Interlude
Alya groaned as she fluttered awake. Her eyes opened, trying to figured out if what had just happened was a really bad dream or not.
And when she realized she was on a great, big red planet, she realized that it wasn't.
She nearly panicked before she looked around and saw that she wasn't alone. But no one else was awake.
She pushed herself up and stepped over the people she didn't know, trying to find someone, anyone who looked familiar.
It felt like she had been stepping over people for miles before she finally found someone she knew.
"Peter?" She crouched down and shook his shoulder to no avail.
He didn't move. He didn't even stir.
Alya found herself beginning to get nervous. Why wasn't he waking up? He had a pulse! He was breathing!
Bucky was a few feet away, so she decided to try him. He was usually a pretty light sleeper, so maybe she'd get better results this time.
"Papa?" She poked his cheek. "Papa, wake up, come on."
Still nothing.
Why was she the only one who was awake? Why was everyone else still sleeping?"
It seemed like this red planet was endless. She couldn't see anything but red and people on the ground for miles and miles.
There was no escaping this place.
A few minutes of walking led to her tripping over someone she hadn't even been paying attention to.
Her legs flew out from under her and her hands reached out to keep her from falling flat on her face. She landed with a huff and shook her head to regain her bearings before turning around to see who she tripped over.
Yelena.
"Tetushka?" She began to panic. Nothing could get Yelena down. She was so strong! Why wasn't she moving? "Tetya? Wake up! Please? I promise I'll listen to you! I won't bother you anymore! Wake up! Don't leave me here alone!"
But Yelena was fast asleep.
There was nothing Alya could say or do that would make a difference. She was stuck here on a weird planet with no company and no means of getting help.
What happened to her mother? She was just in her arms and now she was gone? Had Thanos teleported everyone to different places?
Was Natasha okay? Was she hurt? Was she worried?
Was she trying to find a way to get her back? Or was she stuck on another planet just like this?
If she was, Alya hoped she wasn't alone. She hoped that she was with Steve, or Clint. It was no fun being all alone.
She was cold and she was scared, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Except maybe one thing.
The twelve year old cried herself dry. She cried until there were no tears left to shed.
And then, just like everyone else, she fell fast asleep.