When the Shell Drops

It started out as any other day. Wanda and Pietro went to school and after classes, Pietro walked her to the dance studio and while he went off to his track and field practice, she spent the afternoon dancing. Afterward, she walked back home with the family of one of her fellow dancers who lived down the street from her. She’d be home before anyone else, doing her homework before Pietro got back with their mom. She’d help him with homework—he never paid attention in class—while dinner started to cook. Their father left when they were extremely young and they weren’t allowed to ask questions about him.

This time, however, family dinner was interrupted.

While Pietro was in the middle of talking about how he was in the process of breaking the country record for the fastest lap, an explosion interrupted him.

Their mother, Natalya, got to her feet as the ground shook as the twins looked at each other. It was no secret that Sokovia was on the brink of a civil war. It was everywhere. On the news, on the streets, in the schools. They had grown used to the sound of gunfire at night and they constantly had to look over their shoulder as they even walked to their neighbor’s house.

Natalya turned to the twins as another explosion, this one closer than before, shook the house. “Wanda, Pietro, get to my bedroom and go under the bed! I’ll come tell you when it’s safe!”

“But Mama, what about you?!” Wanda quickly got to her feet with her brother.

“Wanda, go! Pietro, take care of your sister!” Natalya gave them both encouraging shoves to her bedroom. “I’ll be fine!”

Pietro grabbed Wanda’s hand and pulled her with him as he ran to Natalya’s room.

No sooner had they gotten into the room when a shell dropped much closer than before, causing glass to go flying as they were sent slamming into the wall opposite them.

Her ears rung as panic immediately overtook her. She raised her head up. “Pietro!” She couldn’t hear her own voice. Her entire body was sore as she pushed herself up slowly. “Pietro!” She spied him staggering to a knee. She crawled over to him, reaching to put a hand on his shoulder. “‘tro, are you alright?!”

Pietro slowly lifted his head as Wanda reached him. She could see that he had several gashes on his face. His mouth moved but she could only hear faint muffled sounds. He gripped her shoulder tightly and with his other hand, he touched her forehead, pulling back bloodied fingers.

Wanda quickly put a hand to her head. When she pulled it away, a good portion of it was colored scarlet. She looked up at her brother, starting to be able to make out what he was saying. He was asking how hurt she was, if she needed help. She shook her head. “I’m fine!” She had to shout so she could actually hear herself. “What about you?!”

Before he could respond, the ground shook again.

Pietro grabbed his sister and yanked her under the bed with him, keeping a tight arm around her while the other covered his head. She mirrored him, gripping him and protecting herself in case something came flying at them.

She was shaking and she could feel him doing the same.

They were terrified.

The sounds of explosions started to become more and more clear and the ground shook around them.

Another shell dropped. It missed the bed by about a foot. Both of them screamed and shuffled back, holding each other tightly. They buried their heads against each other.

This was it. This was where they were going to die.

But...nothing had happened yet.

Wanda slowly raised her head, seeing nothing had happened. She saw a name that would forever be ingrained into her mind, “Stark Industries.”

After a while, the bombing stopped. It grew silent. But the two were frozen solid. Their bodies were tense. They sometimes found themselves holding their breaths in fear that it would set it off and kill them.

XXX

Two days later, rescue arrived. They called out for any survivors. Though afraid to speak, the twins called out. They had been found but it was going to be even harder to get them out.

Every time something shifted, they squeezed their eyes shut and looked away, whispering their last goodbyes to each other. Who knew what would set it off?

It took hours for them to finally get them free. They ended up creating a hole big enough in the wall behind them to allow them to crawl out.

Pietro made his sister go first before he went after her.

It was a welcomed relief to have their feet on solid ground again but they didn’t stay in one place for long. They were ushered away, running from the rubble of their home.

As they ran, the final explosion went off. It sent them flying forward and scraping themselves on the rough pavement.

Wanda rolled onto her back as she saw her childhood home go up into flames. She felt new emotions rush through her. Anger. Pain. Revenge. It caused the ringing in her ears, the pain in her body, the hunger clawing at her stomach, everything to disappear

She knew who had done this. She and her brother had stared at his name for 48 hours. He had taken their only parent left and their home from them. And he was going to pay.

She looked over as one of their rescuers helped her and Pietro to their feet before meeting eyes with her brother. The look in his eyes, which a 10-year-old should never have, was the same as hers.

They would make Tony Stark pay.

Or die trying.