Maya

There's something odd about having several enhanced human beings in your own house.

It's almost surreal.

The kids decided to have a snow day. Well...the younger kids are having a snow day. Carlos and Safia are starting their training.

Wanda and Vision are trailing after Rayan, keeping them both away from the tree line. Pietro watches from the side and builds snowmen with Annette.

The speedster finds my gaze and waves, his silver hair blending in with the snow around him.

I had a portion of the snow cleared out. It's a crude training pit but it's better than nothing. Not all of us can have a fancy training facility like the Avengers Tower.

(Thanks, Tony. Always raising standards and expectations.)

Safia is ready, Carlos...less so. Points for effect though.

I stand in front of them with my hands on my hips.

I can't believe I'm actually doing this but given the events of the past 48 hours, it's a good idea to ensure that these kids can protect themselves and each other. I know that powers won't always help you win. Sometimes you have to get down and dirty with your fists till your opponent's face looks like ground beef.

I'm making this up as I go. Gods, help me.

"Alright, kiddos." I start, pacing in front of them. "Let's get to the core of the matter. You need to learn how to defend yourselves and it's time I start teaching you."

"But I can fight!" Safia exclaims, throwing her arms up. "You know I can."

"Safia, a schoolyard fight isn't enough," I reply. "And before you interrupt me again, I know the difference between a street brawl and actual fighting. I'm not saying that you're weak, I'm just saying that there's room for improvement."

Safia huffs, blowing a strand of hair from her face. "Fine."

"Great. Let's start with your stances." I bend my knees and keep my feet facing towards them, my left foot slightly back. I raise my fists, making sure my thumb is out. "Like this."

Carlos and Safia look at each other. I am sure they carried out a whole conversation in a few seconds.

They mimic my stance.

I can see the mistakes immediately. I circle them, correcting their stance.

"Carlos, the back foot needs to be a little more back," I say, using my boot to push his foot back. "And keep your fists close to your body, parallel to your face. Don't tuck your thumb inside, you'll break it if you punch someone."

Safia is near perfect. Well, almost.

I adjust her head. "Your hands are good. Keep your chin down and lower your shoulders. You need to protect your neck."

"I feel ridiculous." She grits her teeth. "Is this really necessary? I beat up that prick at school."

Oh, she is never going to let that go.

"Fine." Once I know that their stance is good enough I get back into position. "Okay, Safia. Since you've actually been in a fight, why don't you throw the first punch? Carlos, observe."

That was all that Safia needed.

I could see her punch coming miles away. It was almost slow motion as I watched her fist approach my face.

She tried to aim for my neck but hesitated, going for my shoulder instead since it was open. Good idea but it's written all over her face that she regrets her punch. I deflect with my arm and brush her off, causing her to take a step back.

I grab Safia's arm and pull her in. The surprise on her face is priceless.

I don't hit her. There's no need to. She tries to kick me but I grab her leg. I spin her around, deflecting her energy and push her into the giant snow pile.

She lands on her face with a muffled oof, clumps of snow sticking to her hair.

Safia had potential. She could be formidable if she had the proper training.

"Alright, Carlos." I grab Safia by the back of her jacket and haul her back up. "What did she do wrong?"

Carlos is still in his fighting stance. He glances between Safia and me before answering. "Um...she got her butt handed to her?"

Safia glares at him. She stabs a finger in his direction. "Just wait till we start sparing, Chico. Just you wait."

I pat her on her back. It was a good effort. I'm surprised she hasn't smacked my hand away yet. Now that's progress.

"Safia, do you want to tell me what you did wrong?"

Her nostrils flare. "I lost my balance."

"And?"

"I didn't expect your next move." She looked down.

"You hesitated."

"I didn't." She pulls away from me.

"You did," I said firmly. I point at my neck. "You were aiming for my throat. Then you decided to go for my shoulder. Why?"

Safia didn't answer me. She scuffs the ground with her boot, sparks flying. "You said you would train us on how to use our powers."

I sigh. This was going nowhere. Safia wanted to be as stubborn as a fucking mule. Fine.

Control can be easily confused with suppression. You can't put everything into a box and pretend it doesn't exist.

Trust me, I know. It never ends well.

"I'll teach you how to control your powers but first you got to learn how to stand on your own two feet," I say. Carlos looks uneasy as he lowers his stance. "You can't hesitate in a fight, the smallest mistake can be the difference between life and death. Sometimes I won't be there or your powers fail. You need to learn how to fight before you can even think of using your powers."

Safia opened her mouth to argue but closed it. A muscle in her jaw ticked, her eyes taking on a blue tinge. The sparks from her fingers died down.

Carlos hardens his expression as if he had no choice but to be determined.

The cold was biting into my skin. The wind was nowhere to be found and I had two teenagers in front of me who probably resented me. I resent a part of myself too. It's not that hard to do.

"Can I try?" Carlos asks.

I nod. "Go on ahead." I raise my fists and get into a fighting stance. "Safia, observe."

Carlos took a deep breath in and let it out, like a bull before it was going to charge.

This was going to be a long day.

—

Annette

Annette did her best to ignore the strange red man and his girlfriend, the even stranger witch. At least the silver-haired man was fun. He helped her make a giant snowman.

"The face looks funny," he said, trying to fix the branches that were the arms.

They used acorns and twigs to make the face. "We don't have a carrot." She tapped her nose which was turning red. "His nose is missing."

At one point she considered hiding herself but the woman—Wanda—kept her eyes on her. There was something in her eyes that spoke of magic and mayhem but was also full of kindness and compassion.

Annette was like a wounded animal, easily tempted by a warm fire and food to fill its belly. Sometimes she had to remind herself not to get too close to others or else she'd learn once again just how everyone disappoints her.

Maya hasn't yet.

Wanda made the snowman—that Annette had carefully crafted—dance like marionettes on a string.

Her powers were useful but once in a while, Annette wished she could do more than just hide amongst her surroundings like a glorified chameleon.

Rayan was flying around the trees, laughing as he scared the squirrels and knocked the snow off the tree branches. He was fast, zipping through the tree branches and knocking some of the snow off.

Pietro chased after his, amused to race against someone. To the untrained eye, he was a blur but Annette was great at seeing things others couldn't.

Vision—the red man with the jewel on his forehead—chased the both of them. He did not look amused but persisted in his pursuit. Rayan took delight in trying to escape him which Pietro chased him.

Wanda brushed a strand of hair from Annette's face. "What are you thinking about?"

Annette tilted her head. "Why are you asking me that? Can't you just look into my mind?"

"That's invasive." She said. "It's not a pleasant thing to do to others. I find it to be exhausting."

"But it's easier," Annette replied. She picked up a handful of snow and squished it between her hands. "Carlos does it when I get nightmares. He shows me something nice from my memories until I calm down."

"Really?" Surprise tinges her voice. "I didn't know the extent of his powers."

She shrugs. "Maya told us that all of us are powerful. She also told us that we're supposed to be in control of our powers."

"Are you?" She asked. "In control of your powers?"

"I think I am. But that's not enough. Maya makes it look easy. I hope that I can do the same one day."

Wanda sighs. "You know...it wasn't easy for her. Your sister just wants to make sure that you don't go through the same struggles as she did. Maya might act tough and be a bit strict but deep down she's a good person."

Annette mulls over it and says. "But I'm scared that I'll let her down."

"You won't."

Such simple words. If only Annette could believe them.

Annette watched the snowball in her hand disappear. She can still feel its weight and the shape of it.

She launched it towards Rayan. It hits him in the face.

He lets out a squawk and momentarily loses focus. Rayan drops from the air and just before he hits the ground, Vision catches him.

The game is over.

"Perhaps, that's enough flying for one day." Vision says, floating back to the ground with Rayan tucked firmly in his arms. "You're fast. Pietro would most likely encourage your rambunctiousness."

"I do not!" Pietro explained, affronted. "I'm a wonderful influence."

"That is debatable."

"What's that?" Rayan asked, trying to get out Visions vice like grip. He always preferred to squirm.

"According to the Merriam—Webster dictionary it is an adjective. It means to be 'marked by uncontrollable exuberance.' It is an apt description."

"What's exuberance?"

"It means—"

Wanda laughs, extending her arms. "I think that enough vocabulary lessons for the day."

Vision finally releases Rayan from his arms. He springs away from him like a cat, making sure to give him a pointed look as he curls his head under Wanda's chin.

Annette giggles and continues to make her army of snowmen.

Pietro sits down next to her. He shrugs off his blue scarf and wraps it around the snowman's neck.

He grins at her. "I think it looks better now, no?"

Maybe they're not so bad after all.

—

Maya

The day went by quickly.

The kids ate dinner and settled in the living room, playing card games. Pietro sits between them, an arm wrapped around Annette as he teaches her how to cheat at poker.

Safia and Carlos were more quiet than usual, often meeting each other's eyes before looking away.

Maybe I was too harsh on them.

The people who taught me to fight were the people I hated the most. Amir and Miriam used training sessions like it was their own personal battle royale. I can't count the number of times I had to crawl off the practice matt because they had nearly killed me.

My father encouraged it. The more I got beaten down, the more my body mended itself, and the more rage I felt in my tiny little body.

Weapons are made, he used to say.

I used to train with my father's soldiers. Slowly I got better; I could hit harder, dodge an attack faster, and run further than anyone.

The perfect killing machine.

Amir and Miriam hated me more when I fought them and held my ground.

I didn't know how to truly control my powers until I joined the Avengers. I had suppressed my powers to a point where it was hurting me. I had to rely on my fighting skill to survive but I also had to learn how to control my powers in a healthy way—that didn't send my body into organ failure.

Am I becoming like Amid and Miriam, ruthless and unyielding? Am I pushing my siblings too far or helping them?

I wish Nat was here to teach them, I thought.

I felt some nudge my side. It took a lot of effort to not jump out of my skin.

Wanda regarded me with a strange expression. She chewed on her lower lip, debating if she should offer her opinion or not.

"Wherever you're thinking, I suggest you tell it to me straight." I look up at her. "You have that look on your face."

She furrows her brows. "What face?"

I reached over and pressed my index finger against her cheek. "The face you make when you see a kicked puppy. Its also the face you make whenever you see Vision."

Wanda smiles innocently. "I have no idea what you mean."

"Uh-huh."

"Let's go for a walk," she suggests.

I glance at the clock. The sun is long gone and there's hardly a source of light. "It's 10 degrees out there."

She smiled, shrugging on her jacket. "Wear something warm then. Vision and Pietro can watch the children as we walk."

I sigh and shrug on a wool jacket I thrifted last week.

The night is quiet and snow flutters softly around us.

Even if it's been months, I still hate snow.

"What's up?" I ask as we approach the oak tree near the edge of the clearing.

I could a strange energy in the air. It was like a subtle thrum, enclosing the property till the edge of the tree line.

"While you were running boot camp with the kids, I stepped out and made a boundary line." She lifted her flashlight pointing to the base tree. "While I was setting it up I found this."

A symbol was etched into the tree. It was crude, probably done in a hurry. The eight-pointed star, except unlike Ishtar's star which pointed outward, pointed inwards.

Inverse.

There was still blood, nothing more than smudges.

"Look familiar?"

I shook my head. "No."

This was getting weird. No, downright creepy. First was a ranch hand getting mutilated, the dead wolves on the back porch and now this.

I felt like I was in an episode of the X Files. Only there was no Mulder and Scully to save me.

Wanda's features had lost all their softness. She was probably having the same line of thought.

"Do you still talk to that wizard guy?"

"Who? Strange? He's a sorcerer, not a wizard."

"Yeah, him," I said. "Can you ask him to do some research for me?"