Cruel Summer

All is Lost

"You were supposed to stay hidden!" a voice rang in my ear.

"We did!" I heard Wanda shout back.

"The news caught you in the first few weeks!"

"No, they didn't," she hissed.

"She's a Boyle," the voice said. "She used Boyle money of course the news would catch onto something like that."

"Enough you two," another voice scolded.

"She's not a Boyle," Wanda said dangerously. "She was never a Boyle! She used whatever she had near her."

"Which was Boyle money!"

"I said enough!"

"What's going on?" I opened my eyes and saw Wanda with tears running down her face. I looked to her right and saw Steve; he didn't look into my eyes.

"Nothing," Nat said softly. She handed me a damp cloth and I put it on my forehead.

"No, something is going on," I said pushing Nat's hand away from my stomach. I sat up on the bench I was laying on and got up. I stumbled forward and Wanda caught me. She helped me stand and I grabbed her chin turning it towards me. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she looked away from me. "I'm not going to ask again. What's going on?"

"Why did you use Boyle money?" I turned and looked at Steve.

"What else would you have liked me to use?" I asked him quickly.

"That's why you were found so easily," he said with a sigh.

"You don't think it's because over a year ago the trail for one of the most powerful weapons in the world maybe the galaxy went dark there?" I snapped back quickly.

"You two weren't careful."

"We had a plan!" I shouted. "We knew what we wanted to do!"

"And what's that?" Nat asked quietly. I looked over at Wanda but she didn't look at me.

"Nothing," I muttered.

"Case closed," Steve said. "Now we need to get to Wakanda. T'Challa is willing the fight to come to him."

"What do they want?" Nat asked.

"The stone," I whispered to Wanda. She finally looked at me. Worry filled her eyes.

"You two are going to stay in the lab," Steve pointed at Wanda and me.

"You need as many fighters as you can get," I warned him.

"You're in no condition to fight and Shuri has something for Wanda to do," he told us.

"As long as I can stand I can fight," I promised. I nudged Wanda away from me and stood in front of him.

"Try and walk," he urged. I tried to take a step forward but stumbled again. "My point is made."

He walked away from Wanda and me. When he was out of our view she lowered me to the ground. I watched as she placed the back of her hand on my forehead.

"You're burning up," she told me. She reached for the cloth that was laying on the ground. I watched as she worried over me and a small laugh escaped my lips. "What?"

"You're cute when you're worried," I told her. "You scrunch up your nose and it's adorable."

"And you're not cute when you're dying," she muttered.

"I'm not dying," I told her. She pushed the cloth into my hands and sat down next to me. I looked down at the floor of the jet. When I looked over at her I saw her wiping away silent tears. "What's-"