ASCENDANCY / P. MAXIMOFF

missing in action

"Keep her away from our children!"

"How dare you let one of those things into the school? This is supposed to be a safe place!"

"No one knows what that freak could do! I say we lock her up!"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah, lock her up!"

Anastazya buried her face into her hands, trying to stifle the loud sobs making their way from her throat. Her heart ached ferociously. They had finally found out- another school. This was it. Her foster parents wouldn't pay for another one, and they wouldn't move again. They warned her that if she lost it here, then she would have to deal with the outcomes.

Tears streamed freely down her face as she slowly made her way to her feet, dragging them as she took the emergency exit out of the school. The alarm blared loudly in her ears, and she didn't even flinch. No one made a move to stop her.

Because they knew she was another freak.

Just like the American freaks, who destroy their cities with their gifts, and people liberate them as heroes. Here, Ana was nothing but a threat. People were afraid of her kind. People here hated her. She would never be the good guy.

Ana plopped down into the snow, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her knees, letting out a loud wail of defeat. Anastazya didn't pay mind to the snow melting and shifting around her; it always did. The tear drops on her cheeks froze where they first touched skin. This happened frequently when she was upset, or angry, or just going about her day. Her demons couldn't seem to contain themselves. She wanted control.

But right now, Ana just wanted to cry. She hit the ground with her enclosed fist, letting out a strangled shriek of surprise when the snow shot up nearly twenty feet into the air.

"There she is, Natasha. See if you can calm her down," she heard a man's voice grumble from a distance. Her body quaked with tremors. Did someone finally come to take her away?

"Hello?" A gentle voice greeted her. Anastazya looked up with crazed eyes, hands shooting out in front of her to protect herself somehow. The woman mimicked the action. Her flaming crimson locks of hair were at somewhat a disarray, and the all black suit she wore made her look as pale as a ghost. Her piercing green eyes stared tentatively at Ana, analyzing her every move.

"Кто!" Ana screamed out, her throat raw. The snow rose up around her, creating some sort of protective shell. The lady only kept advancing.

"My name is Natasha Romanoff. I am from America. I work with people just like you everyday; you can trust me." the woman told Anastazya, her voice velvety and smooth.

The name seemed familiar to Ana, but she brushed it off. They would prod at her and stick her with needles- they would cut her open and look inside. She couldn't trust them. She couldn't trust anyone.

"No its okay! I'm here to help. I'm here to help you escape. You can come to America. We have safe places there for you."

"There are seldom safe places for people like me," Ana murmured.

The woman shook her head, smiling softly.

"There are in America! Some
of my best friends are just like you, Anastazya. You'll be safe at S.H.I.E.L.D. We can help you control your powers."

The woman, Natasha, took off her glove and held out her hand to Anastazya.

Ana sighed loudly. What did she even have to lose? She took the woman's hand, warm in her own, and allowed her to haul her off of the floor.

"Welcome to the Avengers."

"Anastazya!"

Ana gasped and shot out of bed. She should have been used to rude awakenings by now, but she never would actually get accustomed to it. Ana glanced up at the crack in her door and rolled her eyes when she saw Clint standing in the doorway.

"Come on wondergirl, we have a job to do," he stated. Ana's eyes widened.

"The scepter?"

Hawkeye nodded, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms and watching, amused, as Anastazya sprung out of bed, padding across the room to her closet, and grabbed a black leather unitard and boots. She had been out of action for a few months after a severe injury in New York. She was ready to get back to it.

"You might need a jacket. It's a little cold where we are headed," Clint warned her. Ana kept her back turned to him.

"Where is that exactly?" she asked, laying out her utility belt on the desk in front of her.

"Ever heard of Sokovia?"