𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓
—𝚗𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚟𝚎—

𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐋𝐄𝐅𝐓 Mariana too soon for her liking; but according to his reassuring look, she knew his departure was for a justified reason. Unfortunately, his adventure today would be one without her presence — and although he hated to leave her behind, he knew that her safety was more important than taking her along for the ride. Nonetheless, he had ensured her safety by walking her home that morning, before kissing her forehead and bidding goodbye as he left the Carson home. His heart was heavy as he walked away, and he almost turned around to look back at her. But if he had, he would have stayed.

So he didn't turn around.

The rest of the day was played out as if it happened in the span of minutes; Mariana's mother and father returned home and, oddly enough, didn't mention the small inconvenience at Griddy's. But what Peter had mentioned was the undeniable truth that Agnes would soon be closing her pastry shop forever.

"What?" Mariana had asked her father, placing her cup of hot cocoa back on the dining room table. "No . . . she can't be. Why would Agnes do such a thing?"

"Because Agnes is getting old, honey," he sighs, sitting down next to her and taking her warm hands into his. "She'll always be in contact with us — but she wants to travel, and see the world while she still can. And frankly, I don't blame her because I'm sure I'd do the same thing."

The raven-haired girl was close to tears now, her hands clenching as she bites her lip. "But we're her family, she can't just leave—"

"And as her family," he continues, "we need to be understanding. She deserves to be happy, even if that means we can't be with her."

And if someone would have asked Mariana how she felt in that very moment, she would have said that her entire life was falling apart at the seams, and right in front of her very eyes. "You know, it really feels like the end of the world. Although that sounds dramatic, everything . . . " Mariana chuckles, wiping the tears from her cheeks as she pauses, "everything is changing. And it's changing too fast for me to stop it."

"Honey, if this is about Spencer—"

"It's not just about Spencer anymore," she says incredulously, looking down to her hands. "I can feel my power, it's getting stronger. And I'm scared of it, I'm scared of not knowing how to control it."

"Nothing is going to happen, alright?" Peter consoles her, in an attempt to calm her raging nerves. "You are a good person, Mariana. There's no need to be scared. If you just stay near the house for a while, I'm sure—"

"I can't stay here forever, father." It took a lot from Mariana's heart to admit that to him; it was as if she were finally moving on from something, as if she was slowly following in Agnes' footsteps. Was that what this was? "You must know that. I'm not a child anymore."

"I know you haven't been spending time with Spencer lately," Peter prevents her from continuing, grinning at the sight of her shocked features, "if that's what you're hinting towards. You've been very secretive and guarded lately, which is something you'd never do if you were going out with him."

Her cheeks tinge pink with embarrassment, flaming like a warm fire in a hearth. Somehow her father had caught her in a lie, or rather, knew about her deceit all along. Perhaps this was when he would tell her that her punishment was to never see Five again, or that she wasn't permitted to leave their home again. Biting her lip, Mariana prepares for the bomb to explode in her hands . . . she was going to have a large mess to clean up. How could she possibly have an excuse for her lying ways lately? Would he ever trust her again after fitting the pieces of the puzzle together?

"And because of that, I've started thinking. Maybe . . ." He trails off, a small sigh escaping his lips. "Maybe I've been too hard on you — our rules for you have always been strict, with good reasoning behind them. We thought boundaries would be helpful when trying to keep you safe. It's a crazy world out there kiddo, and I always assumed you were too fragile to be in it alone. But the truth is that you'll never be alone."

"I don't understand," she hesitates. "You aren't angry with me?"

"On the contrary, I'm quite proud of you. I'd never be able to pull off a scheme against my parents, let alone keep it a secret. I'm not thrilled that you didn't ask first, but I understand why you did what you did."

"I guess that kind of explains to you why Spencer spilled his feelings in the first place," Mariana releases a soft sigh, closing her eyes for a short moment — as if it could possibly drain all of the exhaustion from her body. But, just as she expected, it only made her even more tired. "I'm so sick of trying to fix everything . . . maybe some things are broken for a reason."

One thing was for sure; Mariana's heart was broken into so many pieces that she couldn't fix it if she wanted to. For some reason, she wondered if her heart was meant to stay that way — perhaps there was a reason for it. Maybe her heart being broken was the alternative for someone else . . . could she see it that way? That she was suffering in place of someone else?

"Everything will mend with time," he says with confidence, "you just have to be willing to let life take its own course. And some things are going to hurt, I won't lie to you. You'll fall down and scrape your knees, you'll get lost and lose focus of where your destination was in the first place. But the most important thing is that you stay true to yourself the whole way through."

Mariana swallows, "even if that means hurting someone I really care about?"

"Even if it means you have to let Spencer go."

It hurt.

Hearing the words fall from his lips made her realize that everything he had said was true — perhaps now was the time for her to finally let go of not only those who would no longer stand beside her, but of the lonely and fearful girl that she used to be. Mariana was growing out of her old life . . . but who knew that after moving on to her new one, she'd have to leave her best friend behind?

"I know now probably isn't the best time for this . . . " Mariana bites the inside of her cheek, scanning her father's reaction. "But is it okay if I leave the house for the rest of the day? I promise I'll stay home tomorrow — but for now there's something I need to do."

"As long as you give Spencer time to breathe," Peter nods slightly. "I was planning on heading over the the theater in a bit for some last minute planning for the concert so I can drop you off. Are you wanting to see Five?"

"No, actually," she shakes her head. "I want to see his brother."

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"I'm flattered," Klaus closes the door of the Academy behind Mariana, placing his hand on her shoulder to lead her to the living area. "I knew you'd come around eventually — I am the better brother, after all."

"Better my ass," a voice comments, the owner residing on the sofa with a newspaper folded in his grasp. He reads it closely while somehow managing to continue on the new conversation, "that title obviously belongs to me. It has for a while now . . . who were you talking to?"

Five had told Mariana about his brothers, but the girl couldn't quite remember the description of each; she did, however, know that he had four. Had. The fourth had passed due to unfortunate circumstances that Five didn't want to give details about. "He . . . he's gone," the boy had said. "It was an accident, none of us could help. I don't really want to talk about it — let's just say we didn't expect it." And then he had gone on about something else, as if he hadn't mentioned his dead brother in the first place.

"This, my dear brother, is Mariana," Klaus presents her in an extravagant way, swinging his arms around in front of her, before bowing and taking a step back, "and Mariana, this douchebag is Diego. He and I just got home from an adventure, which included the brief retelling of my harrowing time travel escapade and his usual boring let's-go-hunt-for-this-person episode."

Diego sits up, tossing the newspaper aside and completely disregarding the second portion of Klaus' introduction. Instead of punching his brother for his ignorance, Diego stands and all of his attention is suddenly focused on the teenager at Klaus' side. Mariana falters under his gaze, unsure of how to react under his pressuring eyes. She consciously takes a step back, intimidated by the height difference and the scar that drifts through his tan skin on the right side of his face.

"You're Mariana?" His voice comes out rough, and the expression that crosses his features is unrecognizable to Mariana. She only nods in response, her eyes curiously grazing over his all-black outfit that could pass as an official's uniform. "Five has told us a lot about you."

She releases a breath, chuckling a bit at her mistaken fear. This was Five's brother, after all. "All good things, I hope."

"Please," Klaus snorts, folding his arms over his chest. "I talk more justice to your name than Five will."

Diego rolls his eyes, relaxing his stance a bit as his eyes fall back on Mariana, "So, your powers. Are they real?"

"I'm assuming you thought Five was a liar," Mariana cracks a slight grin, "that's actually why I'm here — my powers. Klaus offered to help me with controlling them, so I decided to take him up on his offer. I could really use the guidance, if I'm being honest."

"Let me help," Diego says immediately, no sign of hesitance laced within his voice. "I'm intrigued. Besides, I have a feeling you'll have a spot in the family soon enough."

"She already does!" Klaus throws his arms in the air, before rubbing at the liner around his eyes. "Helping Mariana is my job, Diego, why are you trying to steal her?"

"Because you're crazy. Psychotic. Mentally insane. Must I continue?

"Whatever," the man groans, taking Mariana's small hand in his and lightly tugging her towards the back door. "I suppose we can share custody, but only if you don't tell Five. This could be dangerous and if he found out, I'd be a dead little bitch."

Mariana giggles to herself, willingly following behind Klaus. And for some reason, the melodic hum of her giggles bring smiles to the faces of the Hargreeves siblings — although they'd never tell anyone that. Her happiness projected, and somehow grew to be contagious. But, if someone had asked both of them, they would have said that the change in atmosphere was not only refreshing, but that they wished it could be more like this all of the time. Perhaps Mariana was the change that the dysfunctional family so desperately needed in order to come back together.

Once gathered in the backyard, Diego brings his hands together in eagerness. "Okay, first we need to see what you're made of. If you don't mind, can you show us a bit of what you can do."

"That depends," Mariana smiles a bit, "how do the two of you like snow?"

Klaus' mouth falls agape, staring at her in disbelief, "I can't believe it, you can modify the weather?"

"I can make it snow and rain," the raven-haired girl replies. "But I've never tried anything bigger than that — and even then it was an accident, I was unaware of the outcome."

"You don't think you could create an actual hurricane, do you?" Diego questions, genuinely curious. "If you can control hurricanes and floods and tsunamis, you could truly save the world, Mariana."

It was the first time Mariana had thought of herself in that way — in a sense that she could be portrayed as a hero, and not a villain. She would no longer consider herself a monster, she could save the world.

Could.

"Or I could destroy it," the words of melancholy dripped from her lips like warm honey, but made her previously built self esteem come crumbling down like the aftermath of an earthquake.

"Hey now, we don't talk like that around here," Diego frowns, gently placing his hands on her shoulders to pull her from her sudden daze. "Think positive thoughts, okay? No negativity right now, we're focusing on the small things."

"You're right," she nods, clearing her head of all previous thoughts, shaking her hands out in an attempt to relax. "Okay, I can do this."

She hadn't worn gloves today — a rarity, actually. She normally took to the comfort of them, or to the safety that they provided. Mariana needed them for security. But now that she was here, with nothing but her bare hands and the wrath of her abilities, she felt exposed.

Diego takes a few steps back, giving her an assuring nod as she brings her hands in front of her. Mariana steadies her breathing and straightens her posture in an attempt to calm her nerves. Closing her eyes, the girl allows her senses to dominate her movements — she could hear the slow drip of water in the kitchen sink from here, and chose to focus all of her attention on it. Bringing her hands up from her thighs, she holds out her palms to allow the nearby water to congregate in her touch. She could feel the water moving to her, as if it was being commanded to do so. It was a beautiful thing: to feel the power coursing through her veins, to finally feel free and release the pent-up energy that had practically begged her to snap.

Mariana opens her eyes, giving a quick glance to the looks of amazement that rested on the faces of the Hargreeves brothers, before moving her fingers through the large orbs that had formed in her grasp. It was a sudden decision she made . . . one that led her to kneel, and lightly touch her fingers to the soil beneath her feet. The grass dampened as the liquid began to spread throughout the yard, but with a twitch of her left hand, it suddenly turned to a thick layer of ice that even managed to wither underneath Klaus and Diego's feet.

Mariana stands with caution, careful to tuck her hands in a way that she could no longer access her power. But from the way Diego was staring into her eyes, she knew something wasn't quite right. The man cautiously moves closer to stand just ahead of her, tilting Mariana's chin up to examine the change that had occurred within her eyes.

"Your eye color changed," Diego explains to her, fascination clear in his tone. "They're normal now, but while you were accessing your powers, they were blue. I don't understand, but that was—"

"That was the shit!" Klaus claps, obviously entertained. "Like, really, truly awesome. Words can't even describe—"

In a quick second, Klaus slips on the surface beneath his shoes and lands on his back. The ice cracks under the force of his weight, which makes Mariana laugh and eases the tension that had previously overrun her mind. "Klaus," she moves away from Diego's hands to offer a hand to his brother, "are you alright? I'm so sorry."

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine," he breathes, "I knew I should've taken up ice skating when I was little — there's always going to be a time when I regret that. What a mistake."

"How about I change it up a bit then?" Mariana grins with a short laugh, holding out her hands once again. The ice melts and converges in her palms once again. She closes her eyes again, before bringing her hands together forcefully. It isn't but a moment later before she feels the familiar soft kisses of the cold snowflakes on her warm cheeks. She was glad she had brought a jacket — from the sudden temperature drop, she would certainly need it.

As the men were occupied by the snow, Mariana began to think back to her kiss with Five . . . how he had admitted he was in love with her. It had been the perfect moment, and she wished that she could go back in time to do it again. When his lips were on hers, she had felt alive. It was as though nothing in the world mattered as long as he was there next to her. And although the snow was cold, the emptiness beside of her made her shiver even more.

He should be here.

"Have you considered that you might be able to freeze hell over?" Klaus questions, twirling in the heavy snowfall. A look of happiness was draped upon his features, and she couldn't help but think that it was because of her. For once, she was proud of what she was capable of. "My father is probably playing tennis with Hitler right now, and you could totally just rock their flaming hot world any second you wanted to."

"I'm sure I couldn't," she chuckles.

"This is amazing," Diego tells her, gesturing to the scene around him, "you're amazing. Look at what you've created Mariana, it's beautiful."

"Not everything that glitters is gold," Mariana assures him. "I don't want to get my hopes up. I'm not so sure if I'm supposed to be a superhero, Diego. What if I was cursed to be the villain?"

"You're the nicest villain I've ever met," he shrugs, the corners of his lips twitching upwards. "I don't want to make you do anything today, because I'm sure some of this can be a bit much, but just think about your options. Only you can decide what you want and who you want to be — no curse or amount of powers in the world can pressure you into being the person you want to become."

The way he looked at her made Mariana stand a bit taller. Not because he was mesmerized by her talent, but because there was hope residing in the depths of his eyes. Perhaps it was a hope that she could save the world from its impending doom, or that she could save him from whatever burden the world was placing upon his shoulders. Now not only did she feel the need to help impact the life of Klaus, but she also wanted to save Diego. They had seen things that no one else had, and she needed to change the course of their lives.

She could make them happy.

Mariana wanted to be the hero; she wanted to help Five figure out how to stop the end of the world, somehow. But she didn't want to do it in order to be self-righteous . . . no, it was much more than that. She wanted to impact the world the way Agnes had impacted her life, or Five, or how Spencer had. Mariana wanted to bring change — she wanted to save people, not destroy them. She needed to learn.

Because one day Mariana was going to be the hero.

❝ it's a short chapter but this
is honestly my favorite, ngl.  ❞