Thank you to Harliquinn for beta reading and editing

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It was the evening before the new school year was starting. Dinner had already been had, and Skye had already made sure her backpack was ready. She was sitting at the kitchen table getting ready to paint her nails. Wanda came into the kitchen and noticed what she was doing.

"I can help you with that if you would like," Wanda said.

Skye smiled. "Sure."

Wanda washed her hands before she sat down with Skye, and picked up the bottle of light purple polish she started to shake it. "Your school has no rules about nail polish?" Wanda asked, she knew the school was pretty strict about the dress code.

"Just nothing dark and no crazy designs," Skye said as she set her left hand on the table for Wanda to start painting.

"Do you know why the administration at your school makes sure the dress code is followed?" Wanda understood it, but she wasn't sure if the teenager did.

"Because it is easy to tell by a quick glance if someone who shouldn't be is in the school. With the students all being high-value targets, it is one of the ways they keep us safe," Skye said.

Wanda nodded.

"And I get the uniforms for that reason, but why can't we wear whatever nail polish and make-up we want? And why can't we dye our hair any color we want? We can only do natural hair colors," Skye said.

"I think part of it probably has to do with making sure that you all look similar, so no one is bullied for what they are wearing or such," Wanda said as she finished painting her left hand and motioned for her to switch.

Skye put her right hand down as she started to blow on the nails on her left hand, "bullies will always find something to pick on other students for."

"I suppose that is true," Wanda said. "But you still need to make sure you are following the dress code and all the school rules."

Skye nodded. "I know, and I do. I'm hoping this year will be calmer, that I won't have someone with a personal vendetta against me."

"Your friend, Tucker, his cousin was the one who did last year right?" Wanda asked.

"Yes, and we had a mediation with the dean and guidance counselor, and she agreed to be civil. so I hope she does. We can just ignore each other," Skye said.

"Do you think Tucker has told her that you weren't the one to give his name?" Wanda asked. Skye had confided in Wanda everything about Tucker.

"I asked him not to. I don't need him getting in the middle and maybe making her angry with me again when we have agreed," Skye said.

Wanda nodded as she capped the purple polish and picked up a bottle of clear top coat she started to shake it. "Do you think he listened?"

"I'm not sure, I hope so," Skye said.

Wanda gently tapped on one of Skye's nails to see if it had dried enough for the top coat before starting to apply it to her left hand.

"Did you have a traditional education?" Skye asked Wanda.

"When I was very young, yes. But when our parents died in a bombing, which Pietro and I blamed the American government for, we started to move towards working with anti-American groups and Hydra. We agreed to be experimented on by Hydra to amplify my powers, and my brother developed super-speed. Eventually, we joined Ultron, which was an experiment of Tony's that was meant to be part of a peacekeeping program. But something went wrong, and Ultron became the complete opposite and was planning on destroying all of humankind. Before Pietro and I realized what Ultron was planning, we worked with him because he was against Tony and so were we. When we realized Ultron's plans we agreed to work with Steve and the Avengers to help bring Ultron down," Wanda said.

"Why did you want to work against Tony specifically?" Skye asked.

Wanda took a breath.

"Sorry, I'll stop asking questions," Skye said.

"No, it is okay malyutka, During the bombings that killed our parents Pietro shielded himself and me under a bed in our home, and we were trapped for two days. The entire time we were staring at a mortar shell that we were terrified was going to explode and kill us as well. Fortunately, it didn't. But the shell was one created by Stark Industries, and it said Stark Industries on it. From that point on we blamed Tony for what happened," Wanda said.

Skye nodded a little. "You were able to forgive him, though?"

"It took a lot of time and Tony proving to me that he wasn't who I thought he was," Wanda said as she finished with Skye's nails.

"Thank you for painting my nails," Skye said.

"Of course," Wanda said with a smile.

"And sharing your past with me," Skye said.

Wanda nodded, "I know you have a lot of things in your past that you are struggling with, I shared my past struggles because just like I did you can and will be able to move past them."

Skye let out a breath and nodded.

"And also I want you to know that I trust you with my history and that you can trust me with yours," Wanda said.

Skye hugged Wanda being careful of her nails, and Wanda hugged her back. When they broke the hug Skye looked at Wanda. "I can paint yours if you want."

"Sure," Wanda said with a smile, and they continued to talk while Skye painted Wanda's nails.

"I hear you were able to make sparks with your hands," Wanda said.

"Yes, I didn't really see it, but I felt the warmth in my hands. I was kind of in a rage," Skye said.

"Anger triggered it," Wanda said.

"Extreme anger, I got annoyed with my dad for trying to make me stop when he thought I wasn't okay, and it kind of triggered a memory of when I was told I was wrong about something that had happened to me. When it happened I wasn't able to act angry, so I had to keep it bottled up. I guess it kind of made me snap and go into a fit of rage," Skye said.

"Want to tell me about what wasn't believed?" Wanda asked.

Skye shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it right now, but another day I will."

Wanda nodded. "Okay, so are you excited for the new school year?" Wanda decided to change to a better subject.

"I'm excited to see my friends, and I do like my school, but I've never really loved school, so yes and no," Skye said.

"Did you end up reading more than the six required books from the reading list?" Wanda asked.

Skye nodded. "I ended up reading nine. I found three that were on the list in the library we have here, so I figured it didn't hurt to read them."

Wanda smiled and nodded. "That's good, do you have a preferred genre?"

"Fantasy," Skye said. "I read some fantasy, some adventure, a romance novel, some young adult."

"I love a good romance novel," Wanda said.

"I think I have a hard time with romance novels because I don't think I'm a typical teen to fall in love with every cute person I see," Skye said. "I've only ever crushed on one person. Sometimes I think there is something wrong with me."

"No, malyutka, there is nothing wrong with you. It sounds to me that you don't just crush on people because they are good-looking. Rather, it sounds like maybe you need to deeper connection with them," Wanda said.

Skye nodded a bit.

"Everyone is different. Would you say there is something wrong with someone who likes someone of the same gender?" Wanda asked.

"No, of course not," Skye said with a smile.

"Or something is wrong with someone who doesn't identify as a man or woman?" Wanda asked

Skye shook her head. "No."

"So there is nothing wrong with you if you are only attracted to people you have a deeper connection with," Wanda said with a smile.

Skye smiled and nodded as she finished up with the coat of color on Wanda's nails.

"So you like Tucker, yes?" Wanda asked.

Skye blushed and smiled. "Yes."

"Does he know?" Wanda asked.

"No, and I don't plan to tell him. I know he doesn't like me that way, and I don't want to ruin the friendship," Skye said.

Wanda nodded. "Has he told you he doesn't like you that way?"

"No, but I think I would feel if he did," Skye said.

"You're just coming into the abilities that are connected to your emotions. You might not be able to feel it yet," Wanda said.

"I've always been good at reading people's feelings," Skye said.

"You've always been able to tell how Tucker is feeling?" Wanda asked.

"Um, well. . . no," Skye said.

Wanda smiled. "I think maybe if your heart is involved your abilities don't work as well."

Skye sighed. "Great," she said sarcastically.

"It is good. It means that you will actually need to talk to him to know how he is feeling. Communication is very important in a relationship or any kind," Wanda said.

Skye sighed and nodded. "But it's easier if I can just tell what he is feeling."

Wanda chuckled. "Sure, but easy doesn't mean right."

"Do I always have to do what's right?" Skye asked with a smirk.

Wanda shook her head with a smile. "Your dad would say yes."

Skye smirked. "What do you think?"

"I think sometimes it's okay to bend the rules," Wanda said with a smirk. "But if you want a future with this boy, then doing the right thing is what you should do."

Skye nodded and finished with the top coat of polish.

"I have a question. He has family, so how come he is in foster care?" Wanda asked.

"He has an aunt and uncle and his cousin. He lived with them when he was young. When he started getting in trouble they pretty much gave up on him because he made their family look bad," Skye said rolling her eyes.

Wanda shook her head. "Just so you know I will never turn my back on you. No matter what. And I do not think anyone else here would either."

Skye smiled and nodded. "I know, and I would never turn my back on any of you either."

Wanda smiled. "Good."

Steve came into the kitchen. "You have to be up early tomorrow. Don't you think you should be getting ready for bed?"

Skye shook her head. "Dad, it's not even nine yet."

"Well, don't you need to get your bag ready?" Steve asked.

"Already did that," Skye said. "But I will go put this stuff away," she said before she picked up all the stuff she had brought out for nail painting and went and put them back in her room.

Wanda looked at Steve.

"Am I wrong for wanting her to go to bed early?" Steve asked.

"No," Wanda said.

"But?" Steve asked

"But she is a teenager, you tell her to do something she will do the complete opposite," Wanda said.

Steve chuckled and nodded.

"I mean, I know you're old, but you have to remember being a teenager," Wanda said with a smirk.

Steve smiled and shook his head before walking away and going to knock on his daughter's door.

"Come in," Skye said.

Steve went in and saw her sitting on the window seat. "You really like that spot."

"I do," Skye said with a smile

"So, I'd like for you to not stay up too late. But I won't try and enforce a specific time as long as you can get up and ready for school on time and I don't hear about you falling asleep in class," Steve said.

"Deal," Skye said.

"You do have everything you need for school tomorrow, right?" Steve asked.

"Yes," Skye said.

"Okay, good, make sure you say good night before you go to bed," Steve said before he left the room.

Skye took out her phone and started to scroll through social media. People had posted pictures from their summer holidays. Everyone she knew seemed to have a good summer. She smiled thinking about her own summer. She hadn't posted many pictures on social media, but she had a good summer, too. Spending time with her friends going to the beach, the time at the Bartons', and, even though it didn't end the way she would have wanted, going on her first mission as one of the Avengers. There were a couple of pictures that Peter had taken of her in her super suit, but she wasn't going to post those. She went through her photos and picked a few pictures of her with her friends at the beach and a couple of pictures with Lila and posted them.

When she was done, she started to get ready for bed., She then went and said good night to everyone before she climbed into bed with a book.