𝙒𝙄𝙇𝘿║𝙁. 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙨

CHAPTER TWO: ESTRANGED

On OCTOBER 1st, 1989, 43 women mysteriously gave birth despite not being pregnant before. This phenomenon spread worldwide and reached the ears of the eccentric billionaire, Reginald Hargreeves. He scoured the world in search of these unexplainable children and offered considerable sums to the families in return for the babies.

He got eight of them.

PRESENT-DAY

The death of the world's most eccentric billionaire, Reginald Hargreeves, hit the news just a day after the death occurred. The story reached five people- an astronaut just awakening on the moon, a masked vigilante stopping a house invasion, an actress walking down the red carpet, a junkie just getting out of rehab, and a talented violinist playing in a darkened theater.

An orange-checkered taxi pulled in front of a stately building. It didn't look quite like a mansion, but it was also too extravagant to be an ordinary townhouse. A woman stepped out of the taxi and handed the cabbie her due pay before stepping into the chilled, column-lined, foyer. She looked around, running her eyes over every intricate detail from the carved lines in the wood to the cast iron chandelier hanging in the center ceiling.

She walked around the anteroom, simply running her fingers over a mahogany table. She turned and saw a blonde woman in the sitting room. "Hey, Mom..."

She was staring blankly into the running fire, not moving an inch even as Vanya greeted her. She hadn't changed a bit with her simple flowing dress and vintage, curled hairstyle. She was beautiful in an almost unnatural way.

"Mom?" Vanya called again, stepping forward uncertainly. The woman didn't pay any mind, almost as if she didn't hear the young woman behind her. Vanya stared at her mother for a moment, just watching.

"Vanya?" Came a voice to her left along with the tapping of someone walking down a flight of stairs. "You're actually here..."

Vanya turned and saw a tall, dark-skinned woman walking towards her. "Hey, Allison." She said, voice bordering on hesitation.

"Hey, sis."

The two stood in front of each other, looking at each other for a moment. Allison took the first step and bent down to wrap her arms around her shorter sister. They stayed like that until a new, masculine voice joined the room.

A man walked in, he wore several straps that held knives and wore all black. "What's she doing here?" Diego asked with a mocking chuckle. "You don't belong here, not after what you did." He scoffed, walking past them.

Allison sighed, "You're seriously gonna do this today?" To which Diego didn't respond and instead walked up the stairs. "Way to dress for the occasion, by the way." She called after him, putting her hands on her hips.

Diego didn't turn around. "At least I'm wearing black." He threw back just as he disappeared around the corner to the second flight of stairs.

Vanya sighed, her shoulders dropping. "You know what? I... maybe he's right. And I shouldn't-"

"Forget about him," Allison interrupted her. "I'm glad you're here." She reassured her with a soft smile. And they stood there silently, taking in their childhood home.

The floor creaked heavily under Luther as he observed his late father's room. He touched the bed with just the tip of his fingers and stared at the sheets and pillow that lay in front of him.

Footsteps echoed down the hall and stopped in front of Reginald Hargreeve's bedroom. Diego peered in and discovered his brother scanning every inch of the vintage room. He leaned against the doorway, watching the tall man pull aside the curtains to inspect the windows.