Chapter Eight - The Bald Saviour

I'm lost...

I'm hungry...

I'm scared...

Just today when I decided to stop updating Emily this happens to me.

- "Mum! Mom!" - I screamed as loud as my vocal cords would allow me to. - "Mum! Where are you?"

A few minutes ago I was with Mum playing in a park near our house, I was on the swings playing with other kids. I saw Mum coming out of the park, so I hurried to follow her, according to me that tangle of hair was unmistakable but... in the end, I got confused and here I am crying in the middle of the pavement walking aimlessly.

Because yes, I may be very clever and I may have created many things but when fear comes to you, it comes with everything and I am very bad with directions, so when I realized that the person I was following and shouting at wasn't my mum, I started to cry out of despair.

I'm 6 years old, what did you expect to happen?

- "Hip Mummy, I'm scared. Hip I want to go home." - I walked with my eyes on the ground.

I walked aimlessly for a few more minutes until my little legs got tired, and I decided to sit on some stairs.

- "I'm so hungry, and I don't even have money for the bus." - I held my stomach, trying to shut it up.

The door behind me was opened.

- "Little girl, are you okay?" - She said calmly but worried.

- "I'm lost, I don't know where I am." - I had my head between my knees.

- "Why don't you come inside with me so you can call your mom?"

- "My mom always told me not to talk to strangers, let alone go anywhere with them." - 'Safety first, who's to tell me she's not a genius child kidnapper? And...? What if she just wants the liquid from my knees? Nooo!'

- "If I told you my name I wouldn't be a stranger anymore."

I raised my head even without seeing the person.

- "I guess not, but who's telling me it's your real name?" - I asked more calmly.

- "You'll just have to trust me, Martha."

'Wait what? I said it, kidnapper!'

I turned around so fast I thought I had a twitch.

- "Ancestral?!" - I shouted in surprise seeing the woman in front of me.

She was wearing an orange and yellow suit with a black waistband and her signature bald head along with an amused smile.

- "Since we both know each other's names, I guess we're not strangers anymore."

- "You guessed right." - I murmured without taking my eyes off her.

- "Shall we go inside and have a cup of tea?" - Asked Ancestral.

- "Do you have any soda? Tea is not my favorite." - I smiled apologetically.

- "We can fix that." - She smiled and led me into the sanctuary.

It's bigger than one sees on Pinterest pictures, but I guess when you're 105 cm tall and your dad is a walking smurf everything around you is the size of Godzilla.

The staircase where Doctor Banner falls in Infinity War, next to the relic that Tony almost broke...

God, what memories!

- "Let's go to the living room, we'll be more comfortable there." - She turned to look at me.

I just nodded, letting myself marvel at all the magic around me and being careful not to get eaten by a plant.

Ancestral and I sat across from each other, she with her tea and I with my glass of soda.

- "Nice house..." - I said trying to break the ice.

- "Thank you." - She smiled amused.

- "What brand is the soda? It's delicious."

- "Whatever your heart desires it to be."

'!!! This woman is playing with me!!!'

- "Emm... Coca-cola?"

- "It's Wong's so let's not say brands." - She smiled amused seeing me turn pale.

- "Am I drinking from Beyonce's stash?" - I asked alarmed, Wong is one of my favorite characters.

- "Beyonce?" - She asked curious.

- "Yeah you know, Strange calls him that because he didn't know Beyonce...." - I covered my mouth as soon as I could.

- "Well I don't know, that's still a few years away."

- "This... Amm... Nice weather." - I pointed to the window.

- "You're right, it's a nice day today." - She said staring at me.

I sighed. - "I'm not good at keeping up appearances, am I?"

- "With me, it's very hard to do."

- "That's a point for me, I guess." - 'Since I'm here can I ask a few questions? After all, she already knows me who knows how but she does' - "Can I ask you something?"

She nodded in response. - "Sure."

- "You already knew about me."

- "Is it a question?"

- "More like clarification, the question would be, was this a coincidence or was it destined to happen?" - I pointed to both of us.

- "We all have a destiny to fulfill, In each of the futures I've seen so far you and I always end up meeting, maybe not in the same way but in the end we do." - She said refilling her cup of tea.

- "Yeah... That means you know who I am."

- "I don't know your past, but I know your future. To answer your question I only know that you are a 6-year-old girl who is lost, has a higher intelligence than many I know, and finally your name, of course. Is there anything else I should know?" - She asked smiling.

- "I'm not sure. If you don't know what I think you should know it's because it's not relevant." - I took a sip of my drink.

- "Or maybe it's because it's not yet time for me to know."

- "Touche."

- "And tell me, Martha, don't you want to call your mom?"

With all this, I'd already forgotten that she was lost.

- "Right, if you have a phone I can call her and tell her to come and get me."

- "Sure." - She offered me her phone.

I called Mom, the poor thing was hysterical but she calmed down as soon as I told her I was fine and that a nice lady was taking care of me at her house although she was still worried about who I was with. In the end, I gave her the address that Ancestral told me. She said she would be there in 30 minutes and to stay put.

I handed the phone back to her and sat down in front of her again.

- "Would you like to continue our conversation?"

- "You know the answer." - I smiled at her.

- "So what do you want to talk about?"

- "I'd like to tell you a story." - 'The story of my life,' - I thought.

- "Go ahead."

I began to tell her the story of Emily from the time she was born until she died a rebel and with that how Martha was born, a girl who didn't want to be a hero, much less act like one.

- "It is a very nice story. Although she had hard times she kept going without forgetting who she was and who she is."

- "You are right. I like that story."

- "I can see why. That's why you knew my name."

- "I'm not a stalker." - I laughed as I watched her do the same.

- "You're right, so you're 21, you look very young."

- "Rejuvenating creams work miracles." - I said. - "Do you think you can tell me about the infinity gems," - I watched for her reaction.

The door rang before I heard her answer.

- "I think your mom has arrived." - She got up and went straight to the door.

- "Wait, you haven't answered or asked any questions."

- "Some other time." - I sighed in surrender and walked to the door being greeted by Mom's arms.

- "I was so worried when I didn't see you I was so scared!" - She cried as she hugged me.

- "Sorry, I mistook you for another woman and followed her out of the park. By the time I realized it wasn't you, I was lost." - I lay down on her, feeling her warmth, I was so scared when I separated from her, if it wasn't for talking to Ancestral I would still be scared to death.

- "Don't ever walk away from me again. You must be more careful."

- "It won't happen again. I missed you."

Ancestral looked at us with a smile on her face.

Mom fixed her gaze on her as she stood up and took my hand.

- "I'm Elise. Thank you so much for taking care of her." - She thanked me.

- "Not at all. Your company is very pleasant." - She said looking at me.

- "She's a very nice girl, although sometimes she's too much of a tease."

- "Mom! Don't say such things or she'll believe them."

- "But it's the truth." - She looked at me mockingly. While I pouted and cursed under my breath. - "Well, we are leaving."

- "It was nice meeting you both."

Mom walked towards the exit and I was pulled by her.

- "Wait, Mom! Miss." - I got her attention. - "Do you think I could come and visit you another time?"

- "Martha, we mustn't disturb the lady." - Mom stopped walking and gave an apologetic smile to the woman in front of her.

- "It's no trouble at all." - She said looking at Mom. - "I would love to see you again, your talks are very interesting."

- "Can I come another day then?" - I begged Mom.

She sighed. - "Okay, if it's all right with the lady, would you mind looking after her next week?"

- "Sure, I have no problem. We have a story to tell." - She winked at me.

- "Well then, we'll take our leave now, and thanks again."

- "Goodbye Ancestral!" - I said goodbye waving my hand and smiling at her.

.

While we were walking home we talked about what happened today.

- "There is something I don't understand." - I hesitated to say.

- "What is it?" - She turned to look at me.

- "Why did you accept so easily that we would see each other again?"

- "Let's see... To begin with, if she was a bad person you wouldn't even have approached her, Secondly for the little time I spent with her she made me feel at peace and I didn't feel she was dangerous or anything. And lastly, I trust your decisions although that doesn't mean I'm going to leave you with any stranger, When I get home I'll tell Emi to check her out."

- "I think you're catching on to my quirks." - I laughed.

- "I'm just cautious." - She shrugged.

The rest of the way I was 'playing' with mom by twirling her arm and joking around.

When I got home I needed to talk to Emily and update her defense protocols and change her codes. We are almost to the start of Iron Man 2 and with it the arrival of Thor.

Time for free fun is running out and in the meantime, I will continue to play with Elliot, Noah, Harriet, and Petepay - my best friends in this world!