Back From The Dead

                                    

                                          
"You never find yourself until you face the truth." 
-Pearl Bailey 
****
Nova's POV
I tap my fingers on my knee, glancing at the clock on the wall in front of me.
I've been lying on Nat's shoulder for the last half hour, and she refuses to let me move.
I feel so bad knowing I made her feel that way.
"Can you go see if Steve is done? I really don't wanna stay here longer." I whisper, playing with Nat's hair.
"He should be. He said Tony was going to take care of the insurance. You should get some, by the way." She yawns, stretching her arms over her head.
"I don't need it." I huff, standing up and pacing around the room.
"Hello? Look where you are." She scoffs, moving her hands around.
"Just because I died. And if I'm dead, I don't need insurance." I object, and her face drops.
Shit, I shouldn't have said that.
"I'm sorry. I never thought this would affect you so badly." I walk back to the bed, sitting next to her.
"Are you kidding? You're my friend. Of course it did. I almost hit that guy at the vending machine." She peeps, her brows knit together in a frown.
"Yeah, I saw." I chuckle, staring at my hands folded in my lap.
The door opens, and Steve walks in, holding a bag.
"I went to get you some clothes. I'm taking you home." Steve leaves the bag on the chair next to the bed, peering at me.
He looks like he just saw a ghost, and I hope this will go away soon.
"I'm taking your stuff and preparing the car." Nat hops off the bed, heading to the door.
"You went shopping?" I chuckle, taking out the clothes Steve picked for me.
"I tried to remember how you dress, but you really use a lot of different things." He scratches the back of his head, glancing at me.
"It's fine. You didn't have to do that." I smile, laying the beige sweater on the bed, next to the pair of jeans.
I lift my arms over my head, trying to untie the gown they gave me.
I wince in pain, feeling a sharp pain in my back.
I don't know how that is possible, but that blade they used must have had something on it. I never had this much trouble with other stab wounds.
Steve turns around, and I sigh.
"Can you help me? I can't reach it." I groan, letting my arms fall down.
Steve turns around with a frown.
"Oh," he hesitates, "sure."
I turn around, letting him take off the gown.
It falls down to my feet, and I step out of it, grabbing the underwear.
I notice Steve quickly looking away, clasping his hands behind his back.
"Nothing you haven't seen before, pretty boy," I smirk, and he chuckles softly.
I put on the clothes, tossing my hair behind my shoulders.
"Let's go home." He offers me his arm, and we walk out the door.
"So, do they know I'm coming?" I wonder, standing in front of the elevator, waiting for it to open its doors.
"No, I think this could be one hell of a prank," Nat smirks, looking at me.
"Yeah, I don't think this is a good idea." Steve objects, walking in the elevator.
"I have to agree with Steve on this one." I follow him, getting next to him and lying against the mirror.
"You're probably right." Nat huffs, pressing the button to the common area.
I take a deep breath, reaching for Steve's hand.
He hooks his fingers with mine and smiles at me softly.
I never thought I'd look at someone and feel that kind of comfort.
Steve was the first person who treated me like a person after so long.
The doors open, and I let go of his hand, walking behind Nat and Steve.
"I've been trying to call you for hours! Where were you?" Wanda shouts from the kitchen.
I look around, noticing that the mirrors are covered with white cloths, and the clock on the wall is not working.
"We have to get ready for the wake." She walks in, holding a pot of hot coffee.
"About that..." I clear my throat, stepping in front of Steve so that she can see me.
"What the hell?" Pietro freezes on the spot, holding some cups.
"Oh my..." Both Wanda and Pietro have blown away looks on their faces as they stare at me.
"Prizrak!" Pietro shrieks, running to Wanda and taking her to the other side of the room.
"I know I'm pretty pale right now, but I'm not a ghost." I try to joke, not knowing how to act.
Their shock is understandable, but I don't want them to not trust me.
"Is she real? Is that really her?" Wanda inquires, looking at Nat and waiting for her validation.
"In the flesh." Nat nods, glancing at me.
"How?" Pietro utters, still looking very stressed.
"I don't know," I confess, still not knowing what happened to me.
I see Wanda walking towards me, stretching her hands forward, and hugging me.
"I don't care. I'm so happy to have you back." She mutters with her face buried on my shoulder.