The Anderson family in rural southwest Florida were your everyday common church family. The father, Jack Anderson, was a well-known preacher in the area for the local Baptist church in the center of town. Jack grew up the way many southern church families do, with a legacy. The Anderson family generations ago founded the quaint little church in the center of town after the Civil War ended. Each generation grew up there and stayed at that one little church, preaching to every generation.
Jack grew up there, completed his pastoral training, and then went on to find his wife in Italy when touring the Vatican City with his missionary group. Melina Bianchi was only 18 when she met Jack, but it was love at first sight. She immediately moved to the United States at the despair of her parents, and became a perfect pastor's wife. They had two beautiful daughters, Adrianna and Izebel Anderson, who brought nothing but joy to their life. It was the first generation of Andersons without a single boy in the mix. But if you asked Melina, she called it a blessing none the less.
Izebel enjoyed growing up in Florida, but sometimes, it was quite evident to everyone in that town that she didn't belong there. Izebel was bright from a young age, and while she socialized very well, it was clear she struggled with connecting with kids her age. Instead of going to children's church like every other 7 year old, the young girl sat in the sun, reading books far beyond a seven year old's reading capability.
Izebel was also homeschooled. But after turning 12 years old and completing high school curriculums with her 18 year old sister Adriana, her mother decided that maybe, they should take a chance with this bright little girl they had.
"Jack, I think Izebel might be ready to go to college" Melina casually dunked the casserole dish within the soap bubbles again while her husband's eyes began to furrow.
He kept an even pace with the dish he was drying before putting it down in the drying rack. "Izebel is 12 years old. Aren't we supposed to be talking about Adriana's college experience?"
"Well yes, but you understand that Izebel was surpassing Adriana in her classes no?"
"Yes but-"
"She is too smart to be stuck in the quaint little town."
A dish broke. Jack's brows seemed to connect with the amount of confusion in his face while looking at the shards of the blue plate scattered along the tile floor. Melina remembered the last time she saw that look of confusion. When she chose to leave her family and be in this small quaint town she was trying to push her daughter out of.
Jack didn't know how to respond. Many times he didn't when it came to his wife. Melina was too smart of him, too passionate. The Italian woman loved to have endless conversations with him about life, about their children, about the world. She was curious, opinionated, and passionate. Much like their youngest daughter was already at the young age of twelve.
His lungs filled with air quickly, and a small prayer was sent up to the Lord, If this is what you want we will try. John wasn't a man to stand in the way of God's plans. And God made his little girl bright.
Jack was a proud man. Proud of his little family. Proud of the town he lived in. But looking around his house, everything suddenly became dull and bland. The oak farm table was losing its shine, while the stairs creaked as the young girls ran up the stairs for bedtime. The sun even looked opaque shining through the clear windows.
"Fine. But don't set her up to fail. She is just a kid."
Summer 2006
"Mother, you cannot honestly think I will even consider going to a school with my sister do you? Its glorified babysitting" The olive toned teenager's eyes were beginning to fill with tears and she stared at her mother. The two were very similar, same wavy brown hair, same olive toned skin, same stature and height. However, the teenager lacked a lot of drive and push that her mother had. No, that drive and push was all within her younger sister. The exact sister that would be following her to the same Florida state college campus the teenager was enrolled in.
"Adriana, Izebel will need you. This is your time to be the best sister you can. And I am sure Izebel will be just the roommate you are looking for." The Italian accent was more pronounced with the tone of authority the mother spoke with. The teenager could do nothing both roll her eyes.
"Mother she already is my roommate. I don't want her to renew that lease again. I'm an adult. She is a kid. This WONT work."
" It's not a request. And that is final."
3 months later
Izebel slowly entered her dorm room, knowing her sister would be angry that she was coming in so late. Part of the promise Adriana made with her parents 3 months ago was that she would have dinner with her sister every day during the first semester of college and she would be able to get one of the newest blackberry phone models that came out during the second semester. Izebel was never late, a prompt 6:30 dinner time was common in the Anderson household. However, today was a little different. And with the blank transfer papers and scholarship packet clutched to her chest, Izebel was sure that her sister face wouldn't be in a permanent scowl for the evening.
"How dare you be late? Izebel this is like the only we have to do together. And you know mom expects a photo from our dinner. Why are you even late?"
"Listen I-" but before she could explain her sister got a bit teary eyed and gave her a hug.
"Honestly I thought someone shoved you in a trash can or something. I'm sorry for yelling" Izebel patter her sister's back a couple of times before the teenager let go of her. Adriana wiped the black smudge beneath her eyes and fanned her face for a second while Izebel collected herself again. This time, Izebel stretched the packet out to her sister.
"I'm going to transfer. To a different college." Adriana's eyes got wide. She looked around the room as if something about the typical college dorm room with bunk beds was going to give her a clue as to why her sister was leaving.
"Is someone making fun of you here Izebel? Because if they are you know what the dean said on the first day."
"It's nothing like that Adriana. We both know I don't really belong here. The University of Florida was your school. Not mine. And you remember my biology professor no? The one who went to Cornell? Well, he found a way for me to transfer there next year. Full scholarship. Take a look at the packet." With that direction, Adriana sat at her desk and looked it over. The professor was thorough that's for sure. And the papers were already drawn up. The only thing missing was a clear signature from the legal guardian or parent Izebel Anderson. Adriana actually laughed when looking at that.
"Do you really think mom and dad are going to let you go up to New York all by yourself at the age of 13?" Izebel squirmed at the thought of asking her parents that. The University of Florida was a tough sell on the parents during the summer.
"We will figure it out. Don't you worry." And for the first time, the sisters actually became a little more compromising to the predicament of them going to college at the same time.
3 years later
Adriana's face glitched a little bit while laughing at the story her sister just told her. Facetime was the sisters' new form of communication after both received MacBook laptops. It was just months away from graduation but Adriana couldn't help but laugh at her sister's current predicament.
"So wait… you're telling me that this kid actually is going to teach you how to drive in exchange for free tutoring sessions? Oh my gosh that is PRECIOUS!" Izebel started to laugh with her too.
"Hey, I'm the only kid in my major without a license. I'm 16! I should be getting it but I don't have the hours. At least this kid is 21 and has a car!"
"I know I know. But its still hysterical that you try and have a normal high school experience while bribing your students with free tutoring sessions to get those experiences."
"Don't remind me." Izebel grumbled.
The sisters laugher started to slow. And Adriana looked pretty serious for a second. Izebel picked up on that easily and pointed her spoon of ice cream at the camera, as if to say "spill it".
"Okay, so you know how I talked to that kid in the club for missionaries on campus?" Adriana suddenly looked nervous, which peaked Izebel's interest. Her sister was so confident all the time. How could a church scenario make her nervous? They practically lived their whole lives in one.
"He told me about this international relations position opening this year for graduating students. They want me to apply for the position."
"Adriana that's amazing news! A job in your major how exiting!"
"Izebel wait-"
"You could totally do this. I'm so happy for you."
"It's in Wakanda."
Both sisters grew quite serious. They both knew what that meant. It wasn't a IR position as in business. It was IR in the sense of poverty and social outcry. Wakanda was known for being one of the poorest countries in the world, and their boarders were known as huge human trafficking locations. The country itself still technically refused outsider help, and made it known several times at UN events.
"Adriana…" Izebel began, but Adriana just held up her spoon in reply. It was clear from the gesture that Adriana wasn't going to elaborate more, and Izebel shouldn't either.
"Who knows if I would even get it…"
Summer 2018
Adriana certainly got that position, seeing as though Izebel was on a rickety plane right now to go and see her. It was certainly hard on her family, but when she came back the summer of 2012 with a man known as Ayo, it was clear to the Anderson parents that Adriana certainly made the right decision for her. The International Relations position ended up being the start of a huge missionary program, which her family immediately loved. What more could a pastor want for his daughter?
Izebel had fallen away from that lifestyle the further she went into her studies. Izebel liked the idea of God. If you asked her where she stood in her faith, she would tell you she was a Christian. But the idea of devoting only her attention to the bible when her heart yearned to read science articles put a strain on the relationship between herself and her father. To compromise, Izebel had promised to spend the summer in Wakanda with her sister's missionary organization to make up for all the Sundays she had missed while completing her doctorate degrees. The promise of a research position waiting for her in New York City made it easier for her to get on this plane now and spend a couple of weeks with her sister. She would finally see where her sister had been living all these years. Besides, it wasn't like she had any plans to stay here longer than necessary.
The first month of being with her sister at the missionary program in Nigeria was very uneventful. Well, at least compared to the hustle and bustle she just left from New York City and Boston. Izebel promised her parents after graduating with such "unusual" degrees at such a young age, she would spend time with her sister Adriana before committing to a scientific practice.
Ayo and Adriana now had three beautiful children together, and were in charge of a small missionary village just on the outskirts of the Wakandan border. There were many refugees living in their village, and Izebel had the boring opportunity to play doctor for all the little kid's bumps and bruises.
The village itself was very quiet. Nothing like what Izebel had pictured. You see, Izebel had already had an idea of what Wakanda and the Nigeria border should look like because of an connection she had with her thesis. The woman, named Nakita, had emailed the young scientist almost daily in regards to her research being done on indigenous tribal medicinal practices in the outskirts of Nigeria. At first it was bothersome, because it was clear based on the email content this woman had no clue what ethnobotany was and what scientific research entitled. But after several email exchanges, Nakita made it clear that she was hoping the young scientist might be of help to a local scientist from her home country, Wakanda. The Wakandan scientist, named Shuri, was looking for someone who might be able to help her aid in research on psychiatric medicine and memory loss and restoration medicine from native species of plants. Izebel was intrigued to say the least, and her sister was bothering her to visit.
It was settled 3 months before Izebel was to arrive at her sister's missionary village on the Nigeria-Wakanda border, that Shuri or Nakita would visit within the first month of her arrival to introduce her to the area she would be able to work in.
So in May 2018, Izebel hugged her parents after graduation and ran to JFK airport with nothing but a carryon suitcase and backpack stuffed with textbooks and modest clothing.
Originally she assumed it would be a dirt village, but instead it was on the Sahara with plenty of farming and grass covering the small town. It was definitely hot, but nothing the Floridian couldn't handle. Wakanda's border was beautiful. The sunrises were something she could never get over. And the air was almost cleaner than anything she had ever experienced.
Each day was the same, get up, help Adriana's kids get ready for school, and then sit in the nurses station. Sometimes they would get refugees who she could help patch up a scrape or set in some stiches, but nothing exciting ever really came by.
Idle hands are the devils work they say. But she knew Shuri and Nakita would hold true to her promise. Well, at least she believed they did. It had been a month exactly and they were pushing their timeline. Izebel was itching to get back into the field and help heal people.
"You know your friends won't show up any quicker with that glare to the sunrise. But some wrinkles might show up." A familiar voice sounded behind her. Adriana was no longer the lanky twenty year old roommate her sister remembered. Missionary work seemed to have aged the 30 year old. But maybe that was the small children she had come to have. However, the lifestyle her sister picked almost seemed to suit her. Her skin was almost tanner than their mother's had been, and a glow from all the work she has put into her village simply radiated off of her when you got the woman talking about it. But most of all, the woman's brown eyes almost seemed to be filled with a wisdom that the young woman lacked in her college years.
Izebel blew a string of curls out of her face while turning to look at her sister. "It's not my fault they got me excited about this project. You know how I am about projects Adriana". The older sister chuckled before wrapping an arm around her sister, matching the girls previous observational look at the sunrise.
"Me paying you to do my math project was how we found out you were brilliant in the first place Iz. Mom won't let me forget that one."
The golden hues of the sun rays began to dampen in saturation as the sun pulled higher into the sky. The grass lost its halo as the blue overtook the sky. There wasn't a single cloud in sight. However, there was something in the distance. Three figures. The older sister's face cracked into a smile. She knew they would be coming today. The woman Nakita had visited the missionary village on several occasions, sometimes bringing in women and children to be rescued from trafficking situations.
By this point Izebel had noticed the visitors on the horizon and turned to look at her sister. The older woman was already grinning at her and nodding her head. With a slight squeeze on Izebel's arm, Adriana walked back towards the village. Izebel turned back to the visitors, who now could be identified as two women and a man. The grin overtaking her face was infectious as the women pulled close enough to be in eye sight. The woman on the left was youthful, with space buns like Princess Leah and a beautiful white dress. The woman on the right matched the description her sister gave her of Nakita, short natural hair, bright eyes, and a strong stance. But the man in the middle was not someone she was expecting. He almost looked familiar adorned in his loose black pants and long jacked with silver embellishment with hands folded neatly in front of him and a polite smile on his face.
"You must be Izebel. I am delighted to meet you. My sister has said nothing but good things about you. And I have read your work-"
"I am not your sister Shuri" the fierce woman scoffed, causing the man to crack an actual smile.
"You could be if you were willing Nakita."
"As I was saying," Shuri interrupted the two before steering back the conversation to Izebel. "My name is Shuri. It's a pleasure to meet you. I have read your thesis and I have to say it's wonderful. I look forward to working with you. This is Nakita, the woman who has been emailing you and harassing your sister with more strays. And my brother T'Challa."
"Thank you Shuri." Izebel blushed. The thesis had only been out for 2 year and barely had more than 3 checkouts in her school's database. It was rare for someone to be interested in the ethnobotanical importance of gingko leaves in memory restoration. "And a pleasure to meet you all. Come this way. I am sure my sister ran off to make some breakfast. We did not realize you would be coming this early."
With that the three Wakandans found themselves in the modest house of the mixed missionary family. Adriana tutted around the kitchen gathering the fruit and yogurts while Ayo almost seemed star struck talking to T'Challa. It was so early that the small patter of feet had not even begun in the household.
Ayo finally found his tongue after a while and stated, "Izebel and Adriana, you could have informed me that the scientist you would be working with was the Princess of Wakanda and her brother the now King of Wakanda would be joining us for breakfast."
A glass shattering broke the silence that followed the heavy statement from the Nigerian man. T'Challa smiled weakly before clearing his throat.
"Thank you for the introduction. We were going to get to that actually. I would not be here if it was not important." T'Challa's accent almost seemed to thicken at the sudden entrance to his true motives of being here. The dining room table that seated all except Adriana, who was hurriedly trying to clean up the water pitcher that was shattered along the wooden floor, seemed too small for the 5 current occupants.
Nakita and Shuri wouldn't speak. Izebel's face continued to contort into confusion. It was clear that although those women seemed to be her primary form of communication, it was once again a mirage for what Izebel was actually brought here to do.
"Your Highness-"
"T'Challa"
"Yes, T'Challa. I'm sorry but Nakita and Shuri made it very clear I am here for ethnobotanical and medical purposes. I'm not sure why I would be much help to you." Adriana seemed to fuss even more, although the glass and water had been cleaned up. The yogurt and fruit seemed to suddenly appear on the table, thickening the ever present awkwardness that overcame the young adults.
Instead of answering the implied question from Izebel, Shuri flashed a dazzling smile at Adriana and thanked her for the breakfast before digging in. Nakita shortly followed suit and T'Challa did not seem bothered with the sudden shift of focus from hidden agendas to fruit differences between the Americas and Africa.
To Izebel's annoyance, the soft pitter patters interrupted the forced fruit talk, further pushing back her ability to find out what the heck was going on. The loud spat of fruit onto her glass plate was the only indication that Izebel certainly hadn't forgotten the conversation and that she expected an answer after breakfast.
The soft babble of children almost helped Izebel's mind to decipher everything that was going on. It was almost too easy to determine what was going down with the Wakandan royalty seeing out the help of a young scientist and medical doctor. The news was still running stories about the ultimate superhero showdown that occurred in Germany, and how it centered around the mysterious Winter Soldier who suddenly disappeared with Captain America. And now the young King T'Challa had made a bold move to suddenly be a leader in third world country development and poverty aid? A small smile slid across her face and Izebel bit into a jackfruit. Of course it was easy, now that she had all the pieces laid out in front of her.
The smile was enough to catch the attention of Nakita, who was initially distracted by T'Challa holding a small mixed toddler in his arms while explaining the animals he has seen on the savannah. Quickly glancing at Shuri, the sudden eye contact between the two women made it clear that everyone knew what the conversation would be like after they finished the meal.
"Well this was just simply delightful Adriana. You are blessed to have her in your life Ayo. If you would excuse me," T'Challa easily passed on Izebel's nephew to Ayo's outstretched arms, "I would love if Izebel would accompany my sister, Nakita and I on a tour of your village while we discuss some… important matters."
"Of course," Ayo stammered, struggling to keep the rambunctious toddler in his arms. Quickly, the Wakandans and Izebel cleaned up their utensils and plates before escaping the confined room.
T'Challa, while knowing the heaviness of what he was about to ask Izebel to agree to, almost seemed relaxed to Izebel. His hands were no longer clasped together tightly in front of him, but instead loosely hung by his side. He breathed in a deep sigh, before opening his eyes slowly and smiling almost lazily at the young doctor. And young she was. He noticed now she almost looked younger than his sister. The loose printed pants and black tee shirt were the most comfortable thing about her appearance, for the brunette was tense and calculating in her body language towards the king. He trusted Stark on this one, and knew she was the only way to help all sides get what they wanted.
"Ms. Anderson—"
"Doctor Izebel Anderson—" She corrected. T'Challa noticed her eyebrows seemed to get closer together after his misidentification.
"Sorry Dr. Anderson… Izebel" He decided to correct himself with the more friendly name, as if to soften the words coming out of his mouth next. "You clearly know what we are about to ask no? Stark told me you were bright. No doubt you have already placed the pieces together." Izebel only nodded in response. The tension almost seemed to disappear at that confession. Nakita and Shuri almost took simultaneous sighs of relief. While the young doctor seemed clearly pissed off by the furrowed facial features and crossed arms, there was no hint in her body language that suggested she was scared or opposed to the task placed in front of her.
"You want me to somehow miraculously heal the Winter Soldier. Restore the memories of Bucky Barnes. Yeah, figured that out pretty quick." Izebel rolled her eyes and the two women chucked.
"Think she will freeze?" Shuri whispered to Nakita. Nakita took a second look at this young girl.
"Oh yes."