The Widow's Daughter ✔︎

Chapter Twenty-One

"Hello, sister," the hologram of Tori said. "I know you've probably forgotten, but it's me, Tori. You were told that I died in Surgery when I was seven, but that isn't true. I'm alive, obviously. I know you're probably really scared right now, but listen to my voice and trust that it's gonna be OK."

Evie sniffed, wiping her nose. Tina put a reassuring arm on her shoulder. "She didn't say any of this nice stuff to me," I grumbled. "Just, 'oh Kira, come help, blah blah, I'm about to get murdered by a psychopathic Russian man, blah blah blah.'"

"Shush!" Peter shushed me. I scowled.

"Listen, Evelina. You don't know what you are. That might sound crazy, but hear me out. You are not the daughter of Tina Halinsway. I can't tell you who you're real parents are, because that would put you in even more danger, but I can tell you who to find. You have to travel to Chicago in America and go to the suburb of Buffalo Grove. There will be an apartment there on 23 Griffith Way. You have to ring the bell and ask for Kira Akiro-Bardasen. If she is not there, go to the Avengers Tower... actually, just go to the Avengers Tower. Even if Kira is not there, she will be soon enough. You'll find a 15-year-old girl with red hair who looks exactly like you: say that Tori sent you. She'll understand and she'll show you her own locket, which is the same as yours. She'll have received a similar message, but it is about where to find me. You need to band together and go to Mount Gestola in Russia, where you'll break into Ivan's base. I will explain who Ivan is later, but for now, any questions you have, ask Kira. She is annoying and stubborn and will probably drive you insane, but she's the smartest kid I've ever met."

"Damn right," Bruce muttered. We high-fived.

"I probably know more about you than you know about yourself, маленький паук. I will explain everything about your parents and your sister, you just have to trust me."

"No you don't," Tony said snarkily.

Hologram-Tori looked around nervously. "I need to go, Evelina. But I'll see you soon, I hope. Remember: find Kira, and then you will find the truth."

The blue light stopped. Hologram-Tori disappeared and for a few seconds that felt like hours, we stood there. Until Ben piped up: "So Kira the Spy, what's the truth?"

I flopped down onto the half-destroyed couch. "Dammit, Tori!" I muttered. "That didn't explain anything!"

"I guess all we can do now is travel back to the Avengers Tower and quiz Tori ourselves," Wanda sighed.

"It did explain something," Steve realised, staring out into the bustling metropolis of Moscow. "For start, Tina is not Evie's real mother."

"We knew that already," Evie said, clutching Tina's hand. "But for the record, Tina is still my mum. That won't ever change."

Natasha smiled at the two and looked at me warmly. I gave her a weak grin that looked more like a grimace. Peter hovered over Tony's head from his spot on the ceiling.

"Of course," Steve continued. "Now we know that Evie has a sister."

I gasped and sat up straight. "Oh my god," I exclaimed, a wave of realisation washing over me. Everyone whipped around to face me. "Can we talk about me for a second?"

"That's a bit big-headed of you, kiddo," Natasha chided, smirking. "We're trying to figure out Evie's past here."

"Yeah, I know, but, like Bruce said, let's face the facts." I stood up and ripped the locket out of Evie's hands, ripping mine off my neck and placing the two together. They fitted together with a clunk, creating a larger circle of dark metal with two red stones gleaming next to each other. "Me and Evie have the same past. We both had Tori as a best friend and surrogate sister, who supposedly died when she was seven. We both have red hair and lockets that fit together. We look exactly the same and neither of us knew our birth parents." Everybody was looking at me like I was crazy but I kept on ranting, the lockets jangling in my hands. "We both had our memories wiped: hers by Ivan, mine by Himara. Am I missing anything?"