THE APPRENTICE (DOCTOR STRANGE STORY)

15

"I don't understand what's happening" she simply whined, hoping to make sense of the situation while the two were in enlightenment.

"The staff. The staff of Agamotto was passed on by Agamotto himself, to you! It's yours, Hazel, no wonder you have so much magic in your blood!" Strange chirped, giving her a side hug "in the book, there's a prophecy, and the prophecy is you. That's why Gyor was so angry at you, because he's been trying to steal the staff for months!"

"But what does it do?" She inquired, making Stephen hand her the book "The staff of Agamotto is a relic created by Agamotto himself. The relic further enhances the power of its owner, and has the capability to withstand and defeat any form of dark magic. With its exceptional combative and defensive abilities, its true power is harnessed together, through its owner. The limits of the staff is unknown." She read out loud

"Congratulations, Hazel." Wong gave her a big smile as he pat her back roughly, making her cough a little "use it with great responsibility, girl"

"But I still don't understand why it was made for me, out of everyone in the world!" She breathed "don't you think it's so much to take in?"

"Ah, well the staff is yours and yours only, so I think you'll do well with it. The staff is a fickle relic, just like my cloak." Strange said as the cloak floated around. "I'm happy for you."

"Yeah. Thanks." She smiled, eyeing the staff, then turning towards him "we can be Agamotto buddies! You have the eye, and I have the staff! Cool, right? And Wong, we both have sticks! And both of aly ou are both...masters of things?"

"Yeah...no." Strange shook his head and crossed his arms "you do know that you have to protect the staff, right? And that people are gonna be coming after you? Just like Gyor?"

"I do," she said as she opened up its glass case and put the staff inside "but I think I should keep it in here first, where the glass box can protect it better than me. Just in case."

"Whatever you say, Haze, but keep an eye on it." He hummed "no pun intended"

"Haze?" Wong turned his head to Strange in amusement, making a pink flush creep up on his cheeks as he crossed his arms "Just another student, huh?"

"Shut up." Strange replied, making the cloak whip Wong's arm.

* * * *

"Hazel!" Strange yelled as he lazily walked to her room, dragging his feet, scraping the wooden floors underneath him. "Hazel"

He found the teenager on her phone, on her stomach laying down on her bed, with her normal, home clothes on

"Hazy" he groaned once again, making her head whip up to him and give him a rather annoyed look

"What?" She asked, putting her phone down and focusing her attention to him.

"I'm hungry" he simply whined "do you want to go get pizza for us? Please?" He put on a big smile and tried to get her to do him a favour, batting his eyelashes repeatedly "Hazel"

He went closer and started poking her waist repeatedly, making her furrow her eyebrows and give him a glare that he could've mistaken her for a possessed person

"No! Get it yourself!" She retorted, rolling her eyes slightly and turning away from him

"Fine" Strange pouted and dropped his 'pretty face', then crossed his arms "why are you in such a mood, anyways? Are you texting a boy?"

"No, I'm not texting a boy, and I don't think there'd be a problem if I were"

"Uh, you can't" he said with a sassy and bossy tone, lifting up his finger "what, you can't tolerate me cause you're too busy chatting him up?"

"Oh my go- I'm not talking to anyone, because how could I even make friends to begin with, if I'm always in the sanctum and dressed like a monk?!" She fumed

"Uh, don't raise your voice at me!" He cried, offended and leaned on the door, making her sigh, knowing that he was gonna be there for a long time "I don't know what's going on with you, but you better straighten up, Hazel! I only asked if you wanted pizza, you don't have to be so angry! You think you're the only one who isn't pissed that we have to wear these things and be there all the time? No! Everyone has to do it! I was just trying to get some food for the both of us, and here you are being all moody and annoying! I don't like what you're doing, so fix up!" He lectured

His eyes rounded a little bit when he saw tears falling down from her face as she tried to wipe them off. Why is she so sensitive? He thought to himself.

Hazel continued to wipe her tears away, trying to stop herself from the waterworks. He didn't regret saying all of it, but for some reason, he felt guilty- like he was a very nasty person.

"Uh..." he muttered awkwardly, as he watched his cloak detach from him and float away "oh come on- ugh." He groaned

He tried to glue his eyes somewhere else to avoid the sight before him, and sooner or later turned away to leave. His head whipped back as he held the door when his eyes glued to a box of pads, his eyes widening and his eyebrows knitting together. He stretched out his mouth and sucked in some air, as his face turned pink. I messed up, he thought, and scratched his head.

"Uh..are you okay?" He inquired awkwardly. He didn't know why he wasn't reacting this way, he's a doctor! He's supposed to be used to blood, but the whole crying girls and girl things just made his face heat. All his life he was always used to only taking care of himself.

"I'm fine." She snapped, turning away and focusing her eyes on her phone, leaving a silence in the air.

He stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. He felt like some kind of tree in a school play; for once, he was clueless.

"Uh...sorry?" He said hesitantly and unknowingly. He watched her switch off her phone and think for a second, gazing at nothingness, then turn it back on

"It was my fault" she admitted as Strange was slowly backing away "I was being a..."

"Uh..." he hummed and stared at her for answers "you wanna...you wanna forget about this?" He offered and watched her nod.
"Right. Well, I'm still gonna go get some pizza, so...bye"
He left the room quite hastily, releasing a breath and shaking his head with disbelief