"FREAK"

Wanda ran from the group chasing her. There was no where she could hide without them eventually finding her, so she just had to stay away from them until Pietro was let out from detention. She glanced at her watch, 10 minutes to go. Wanda could have easily taken them all out with a single flick of her hand, but she didn't want to do that, she could retaliate, but she knew from previous experience that would only make it worse, so she was stuck in a circle of running and waiting for her brother, who everyone knew not to confront in a fight. She turned a corner and hid behind a bin, crunching up so they wouldn't see her. They passed. She breathed a sigh of relief, she couldn't stay there for long the other kids would realise she had hid somewhere in a few minutes and come back to find her.

This had been going on since Wanda had started school 6 years ago, although it had got worse in the last 2 years. She was now 10 and the bullying hadn't stopped, everyone thought it, even the teachers, the Maximoff's were freaks. It wasn't that they were outsiders, they lived in an apartment in that district, infact their family had been there for as long as anyone could remember, there was always at least one Maximoff living within 2 miles of the district center, but for a family that never left, they kept their secrets and consequently no one knew anything more than their names, ages, and what they did for a living. And in such a community as this, that spelt weirdo. When Wanda and Pietro turned up age 4 at the local school the town gossip circles went into uproar. They were the first Maximoff's ever to go to school, all the others were home educated. At first everyone had been nice to them, trying to get information on the family, teachers watched them constantly, and mums would encourage their children to be friends with them, but in the end it all fell through and no one discovered any more information.

So Pietro and Wanda became the freaks, the strange twins who never talked to anyone, who got amazing grades even though they never concentrated in class, the boy who excelled at sport to the level that he was banned from running races on the account he always won, the girl who always knew what was troubling you or where your missing things where, soon the other kids got tired of the freaks prowess, and that's when the name calling and attacks started. They had tried it on Pietro but he fought back, either with a comeback or by punching you in the face. Wanda on the other hand, no one doubted she could stand up for herself but it was how she didn't even attempt to defend herself that made it so enjoyable. Of course, they couldn't do it when Pietro was there, but he usually wasn't on account of him being in constant trouble with teachers, so they had a good opening.

"Found her!"

Wanda got up and sprinted across the tarmac. Only to be grabbed from behind and pushed onto the floor. As soon as she was down the kicking started and they started to scram at her "FREAK, GO BACK HOME YOU FREAK, YOU'RE SO UGLY THAT'S WHY YOU GOT SENT HERE, YOUR MUMMY AND DADDY DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO LOOK AT YOU, WHY DON'T YOU JUST LEAVE AND DON'T COME BACK, WE DON'T WANT ANY WEIRDO'S HERE" Suddenly there was a bunch of yelling and she was pulled to her feet before being yanked into a defensive hug. Pietro.

They were still surrounded by a bunch of angry looking kids, and she knew for a fact they couldn't get out of this without revealing their powers.

"What the hell Pietro, my nose is bleeding!" screamed Marco, Pietro had obviously punched him.

"What? You didn't see that coming?" said Pietro sweetly.

Marco scowled at Pietro and Pietro scowled back.

"Why don't you all run home to mummy and no one will get hurt!" Yelled Pietro at the crowd, his eyes never leaving the ringleader, Marco.

"Why don't you run home and never come back!" spat Marco.

"If you ever touch my sister or call her a freak again I swear…"

"You'll do what? Hit us? You're already in trouble as it is, according to my dad if you get in big trouble one more time they're kicking you out!"

Pietro stood in silence, news got round fast.

Marco smiled knowing he'd won "You don't get it do you, we don't want any Maximoff freaks round here, the sooner you leave the better, then we can get at your sister, she won't be around after that."

"Let's go, there's a way out and you can't win this fight." Wanda whispered to her brother, trying to get out of this situation.

Pietro nodded and, still holding her tightly, turned away from Marco and began to walk.

"YOU'RE NOT ALWAYS GOING TO BE THERE PIETRO, WE'LL GET HER THEN"

Pietro held his silence and walked with Wanda over to one of the sheds that no one hung out at. Once there and after making sure no one could see them he zipped over to Wanda and gave her a massive hug and wiped away the tears on her face.

"I don't see why you don't stand up to them, you're better than me in a fight, with or without powers, and that's ignoring the fact you have one of the sharpest tongues in Europe."

"I just don't want to be the freak"

"They already see you as that, this whole area's seen us as that since they heard that we were born"

"Don't you wish that you could be friends with them though, I know it'll never happen but whenever they come for me I always end up thinking 'maybe if I don't fight back they'll leave me alone and one day accept me'"

"Wanda, I know you don't think that, you think 'I'm going to savour my strength for a real fight' or you worry you'll lose control in the midst of it and use your powers, it's not going to happen, trust me!"

"Easy for you to say, you lose control people see you moving fast, you can play that off, I shoot raw energy out of my hands, I could kill someone!"

"That's never going to happen, you are blessed with red magic, you are going to grow up, get out of this god damn district and make your life somewhere where people respect you and see you for who you are, not your name. People are supposed to respect doctors, I know they don't respect dad here but that's cause it's here, anywhere else, you'll be the most popular person for miles."

Wanda smiled at her brother and giggled slightly.

"Now talking about your magic, how about a little power display"

Wanda smiled at her brother, they couldn't do that here, not at school.

"Oh come on, no one will see, please?!"

She giggled and slowly began to wiggle her figures, red danced about them as she formed a red ball in the centre of her hands, she released it into the air and Pietro jumped back so it wouldn't hit his face, by jump back she meant disappear as he ran a few meters back and reappeared as he came back to his original position grinning like a wild thing and his weird silver blonde mop of hair swinging madly on his head. Wanda smiled and shoved her hands into the pockets of the red jumper she wore, a small strand of her brown hair swung over her eye. Pietro always appreciated her power, no matter how dangerous it was he saw it as beautiful, and told her every time.

Suddenly a bell rang, signalling the start of lessons again.

Pietro looked towards the school disappointed "Come on, that was what? 5 minutes? They kept me in so long that I only got 5 minutes break"

"Maybe next time don't answer back"

"Well what's the point of the teacher saying something to me if I'm not allowed to respond? Where's the fairness?"

Wanda looked at her brother

"Ok, well maybe I shouldn't answer 'Pietro, are you ever going to not be stupid in class?' with 'shouldn't you ask yourself that?' but still. Unfair"

Wanda smiled at her brother, he was the king of comebacks. They had always been good at comebacks and irritating the higher party only she knew when to say her comeback so that she couldn't be in trouble, Pietro just blurted out what he was thinking.

"Class, now" she said grabbing her brothers' sleeve and pulling him towards the school.

"Come on, it's not like we need to go to school, we get at least 90% on everything."

"Pietro!"

"Fine, I'm coming!" he said brushing her hand off his arm with a laugh, speeding up so he was walking beside her rather than behind. "Let's go show the idiots how it's done"

Wanda elbowed him.