𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐔𝐒𝐊

39. 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀

     LUCK MOST CERTAINLY HASN'T BEEN IN ESZTER'S FAVOR. So it was like luck was never on her side, and Eszter has to deal with something traumatic in her life. The enhanced had dealt with a lot of hardship throughout her childhood, and she always thought living in Sokovia would be a struggle with how horrible the world is, but Eszter was wrong. So wrong. For the past few years of living in America, Eszter still hasn't decided whether or not her new life has been better or for worse--it was often a debate she had internally.

     Now, Eszter is living the rest of her life with unexplainable powers that she barely comprehends and dealing with much more baggage than she can bargain. The stress, anxiety, depression, everything was crashing in on Eszter, and the enhanced was beginning to let the feeling soak in once the bottle cracked open. However, Eszter should've expected it once she agreed to the experiment, then becoming an Avenger; it all comes with a price, and the enhanced knew that with her powers, Eszter's life wouldn't be as easy as she assumed. A reputation built over time as social media spreads information like wildfire, who also happens to be related to another Avenger with the same abilities.

     This power Eszter possesses, it's uncontrollable and unpredictable. But, unfortunately, she doesn't know a lot, and the enhanced wasn't sure if she was ready to learn more about who and what she is.

     Both a gift and a curse, her powers were. However, Eszter already knew her powers caused more trouble than they have done good, which stresses the girl. Trying to be the picture-perfect superhero such as Peter or Steve Rogers, but Eszter wasn't either of them. She couldn't pretend to be someone or something that she wasn't, and being a good role model to the world was too much responsibility for Eszter. There were too many consequences sitting on Eszter's plate, and for so long, the enhanced had done her best to avoid them.

     Instead, Eszter likes to imagine a world where no one knows her name or considers her a danger to society. She likes the idea of going somewhere far away and pretend to be someone else, hiding away in the world where no one can find her, living off-grid and in her own world. However, you can't always get what you want, and in Eszter's case, she definitely never gets what she wants. The thought of running away and escaping the world has always found its way back to Eszter's mind, starting over and living without disturbance. To live a life in solitude and away from the judging eyes.

     Life is cruel. There was no better way to say it.

     Even with grief and anxiety-induced life, Eszter couldn't remember what it was like to feel happy. The life before Thanos where the girl was pinning after her best friend, hoping to express her feelings to him and hope that she'd have enough courage to ask him out; the way she used to feel free and accepted in his eyes. Eszter missed the way she'd feel comfortable and content. The time when her smile was genuine.

     But now, Eszter's smile is fake as she fooled her friends with the idea of the enhanced being perfectly fine. Instead, she always felt empty inside. No one but one person had always managed to keep Eszter grounded whenever she felt like her life was falling apart, and he always seemed to put a smile on her face even when she was upset. It was like the light to the darkness that filled Eszter inside, and it's as if she could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Peter always had a special place in Eszter's cold black heart.

     Eszter stared at the dampener wrapped around her wrists as the lights blink in a rhythm, reminding the enhanced that she was imprisoned once again. Time wasn't relevant in Eszter's mind, but from what she's assumed, Gutes had left her alone nearly an hour ago and hasn't returned; something sketchy was happening, and Eszter wasn't too keen on sticking around and finding out. An escape plan was bubbling in her mind, but as Eszter analyzed the room, the enhanced realized there wasn't anywhere to hide. She trained her eyes on each person as they walked across the room, leading into doors and hallways that Eszter took mental notes on--one of them was frequently used more than the others. The closest door to the enhanced was the bathroom. Another door was used for the people bringing in bags of food, and for a second, Eszter assumed it was another dead end, but then someone would turn sharply, and she'd head another door before a bright light encased the hallway.