"Alright guys, we have to go." Steve said to the scrawny band of imprisoned Avengers.
"Wait, where's Wanda?" Clint questioned. "I haven't seen her since they imprisoned us."
Then, with a collective gasp, they found her. Behind a tinted, one-way, soundproof mirror, restrained and unable to move in a strait jacket, and locked in an electroshock collar, there she lay. Her skin was pale and unmoving because of the countless doses of tranquilizer they pumped into her skin, rendering her muscles useless. Clint broke into the cell and stared at Wanda in astonishment. What had they done to her?
"Wanda? Are you OK?" He sped over to her. She tried to writhe away, but the tranquilizer limited her movement and the motion sensing collar jolted her into the wall. She didn't even see who it was, only that whoever it was tried to touch her. Painfully, she scrunched herself into a weak ball, stringy strands of unkept hair covering her face. All she wanted was her brother, Pietro. His touch, his gaze, his loving words and rash arrogance.
"How is she?" Steve asked.
"She's pretty bad, won't even let me touch her." Sam ran into the room holding a small remote.
"I found this on one of the guard's desks. I think it controls the collar."
"Well?" Scott replied. "Are you going to try to use it?"
"Of course, I am! Let me see how this thing works." Wanda, fighting the agonizing pain from the previous jolt, flinched ever so slightly. She knew which buttons would shock her and which would release the collar. If she spoke, the collar would just shock her again. Sam looked at all the brightly colored buttons. So many choices, but only one would free the trapped Maximoff. Hesitantly, he pressed the green button on top, and Wanda was jolted into a state of agonizing pain. The button was jammed, and the collar kept shocking her, again and again. She fought the unconsciousness slowly closing in on her electrified body.
"Sam! What are you thinking? Can't you see she's in pain?" Steve angrily said to him.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. How was I supposed to know? Why don't you try Captain?" He replied. Steve snatched the remote from him and pressed the button with the tiny letters' 'release'. The collar fell to the ground of the cell with a soft thud. Wanda lay, huddled in the back corner of the cell in the straight jacket, the tranquilizer doing its work. She couldn't move. She couldn't think. All she felt was pain. All four boys ran towards her, unstrapping the jacket from her limp arms. Clint supported her as she stood up shakily, only to collapse on the hard, cold cell floor and black out.
When she awoke, she was in a small room, laying comfortably on a soft bed. Wanda groggily opened her eyes to see Vision peering over the bed. She didn't recognize him, since she had been on the tranquilizer so long. Shakily, she jumped backwards, expecting some kind of aggressive move. Suddenly she stopped, expecting another agonizing jolt from the collar she was imprisoned in for so long.
"I thought you would be out for longer." Vision said kindly to her. She winced at hearing something other than pure silence like she had for so long. While she was in prison, she learned to keep her mouth shut. Once she stopped talking, the collar wouldn't shock her anymore. She never could've imagined that the cell made by the government could be worse than the HYDRA cell. Separated from her brother, and surrounded by plain, dark walls. But the one she had experienced for about a week in was pure torture for the Sokovian girl. The people working at the jail didn't even think of her as a human, just a thing to be scared of. Not only did she not have the twin brother she grew up together with, but she couldn't practice her powers, much less move at all. She had learned to not fidget and move while in the torturous cell. She just thought. Wanda was dismal, she was depressed, she was...gone. The once spirited girl was changed drastically after a mind-shattering experience. Wanda would never be the same.
Vision, sitting on the foot of the bed, gazed at her lovingly. He tried to hold her hand, but she massively flinched away from his loving grasp. She didn't want anybody touching her. Not again. "What happened in there. You seem restless today." Wanda inhaled deeply, her heart pounding. She didn't want to talk about it, but Vision's inquiring gaze made her feel guilty. She just shook her head and buried herself under she soft covers of her bed. Vision quietly stepped away through the wall.
Wanda stayed in her bedroom for hours, looking out on the balcony. She cherished the freedom of that balcony. No walls, no restraints; it was freedom for her. She loved the feel of the wind in her hair, and the occasional small sharp snowflake that stung her face. With a cringe, she remembered how much her brother loved snow. Her delicate elbows sat gracefully on the rail as she looked out into the distance into the forest.
"Wanda?" She jumped back, completely startled by Steve's soft voice. She glanced up at him with large, apologetic eyes. "Sorry to scare you. I was wondering if you wanted to join us for breakfast. I'm going to explain what happened at the airport." Wanda shook her head to signify she was coming. Before she left the comforting solace of her room, she tied her hair into a messy bun and changed out of the old clothes she had been wearing.
Steve explained everything after what had happened at the airport, and the whole team ate a hearty meal after their short time of limited food. All, except Wanda. She only barely touched her food and took small sips of water. Nobody said anything to her but shot sympathetic glances her way. She still hadn't spoken a word since imprisonment at The Raft. After breakfast, the team assembled onto a bunch of couches arranged in a circle. They all were discussing if they should move out of the safehouse. Well, almost all of them. Wanda had still stayed silent, not daring to utter a word. She was sitting in a tight ball in a corner of the couch, not letting anyone near her. Lost in thought, she completely forgot about the conversation.
"-to help Wanda." Steve finished. All of them turned to look at her, and she returned their gazes with wide eyes. "You haven't said a word since we returned here, and we're worried about you." Steve noted to her.
"What did they do to you?" Clint inquired. Wanda began to tremble a bit and buried her head in her arms. Clint inched closer to her so he could comfort her. He tried to put his hand on her shoulder, but she jumped out of her seat and flailed her arms with surprising strength. From the unexpected contact, she had hit Clint square in the chest, sending him falling backwards onto the floor. Clint groaned, not expecting the hit. Wanda sat in the corner of the couch in a tight ball, her head buried in her legs and her arms wrapped around her body.
"Wanda…" Steve was about to tell her that it wasn't her fault, but she bolted upstairs, tripping over her own feet.
She still hadn't said a word.
Steve decided to go up and talk to her. When he arrived, she was laying on her bed, head in her arms and crying. She flinched massively when he entered. With a soft, calm voice, he began;
"Wanda, are you ok?" She slightly nodded, head still buried in her arms. "You're scared; I can see that. None of us know what happened to you in the prison, but we're all sure it must've been terrible for you. It will take time to get back to your old self, but you will get better. We'll make sure of that."
Wanda had stilled and she was looking at him now.
"We may have little in common, but you are too young to have experienced this much pain in your life. No one should suffer alone. We're here for you. None of us will harm you intentionally. You are safe." He smiled at her, and she gave him a small smile back. Steve finished his small speech and exited out of the room silently. Wanda pondered on his words.
I need to get over my fear. She thought. Start small. Make a sound; whisper your name. Wanda clamped her eyes shut, preparing for what seemed like a massive leap into ice-cold water. Her breathing quickened and she wrung her hands.
"I am Wanda." Her voice was barely audible, but it still made Wanda cringe.
"I am Wanda Maximoff." She repeated, still expecting some pain to follow.
"I am Wanda Maximoff. I am from Sokovia." Her voice was a full whisper now.
"I am Wanda Maximoff. I am from Sokovia. I'm not going down without a fight." She added, slightly quieter; "I am safe."
She repeated this phrase again and again, warming up her voice and enjoying the use of it without being shocked. Wanda finally decided that she would apologize to Clint, but the thought of talking to another person make her terrified.
Come on, you have to do this. For your friends.
Wanda quietly make her way down the stairs and down into the kitchen. She walked up to them, visibly shaking. Before she spoke to any of them, she repeated to herself; "I am Wanda Maximoff. I am from Sokovia. I'm not going down without a fight. I am safe." With a large inhale she said;
"I'm sorry for hitting you." All four men stared at her in shock. It was a relief to hear her accented voice again.
"It wasn't your fault." Clint told her. "I'm sorry for scaring you." Wanda was full on grinning now, and her eyes were tearing up at finally overcoming something. "When did you relearn to speak?" Clint's lips twitched upwards.
"Just now." Everyone in the room laughed, and Wanda joined in. Over the next few days, Wanda became more and more confident with her speech. By the end of the week, she was talking just like she used to, only less frequently. She still jumped when someone surprised her, and massively flinched at loud noises. The young Maximoff still refused hugs, tensing up when someone approached her, then stammering out an apology.
"They make me feel restrained." She would murmur. Clint always noticed her discomfort and quickly changed the subject.
In fact, all physical contact was avoided by Wanda at all costs, but she slowly became more at ease. An occasional shoulder brush, her feet would sometimes hit Steve while she curled up on the couch, but nothing too large. The small assembled group took extra caution to not trigger a bad memory inadvertently.
But overall, Wanda was slowly recovering. She stood on her balcony almost every day, and loved to watch leaves blow by, or snowflakes dance in the wind. The whistle of the breeze and the rustle of the forest were sounds that she could listen to all day. Not too quiet that they would leave time for her mind to wander, but not too loud either.
One morning during breakfast, Clint kept looking at Wanda. Steve nodded to him, and Clint started;
"Wanda, what happened at The Raft?" All the team members looked at her, and she looked back with wide eyes. She sighed.
"They didn't treat me like a human. I was just the thing with powers, never a person. Every time one walked past me, they would hit me. Instituting fear was part of their program, I guess. They pumped me with drugs to keep me too drowsy to care, and I couldn't even move. I haven't tried using my powers yet; I don't want to become the monster they made me out to be." She finished with a whimper. The room fell in silence. Clint's face was stern and angry, and the other's matched his expression.
"I'm sorry." Clint told the disconsolate girl. She gave him a tiny smile.
"It wasn't your fault." No one dared touch her now, in fear they would bring back the horror of her cell.
"Why don't you try using your powers again?" Steve suggested. Wanda glanced at him. She felt as if a part of her soul had been lost without the use of her powers. Like a lion was being let out of a cage. She scratched off any sense of fear and tried making a small energy ball. The Maximoff's fingers glowed a translucent red, and a small glowing ball appeared in between her fingers. She moved it around, transfixed by the beautiful glow she hadn't seen for so long. Everyone in the room beamed at her, and she smiled back at them.
Later that night, Clint took notice of her wearing necklaces again.
"You haven't worn them in a while."
"They made me feel collared." Wanda replied. Everyone in the room stared at her. "Not anymore." She tried to reassure them. "I like them now. They reflect who I am." She glanced down at a specific one, one that Pietro had given to her. It was silver with a red stone in the middle. Then, unexpectantly she jumped and landed on the couch, laughing. Everyone else laughed with her. Nothing could ever replace her parents, or her brother, but at least she had friends.
"You know, I'm not upset anymore." Wanda told them. Clint stared at her.
"Really?" He said.
"Really. I'm not upset, I'm angry. Angry for what they did to me, angry we had to turn against each other, angry we had to choose between peace and freedom." Wanda Maximoff was done being upset. Now, she was angry. A spark of anger had started long ago, and now it was a raging fire. Her eyes glowed red with determination. Wanda Maximoff was reborn that day. She doesn't dwell on her past or worry about the future. She lives in the present with the only people who had ever accepted her; the Avengers.