𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃

18. 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀

     "AGNES!"

     Eszter barged into Agnes' house like her own, making herself feel at home. The teenager had grown used to Agnes being around Wanda's house like it was her second home; walking into Agnes' house isn't any different. Agnes is practically family at this point, considering Eszter sees the woman nearly every second of the day. It wasn't the first time she's been to Agnes' house, and she needed someone's opinion on some things that had been on her mind.

     The house was still dark and dreary, the complete opposite of Agnes' whole persona; although the dark-haired woman is a very bubbly woman, she didn't implement that into her house, which feels unlike her. Eszter didn't like how the place felt--cold and empty--but the witch thought it would be rude to say something about her decorating.

     It was silent for a moment, making Eszter wonder if Agnes was even home, but she suspected the woman would be since she hadn't been to Wanda's place. Not a sound came from any of the rooms, and not even Wesley approached the door at Eszter's announcements.

     Eszter walked deeper into the house, glancing around in search of Agnes. The witch frowns in puzzlement. She was sure Agnes was home; Wesley hasn't come to visit her, so she expected someone to be home.

     "Agnes?" called Eszter again, stepping into the living room. "Are you home?"

     After a moment, Agnes hadn't responded until a voice shrieked from behind, managing to scare Eszter.

     "No need to shout, dear," assured Agnes, finally appearing in the room with Eszter holding a hand over her heart. "Sorry, I didn't scare you, did I?" The woman lets out a laugh. "Ralph always says I'm light on my feet; I always manage to scare him." Agnes smiles at the teenager. "How ya doin', hon?"

     Dropping her hand away from her chest, Eszter flashes Agnes a smile, brushing the strands of her hair away from her face. "A little bit, yeah," laughed the witch, shoulders shaking. "Good, good. Thought I'd come by and see how you were doing."

     Unaware of how tensed Eszter appeared, Agnes smiled excitedly, happy to find Eszter in her home. She enjoys being around the strange family; Agnes views the sisters like they were her daughters, and she's come to grow attached to Eszter like she was her own. They were full of surprises, keeping Agnes on her toes. Their family seemed more exciting than her own, but that's because there was only her, Ralph, and Wesley in the house; although Agnes loves her family, sometimes the woman needs a little space from them.

     After the twins aged up, to Eszter's genuine surprise, she left the small family for them to have a day among themselves, deeming this day specifically for herself. Well, not entirely by herself; Eszter thought she'd use this time to catch up with Agnes, remembering she hadn't spoken to the dark-haired woman alone since the day Wanda and Vision had a chaotic dinner with the Harts.

     For the longest time, Eszter had been thinking intensely about something she was planning, but she was stressing herself out; nobody knew the things Eszter did, so she was overthinking all of her choices. Eszter couldn't come clean to Wanda, not wanting to worry her about her situation, so she was forced to deal with it alone. Knowing they were out there waiting for her, the witch was frustrated about what to do about her problem; there were things Eszter wanted to protect, but she couldn't do anything with Hayward holding her character hostage, blackmailing her with expulsion.

     Agnes cooed, pulling Eszter into a sudden hug. "I'm doing good now that you're here," exclaimed the dark-haired woman, laughing in the teenager's ears. Then, she pulled away, hands holding Eszter's shoulders. "How're the twins? Hopefully, they haven't changed since the last time I saw them."