Chapter 7

[Emily's POV]

I groaned as I woke up, my whole body aching. I was no longer covered in paint, but my hands were still aching with pain, and so was my brain. I sat up shakily and snapped my fingers. Royal blue magic wisps emerged from my fingers and I spun my pointer finger in a circle, and the wisps followed it. I snapped my fingers again and the wisps disappeared. I shook my head, running my fingers through my hair.

Wanda gave me her powers…oh gosh…she doesn't know! I hastily yanked out the IV strand, ripped off my blankets, and changed back into my normal clothes. I tip-toed to the door and cracked it open. It was dark outside. No one was awake. I flicked off my light and stepped out, shutting my hospital door. I closed my eyes and activated my aura. It was like night-vision for me. There was a guard sleeping by my door. I ran past him, without touching him or making a noise. I swung my head back and forth. There was something lying in the corner. I walked hesitantly towards it. Just as my aura was getting clearer, a shiver ran down my spine. Something grabbed my shoulders and threw me across the room. I slammed into a book case, bringing it and myself falling to the ground. I grunted as pain flared in my wings. I wiped away tears and glared at the person who threw me. I had never seen anything like it. It was a man, by the way he was built, but he…looked like a cat? I brushed the books off of me and called forth my Wolverine claws.

"Listen kitty," I whispered. "Throw me again, I kill you." The man must've gotten aggravated, because he launched himself towards me. I did an uppercut with my claws, just barely missing his face as he dove into a roll, slamming himself into my legs. I was thrown off balance and tumbled to the ground. The man pinned me to the ground and I squeaked with pain as he twisted my wrist in a bad direction. I snapped my fingers and the magic wove its way down me and onto the man. It grabbed him tight, lifted him off me, and sent him flying into the couch. He quickly regained himself and stood high and tall on it. He yanked off his mask, revealing a dark-skinned man with cocoa eyes and close curly black hair.

He looked at me with concern and whispered, "Wanda?" He had a crisp African accent, but I didn't recognize it. A lit switch clicked, and suddenly all the lights flared on. My aura became fuzzy and I blinked, sending it and my claws away. Bucky, Steve, Wanda, and Clint all stood at the staircase to my immediate left, and Wanda nearly threw herself on me, wrapping me up in the tightest hug I have ever experienced.

"Wanda," I whispered to her, hugging her back just as fiercely. "I hope you realize you're hurting me."

"I don't care," she responded, and we hugged even tighter. As we backed away, she glanced over at the man standing on the couch. "T'Challa? What are you doing down here?" He pointed to me.

"I was guarding her door when I heard her light switch flick off. I figured I would wait until whoever was in the room left, and then appear. I thought she was an intruder, so I gave it my all. Then, this weird magic grabbed me and flung me over here. I was terrified that I was fighting you." I shook my head and snapped my fingers, my blue magic floating around myself.

"It's my secondary power I don't like," I replied, glancing at Wanda. "If a mutant or superhero or supervillain does their power, and I see it firsthand, I sort-of…obtain it…forever." Everyone in the room gasped, including Bucky.

"First you have wings, now you can gain abilities?" asked Clint in disbelief, throwing up his hands. "This is ridiculous! I obviously got the coolest mentee in the whole group." I nodded, gently rubbing my wrist.

"I apologize, Miss Emily," said the African-American, bowing slightly. "But might I ask…where did you get your claws from?"

"Claws?" questioned Bucky, raising an eyebrow. I stood back and called forth my Wolverine claws. The metal slid from my knuckles and I heard Wanda give a squeak. "Oh…claws." I nodded and slipped them back into my knuckles. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness splashed over to me, and I fell to my knees before hitting the floor. I felt Bucky's arms wrap around me and help me sit up.

"L…" I began, coughing hard. I was still extremely sore all over my body. "Lizzy…" Steve nodded and rushed back to my hospital room, emerging with the phone in his hand. Bucky waved everyone else away, and Wanda sat down beside me with T'Challa by her.

"What's her number?" asked Wanda, and I shakily repeated it to her, and she typed it in, putting it on speaker.

"Hello?" a voice asked over a phone. It sounded like a guy I knew all too well. I clenched my fists and said, "Hey Devon…it's me, Emily. I was wondering if Lizzy was there?" Bucky glanced at me with an eyebrow raised, and I waved my hand, telling him to ignore it.

"Of course I'm here, where did you think I was?" her voice rang out, and I smiled.

"Hey Liz…so I need to have a private conversation with you…without Devon." I heard an angry huff as Lizzy shooed him away. "Is he gone?"

"Spill, sister," responded Lizzy. I quickly explained everything that happened and she gasped.

"You landed on a paintball land mine?!" she shrieked. "I can't believe it! Emily, you already got hit by a semi! How are you…never mind, I'm not sure I want to know. How are your wings and wrist holding up?"

"Hardly, but I'm not dead yet," I laughed. "Let's just say I have really good protection here." I gave a sideways glance at T'Challa and he raised his hands in the air as a sign of defeat. "How's my mom doing?"

"Oh, she tried figuring out what 'finishing school' you went to, but she can't seem to find it," Lizzy replied, and I could tell she was smirking. "She's still herself I guess. Messed up since…" I grabbed the phone and quickly turned the speaker off, bringing the phone close to my ear.

"Lizzy," I growled underneath my breath, and she stopped.

"Sorry," she squeaked. "Forgot. Anyhoo, yeah. Nothing new or exciting here. Devon's taking me to prom." I groaned and shook my head.

"Devon is a back-stabbing, jerk-face who's only goal in life is to…"

"I heard that!" he yelled in the background.

"I gotta go Liz," I sighed. "I'll talk to you later." I hung up before she could answer and send a stool from the kitchen flying out the window with my telepathy in anger. No one really seemed fazed by it.

Wanda placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and whispered, "It is alright. Come on, I'll show you to our room." She helped me stand up and I followed her wearily up the stairs with T'Challa and Bucky following close behind me. I wasn't even sure where we went, but as soon as I saw an open door, I headed in and fell heavily onto the bed, falling asleep still dressed in my day clothes.

:/:\:

[Bucky's POV]

I raised an eyebrow at Wanda and T'Challa as Emily fell asleep on my bed.

"I'll take the couch I guess," I told them, slipping onto the couch that was provided in my room. Wanda shrugged and laid down at the foot of my bed, snuggling up in the leftover covers. T'Challa grabbed a bean-bag and a throw-over blanket and slipped into the corner. I watched as the two of them drifted off to sleep. I laid on my back and stared up at the ceiling of my room. So many things were flooding through my head, especially the pain from the paintball wound on the back of my head. My left arm was aching and I gripped it tightly with my fingers. The cold metal shocked me at first and I sighed, shaking my head. They'll never accept me, I thought, rolling over onto my left side as if to hide my arm from the world. I'm the Winter Soldier…I'm just a villain trying to be a superhero…