Chapter One
It was just going to be another normal, boring day of college. Or so Wanda had thought. She sat in a poorly air-conditioned room, waiting for Mr. Wilson to begin his morning lecture when suddenly an unfamiliar boy opened the door and stumbled into the large room, nervously looking around. All eyes were immediately on him, including Wanda's. Was this a new student? She studied him for a second. He was very tall; he had light blonde hair and pale skin, and a rather handsome face. He looked very curious, and appeared rather anxious to be here. His body language was very stiff. He was carrying a large satchel filled with textbooks, and was clutching what looked like a map of the main building. She didn't realise how much she was staring at him until she realised she had completely zoned out of what the lecturer was saying. "-will be our new student here. Please make him feel welcome. Ah, there is a free seat next to Wanda," Mr. Wilson said as he pointed in her very direction. Wanda suddenly panicked. She completely missed his name! Shit. She realised the new student was walking towards her. She softly whispered a "hello" and looked up at him, smiling as she offered him her hand. He studied her hand for a short time, and then she heard an almost silent whisper of "oh" before he shook her hand. Wanda found that to be rather odd, but kinda cute. Maybe he didn't shake hands with people he literally just met? Yeah, 'cause that's normal, unlike you, Miss Wanda 'let's shake hands with the new kid 'cause he looks cute' Maximoff.
"Nice to meet you," Wanda whispered, trying to keep her voice down as Mr. Wilson had decided to start his lecture before the new boy was even seated. "Yes. Nice to meet you too," the blonde-haired boy whispered softly, finally sitting down next to her. His voice sounded preternatural. She couldn't quite place the tone of his voice. She liked the accent though. She was suddenly very intrigued about him. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he placed his satchel on his knee, removing a notepad, a textbook and a small pencil case. He set the satchel on the floor, between his feet, and started to take notes immediately. He was writing at a very fast speed, and Wanda soon found that she could not keep up with him nor the pace that Mr. Wilson was going at as he spoke. She decided to write her notes in shorthand, praying that her future self would be able to understand the barely legible scribbles. She noticed the blonde-haired boy never took his eyes off Mr. Wilson yet was able to write perfectly, it was the most wonderful penmanship she had ever seen. She continued to watch him out of the corner of her eye, amazed at how quickly he was taking notes, and how his eyes never looked down at his notebook. She found herself absolutely mesmerised.
Before she knew it, the lecture was over and the blonde-haired boy was carefully packing up his things. Wanda quickly shoved her notebook back into her backpack, and tried to think of how she could ask what his name was without appearing rude or unobservant. She noticed he had returned the satchel to his shoulder and was looking at the small map again. "Do you know where you're going? Or maybe I- ...would you like some help?" Wanda asked, walking a little closer so she could look at the map, praying that maybe his name was written on it somewhere. God, why was she suddenly so nervous. He nodded. "I think so. Although, it is my first day so perhaps I could use some assistance." Wanda quickly got a good look at the small, badly photo-copied map and she saw his name at the top right-hand corner.
Vision.
"Well, Vision, let me help you out," Wanda said with a small smile, "Where are you heading next?" Vision didn't even look at his personalised timetable on the back of the map before he replied. "I have one hour of free study time and then I have a lecture with Mr. Rhodes for two hours." Wanda nodded, smiling as she realised they probably had the exact same timetable, which she was secretly hoping for. "Me too," she said softly, "What are you gonna use your study time for?" She asked him, curious as to what he would choose to do with his free hour. "I am going to use the library to begin preparations on my essay," he replied, folding up the map and placing it back into his shirt pocket. "Mind if I join you? I was gonna use the library for some research," Wanda says as she starts to walk towards the door, "Of course, Wanda," Vision replies, and she notices that he immediately follows her. "I'll show you where the library is, come on."
They walk through the busy main building of the college, and Wanda carefully guides them through a couple of shortcuts to dodge the busier areas, and down a long corridor which takes them into a smaller building, where the library awaits them. The corridor is bustling with students and teachers alike, both noise and heat levels are almost unbearable, but at last they reach the library. Wanda opens the large wooden door, holding it open for Vision who quickly takes the weight of the door from her as he follows closely behind. He starts to look around, admiring the size of the place and the wonderful architecture. "Computers are over there," Wanda whispers to him, and points to the left hand corner of the library. Vision nods as they walk over together. She sits down, and starts to log in to her user account. She notices Vision sit down next to her, and she turns to face him. "So, you're the new kid, huh?" She asks, noticing that he suddenly seems a little anxious. He slowly nods. "Yes. I'm the "new kid"," he replies, and Wanda can't help but smile at the way he said 'kid' due to his accent. "So, it's 'Vision'? No second name? Just 'Vision'?" She doesn't know why she suddenly has all these questions for him, but he answers her straightaway. "Yes. Just call me Vision. It is a nickname," he says, looking up at Wanda he then asks, "What about you, Wanda?" She smiles, turning to her computer as she opens the documents folder to find her research paper, "Maximoff. Wanda Maximoff," She says quietly, almost to herself, and she is surprised that he can even hear her. "You are from Sokovia," he replies, his voice a low whisper. "Y-yeah, I am, why?" She asks, her brow raising in concern. "No reason, Wanda. I simply recognised your surname. That is... all," he whispers, his voice almost inaudible as he finishes his sentence. "Have you been to Sokovia?" She asks, her breath catching in her throat as she realised that she said that out loud. She hadn't meant to ask that. "No, I have not. Mr. S- ...my father has visited several times. He says it is a wonderful country. The war was rather...unfortunate," Vision responds, attention turning to his computer screen as he opens up a blank word document and starts to type. Wanda freezes. "A wonderful country, yes... It was, but not now. Not anymore. Not after the war," she whispers, attention focused on the large monitor as she forces herself to stay calm. No. Not here. Not now. The memories are coming back. She can't stop them. The war. The shouting. The guns. The machines. The bloodshed. The screams. The innocent children. Her home. Her parents. Her brother. "Wanda?" She ignores Vision's voice. She closes her eyes. She can see them. Her mother, her father, and her brother. Dead. The flames. The ruins. The smoke. The pain. She can't do this. "I have to go," she whispers, and she runs for the door.
Wanda runs down the corridor as if her life depends on it, not even caring if she bumps into someone, and heads for the side exit. She notices Vision stumble out of the library, and he starts to run after her. She pushes open the door, and sinks down onto the grass. She tries to shake this feeling, but it just won't leave. God, why today of all days? Vision suddenly appears, looking extremely anxious. "Wanda? Are you alright? Did I say something?" he asks, sitting down on the grass next to her, eyes darting everywhere. She shakes her head, tears forming in her eyes as she replies. "No, you didn't say anything. Don't worry. It's fine. I'm okay. It's just," she whispers as she lets out a sob, "I can't talk about Sok- I can't talk about my home," she says softly, wiping the tears from her eyes. God, why was she crying in front of the new kid? What a great first impression. "It's alright, Wanda. I understand," Vision says, as he reaches into his pocket and retrieves a handkerchief, which he gently passes to Wanda. She stares up at him, and he smiles sincerely. She smiles warmly in response, and takes it from his outstretched hand which feels surprisingly warm. "Thanks Vision," she whispers, slowly standing up as she finishes wiping her tears away before she turns to face him, "Wanda, are you sure that you are alright?" he asks, and she can see that he seems genuinely concerned for her. "Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks for the tissue," she says, and he nods his head softly. "I'm glad we're friends, Vision," she says with a wide grin. Vision pauses, and stares at her incredulously. "We are?" It's a genuine question, and Wanda laughs softly. "Of course we are! Now come on, let's get back to our research," she says as she walks past him, gently touching his shoulder to show her thanks. He watches for a moment as she heads back inside and then he quickly follows, gently touching the spot on his shoulder that she placed her hand on mere seconds ago.