Maya

Mom leaves two days later.

I hate seeing her go.

"You know," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Once this is all over, why don't you bring the kids to my place?"

"Oh, mom. I couldn't impose on you like that."

She smiles softly. "Nonsense. I'm more than happy to have them." She glances at them, huddling behind me. "My house is too large and too empty. You're always welcome there."

I lean into her touch, feeling like a little girl again. "I'm sorry that I was away for so long. All this just... kinda happened."

"You're doing a good thing, Maya. Giving your siblings a home and trying to help them." She leaned in and lowered her tone. "I watched the tapes and read the files. It hit me. Just like that. My daughter was doing for these kids what I couldn't do for her."

"Fury told you, huh? What do you have on that man?" I ask. "He's pretty much there whenever you need him."

Mom averts her gaze, the corners of her lips quirking up."We just go long back, that's all."

"Now look who's being cryptic."

"Oh, hush." She chides. "One day, I'll tell you but not now."

"Yeah," I said. "You're not getting out of this one."

"Oh, well. Can't fault a woman for trying. You get your stubbornness from me."

"Damn right, I do." I cross my arms over my chest. "Now, spill." I cooled my gaze. "Please."

Mom rolls her eyes. "If you must know, technically speaking, Nicholas Fury is your godfather." She said. "I know, I know. But I knew him when he was a desk agent in SHIELD. He was the natural choice. Given who my children were, I thought it might be wise to have someone powerful fill that spot."

My mouth hangs open. "You're joking."

"Oh, I wish I was." She waves her hand. "We were quite good friends. At that time I worked as a diplomatic aide and once in a while, I slipped him intel. Oops silly me."

"Yeah," I said absently, staring into space like I was on The Office. "Silly you."

She patted my cheek, reassuring my scrambled brain. "Nicholas never approved of Raza. I suppose he could see what I couldn't and that was when he had two eyes."

It's so strange to imagine Fury with two eyes. He was already powerful and mysterious with one, imagine what he could get up to with two.

"Oh my gods."

"It's not a big deal, Luv."

"Like hell, it ain't!" I exclaim. "He's my godfather!"

"I didn't mean to startle you. He wasn't aware he was your godfather until I told him." She shrugged. "Sometimes Nicolas likes to pretend he doesn't care but he is a big softie underneath that tough exterior."

"I can't believe this." I look up at the sky.

It all made sense. Fury told me he never really cared as long as I did what I was supposed to do. But now that I comb through every single interaction with him, it makes so much damn sense—Fury kept me in the Raft to protect me, he went against the Security Council for me, he put me on the Avengers because he wanted to help me.

Every single step of the way—Fury watched over me like a one-eyed guardian angel dressed in black leather.

Oh, shit.

The final pieces of the puzzle clicked together, rearranging the contents of my brain as they did so.

"You asked him to find me, didn't you?"

"Yes, Luv. I did." She smiled sadly. "I may have used some nostalgia to manipulate him, but he went looking for you. Without him, I would've never gotten you back."

"Fury is my godfather," I repeated, gobsmacked.

"Oh, no. I think I've broken your sister."

Safia waves a hand in front of my face. "Nah. Give her a few minutes to reset."

Annette wrings her hands. "Will we see you again?"

Mom bends down and caresses her cheek. "Soon. I promise. We can go to a lovely art museum in Seattle together. You can put that camera I gave you to good use."

She smiles shyly, the tips of her ears turning pink. "I'd like that."

"It's settled then." Mom opens her arms. "Give me a hug, sweety."

It's strange to see two people who aren't related look so similar. If Annette's eyes were blue instead of grey, she would look just like mom.

Mom hugs each of the kids.

Rayan doesn't shy away from her touch. He presses his cheek against hers. "Next time we see you, can I eat ice cream?"

"Don't fall for the puppy eyes, Mom."

She waves me off. "Don't listen to your big sister. That's a splendid idea."

Carlos stands awkwardly, glancing between Mom and me.

"I hope you have a safe trip back, Mrs Crowley."

"Thank you, Carlos." She pulled him into a hug that enveloped his frame. "I'm sorry about your mother. I know that whatever I say won't help but always remember that you have a family that will stand by you."

For a moment, I can see his eyes glistening with tears. He closes them and they're gone.

Safia has her arms crossed.

"No hug for me?" She asks her.

Safia looks at me and I nod. That's all she needs. She gently wraps her arms around Mom, tucking her head against her shoulder.

"Thank you for coming," Safia said. "Maya needed you. And...I'm sorry I tried to electrocute you."

"It's all water under the bridge. Thank you for inviting me."

"Maya won't say it but she really missed you."

Mom pulls away, blue eyes sparkling with warmth. She cups Safia's cheek. "I'll tell you a little secret about your sister. She might appear tough and strict but she has a heart so big it could fit an entire ocean. Just remember that."

"You know, you're not the first person to tell me that. Which means it must be true."

I looked away, focusing on a vase of flowers as I blinked my eyes repeatedly.

Gods, what am I going to do with these kids?

I promised myself I wouldn't cry.

Mom gives me one last hug. I catch the scent of her perfume and I can't help but think of her in her garden, pruning her flowers.

"You better come home, Maya." She whispered into my ear. "I love you."

"I love you too, mom." I return her smile. "Tell the Avengers I say thank you."

She gives me a soft smile before getting into her car. I watch as the beat-up Ford travels down the long driveway, disappearing into the trees.

Carlos wraps his arm around me. "It's okay to cry, you know."

I roll my eyes, wiping my tears with the sleeve of my jacket. "I'm not crying. There's just something in my eye."

Safia snorts. "Sure."

"You guys are imagining things."

"Your nose is so red." She flicks the tip of my nose. "You look like Rudolf."

I roll my eyes and head inside.

We end up watching Die Hard as we eat leftovers from Christmas dinner. Safia is glued to the screen as Annette braids her hair. Rayan lays on his stomach, his head perched on his hands.

Carlos leans on the armrest, his legs on my lap. I balance a bowl of popcorn, trying to keep Ulf from getting into it.

"Anyone want anything else from the kitchen?" I ask. I get up, stretching my back.

Carlos held up the empty bowl of popcorn while he used his foot to keep Ulf from licking his face. "Popcorn please!"

"With extra butter!" Rayan reminds me.

"Fine. One bowl of movie popcorn coming right up."

Ulf gets up, following me into the kitchen.

"I'm not giving you any scraps. You'll just have to wait until dinner time."

I pop a packet of popcorn into the microwave and then toss Ulf a piece of Slim Jim.

She jumps into the air, grabbing it. Ulf licks her lips, looking at me for more.

"Don't use puppy dog eyes me," I tell her. "It's ain't gonna work."

Ulf whines.

Annette comes into the kitchen, grabbing some cookies off the plate.

"Do you really need any more sugar?" I ask.

"It's the holidays," she says, taking one more cookie and putting it on her plate. "You snuck a brownie from the fridge."

"Touché."

Ulf suddenly gets up, growling at the door.

"What's with you?" I eye the wolf cub.

Annette takes a step back dropping a cookie, her gray eyes wide. "Ulf, stop it! Bad girl!"

"Yeah, that's not gonna work."

Safia pops her head up from the sofa armrest. "Hey! What's going on?! I'm trying to watch Die Hard over here!"

"Annette, get away from her!" Carlos stands, pushing her behind him. "I told you guys something isn't right. She's been like that all night."

I've never heard Ulf make that type of deep and guttural sound. She's usually docile or curious but never has she once snapped at someone or barked loudly.

The hackles of her coat are raised, bristling.

I place my hand on her back, feeling her tremble underneath my touch.

Ulf wasn't agitated, she was afraid.

"What is it, girl?" I close my eyes. "What's out there?"

I reach out, feeling for the familiar heartbeats around me and then beyond the cabin walls. I can feel the feeble heartbeats of field mice, squirrels in the trees, and birds that haven't travelled south. I push out a little further, just past the tree line and there I can feel something.

It is faint as the beat of a bird's wing, fluttering in and out of my field of sensation—Like they're toying with me, a fucked up game of chicken.

I release my hold on Ulf and open my eyes.

Someone is prowling just beyond the boundary that Wanda set up.

"Annette," I say calmly. "Get the others. Turn off the TV and lights."

She nods her head and scurries off. I keep my eyes focused on the door.

I feel the hair on the back of my neck stands up, a shudder tears through me as I realize this person is trying to find a weakness in the boundary.

Had they been hunting us? Or have they always known we were here—waiting and observing?

Ishtar had warned me but I didn't think the threat would come to our door so quickly.

I thought we had more time.

Ulf snarls, surging towards the door. Her nails scratch down the wood as she paws at it, eager to sink her little teeth into something.

The TV shuts off, leaving us in silence as the lights around the kitchen and living room shut off one by one.

"Maya," Carlos lowers his voice to a whisper. He's right behind me. "What's going on?"

I pull him away from the windows and to the hallway where we're hidden away. Safia holds Annette's and Rayan's hands.

I kneel, gesturing at the others to do the same. "Someone is outside," I say. "Not sure who they are."

"Friendly or non-friendly?" Safia asks, glancing back to my room at the end of the hallway.

She knows where I keep my weapons and tools. And she knows how to use them too.

If anything happens to me, Safia will have to protect the others. There's no chance I'm going to risk that.

"Not sure." I grab her shoulder, pulling me close. "You guys know what to do, right? We've talked about this before."

Safia nods, "I'll get the weapons and satellite phone."

"Remember the code to call the Avengers?"

"Yeah. Duh."

"Fine, go. Stay low and keep an eye out."

She stays low and heads towards my room. I watch her disappear behind the corner and hear her open the door to my closet.

I turn to Carlos.

"Yeah, I know. Get the Codex." Carlos pushes his glasses up his nose. "Got it."

Annette pulls away from the wall. "I'll go get the To-Go bags in the linen closet."

"And Rayan?"

"Keep watch. Make sure it's safe. If it's not, don't move."

I nod in approval. "Great job, kids. Go on and we'll meet in the dining room."

Rayan stays with me, holding onto Ulf who is now calm. She lets out a low-pitched whine, hiding her face in his shoulder. So much for bravery.

"What's the plan?" He asks. "What are we going to do?"

"Well...I'm going to go outside—"

"No!" He clutches my arm, his eyes wide with fear. "What if they hurt you?"

"Do you remember the kind lady and the red man who visited us a couple of months ago?"

He nods. "Miss Wanda and Mr Vision. They also brought Pietro."

"You remember those fairytales I read you before bedtime. The one where there are witches that cast spells. Wanda is a witch, except she's a good witch," I said,

"Like Glinda?"

I couldn't imagine Wanda in a poofy pink dress floating around in a giant bubble.

"Yup, exactly like that." I point towards the door. "She cast a boundary for us—it's like a spell. It'll keep us safe."

I hear a boom outside and the house trembles and shakes like a bomb went off next to it.

I push Rayan and Ulf underneath the dining table and yank open the curtains to see the sky is now a bloody red. The sky and the moon look like they're drenched in blood.

It's the boundary—Wanda's Hex.

They've made their attack.

It holds steady but I watch as the cracks slowly appear, the integrity falling apart as ancient runes flit across the sky desperately trying to keep the Hex from failing.

What in the world could possibly be more powerful than Wanda's magic?

She's one of the most powerful beings on Earth.

This shouldn't be happening. But it is and I'm freaking out. It's not just my life that's at stake but everyone's else too.

"Some spell," Rayan scoffs.

"Rayan, not the time."

"Maya!" Safia stumbles out of the hallway, her hair coming out of her carefully constructed brain. "I sent the signal. What the fuck is going on outside?"

"Language," I hiss.

"Oh, come off it. Is this really the time to care about that?"

I drew the curtains close. It doesn't do anything but it helps somewhat.

Once that boundary goes down, we're all toast.

I have to get the kids out of here.

Safia passes me my shotgun and tactical knives. I strap them to my arms and waist and then make sure the gun is loaded.

Annette comes down the stairs with five backpacks. She nearly trips over herself as she drops them onto the kitchen counter and then makes a mad grab to get the non-perishable items.

"I got them!" She huffed, hands trembling.

Rayan pulls the hem of her jeans. "What about the book?"

"I got that too." Carlos takes it from underneath his sweatshirt and stuffs it into his bag.

"Let me fight," Safia said determinedly, strapping the knife Nat had gifted to her to her thigh.

"No," I said, loading the shotgun. "I'll go."

"I can fight," she hisses, placing her hands on the table. "What's the point of training me if I can't do anything?!"

"The answer is no."

"But I—"

I grab her by the shoulder and pull her in, my grip tightens on her. "Listen to me," I say in a low and dangerous voice. "I have no idea how many people are out there or who they are. All I know is that the boundary is going to come down soon. It's my job to protect you. It's your job to listen to me. If something happens to me you'll have to step up to protect your siblings. Got it?"

She glares at me.

"Safia, answer me," I demand, shaking her a little.

There's a moment of silence but I can feel the tension between us. I can see the ring of blue that creeps into her eyes as the lights flicker around us.

"Fine." She shrugs my grip off of her. "Fine! Just—ugh!"

I push away from the wall, holding my gun low.

I look behind me a moment, watching four frightened faces look back at me. My hand tightens on the doorknob.

This can't be it, right?

All that fighting? All that struggling? My mother? Raza? The Avengers? The millions of other things that happened in my life?

Did it all come down to this?

"Remember," I said. "Whatever happens, you stay together. You don't turn back. You keep running."

"Maya, please!" Rayan looks up at me with tears in his eyes. Safia holds him back but she starts to slide forward as he pushes. "Don't go!"

The walls vibrate around me as Rayan's eyes change into a bright purple hue, replacing his dark brown eyes.

"I have to, kiddo. It's my job."

I pluck Loki's dagger from where it's strapped to my thigh and hold it by the blade, offering it to Rayan.

I squeeze my hand against the sharpened edge, inhaling sharply as it presses into my skin and draws blood.

Ulf growls again.

"This was given to me by someone special," I told him as I dropped the dagger into his small hand. "You remind me of him. If nothing else works, you use this. It'll take you somewhere safe."

He blinks, causing the tears to cascade down his face. He stops resisting Safia and deflates.

"How?" He asks weakly.

"You put it in the earth," I tell him, hating how I'm the reason he's crying. "It'll activate it."

Annette runs forward and wraps her arms around me. "Be careful," she whispered.

"I will," I say, knowing full well that what waits outside is possibly the most dangerous thing I'll ever face. "I promise."

"Liar."

I look up at Carlos and Safia. I hate that I have to put this responsibility on their shoulders.

"Trust in each other, stay with one another," I tell them. "Got that, kiddos?"

Safia gives me a stiff nod while Carlos grunts out a response.

I turn around and twist open the doorknobs. "If this gun goes off, you run into the woods."

The winds pick up, making the cabin creak., and the lights flicker once more as Safia bit down on her lower lip to keep herself from crying.

I step outside and close the door behind me.

The boundary glows faintly red, full of cracks like an ancient tea cut and shatters into a million pieces. The hex that Wanda cast had been swept aside like dust.

The moon is full and bright, casting an eerie white glow over the snow.

The wolves howl in the distance, mournful and terrifying.

I take a step forward, the snow crunching underneath my boots as I raise my gun, pointing towards the forest.

"I see you're back," I said, slowly making my way to the centre of the clearing. "Did you bring some new friends?"

The wind picks up once more as the loose strands of my hair dance in the wind, flying around me. Loose snow from last night's snow is picked up from the ground, swirling in the air like a mystical fog.

I can hear their heartbeat, growing steadier and steadier as they cross the boundary.

"Who are you?" I called out.

"You don't know me but I know you too well, Maya Crowley." A masculine voice said through the fog. "You are like me, the blood of the gods flows through your veins. It's just a pity that yours is the one that opposes mine."

I cock the gun, making sure they hear it. "I'm not in the mood for cryptic bullshit. Show yourself, asshole."

They chuckle, deep and gravely. The heartbeat gets louder.

I watch as the shadows give way as the wind stills.

A dark figure emerges from the woods, tall and imposing. The moon shines upon him with its light.

He had tawny skin, the colour of clay fresh out of the kiln and his eyes were black as the khol that lined his eyes. His hair was cropped with pieces of silver braided in.
He was dressed in all black like a wisp of smoke, devoid of light. The clearest thing about him were his eyes which were a pale blue, similar to a corpse.

"My name is Kieran," he said, his voice deep. "And I am a descendant of Ereshkigal, she who commands the dead."

That name sent alarm bells ringing in my head.

"And what the fuck does that have to do with me?"

"You are Rose Red."

Gods, I hate that name. I wish Fury would've let me get a cooler nickname.

"I was." I press the butt of the shotgun against my shoulder, my finger hovering over the trigger. "Now, tell me why the fuck you are trespassing on my property and I'll consider not blowing your head off your shoulders."

He grins. "You have been summoned by the Goddess of the Underworld to pay for your crimes."

"I don't recognize your Goddess and I have committed no crime."

"Arrogant as expected of the spawn of Ishtar. Hubris and pride have no bounds with your kind."

"I can say the same to you, pal."

"Do you yield?"

"Fuck no!" I press my finger over the trigger, digging my back leg into the ground to steady myself. "Take one more step and I'll shoot."

Kieran considers my owner's for a moment. He glances behind me at the cabin, his eyes searching for something.

"There are more of you," he said, his voice filled with wonder. "Excellent."

He takes a step forward.

"I warned you."

I squeeze the trigger and shoot.