Wanda was still on the floor, loud sobs escaping her pink lips, when Orisa and Zoputa walked into the bedroom.
"Miss Wanda!" Orisa said, her eyes raking over Wanda's trembling body.
"What happened?" Zoputa exclaimed, as they both helped Wanda up on her feet, her knees a bit shaky.
"What did Adigun do to you?" Orisa huffed, her eyes filled with anger at the moment.
At that, Wanda shook her head furiously, but she wasn't able to answer said question.
Orisa clenched her hands into fists, and muttered." I'm so going to give him a piece of my mind!" and began to walk away, but at that Wanda was able to respond.
" No, Orisa! Don't! He didn't do anything bad to me! It was me, OK? I did something… something awful to him!" Wanda said, as she laid herself down on the soft bed, her eyes fluttering shut.
At that, Orisa stopped in her tracks and turned around slowly." What… what exactly happened, Miss Wanda?" she asked, the words said with such carefulness, you'd think that Orisa asked the question but was afraid to hear the answer.
~ The next morning ~
At the moment Wanda's eyes fluttered open, aware of the sound of birds singing a tune, and rays of sunlight streaming through the open windows.
"Crap!" she muttered under her breath, as she slowly massaged her temples, attempting to ease away the pounding in her head.
As a sigh escaped her lips, her mind brought her back to the events of the evening before.
**Flashback**
She had explained to Orisa and Zoputa what had happened with Adigun. If Wanda thought that the women would be angry at her, she was mistaken. Instead of scolding, or giving her a hard time about what she had done, they both hugged her and told her that they understood why Wanda did it.
"I know why you act this way, Miss Wanda. It's because of him, right? You miss him, and would do anything to be with him, am I right?" Orisa softly said, as she stroke Wanda's hair.
At that, Wanda shook her head." No, no. It's not like that, Orisa. He's just my friend… we're friends—only friends, nothing more. It's just that at the moment, he is the only one around, well 'technically' he is. But like I said, he's just my friend." She explained, but Orisa and Zuputa gave each other a certain 'look'. (A look that said: she doesn't even realize it)
"So, what are you going to do now, Miss Wanda? Are you up for it? You still want to have dinner with the Prince?" Zoputa asked, her eyes soft.
At that Wanda let out a deep breath, and nodded." I guess so. I know I look like crap right now, but I have a lot of questions for him. So yeah, I will go to dinner." She replied, and jumped out of bed, walking straight towards the door.
"Wait!" both the women said in unison.
"What? What's wrong?" Wanda asked, her brows furrowing.
At that, the women smiled." Your hair and make-up, we have to fix it first for you, Miss Wanda." Orisa replied, and ushered her into the bathroom.
"Go get Abayomi, Orisa." Zoputa said.
At that the younger woman nodded and hastily walked out the bedroom door to find Wanda's' make-up artist'.
~ 000000 ~
As Wanda walked down the stairs with Orisa behind her, she felt as if all eyes were on her. Zoputa had braided her hair in a style that was new to Wanda, her bangs falling in her pretty face. The dress she was wearing felt so smoothly on her skin, the fabric soft and the color of it blue black. Never in her life, had Wanda worn such a magnificent dress, the heels on her feet so pretty, making her feel as if she stepped out of a fairy tale. Abayomi had done Wanda's make-up once more, accentuating her sparkling blue eyes and her cheek bones.
The Prince was already in the dining room with his guests, speaking to them in their native language, but they abruptly stopped, as Wanda walked towards them. She gulped rather loudly, wanting nothing more than to run back to the bedroom. Wanda was the kind of girl who wasn't used to getting much attention, so at the moment she wanted nothing more than to evaporate into thin air.
Too bad that wasn't one of the powers she possessed, so Wanda had no choice than to move forward.
"Our guest of honor has arrived." The Prince announced, as he nodded at her, a smile playing at his lips.
At that, Wanda nodded back." Thank you for having me, Prince T'Challa." She replied, her voice trembling lightly, and feeling a bit uncomfortable to be stared down by the guests and T'Challa's staff.
"Come, all. Take a seat, so we can begin to have dinner." The Prince said, his voice gentle.
Orisa led Wanda to her seat, while the kitchen staff started to walk over to their table with different kinds of exotic dishes. Wanda stared her eyes out, not sure if she was able to eat said dishes. She was a burger and fries kind of girl.
At a certain point Wanda found a guest she enjoyed having a conversation with, the food on her plate still sitting there.
"More wine, Miss?" one of the waiters asked politely.
Wanda nodded at that." Yes, please." She replied, not realizing that this was her fourth glass of wine.
"Are you having a good time, Miss Maximoff?" the Prince asked her at one point.
"Oh, yes! This dinner is great." Wanda replied, noticing how thick her tongue felt at that moment.
"What do you think of the food?" he continued, his eyes locked on hers.
At that, Wanda felt so busted, heat instantly spreading to her cheeks, because the Prince noticed that she hadn't been eating at all." I apologize, but uhmm… can I have some fries instead?" she asked, and then placed her hand over her eyes.
At that, everyone at the table burst out into laughter, including the Prince.
~ After dinner ~
Wanda was sitting in the large living room with a cup of coffee in her hand, while Prince T'Challa said goodbye to the last guests. It had been a lovely dinner, surely one she would never forget. As much as she liked the heavenly pampering from the ladies, baths, fancy clothes and shoes, priceless jewels and luxurious lifestyle, the reality hasn't changed. Steve and Sam were still out there, and in trouble, needing her to rescue them. Wanda needed to have a serious conversation with the Prince, not tomorrow or the day after, but right now— this instant.
She just was about to go look for him, when the Prince walked into the living room." Miss, Maximoff. Sorry to keep you waiting, but one of my guests was really drunk." He said apologetically.
At that, Wanda smiled." It's fine. Can I have a word with you, Prince T'Challa?" she asked, while getting on her feet.
He nodded at that." Of course, you want to know about Mr. Rogers." He stated.
"Yes, I want to know everything you know. Who took him, what happened to him, how you got me out of there, why you brought me here, and why your men were able to get me out but not him. I want to know every little detail." Wanda demanded, as her small hands clenched into fists, her eyes boring into T'Challa's.
**End of Flashback**
Wanda was taken out of her thoughts by a soft knock on the bedroom door.
"Come in." she said, and then pulled the blanket over her face.
"Miss Wanda?" Orisa said.
"Yes, Orisa. I have a huge head ache. You have an aspirin or something to dull the pain?" Wanda asked, her voice muffled, while she was under the blanket.
"OK, I'll get some for you, Miss. Uhmm… will you be taking a bath or a shower, Miss?" the young woman asked.
At that, Wanda sat up with a start." Shower, I'll be taking a shower. You go get my aspirin, and I'll shower quickly, OK?" She suggested, and got out of bed, walking straight towards the bathroom.
Wanda so wanted to be alone right now. She loved all the attention and pampering, but she needed the privacy badly. As a sigh escaped her lips, Wanda looked at her own reflection in the mirror, thinking about what she had experienced during the time she was in Adigun's head. She had seen him. Her friend… Bucky.
Bucky Barnes…
** Flashback** (One day after Steve had broken them all out of prison)
Steve just had broken them out of The Raft, the underwater prison, and now the four of them were laying low in a shabby motel. Sam went inside first, paying for two rooms. After five minutes, Steve went up also, leaving Wanda and Bucky behind. They had to wait five minutes and then go up the stairs.
Wanda was trembling heavily, afraid of getting caught. Bucky looked at her, his piercing blue eyes had a soft look, while lightly placing his right hand on her wrist to calm her down.
"Hey, we're fine. It's OK. Just breathe. You have to breathe, Wanda." He said to her, the tone of his voice gentle.
At that, Wanda swallowed and let out the breath that she had been holding. Her eyes slowly fluttered shut, and after a few moments she opened them, looking straight in Bucky's baby blue eyes.
"You OK?" He asked, while a small smile graced his face.
Wanda nodded at that." Uhhmm… yeah, OK now." She replied, while avoiding his gaze.
"It's our turn now. We have to go. You ready?" Bucky asked.
"Yeah, I am."
"Let's go. You first, OK? Walk slowly and act natural." He advised.
"Well, it's easy for you, because you've been on the run for quite some time." Wanda commented.
At that, Bucky smiled." Yup, I'm an expert on being a fugitive." He replied, while walking behind Wanda.
When they arrived upstairs, Steve gave Wanda the key." You two will share that room, Sam and I will take this one. Don't ask, please? Sam will throw a fit if he has to share a room with Bucky." Steve informed them, and paused for a moment. And then he continued." Stay close to one another, keep each other safe and be on alert, OK?" Steve instructed, and walked away.
At that, Wanda whispered." But why?" and furrowed her brows.
"Afraid of me, Miss Maximoff?" Bucky asked, while locking eyes with her.
At that, Wanda nervously ran a hand through her hair." No, not exactly." She replied and unlocked the motel door.
Wanda stepped inside and looked around; there wasn't much. There was a bed, a TV set, a couch, and a fridge. Luckily the bathroom was clean; there was no hot water, but the shower worked.
"You want to clean up first?" Bucky asked her.
"Yes, I'll go first." Wanda replied, and grabbed her backpack from the couch.
She didn't have much, but she had enough. After she locked the bathroom door, Wanda immediately took off her clothes and stood under the shower. As the water cascaded over her body, her eyes fluttered shut." What have you gotten yourself into, Wanda Maximoff?" She whispered, and then scrubbed her body with a bit of shower gel.
~ 0000000 ~
After Wanda finished her shower, she pulled a blouse over her head and grabbed a black pair of skinny jeans. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she scanned the room, her eyes landing on Bucky's sleeping form on the couch.
"Bucky?" She said, and walked towards him." It's your turn. Aren't you going to take a shower?" Wanda asked.
He didn't reply, so she assumed that he had fallen asleep. She stood right next to the couch, and was just about to shake him to wake him up, when her eyes darted towards his left side. At that, Wanda swallowed hard… it's gone. His bionic arm wasn't there anymore… She wondered what it must feel like to experience a loss like that.
It must be awful, and without her accord, —it was like something was drawing her in, making her do it—Wanda's eyes turned red, her eyes fluttering shut. As she wandered inside Bucky's head, her heart almost exploded in her chest from what she was seeing and feeling what he had been experiencing in his life. Bucky was asleep and like with the others, Wanda didn't get any resistance from him. Without her accord hot tears rolled down her cheeks, as she saw all the red. At a certain point it became too much for her heart to bear, so she got out of his head!
Gasping loudly, Wanda's eyes fluttered open, the memories making her whole body tremble." Poor Bucky." Were the two words that left her pale lips, as she gently placed a hand on his right upper arm.
** END of FLASHBACK**
Wanda was taken out of her thoughts by a soft knock on the bathroom door. It was Orisa.
"Miss Wanda! I have your aspirin. Are you doing OK?" Wanda heard her say from the other side of the door.
At that, Wanda decided to take a quick shower." I'm coming out right away, Orisa. You can put the medicine on the nightstand."
"OK, Miss." The young woman replied.
At that, Wanda jumped into the shower and washed her hair. With a towel wrapped around her body, she walked out the bathroom.
"I have chosen an outfit for you, Miss." Orisa stated, and showed Wanda the clothes.
"Wow! They are pretty. Thank you, Orisa." Wanda replied, and smiled at her.
"Can I go or do you need me still?" Orisa asked.
"You can go. I'll be fine. Does the Prince expect me at breakfast?" Wanda asked, while grabbing the clothes.
Orisa nodded at that." Yes, Miss. He does." She replied.
"OK, see you downstairs then." Wanda said, a smile playing at her lips.
~ 0000000 ~ X ~ 0000000 ~
At the moment Wanda was walking down the long hall of the Palace. She received instructions from a maid how to reach the balcony where the Prince was having breakfast. She was just about to turn a corner, when she bumped into Adigun.
"Sorry!" they both said in unison.
"It's my fault, Adigun. I apologize." She commented.
"No, Miss. I wasn't the one looking." He replied, and looked at Wanda with sad eyes.
Wanda cleared her throat, and asked." Are you OK, Adigun? I'm really sorry for what I did last night you know."
At that, he shook his head." I'm fine, Miss Wanda. I… uhmm… I'm just concerned about you, Miss." He simply said.
Wanda frowned at that." Why? I'm OK. I am really grateful that you didn't report to the Prince." She said her voice low.
"It's fine, Miss. It's no big deal. You need a friend at the moment, not a snitch." He commented.
"Why are you concerned about me, Adigun? I assure you, I am doing fine." Wanda said, trying to convince him.
"Well, I want to help you, Miss." He whispered.
"OK?" She said, her voice also a whisper.
He looked around first, and then locked eyes with her." I will help you to get close to him. Because I understand how you feel, Miss Wanda. You miss him and would do anything to be with him." Adigun stated, while a sad smile graced his face.
At that, Wanda shook her head." Why? Why is everyone saying that? He's my friend, Adigun. You're right, I miss my friends and he is one of them. Bucky is my friend, and that's all we are… friends, well I mean before he got frozen that is. Nothing more and nothing less." She said, trying her best to convince Adigun that what's between her and Bucky was purely platonic.
At that, he gave her a look— a 'certain' look, and nodded, but Wanda noticed that Adigun didn't believe her. At that she let out a deep breath, about to roll her eyes at him, but then he said.
"It's nearly impossible to go near him in real life without the Prince knowing. So, you can go in again, Miss Wanda. I'm giving you permission to go inside my head."
Note: Hi you guys. :)
Thank you for the support! And of course thank you a lot for the comments and for following! :)
I hope you like chap 4.
Leave me your thoughts in a comment about the new chap?
Happy reading.