𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐃

07. 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

     ESZTER LOST TRACK OF HOW LONG IT'S BEEN SINCE SHE HAD SEEN WANDA AND PIETRO. Stuck in a boxed-bedroom with nothing by a bed and a Tv, Eszter had nothing but her thoughts and the TV to keep her company. It's been lonely the past few days, assuming it's been different days, Eszter couldn't keep track of it when she has no window to track the sun. After hating the silence and her conflicting thoughts, Eszter requested something to keep her entertained; Dick Van Dyke played in the television hanging on the wall, Eszter was sitting crisscrossed on the bed, watching it in silence. The familiar feeling she once felt as a kid was comforting, and it made this whole situation a lot easier for Eszter to cope with the loneliness. Fear was still swarming the back of her mind, but sitcoms' relaxation settled the nervous feeling.

     Given her own room, Eszter hated the lack of comfort for the past few days, the girl only wearing a hospital gown. Looking like a crazed teenager, Eszter's hair was tangled and dirty, and her skin was washed out, deprived of the sun; her stomach barely full because whatever they fed her, Eszter would crinkle her nose in disgust, unable to force herself to eat anything. Bread and water was mostly all Eszter would eat, occasionally forcing herself to eat more when the hunger was becoming too hard for the girl to handle.

     The bedroom had no windows, but there was a strange mirror in the middle of her room, but she always thought it was odd; Eszter would often stare at her reflection, but there was some part of her that felt like something behind the wall was watching her.

     "Miss Maximoff, hopefully, I didn't keep you waiting for too long," Strucker's voice cuts into the room.

     Eszter looks up to the ceiling where a speaker was, the girl stares at it before lowering her gaze towards the mirror. "I don't know how long I've been here," Eszter retorts. Standing up from the bed, Eszter looks back up to the TV. "It's not really cozy."

     "I apologize for the inconvenience, Miss Maximoff," Strucker says, the speaker strains his voice. "I hope the items you've requested have fit your need."

     Eszter's eyes drifted down to the floor, staring at the stacks of sitcom shows that were waiting to be watched. They reminded Eszter of home.

     "Yes, they did," Eszter confirms. In a moment of silence, Eszter casts her gaze back up to her reflection, nervous. "How long . . . until my time?"

     "Very soon, child. A new volunteer is going through the process as we speak."

     The girl walks back to her bed, taking a seat on it as she stares blankly at the ground, her thoughts were running wild; Eszter was terrified for her time. She still doesn't know what happened to the volunteers after they underwent the experiment. Strucker doesn't like to consult with Eszter each time she questions about it, always leaving her with unfulfilled answers, and still, for how many days she's been stuck in her room, Eszter does not know her siblings' well-being. There was no telling where Wanda and Pietro were or of their status.

     Eszter prays that her brother and sister were okay, just as she.

     "And does it hurt?"

     The speaker clicks. "Don't fret, Miss Maximoff. It will only take a minute to process," Stucker removes his finger from the speaker button, noticing Doctor List making his presence known. "Doctor List, good news, I hope."

     "I regret to inform you, but the recent test subject failed the test," the old man says, disappointed once again. "No one else since the twins has successfully intertwined with the Stone."

     Strucker sighs in dismay, frustrated that only two out of twenty-four people have successfully encountered the Stone. Although he managed to get two successes, Strucker was hoping for an army of enhanced individuals.