彡 CHAPTER TWO
❛ somebody's watching me ❜
( episode two, season one )

"Ladies and gentlemen, for my final trick, I bring you the Cabinet of Mysteries!"

Ellie watched in amusment as Vision pointed his wand at the hallway and no one came out.

Vision sighed as he put his hands on his hips. "Darling, that's your cue."

"You said 'Cabinet of Mysteries'?" Wanda called out from down the hallway.

"He said 'The Cabinet of Mysteries'!" Ellie said louder. "A huge mistake if you ask me."

Vision playfully glared at her as Ellie chuckled. He then proceeded to point his wand at the hallway once more and finally, a large cabinet with wheels that was being pushed by Wanda came into view. "Oh, that's my cue!" Wanda laughed.

"Holy Toledo!"

"Holy shit!"

Vision and Ellie looked at eachother at the same time and while Ellie wore an innocent smile, Vision had raised his eyebrows as he looked at the girl. Eventually he shook his head with a fond smile.

"Darling," he started as he looked back towards Wanda. "do all the other acts in the talent show have such elaborate props?"

"Are you kidding?" Wanda deadpanned as she walked around the cabinet and stood in front of Vision, all the while Ellie still sat on the couch and examined her pants. "Fred and Linda are bulding a moat and a fully-functioning portcullis and no one even knows why."

Ellie's eyes widened as she looked at Wanda who sent her a look.

"Let's keep going!" Wanda encouraged Vision as the couple stood in front of the cabinet.

"Yes, yes. Where was I? Um-" Vision stuttered as he picked up his wand. "Watch closely as I, Illusion, Master of Enigma, make my captivating assistant, Glamour, disappear."

Wanda made a shocked face as the opened the cabinet and walked inside of it. "You really are very dashing." she said with a cheeky grin towards Vision while Ellie watched the two with a bored expression.

"Mmm, thank you darling." Vision hummed with a content smile. He then grabbed both doors as he started saying dramatically. "Fear not, Glamour. For I, Illusion vow to bring you back exactly as you are!"

Wanda shuddered in fear as the doors closed on her. Vision took a few steps aside before taking his wand and pointing it at the cabinet. "Abracadabra!"

When he opened the cabinet again, there was no sign of Wanda, well not until she flipped the backdoor and came out clapping.

"You know I love you guys, but no." Ellie deadpanned as she stood up.

Vision motioned towards Ellie. "Yes, um, Wanda, you're not at all worried that the audience might just see through this lottle charade?"

"Well that's the whole point!" Wanda exclaimed. "In a real magic act, everything is fake. Darling, the talent show fundraiser is the most important event of the season and it's our neighborly duty to participate!"

"It's our neighborly duty to participate..." Ellie mocked in a high pitched voice as she got up from the couch. "I'm going out!"

Vision and Wanda both turned to her with wide eyes and bewildered expressions. "Out where?" they asked at the same time

"Out and about." Ellie shrugged carelessly as she played a little with her hair.

"Alone? Now?" Wanda asked, concerned.

Ellie shrugged. "Well yeah, I'm gonna meet some of our neighbors, look around town."

Wanda had a troubled expression on her face as she looked at the younger girl before she brought her in a tight hug. "Be careful. I don't want to almost lose you aga-"

She stopped herself before she could finish the sentence as she hugged Ellie tighter. "Well then let go of me." Ellie croaked out as Wanda finally let go of her and allowed the girl to breathe.

"Follow Wanda's advice and be careful." Vision raised a warning finger towards Ellie as she gave a soldier salute.

"Aye aye, Captain Enigma!" she called out as she quickly went to the door and got out, but still catching Vision's sentence as he yelled after her.

"It's Master of Enigma!"

━━━━━

Ellie could wholeheartedly agree with Wanda that Westview was beautiful in it's own way. She considered it the most beautiful town ever - not that she's ever seen another.

And yet, there were no children, no one her age and there weren't many people. It was pretty quiet where Ellie was walking but for once, she didn't mind the quiet.

Her gaze swept over a playground when her eyes zeroed on a person - a boy. From what she could tell, he had very dark hair and pretty dark clothes. She sitting on a swing and writing in a book - a journal of some sorts.

Ellie hurried towards him, craving some interaction with a person her age. She stopped a couple of feet away from the boy, a little - okay, maybe a lot - out of breath as he finally looked up.

Ellie finally got to look at the rest of his face and she swore she would always remember his dark eyes. He was beautiful, a unique kind of beautiful.

The boy's eyes bulged out as he looked at Ellie before he hid the small journal in the back pocket of his pants and stood up quickly.

"Hi-"

Before Ellie could even finish her sentence, the boy walked away in a hurry. She was left gaping at the spot he was in before she turned around and darted after him once again.

"Hey, I was talking to you! You can't just walk away!"

The boy stopped as he sighed in annoyance and he turned around, Ellie almost bumping into him. "Do you usually yell after strangers in the streets?" he asked rather rudely.

"Well- I....no!" Ellie spluttered as she felt her cheeks heat up, not that she could see the color.

The boy continued to look at her with raised eyebrows and Ellie pursed her lips as she held her hand out. "Ellie. My family and I just recently moved here."

"I know, I know..." the boy waved his hand around. "Nobody shuts up about you guys."

Ellie frowned as she detected an accent to his voice. "You have an accent. Where are you from?" she asked curiously.

"Where are you from, huh?" the boy asked, an edge of hostility to his voice.

"Can you like, tone down the attitude? I just wanted to meet someone my age and unfortunately, you were the only one around." Ellie crossed her arms as she raised an eyebrow at the rude boy.

His lips quirked up in a smile. "Reggie." he introduced himself.

"Pleasure." Ellie drawled out with a sarcastic smile.

"So, Ellie..." Reggie started with his hands in his pockets as he started walking down a path, Ellie quickly after him. "How are you finding Westview?"

"It's nice." she hummed as Reggie rose a skeptical eyebrow.

"Just nice? Nothing, weird going on?"

Ellie looked at him skeptically. "Well- no. Nothing I can think of."

Reggie looked at her for a little longer, trying to figure her out before he shook his head. "Where are your parents?"

"Adoptive parents." Ellie corrected almost subconsciously.

"Right, sorry. Where are your adoptive parents?" Reggie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I think that in a little while the talent show is going to start and they're going to be there...on the stage." Ellie trailed off, not wanting to think of the future disaster that will surely happen.

"They're participating in that?" Reggie asked incredulously, to which Ellie nodded.

"Hey um, why did you walk away? When I tried to say hey?"

Reggie stiffened a little as he looked around. "You just... look like someone I knew."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ellie apologized, sensing how he talked in the past tense. "I bet she was wonderful."

Reggie swallowed hard as he looked anywhere but her. "She was." he shook his head. "Anyway, we should be heading towards the town center if you still want to see the talent show."

"Do I have to?" Ellie whined.

Reggie rolled his eyes as his lips turned into a soft smirk. "Come on."

━━━━━

"You know what? I'm hungry, we should just leave."

Reggie put a hand on her shoulder preventing her from leaving. "Don't move."

Ellie huffed annoyed as Reggie sat on her left. Suddenly to her right sat Agnes and Ellie shifted uncomfortably.

"Ellie dear, how good to see you!" Agnes said cheerfully as she smiled at the girl. Ellie smiled back but it looked more like a grimace. Agnes' gaze shifted to Reggie as her expression turned troubled and she whispered to Ellie. "You should be careful who you spend time with, Ellie. That boy is very-"

"Nice. He's very nice. And if you don't mind, I think I can take care of myself, Agnes." Ellie frowned as she turned away from her. Reggie looked at her questionably, as he probably didn't hear the exchange between Ellie and Agnes.

Dottie finally got on the stage and announced that the final people who were going on the stage were Wanda and Vision.

Reggie stiffened from beside her. "What did you say your adoptive parents' names were?"

"Wanda Maximoff and Vision." Ellie stated with furrowed eyebrows. "Something wrong?"

Reggie cleared his throat. "No, nothing."

The show was a disaster in Ellie's opinion, a beautiful disaster nonetheless. From the floating incident to the weightless piano, to Herbert and his cards, to the magical hat and the cabinet of mysteries. It was absolutely entertaining and Ellie loved every second of it.

And Ellie watched with a small smile as Wanda and Vision were gifted the 'Inaugural Comedy Performance of the Year'.

"Come on." Ellie muttered as she ushered Reggie out of his seat. He started complaining but she completely ignored him as she rushed towards a happy Wanda and Vision.

She engulfed the two in a hug and smiled as they immediately hugged her back. "You two were amazing. I'm so proud."

"Thank you sweetheart." Wanda smiled lovingly at her.

"Yes, yes thank you!" Vision grinned.

"Oh, you have to meet Reggie! He's like the only person that's my age!" Ellie exclaimed as she dragged Reggie by the sleeve next to her.

"Oh hello!" Vision boasted as he smiled at Reggie.

Reggie gave him a tight lipped smile. "Hey."

Ellie looked towards Wanda with a grin, only for it to fall when she saw Wanda staring at Reggie like she saw a ghost. "Wanda, are you okay?" Ellie asked gently.

Wanda snapped out of her daze as she smiled. "Of course. Hello Reggie." she said carefully.

Reggie only managed a small smile.

━━━━━

After Reggie went home in a hurry, the small family went back to their house, the only talk being the talent show.

As soon as they got home, Ellie dashed to her room and got on some more comfortable clothes, only to come downstairs and discover that Wanda was in fact, pregnant.

"What the fuck?"

Wanda and Vision looked up, their eyes zeroing on the girl. "You're going to be a sister." Wanda says gently as Ellie came next to them. She didn't even bother to correct her for her language.

"How- now? How are you-"

Wanda shook her head with a smile. "You're going to be a sister, Ellie."

Ellie looked at her incredulously. She was pregnant, a couple of months at least and she wasn't questioning it.

"Right." Ellie said slowly as she looked down at her baby bump.

A noise was heard from outside as Vision sighed, aggravated. "If it's that damn tree again, I'm going to rip it out by the roots!"

Wanda and Ellie followed Vision, all the while Ellie muttered to herself about trees and what they had to do with it. The family of three arrived in their front yard only to see a man come out of the sewer in a peculiar suit.

"What-" Ellie started but was cut off by Wanda.

With a stiff look, Wanda said in a menacing voice. "No."

━━━━━

Wanda shook her head with a smile. "You're going to be a sister, Ellie."

Ellie looked at her incredulously. She was pregnant, a couple of months at least and she wasn't questioning it.

"Right." Ellie said slowly as she looked down at her baby bump.

Wanda looked at Vision with a smile, and the two slowly met in a loving kiss. As they pulled away, Ellie could only watch in amazement as color returned to the world around them.

Her eyes widened in amazement as she looked around, and maybe if she hadn't been paying so close attention to the world around her, she would have noticed the small, yellow sparks at her fingertips.

━━━━━ antonia speaks ━━━━━

can you notice that i got lazy at the end lmao. BUT ellie finally met reggie and he seems a little sus in my opinion.

any theories on what his issues might be??

anywhore, hope you liked the chapter. once again, please don't be a silent reader and see you probably next week with a new chapter :)

written on march 1st 2021