Chapter XLI - Triggers

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Elizabeth couldn't help but grin as she took Wanda's outstretched hand and Wanda lowered herself effortlessly to the floor.

"Ready as I'll ever be." She laughed breathily as she watched the tendrils of red wind around her, encasing her in Wanda's mist. "Where do we begin?"

The smokey wisps trailed up the length of her arm, lightly tracing the patterns of her veins as they snaked around her and pulled themselves up. Wanda smiled softly, encouragingly, as Elizabeth's eyes grew wide with wonder.

"May I?" Wanda hesitated with her fingers resting in the air beside Elizabeth's head, ready to twist and turn as she delved into the story behind Lizzie's gifts.

Elizabeth could feel the burning of the blue; the flames that desired release as they danced beneath the surface, drawn out by the familiarity of the red. She could feel the itch of sparks fanning into flames beneath her fingertips and she stood rooted to the spot, desperately focusing on the desire not to harm her friend. Wanda's hand twitched and twisted and the red dove into her mind, searching for the blue, scanning for the stone.

"I should have known," Wanda whispered as her eyes clouded and her mind filled with memories that were not her own.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't our latest experiment." Wanda could feel the excruciating agony of burning flesh and a boot pressed into her spine. "What did you just call me?" Elizabeth's voice rang out clear despite the pain. Wanda felt the crack of her skull as he threw her face into the ground. The shattering of a rib as he kicked her across the space. "You will find out what I mean soon enough." He reached out to the flame of blue. He wrapped his hands around the space stone as it seared through him, as the blue flames grew, as Lizzie stumbled towards him. The blue mist ripped through her. Wanda felt the surge of space itself expand and contract within her as she pulled away from Elizabeth gasping through the surges still pulling her under.

"I should have known it was the space stone. Atomic manipulation... it's incredible." She muttered, leaning against the wall as she steadied herself, her eyes lighting up with excitement and fascination as Elizabeth held onto her in concern. "And you said you weren't intriguing Lizzie!"

"What was that Wanda?" Elizabeth backed away, confused and aching from the pain of the memory that had been forced into her mind.

"Your trigger is pain Lizzie. You have only known this power in moments of pain." Wanda stood and took hold of Elizabeth's hand again, pity pulling at her heart as she stared at the wounded soul before her. "It's powerful, but so draining."

Elizabeth nodded in silence, her mind reeling as Wanda confirmed what she already knew: she was always in pain.

"We can find you a new trigger." Wanda continued as she pulled Elizabeth across the room and into the centre of the combat area. "Positive triggers allow us more control Lizzie. Otherwise our power overwhelms us." She smirked as Lizzie sighed. She had just spent days lost in her power because it overwhelmed her. She knew too well what it was to be consumed by this curse.

"How do I do that?" She searched her mind for a moment it hadn't felt like her world was going to be stolen from her when she gave in to her power. Her mind came up empty.

Consumed by her thoughts, her worries, her pain, Lizzie didn't notice him in the darkness of the boxing ring. He leant against the side, his arms folded and a small smirk turning the corner of his mouth up as he admired her from afar. He had watched as Wanda had reached into her mind and pulled out the memories that she needed, he watched as Elizabeth's mouth fell open in shock and horror as the pain of her past came in fresh waves, as if it was the first time all over again. She had felt every ounce of suffering again and yet there she stood, not running, not crying, not hiding: embracing her pain. He watched as she stood now, searching for hope in the vast nothingness of space contained inside her.

Bring Me Home // Bucky BarnesWhere stories live. Discover now