Chapter 105: Savior
3rd September 2005, New York City
(Wanda Maximoff POV)
For the first time in years, Wanda had hope. It eclipsed her rage, swallowing it hole. Wanda wasn’t alone and she wasn’t going to let go of this woman anytime soon.
“I’m in!”
The woman smiled at her and the wall behind her started to slowly melt into a door. But instead of leading to the outside of her prison, there was a giant house on the other side. It even had a large garden around. Could she do this as well?
“Well, what are you waiting for? Allons-y!”
Wanda jumped forwards.
The first thing that surprised her was the lack of rain. The sky was still cloudy and she could see bolts of lightning illuminating the dark sky, she could hear the thunder shaking the ground, yet there was no rain. Well, that’s not exactly true; droplets of water were falling from the sky but for some reason it seemed to evade her and the kind woman. Like the rain itself didn’t want to get them wet.
“How?” she wondered out loud.
The green eyed lady smiled at her wonder, “By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be able to do much more than this little parlor trick.”
Wanda had a warm sensation in her chest. She almost forgot what it felt like. Happiness. It’s such an intoxicating feeling. She missed it dearly even if she had given up on it entirely. For now, she basked in the feeling, enjoying it while it lasts.
Wanda suddenly found herself rising into the air, floating above the ground. She almost screamed in surprise and tried to hang on to anything. She heard the sound of laughter next to her. She turned to find her savior giggling at her situation. What was surprising was that she was floating as well.
The nice lady smiled at her once more, “Don’t worry, I just didn’t want to walk through the garden. Everything is muddy. I would have stopped the rain but every plant needs water, after all.”
Wanda was still silent but she found herself smiling in joy. Who wouldn’t want to be able to fly? It felt better than she thought it would. Did her father feel the same way when he floated around using his powers? At the thought of her father, whatever happiness Wanda had was immediately replaced by her usual rage. She wanted to kill the bastard and show him how wrong he was when he abandoned her.
The black haired lady looked at her sadly, as if sensing her anger. But she didn’t say anything, and just flew them towards the mansion. The moment they arrived, the giant wooden doors automatically opened themselves at them. Was this some sort of high tech door? Wanda was locked up for so long; did things change that much? Did the world move on so quickly?
With the door opened, Wanda could see what was inside the mansion. It was the most luxurious yet odd place she had ever seen. The style seemed Victorian, same as the mansion. But in front of her was a giant white marble staircase, probably going to the top of the building. At the right, Wanda could see a door that gave her a brief glimpse to what should be a dining room which looked bigger than her entire old house with her father and her brother.
What was odd, on the other hand, were the various decorations that adorned the reception. There were various sculptures, some suits of armor, and half a dozen of portraits that Wanda swears had winked at her. It must have been her imagination.
A red carpet sat in the middle of the stairs until the door itself. As she walked past the doorway, gaping at the luxury in front of her, Wanda had a strange feeling go through her. Suddenly, her months old ripped clothes looked repaired and brand new. Wanda felt the grime and the oil leave her hair. She hadn’t had a shower in days and it showed. Calling it a shower wasn’t exactly true, she was given a bucket of water every couple of days. Sometimes the guards liked to tease her by not getting to shower. After all, according to them, she was a freak and freaks do not get to shower like humans do. They had been doing this in the past few days and it showed.
Her musings were interrupted by the kind lady, “Welcome to Sayre Manor. This will be home for the foreseeable future. Until you learn to control your powers, you are not to go outside the property. Not that I think you’ll want to leave anyway. Now let me get show you your new room.”
Room? She gets her own room? She hadn’t had a room just for herself in years. And yes, the prison cell doesn’t count. It was just a big box with a hole they fed her through. The nice lady, Jasmine, Wanda remembered, walked up the stairs, then walked through a long corridor and stopped in front of a door. Like the front door did, it opened by itself and inside, Wanda could see a large Queen size bed, a large closet, a mirror, a small bookshelf. There was a giant TV in the room with all her favorite TV series on top. Wanda slowly walked towards the closet, to find it filled with clothes that were exactly her size. She then walked towards the door on the other side of the room and found the biggest bathroom she had ever seen. It was fit for royalty, with a bath that was almost as large as her old bed.
Wanda had never imagined something like this. Even in her precious TV shows, they didn’t have things as nice as this. This was a place fit for a princess. What if she accidentally destroyed everything with her powers. Will Jasmine kick her out? Will she bring her back to the Vault? Wanda found herself trembling at the thought of being abandoned again.
“Why are you crying?”
Was Wanda crying? She put her hands on her cheeks to find them wet. Well, this was weird. Wanda had run out of tears after the first month after her father left. She hadn’t cried since.
Wanda replied sobbing, “What – what if I wreck anything?”
Jasmine gave her that kind smile of hers, the one that made her warm inside, “Then you wreck it. So what? It’s just stuff. Not that it’s be easy anyway. Look, here.”
Jasmine pushed a crystal vase that was sitting on a desk that Wanda hadn’t noticed yet. Wanda almost yelped trying to catch the obviously expensive vase but she missed and it came crashing into the ground, breaking into a thousand pieces. Suddenly, the broken pieces of crystal started floating to the air and slowly formed back into the vase who levitated into the air and placed itself on top of the desk, looking exactly like it was before it was smashed by the older woman.
“Everything here is set to fix itself if you break them. Not that it matters anyway. But, until you can properly control your powers, I have to insist that you only go in the first two floors. The really delicate stuff is upstairs. As for the basement, you’ll see when you’re ready. Other than that, go nuts. Now I’m sure that you’re overwhelmed and tired so why don’t you go to sleep and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”
She then turned around and left her alone in her new room. The first thing Wanda did was throw the crystal vase on the ground and watch it built itself back up again. This was fun. And the confirmation that she wasn’t going to break anything was like a weight had lifted from her shoulders. She was finally free from the nightmare.
The emotions during the entire day caught up to her and Jasmine was right, she was overwhelmed. She laid down on her bed, no bothering to change her clothes. She felt her eyelids get heavier. Perhaps a small nap was in order.
When Wanda woke up, she thought that the events of the day before were some sort of dream. That was until, she felt a warm light illuminating her room. She then realized that she was on a bed. She doesn’t even remember when was the last time she slept on a genuine bed. She sat up and remembered everything. She wondered aloud, “This wasn’t a dream?”
Wanda slowly walked towards her wardrobe and picked up some red pajamas; she always liked that color. She then walked out of the room and towards where she remembered the dining room was. Inside, was Jasmine who was eating breakfast. Well, it wasn’t exactly breakfast, it was a veritable feast. The older woman’s eyes lit up when she saw Wanda, “Well, Hello there. Did you have a good night sleep?”
Wanda nodded silently, and the green eyed woman waved her hand and suddenly some food levitated to plate itself onto her plate.
“How are you doing that?” Wanda questioned.
“With my magic, of course.”
Magic? What was she talking about?
“But I don’t know magic…”
Jasmine laughed heartily at this, “My dear, Magic isn’t something one knows, it’s something one has. And you are without question a mage. Just like I am.”
Wand was scared now. Was there a misunderstanding? She was a mutant not some sort of magician. Has Jasmine made a mistake? Will she kick her out?
“But I’m a mutant not a witch?”
“Silly girl,” Jasmine answered playfully, “A mutant is just a mage who only knows one spell. They’re like the downgraded version of mages. But you’re different then your father and your brother, you’re more. You have magic and a lot of it. It’s why no one taught you how to control your powers. Learning your whole life to control one spell is easy but learning to control thousands is a lot harder.”
Wanda felt her anger return at the mention of her family, “You know my father?”
“Yes. I don’t like him much. We haven’t interacted formally yet. Not that I want to, anyway.”
“Is it magic? What I can do?”
Jasmine hummed, “Yes and No at the same time. Your magic is very special. Sometimes when your magic was forming, you were exposed to a lot of Chaos Magic or as I call it Reality Magic. Your magic was flexible at the time so it can easily be influenced by the surrounding ambient magic. Using it became like a reflex to you. Unfortunately, it’s a very delicate and chaotic field of magic. It’s extremely hard to control if you don’t have a full understanding of it. And Magic is extremely sensitive to your emotions, especially when you’re powerful, which you are by the way. Other than you, I am the only other person capable of using this type of magic. Which is why, I chose you as an Apprentice.”
Wanda felt oddly uncomfortable at this, “Is this the only reason?”
“Well, no. Other than your powers, you remind me of myself. I too was abandoned by my parents, like you were abandoned by your father. I too lived in a cold dark place for years, in misery. I look at you and I see a younger version of myself. I wish to help you like I was helped; I wish to show you how to truly appreciate life as you know it.”
Wanda was starting to tear up at the ravenette’s words. The green eyed woman cared about her. She wanted her, acknowledged her.
“What I am offering you, is the opportunity to learn how to manipulate the world around you. Magic is limitless. With a proper understanding of magic, you will surpass any other mutant. As long as you learn properly, that is. I know that you’re probably excited but if you’re going to accept my offer, you’ll have to respect my authority when it comes to magic. If I tell you not to use a spell, don’t use it. Magic is complicated and until you have a very good foundation, you shouldn’t experiment with it. Is that clear?”
Wanda nodded, “Yes, it is.”
Jasmine smiled erasing the previously serious look on her face, “Alright, now that we’re done with breakfast, let’s start. What do you think magic actually is?”
Chapter 105: Savior
3rd September 2005, New York City
(Wanda Maximoff POV)
For the first time in years, Wanda had hope. It eclipsed her rage, swallowing it hole. Wanda wasn’t alone and she wasn’t going to let go of this woman anytime soon.
“I’m in!”
The woman smiled at her and the wall behind her started to slowly melt into a door. But instead of leading to the outside of her prison, there was a giant house on the other side. It even had a large garden around. Could she do this as well?
“Well, what are you waiting for? Allons-y!”
Wanda jumped forwards.
The first thing that surprised her was the lack of rain. The sky was still cloudy and she could see bolts of lightning illuminating the dark sky, she could hear the thunder shaking the ground, yet there was no rain. Well, that’s not exactly true; droplets of water were falling from the sky but for some reason it seemed to evade her and the kind woman. Like the rain itself didn’t want to get them wet.
“How?” she wondered out loud.
The green eyed lady smiled at her wonder, “By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be able to do much more than this little parlor trick.”
Wanda had a warm sensation in her chest. She almost forgot what it felt like. Happiness. It’s such an intoxicating feeling. She missed it dearly even if she had given up on it entirely. For now, she basked in the feeling, enjoying it while it lasts.
Wanda suddenly found herself rising into the air, floating above the ground. She almost screamed in surprise and tried to hang on to anything. She heard the sound of laughter next to her. She turned to find her savior giggling at her situation. What was surprising was that she was floating as well.
The nice lady smiled at her once more, “Don’t worry, I just didn’t want to walk through the garden. Everything is muddy. I would have stopped the rain but every plant needs water, after all.”
Wanda was still silent but she found herself smiling in joy. Who wouldn’t want to be able to fly? It felt better than she thought it would. Did her father feel the same way when he floated around using his powers? At the thought of her father, whatever happiness Wanda had was immediately replaced by her usual rage. She wanted to kill the bastard and show him how wrong he was when he abandoned her.
The black haired lady looked at her sadly, as if sensing her anger. But she didn’t say anything, and just flew them towards the mansion. The moment they arrived, the giant wooden doors automatically opened themselves at them. Was this some sort of high tech door? Wanda was locked up for so long; did things change that much? Did the world move on so quickly?
With the door opened, Wanda could see what was inside the mansion. It was the most luxurious yet odd place she had ever seen. The style seemed Victorian, same as the mansion. But in front of her was a giant white marble staircase, probably going to the top of the building. At the right, Wanda could see a door that gave her a brief glimpse to what should be a dining room which looked bigger than her entire old house with her father and her brother.
What was odd, on the other hand, were the various decorations that adorned the reception. There were various sculptures, some suits of armor, and half a dozen of portraits that Wanda swears had winked at her. It must have been her imagination.
A red carpet sat in the middle of the stairs until the door itself. As she walked past the doorway, gaping at the luxury in front of her, Wanda had a strange feeling go through her. Suddenly, her months old ripped clothes looked repaired and brand new. Wanda felt the grime and the oil leave her hair. She hadn’t had a shower in days and it showed. Calling it a shower wasn’t exactly true, she was given a bucket of water every couple of days. Sometimes the guards liked to tease her by not getting to shower. After all, according to them, she was a freak and freaks do not get to shower like humans do. They had been doing this in the past few days and it showed.
Her musings were interrupted by the kind lady, “Welcome to Sayre Manor. This will be home for the foreseeable future. Until you learn to control your powers, you are not to go outside the property. Not that I think you’ll want to leave anyway. Now let me get show you your new room.”
Room? She gets her own room? She hadn’t had a room just for herself in years. And yes, the prison cell doesn’t count. It was just a big box with a hole they fed her through. The nice lady, Jasmine, Wanda remembered, walked up the stairs, then walked through a long corridor and stopped in front of a door. Like the front door did, it opened by itself and inside, Wanda could see a large Queen size bed, a large closet, a mirror, a small bookshelf. There was a giant TV in the room with all her favorite TV series on top. Wanda slowly walked towards the closet, to find it filled with clothes that were exactly her size. She then walked towards the door on the other side of the room and found the biggest bathroom she had ever seen. It was fit for royalty, with a bath that was almost as large as her old bed.
Wanda had never imagined something like this. Even in her precious TV shows, they didn’t have things as nice as this. This was a place fit for a princess. What if she accidentally destroyed everything with her powers. Will Jasmine kick her out? Will she bring her back to the Vault? Wanda found herself trembling at the thought of being abandoned again.
“Why are you crying?”
Was Wanda crying? She put her hands on her cheeks to find them wet. Well, this was weird. Wanda had run out of tears after the first month after her father left. She hadn’t cried since.
Wanda replied sobbing, “What – what if I wreck anything?”
Jasmine gave her that kind smile of hers, the one that made her warm inside, “Then you wreck it. So what? It’s just stuff. Not that it’s be easy anyway. Look, here.”
Jasmine pushed a crystal vase that was sitting on a desk that Wanda hadn’t noticed yet. Wanda almost yelped trying to catch the obviously expensive vase but she missed and it came crashing into the ground, breaking into a thousand pieces. Suddenly, the broken pieces of crystal started floating to the air and slowly formed back into the vase who levitated into the air and placed itself on top of the desk, looking exactly like it was before it was smashed by the older woman.
“Everything here is set to fix itself if you break them. Not that it matters anyway. But, until you can properly control your powers, I have to insist that you only go in the first two floors. The really delicate stuff is upstairs. As for the basement, you’ll see when you’re ready. Other than that, go nuts. Now I’m sure that you’re overwhelmed and tired so why don’t you go to sleep and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”
She then turned around and left her alone in her new room. The first thing Wanda did was throw the crystal vase on the ground and watch it built itself back up again. This was fun. And the confirmation that she wasn’t going to break anything was like a weight had lifted from her shoulders. She was finally free from the nightmare.
The emotions during the entire day caught up to her and Jasmine was right, she was overwhelmed. She laid down on her bed, no bothering to change her clothes. She felt her eyelids get heavier. Perhaps a small nap was in order.
When Wanda woke up, she thought that the events of the day before were some sort of dream. That was until, she felt a warm light illuminating her room. She then realized that she was on a bed. She doesn’t even remember when was the last time she slept on a genuine bed. She sat up and remembered everything. She wondered aloud, “This wasn’t a dream?”
Wanda slowly walked towards her wardrobe and picked up some red pajamas; she always liked that color. She then walked out of the room and towards where she remembered the dining room was. Inside, was Jasmine who was eating breakfast. Well, it wasn’t exactly breakfast, it was a veritable feast. The older woman’s eyes lit up when she saw Wanda, “Well, Hello there. Did you have a good night sleep?”
Wanda nodded silently, and the green eyed woman waved her hand and suddenly some food levitated to plate itself onto her plate.
“How are you doing that?” Wanda questioned.
“With my magic, of course.”
Magic? What was she talking about?
“But I don’t know magic…”
Jasmine laughed heartily at this, “My dear, Magic isn’t something one knows, it’s something one has. And you are without question a mage. Just like I am.”
Wand was scared now. Was there a misunderstanding? She was a mutant not some sort of magician. Has Jasmine made a mistake? Will she kick her out?
“But I’m a mutant not a witch?”
“Silly girl,” Jasmine answered playfully, “A mutant is just a mage who only knows one spell. They’re like the downgraded version of mages. But you’re different then your father and your brother, you’re more. You have magic and a lot of it. It’s why no one taught you how to control your powers. Learning your whole life to control one spell is easy but learning to control thousands is a lot harder.”
Wanda felt her anger return at the mention of her family, “You know my father?”
“Yes. I don’t like him much. We haven’t interacted formally yet. Not that I want to, anyway.”
“Is it magic? What I can do?”
Jasmine hummed, “Yes and No at the same time. Your magic is very special. Sometimes when your magic was forming, you were exposed to a lot of Chaos Magic or as I call it Reality Magic. Your magic was flexible at the time so it can easily be influenced by the surrounding ambient magic. Using it became like a reflex to you. Unfortunately, it’s a very delicate and chaotic field of magic. It’s extremely hard to control if you don’t have a full understanding of it. And Magic is extremely sensitive to your emotions, especially when you’re powerful, which you are by the way. Other than you, I am the only other person capable of using this type of magic. Which is why, I chose you as an Apprentice.”
Wanda felt oddly uncomfortable at this, “Is this the only reason?”
“Well, no. Other than your powers, you remind me of myself. I too was abandoned by my parents, like you were abandoned by your father. I too lived in a cold dark place for years, in misery. I look at you and I see a younger version of myself. I wish to help you like I was helped; I wish to show you how to truly appreciate life as you know it.”
Wanda was starting to tear up at the ravenette’s words. The green eyed woman cared about her. She wanted her, acknowledged her.
“What I am offering you, is the opportunity to learn how to manipulate the world around you. Magic is limitless. With a proper understanding of magic, you will surpass any other mutant. As long as you learn properly, that is. I know that you’re probably excited but if you’re going to accept my offer, you’ll have to respect my authority when it comes to magic. If I tell you not to use a spell, don’t use it. Magic is complicated and until you have a very good foundation, you shouldn’t experiment with it. Is that clear?”
Wanda nodded, “Yes, it is.”
Jasmine smiled erasing the previously serious look on her face, “Alright, now that we’re done with breakfast, let’s start. What do you think magic actually is?”
