he’s gone. Just got to check on somebody…” He’s already spinning in the piercing seat, phone set on the table, so Xion doesn’t feel too bad slipping hers out as well. Scrolling through the notifications from the contact nicknamed “Twin” and skimming until she finds the right messages, hoping to read another name typed there instead. 

The three(!) text messages about one man. Apart from calling him ‘ridiculously attractive’, they hadn’t even been that romantic. But there had been three(!) of them. From Roxas. Roxas who never wants to talk about boys, never gets crushes—I basically don’t have a heart, I didn’t even love my ex, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong—Roxas. 

But. There it is. Plain as day.

Axel. Axel. Axel.

[nowitsdarkfic]

chapter twelve (the parents are not amused)

November 28, 1988. Boston, Massachusetts.

“So this is the place?” I ask her.

“This is it. Pretty posh, isn't it?”

“God damn, I feel so poor just looking at it.”

We're sitting at the curb right outside of this big three story house in the suburban part of Boston. I killed the engine and now we're sitting here in silence: there are rich amber lights lighting up the windows on the second and third levels, and the whole house itself is comprised of pale, cleanly scrubbed brick. The pointed roof of a turret shoots up from behind the dark main roof and I can make out the faint glimmer of a witching window—one of those windows tipped over at an angle—embedded underneath the gutter facing the street. The front lawn is groomed even with winter encroaching upon us. There's a cobblestone walkway winding up towards the front step, through the still present sprouts of green grass and weaving around the neatly groomed evergreen bushes: right outside of her door stands a low white picket fence with a rickety looking gate which I'm sure locks on the inside. A large oak tree in the front yard looms within a few feet of the windows of the bottom floor.

Meanwhile, the sun has gone down, leaving the sky painted a rich navy blue color without any sign of stars to be seen. At least the glare is gone now. Angeline tucks a lock of blonde hair behind her ear before turning to me.

“Okay, so run the plan by me again?”

“This is Maya's car,” I tell her, patting the edge of the steering wheel.

“Right.”

“She returned here to the house. I'm sure of it. So what'll happen is you'll go up to the front door and tell her or whoever answers that you're from the New York Times, and you've found her car, and you're bringing it back to her.”

“Okay. But that leaves us without transportation, though.”

“Not necessarily. See, you said Dominique and Matt are in a park back over in Wellesley?”

“Yes.”

“I know a way back there without breaking our feet. While you're there at the door, I'll sneak around the side of the house and see if I can find Maya. She's comfortable around me—I'll speak to her and I'll see if she fesses up to me the full truth. Think you're up for it?”

“I think so… but how are you going to sneak around back?”

“Those bushes you see in the yard here.”

“What if someone catches you?”

“Angeline, I'm part Iroquois Indian. I guess you could say I'm—more or less used to the earth and besides, it's getting dark. I doubt anyone's gonna see me. So what do you say?”

She sighs through her nose and turns back around to look out the window and then the windshield.

“It's either this or a phone interview,” she says in a soft voice.

“And I'd think the latter is gonna quite difficult,” I point out to her. I know she's nervous: I am, too. The butterflies in my stomach are a sure sign that I don't know how this is going to play out. But it's worth a shot if we're going to find out the truth of Maya. She then nods her head.

“Okay,” she finally says. “Let's do it.” I raise my pinky finger, the one with my silver ring on it, for her to hook hers around. She locks for a second and then climbs out of the car. I follow suit right as a light gust of a sea breeze blows through my hair.

“This street smells like potatoes,” I remark, looking around the place.

“Most of the streets in this part of town in fact do,” she assures me. “No idea why, either.”

I round the front of the car and, once I reach the curb, I bow my head to stay out of sight behind the fence. Angeline reaches behind the top of the gate to release the lock: once it's open, I duck behind the nearest bush right in the middle of the yard. I linger there as she steps ahead towards the front step. I close my eyes for a few seconds as I hear the heels of her boots clanking on the cobblestones. I try to steady my breathing but I'm shaking, I'm absolutely shaking. I hear her footsteps halt right on the front step and I make a run for it, keeping myself low to the ground all the way to the side of the house.

I don't hear her knock on the door. I'm in a full on sprint to the side of the house. The soles of my boots are aching me. It's times like this I wish I had on my Chucks. Once I'm there, I lean against the corner and open my mouth wide to let out a sigh of relief.

God. I can't remember the last time I was this nervous.

Actually, yeah, I can. It was the first time I ever recorded with Anthrax. Recording “A.I.R.”

I think. Never mind, it's not important at the moment.

I hear the doorbell ring, one that sounds like those big wooden wind chimes the size of dinner plates.

I open my mouth to let out a breath, one as quiet as I can make it. I close my eyes as I press myself as far as I can go right up against the wall.

“I don't think they're even home, Joey—”

But before she can say my name, the front door opens. I hold perfectly still as chills run my spine.

“Yes?”

I know that whispered voice laced with that British accent anywhere.

“Um—are you—Maya?” Angeline asks her.

“Yes.”

“Um—I found your car in New York and I found out it belongs to you—I work with the New York Times, so it was easy to find you here in Boston—are—your parents home?”

“My father's home,” she answers as I turn my head to the left to find the other edge of the house. I nibble on my bottom lip when I hear her say the word “father.” This might be where I meet him.

“Okay. I was just curious—”

Without another sound, I make my way down this thin patch of grass, still keeping my head bowed low so as to stay down in the shadows. It's quite a venture to the back of the house. But once I reach that corner, I take a glimpse around the corner to see if there's a back door. There is in fact a slit on the wall right in front of my face, but I don't know if it's a door. There's also a door on the outside of the turret. I peer over my shoulder to make sure there's no one behind me first, and then proceed on to the turret.

Thing is I don't know if it's locked or not. I set a hand on the doorknob and hesitate.

Silence on the other side.

I turn the knob so slowly because I don't want to cause a racket.

It's not locked.

I push it open to the smallest crack to where I can still look inside of the back of the house. I can only see a lush scarlet carpet on the other side. Silence, which means they're either still at the front door or there's something waiting for me on the other side.

But I push the door open a little more so as to take a peek inside. I lift my gaze to the ceiling and a void. I push it open even more to find the void over my head is nothing more than the view into the spiral staircase leading up into the turret. I turn my head to the warmly lit corridor to the left of me. No one there, but if I hold my breath and pay close attention to the silence, I can hear Maya's voice on the other side, like a delicate whisper on the wind.

I think it's safe to come inside so I put my left foot in first, followed by my right.

There's a little clink sound right behind me that catches me offguard.

Oh. It's nothing more than my pinky ring on the doorknob.

Christ, I need to calm down.

Careful not to make any more noise, I close the door behind me.

And that's when I hear something in front of me shuffle from behind the stairs. I gasp and lurch back to the door.

“Can I help you, son?” a gruff voice asks me. I stop and look over my shoulder to see an older man with a slicked back pompadour of hair that's the color of rust, glassy eyes that seem to sink back into his skull, a straight nose, a cupid's bow in his lips, and a little indentation in his chin. He's tall, quite a bit taller than me, and a hell of a lot heavier than me: he's wrapped in a shiny white coat. Odd for a house coat because it looks like it's made of vinyl. He's got these bright orange rubber gloves on his hands. He looks like a scientist, but for all I know, he might've been doing dishes just now.

“Uh—” I feel my throat close and my stomach turn. Fuck, what do I do.

“Yes?”

“Uh—I was just—wondering—if—Maya was home?” That's the first thing that came to mind.

“Maya? Yeah, she's at the front of the house right now.” He speaks with a soft voice and with a clear American accent; I notice the black framed glasses folded at the collar of his coat. “May I ask how you know my daughter?”

“I'm a—uh, friend of hers.” Immediately regret saying that.

“Well, why'd you come in the back? You could've come in through the front door. You didn't have to sneak in this way.”

“I just—felt like it.” What the hell am I saying. Shut up, Joey.

But to my surprise at that, he chuckles in response to that.

“You just felt like it? I like that. Really, I like your attitude.” He keeps chuckling and I relax the muscles in my stomach, which I find were totally tense up to that point. I adjust the lapels of my coat and push some stray curly tendrils of my hair back from my shoulders.

“Relax, son, we're all family here,” he assures me, cracking me a smile.

“—yes, I have a room back here,” that soft voice flies into the corridor, and Maya enters in from the far end of the corridor to my left. She gasps at the sight of me.

“Joey?” she calls out to me in a delicate whisper.

“Maya,” I reply to her, and like a baby horse, she ambles over to me. She still has no color to her face and the scar on her forehead is as prominent and bright as ever. Angeline appears from behind her with a befuddled look on her face. I nod at her and she shrugs at me. Maya puts her arms around me, tighter than her grip has ever been towards me.

“Joey? Is that your name?” the man asks me.

“Yeah. And that's—” I gesture down the corridor, and he directs his attention there. He wags a finger at her.

“Angeline, right?”

“—yeah.” I'm just as confused as her.

“I thought I recognized you.” He shows her a big beaming smile; meanwhile, Maya lifts her head from my chest to return to the man. “Where are my manners, I'm Mike.” He extends his gloved hand for me to take and we shake: on the inside of the rubber, his fingers are hard and narrow, and knobby at the knuckles. His grip is a little too strong but for all I know, it could be because I was an intruder in the house. He wasn't expecting me after all; so there's a part of me that's glad he's got those gloves on.

“Papa, should we invite Joey and Angeline to dinner?” Maya asks him.

“I don't see why not. A friend of yours is a friend to me. They can meet Molly after all, too, honey pie.” He lifts his gaze to the two of us. “Speaking of which, dinner will be ready in a few minutes. The smart kitchen just has to make a few finishing touches.”

“Smart kitchen?” Angeline repeats as she approaches me.

“Robotic kitchen. I crafted it out myself and programmed it to make dinner and dessert.”

“Well, that's… nifty.” I try to show a smile but I can't really shake the fact I was that close to having my ass handed to me on a silver robotic platter myself.

“It really is! Come dine with us for the evening.” He gestures for us to follow him and Maya down the corridor. Meanwhile, Angeline comes closer to me and I breathe another sigh of relief.

“Man, that was close,” I confess to her. “I thought he was gonna release the hounds on me.”

“Pfff, you're telling me. I thought Maya was going to have a stroke when I told her you were involved in finding her car in New York City.”

“What the hell's going on?” I ask her in a whisper.

“I have no idea. No idea at all.”

“I thought you said he's a curmudgeon.”

“He was. Full on. When I tried to interview him that one time, he was very rude. Like he refused in the worst way you could think of. So you know—this is weird.”

“Maya looks like she's about ready to go into an anemic coma, too,” I admit. “I really hope she eats something.”

“We should do something,” she suggests.

“Joey? Angeline? Are you guys coming?” Mike hollers from down the hall.

“We are!” she exclaims with a tilt of her head, and then she returns to me.

“Again, we should do something.”

“Well, what should we do?” I demand to her in a hushed voice.

“I don't know—duck out the back door here and make a run for it.”

“In these boots? I don't think so.”

“You snuck across the yard in those things—you don't think you can run?”

“Sneaking and running are two completely different things, 'kay?”

“Oh, and you also said you wanted to look for something in here, too,” she recalls with a gesture to me.

“Yeah, I do. Well, let's—make the case for them. I'm not really hungry after all that fish and root beer in the pub, but let's do it.”

“Yeah, let's give these people a chance. Maya does like you after all.”

“Mike also didn't kill me, either.”

We double back down the hall to the other side: on the way, we catch a view into the spacious, clean kitchen with a white linoleum floor and pure white tiles all over the splash backs under the cabinets. There's no one in there, but I do see a bright blue light on the light over the faucet. I also spot an odd feather shaped thing on the front cabinet underneath the sink, and I think of Brick. Oh, my GOD, Brick! Jesus, I hope he's alright. And I hope the Greys are doing their best him, too.

When I'm done here, I'll run back to Oswego as fast as I can to see if everything is alright.

Once we reach the other end, we find ourselves in a vast, spotless dining hall with a high bright lit ceiling and a light, silver metal table that stretches over the floor. Maya tugs back the black metal chair with a high back before she turns to me.

“Oh, Joey,” she stops me in place. “Sit here.” I swallow and take my seat in the metal chair, and then she sits next to me. Meanwhile, Angeline goes all the way around the far end of the table and doubles back to the other side of the table, right across from the two of us. Maya taps on my arm; I glance over at her reaching into the inside of her coat and taking out something.

“Hold out your hand,” she whispers to me, and I do. Her fingertips are as light as a feather as she places the arrowhead pendant into the palm of my hand.

“That's for knowing where to find me.”

“Thank you,” I whisper to her as I drop it into my coat pocket, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Angeline leaning forward, as if listening in on us. But I take a second look to find her setting her handbag down on the floor.

“Thank you,” she retorts back to me, and for a second, I think she winks at me.

“Okay!” Mike declares from the far left end of the table. “Who wants drinks?”

“I'll just have water,” I tell him.

“Me, too,” Maya adds.

“Cup of coffee,” Angeline replies. “With a little cream.”

It was just like in the cafe in Seattle: these tubes shoot down from the ceiling over our heads onto the top of the table and flatten off once they reach the surface. The ones in front of me and Maya fill with water before closing off to just the right height so as to resemble a glass. I catch a speck of black in my water.

“Um—” I call out to him, pointing at my glass. “There's something in my drink.”

“What's it smell like?” Mike's like a superhero there on the other side of the table with his hands pressed to his hips. I pick up the glass and hold it up to my nose.

“What's it smell like, Joey?” Angeline repeats as her tube tapers off and morphs to form a mug filled with coffee.

“Kinda sweet. Like sugar.”

“Molasses!” he hollers. “To which I say, welcome to Boston! On the menu tonight, we have pan fried mutton with stuffing and green beans, courtesy of Maya.”

Ugh. God. After she stuffed me the other day, I don't think I can stomach another round of that, especially with something as rich as mutton. I don't think I've ever tried mutton before. But I'll try the stuffing and the beans, though.

But much to my surprise, the plates emerge in front of us from the table top covered in what looks like dried powder. There's a pile of what resembles chili powder on the left side of the plate, and right across from it sits a pile of pale white and green lumpy powder. I glance up at Angeline, who's scowling at her plate.

“Looks like spices,” I remark. “But without all the sumptuous spice.”

“Unless it's dehydrated,” she replies, never lifting her gaze from her plate. “You know, like what they give to astronauts or what you'd take with you on a nature trip, but I don't think that's what it is.”

“All the nourishment from those articles of food superconcentrated into superfine particles, freeze dried, and made proper to eat with nothing more than your own hands,” Mike explains in a single breath. “All the yummy goodness but without the mess.”

I glance up at Angeline again right as she raises an eyebrow at me. I look over at Maya, who's all but inhaling her powder.

“Mike, when's dinner ready—” I recognize that down home accent right behind me. I turn my head to see her taking off her yellow slicker. She gasps at the sight of me.

“Joey! I didn't expect to see you here,” Molly greets me with a bewildered look on her face.

“I should tell you the same thing,” I retort to her, feeling the butterflies whir up inside my stomach once more; I show her a nervous smile as I raise my glass to her.

“I came back for the next week for an extension of Thanksgiving,” she explains, setting her slicker down on the table next to me.

“I returned Maya's—car,” I sputter out, bringing the sweet smelling glass to my lips for a sip. And then I turn to Angeline across the table right as she's taking a drink from her coffee. “Uh, this is—Angeline from the New York Times—”

“Molly, what have I told you about leaving your jacket on the table?” Mike scoffs, still on the far end of the table.

“Oh, come on, Mike, I'm just putting it here for a second. You know I'm gonna hang it up.”

“Well, you should've done it when you came in through the back door!”

I turn to Angeline as she's taking another sip of coffee.

“Dinner and a show,” I note to her, and she nods at me with a nervous smile.

“Oh, Mike, don't be petty!” Molly shouts from right next to me. “Especially with two guests in the house!”

“Petty? Petty?! You didn't hang up your damn coat!”

“Like I said—!”

“You want me to show it to you?”

“Oh, Michael, don't do this…”

“Come with me, Molly.”

“Don't—”

“I said COME WITH ME!”

I wince at his raising his voice. Molly turns back to us.

“I'm so sorry,” she quips to me in a quiet voice.

“No, no,” I insist, but it is a little awkward now. She scurries away from me; I turn back to Angeline right as she's finishing her coffee.

“That was quick,” I remark.

“Wasn't even hot.” And I stick out my tongue and point my finger into my mouth. I then turn to Maya, who's pretty much vacuumed up the contents on her plate, as she's picking up her glass.

“How embarrassing,” she whispers aloud right before she takes a big drink. She holds the glass out from her face and sighs again: I catch a whiff of green beans on her breath. “I've had enough. Will you both excuse me—”

“Yeah, of course,” I assure her, and she climbs out from her chair right as Mike's shouts sear in from down the room. I return to Angeline.

“Can we make a run for it now?” she asks me, picking up her handbag. I reach into my pocket for the arrowhead.

“I've got a better idea. Climb over the table this time, too. Y'know, so you don't have to go way the hell down there—”

[grailacademy]

Welcome To Grail Academy - Chapter Fourteen: Too Young To Die

For an abandoned taffy factory, the beastly structure sure was animated. The tall smokestacks obscured the light of the sun, like grey obelisks marking an apocalyptic shrine. Groups of men and women in beige jumpsuits and caps rolled large crates out on trolleys, loading the packages onto the backs of taffy delivery trucks. A man with a thick beard and baggy eyes barked directions from the catwalk above, his potbelly bouncing as he yelled. It was systematic chaos, ants gathering food, bees building a hive, cockroaches scattering under light. The floor manager saw the line of children file into the factory through a garage door, nodded and pointed to a hallway that funneled out of the worker’s space. Queenie leading the pack, she directed everyone to follow.

Rettah held onto Yorick’s sweaty hand, pulling him along like a puppy on a leash. She was rambling about something, it could have been about a comic book she was reading, or maybe she was explaining their cover at the factory, but he wasn’t paying attention. He was still in sensory overload. Her hand on his was like holding an alligator’s tail, he felt every pore and ring of her fingerprints, every drop of sweat. The shouting and mechanical whirring of the machines sounded like standing in the middle of a bomb range. His heart was a flamenco dancer twirling and leaping in his chest, his legs were shaking, the images of Buck were stained on the insides of his eyelids every time he blinked. Scarlet swayed behind him, hands on his head.

The noise, noise, noise of the factory rattled in the distance as a new sound overtook Yorick’s ears. An argument, behind a closed door of what looked to be a freezer, presumably the place where this taffy company once stored product preservatives.

“The shipments are ahead of schedule, but the border keeps stopping our deliveries before they can leave Calicem.” A man’s voice, deep and gravely.

“We certainly can’t go after city government. It’s still an independent settlement.” A woman’s voice, stern.

“That’s exactly why we SHOULD. There won’t be any assistance from Mistral military.”

“Yes, but you forget their connections to Haven. The alliances between academies could prove to be bothersome, at the least.”

“Those toddlers are only a small inconvenience. If we move fast, we can collapse the communications tower and prevent any distress signals.”

Another woman’s voice, gentle and soft, cut through the bickering and hummed “Goodness, you call the hunters children while I sit here with a couple of infants! Play nice, you two”, the voice tittered.

The door to the locker was pushed open and the meeting came into full view. A circular wooden dining table sat in the center, a series of eight mismatched cushioned lounge chairs sitting around it. A tray with a silver tea pot and bowls of sugar cubes and biscuits was adjusted directly in the center. Those sitting at the table were all holding a cup of their own, although some did not drink the warm beverage. The room was cold, frigid, not quite to the point of frost or needing a jacket, but enough to send a chill down Yorick’s back. A man in a heavy orange and gold coat had his fist clenched on the table, his clean shaven head glistening in the reflection of his tea cup. A short woman sat across from him, the locks of her chestnut hair curling over her shoulder as she sipped her tea delicately, with her pinkie out. A boy with ragged black hair, shaved short in some parts and left long in others, sat on a crate in the corner, arms folded over his chest. “Be patient.” the gentle voice continued, echoing from somewhere in the far back of the room, dripping from the darkness like molasses. “There is no need to cause such a disturbance over a few delivery trucks. Let our people do their jobs, they have families to feed.”

“Pardon the interruption, but we have a new recruit” Queenie stated, gaining the abrupt attention of everyone’s eyes on her. She and Rettah stepped out of the way, and Scarlet shoved Yorick into the room. The boy on the crate shook his head and stood up, leaving the room. His arms unfolding as he trudged out made plain the dark marks on his back underneath his tank top, which Yorick stared at for a brief moment. He tripped over his feet and slipped into the room, not knowing what to do with his hands. He patted his legs and puffed out his cheeks, before that gentle voice hummed again. “You….”

suddenly, the darkness shrunk and a streak of black whooshed past the table. Now he was being embraced in a tight hug, by a pale woman who held his head to her naked breast. She was as cold as death, but somehow had the nurturing touch of a mother. She released him after an uncomfortably long five seconds, smiling excitedly and inspecting him. “Oh, he’s perfect! Just as I had imagined him. A magnificent specimen! Yes!” She poked the flesh of his forearms, prodded at his stomach, lifted the ends of his hair and counted a few strands, pulled one of his shoes off and felt around to make sure he had all his toes, stretched the goggles on his head as far as they could go, letting them snap onto his forehead when she let go. The process had Yorick giggling nonstop, since he had neglected to mention that he was extremely ticklish.

“What—Who are you? Where am I, what is this?” He asked, noticing the long trail of black hair winding behind the woman. She tittered again, petting his head and calming down.

“You must be very confused, I’m sure. My name is Sable Zil Alhaqiqa Trinity. But you may call me Sable. And this,” she held her arms out and gestured to the space around her, “is my temple.”

The man sitting at the table cleared his throat, and Sable turned to explain, “These are some of my disciples. Lolanthe Aylin, a scholar and the head of our production department, and Aurum Fitzroy, the leader of our field scouts.” She leaned over and whispered, “he also makes a wonderful raspberry biscuit.” Yorick looked back and saw that the man was angrily chewing on a biscuit with speckles of red berry in it.

A black tendril of hair draped itself over Yorick’s shoulder like an arm, Sable’s signal for him to turn around. “Walk with me, Yorick.” He glanced back to the rest of RSQ as the pair strolled down the hallway, and caught Rettah waving goodbye before the locker door shut behind them. “How do you know my name?”

“I know lots of things.”

Wow, that’s totally not creepy, he thought. Sable’s hair slid along the floor behind her, as if she wore a dramatically long veil to a wedding gown. They travelled through the factory, each assembly line and packing room adding to its daunting size. “Are you afraid of me, Yorick?”

“A bit, yeah.”

“That is understandable, haha.” She chuckled. He laughed as well, until Sable’s hair lifted off his shoulder and fell into place on her back. “I’m a strange person. We are strange people!” She was right about that.

“Do you know about the Hedge Witches?”

“We….learned about them in class, I think.” He scratched the back of his hand. The little he knew about them wasn’t exactly in a good light.

“Then you know what we do here.”

“You’re anarchists. Terrorists.”

Sable snorted, “Oh, nothing that dramatic.” They reached a room with ceiling-to-floor windows that hung above the work floor, but the windows were almost entirely covered with sheets of scribblings and notes. “My disciples are not mindless brutes. They are scientists, artists, teachers, chefs, lawyers, those who have been wronged by Calicem government. The ones who run this city, they are oppressors. They profit from marginalized people’s misery.” As she spoke, Yorick strolled around the room and read some of the notes. They seemed to be a combination of diary entries and experiment logs. “....The world has been cruel to us. We were born out of hate and fear, not love. That is why I do this, Yorick. I want to create a new world. A better one.” The branches of hair slithered up the walls of the room like spilt ink, and when Yorick turned around, Sable was reclining in a hammock of her own hair. He could sympathize with her reasons. But Yorick questioned her, “Why do you need me, then?”

“Because,” Sable plucked a piece of paper off of one of the walls and handed it to Yorick. ”This power is your destiny.” Yorick clutched the newsprint photo in his hand, recognizing the face of his grandmother on the paper.

“Who. The hell. Is Sable.” Esmerelda slammed her hands down on the headmaster’s desk, grinding her teeth. Her team and herself were all looking worse for wear, Bernard blinking in and out of consciousness on the couch in the corner, Nico sitting beside him with his partner’s head in his lap, wincing with every breath he took. The school nurse peeled Bernard’s eyes open and shone a small light to see if his pupils dilated (which they didn’t), and applied a salve to the many purple and red marks across Nico’s chest and stomach. “It’s a miracle you don’t have any broken bones. Just a couple of bruised ribs.” The nurse remarked while she wrapped gauze around Nico’s torso to hold him together. Esmerelda herself had bandages wrapped around her forearms where the wires cut her, and around her neck where Queenie had attempted to slit her throat.

“I understand that you’re upset-” Madehold tried to calm down her students, but to no avail. “-UPSET!? My team and I could have died out there. Upset doesn’t even begin to describe it. For gods sake, they took Yorick and killed one of their teammates! How could you let those monsters into the academy? And why did they know so much about you and the school? And WHO IN THE GODS NAMES IS SABLE!?”

Madehold let out a long sigh, lacing her fingers together and holding them up to her lips as she sat there. It was one thing to have to deal with these kids screaming at her so late at night, but it was another thing to do so while she was inebriated. After a moment, she turned in her office chair and stood, making her way to the window. “I guess I have some explaining to do, don’t I?”