Chapter 1

Wanda Lehnsherr sat under a tree, reading a book. She smiled, and looked up at the building that had long been her home. Professor Xavier had definitely helped her a lot in the past few years with controlling her powers, and it was one of the reasons why she would always be grateful towards the man. She had also made many friends here, like Scott and Jean. However, Rogue was her best friend; maybe it was because they were similar in so many ways. And Kurt… well, there was just something about the blue furry that just made Wanda feel warm and fuzzy inside.

If only Pietro were here with her…

Wanda snapped her book shut, blinking away tears. She would always feel guilt and shame over the fact that her brother and mother were dead, and that it had been her fault that they were. But then, that was the reason why she had been so determined to control her powers in the first place; so that she would never do something like that again.

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"MOM! I'm home!"

Pietro Maximoff threw down his sling bag on the floor, back from his small job of delivering newspapers. Marya looked up from the table she was sitting at, smiling at her adopted son. Pietro also smiled, and gave her his day's earnings.

"I also got the mail for you."

He dropped the envelopes on the table, and Marya opened them. She couldn't hold back a small sigh when she saw how many were actually bills, and turned her gaze to the other bills she had been working on when Pietro came in. Pietro saw this and frowned a little.

But the last small, blank envelope held a pleasant surprise. Marya opened it and gasped as she saw the bills. And these weren't the annoying bills that had come in earlier; no, it was cash, real cash. 1s, 5s, 10s, even 20s.

"Oh my God, Pietro! Look at this! This… this is the third one we've gotten this week… Who do you think is this charitable?"

"Gee, I don't know, Mom." Pietro did his best to look innocent.

Marya chuckled. "Well, it doesn't matter. It's just comforting to know that someone is helping us."

She pecked Pietro on the cheek. "Now clean that ink off of you. Lunch is going to be ready soon, and I want you nice and clean."

Pietro gave a small smile and went into his room. But he then sighed, and pulled out a box from under his bed. He pulled out an envelope from the box, the same kind of envelope that had contained the money.

He opened a drawer and pulled out cash that he had stolen from the school lockers, including the one that belonged to his best friend, Evan Daniels. He put the bills into the envelope, then sealed it.

He told himself that it was justified; his mom was struggling with economic trouble, and he was just helping her, as any good son would do. However, he couldn't deny that the thrill and satisfaction of a successful theft excited him; the risk and challenge just made it more appealing.

Pietro banished this train of thought and stuffed the envelope into another drawer, knowing that his mom respected his privacy enough not to go snooping through his bedroom. He went into the bathroom, and pulled out a bottle of salve. He pulled off his shirt, briefly looking into the mirror to take a look at the burn scars that had never fully healed, and even now were aching. He started to rub salve onto the scars, closing his eyes.

"Come on, Pietro! Let's go play on the swing set!" A girl with black hair, but the same eyes as his own, grinned.

"Okay!" Pietro grinned back.

They took turns pushing and swinging, all the while laughing and smiling, just enjoying the fun they were having.

Pietro opened his eyes with a start, looking wildly around. He felt a headache beginning to build, and rubbed his forehead. He had those flashes sometimes, but he had no idea where they came from or why they even showed.

Shaking it off, he quickly put the salve away and started to take a shower, quickly forgetting the flash as the hot water splashed over his face.