𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃

36. 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁

     "WE CAN USE HER EXPERTISE WITHIN OUR MILITARY."

     Eszter huffed when her body lurched forward before she felt herself fall hard into a chair, feeling something heavy drop over her shoulders; it took Eszter a minute to register what was happening, but everything was moving so fast, the witch couldn't keep up. One second she was in Agatha's basement; the next, the woman was throwing her into a room, landing in a huge room she'd recognized almost too quickly.

     However, it was when Eszter was strapped into a highly secured chair, one she knew all too well. Eszter frantically looked around for an escape, something to help her out of her, but her attention was snagged by the arguments beside her. Eszter frowned deeply as she recalled the conversation as clear as day, even though she tried so hard to pretend this had never happened. Looking over her shoulder, Eszter's jaw slightly parted as her gaze fixated on Tony's figure pacing in the small section near his table; Rhodes sitting in one of the seats with Tony, but he looked passive.

     Eszter remembered Tony's best friend sticking by his side, but he wasn't as helpful as either of them had hoped; sure, Rhodes helped Eszter by giving her a better chance at life by agreeing with the Congressmen, but neither Tony nor Eszter had liked the idea.

     "She's just a kid," Tony scoffed in utter disbelief.

     "Tony . . ." Eszter muttered in awe.

     Stop it, Eszter scolded herself as she forced her hopes down into the gutter. He's dead.

     "Who also happens to possess dangerous special abilities," a man with an overly large nose snipped irritably. Big Nose is what Eszter recalled referring him to when she didn't bother to memorize his name, deeming it a better fit than anything normal. "She can prove to be useful. This'll exceed our military on the top of the chain; with Miss Maximoff's help, no other militaries would dare to declare war. We can bring peace to these petty wars. You, of all people, should understand this."

    Eszter felt her stomach churn as the memories flooded her thoughts like a train, making her feel sick. When Eszter secretly moved to the United States, she thought it would go over well, especially after helping the Avengers in stopping Ultron; however, Eszter was so wrong. The Americans went ballistic once they discovered an enhanced person joining the Avengers--one that wasn't American. A lot of press came out regarding Wanda, and somehow, they managed to dig up a lot of things about her. Eszter was exposed as the youngest sibling to Wanda Maximoff, putting her on the government's radar and putting her through multiple trials.

     This was just one of many that Eszter could remember because, after so many, Eszter dozed off and had forgotten them. She didn't want to remember how she felt in those moments, but Agatha somehow managed to dig deep enough for this memory; Eszter knew what Agatha was trying to do and knew she couldn't give in, but Eszter hid this from her thoughts for a reason. She hated how they made her feel, treating her like a monster that hides underneath the stairs, ready to pounce when you least expect it. It would make sense for Agatha to pull this out of her hat. Eszter was a slave to the people.

     Clicks and flashes of light flared with each passing second, making Eszter flinch as reality sunk in all over again. Having to relive this embarrassing part of her life, Eszter immediately grew uncomfortable. She luckily didn't face the crowd that day, always pointed at Big Nose, but Eszter knew everyone came to her hearing to get the latest scoop on one of the Avengers' sisters. Every time Eszter would show up, she had to put on a brave face because she had to rely on Tony to get her out of this mess. Still, even the multi-billionaire couldn't persuade his way out of everything.

     They'd captured the moment the officers had snapped an electro-collar around her neck, bounding her hands to her body, and sitting her in a highly secured chair. It felt like a nightmare all over again. Kind of like an out-of-body experience--it was real, as in it happened before, but at the moment, it was a flash of the past.