Bruja

⠀↳⠀2.13

( N i n e t e e n )

Bucky sat up straighter to rest against the headboard. "So, what do gold eyes mean without the skull?"

Maria followed his movement and leaned against the headboard while facing him, using her shoulder for support. "Similar to my sugar skull, I can turn it on and off. My gold eyes are the window to the spirit world. It's almost like a filter: with it, I can see them, but without it, I can't."

"What about when you were having sleep paralysis? What were you seeing?" He didn't expect her face to drop so suddenly. It made him instantly feel guilty. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay." She smiled a little so he wouldn't feel bad. "It was... I saw my parents. My nightmares are my sleep paralysis episodes. They usually happen when I'm lying on my back, but sometimes it doesn't matter the position... I still get them. In this episode, my parents made an appearance." Her head fell and she started playing with the hem of the sheet.

Using the tip of his metal finger, he lightly brushed her fingers. "You said it was a family tragedy?" It was three in the morning, but he didn't care. She helped him with his nightmare, now it was his turn to help her.

She nodded. "My parents were killed. I was young... very young." Her eyes looked distant as she continued, "I was the one who saw them. It took forever to get the images out of my head. I thought I didn't have to see them like that anymore, but my nightmare begged to differ." Her thumb touched the tip of his index finger before moving to play with his metal hand instead. "My parents haven't crossed over. I know they haven't. Even though they're not with me here, I can still feel them. They give me signs—ones I can't miss."

The gold-framed painting of a vase filled with red roses in her shared apartment was one of the many signs from them. She wasn't looking for a painting, but after thinking of her parents the night before and spotting it at a Goodwill, she knew she had to buy it. She even spotted a small heart drawn on the back using a black permanent marker, another sign she felt from them.

"I think they're trapped in the last place they were alive." She didn't want to say they were stuck at home in case it would ring any bells. Considering her occupational background, it wasn't uncommon to hear that their parents were killed, hence why they became what they became.

She thinks their haunting is a residual haunting due to a traumatic event. Their spirits couldn't leave even if they wanted to. Not even professional ghost hunters could help them out.

During the Snap, she found her aunt, uncle, and cousins were gone. She stayed at their house during the day as their only living relative, and at night she would visit her childhood home as La Bruja.

Her parents had it written that if something were to happen to them the house would be hers, and her aunt would be her legal guardian. Her aunt took the responsibility of taking her in for a short time before sending her off to an assassin training camp. As for the house, well, she also made it her responsibility. Maria didn't mind—she was too young anyway.

When she got older, knowing she wasn't going to be around, she told her aunt to keep the house. Thankfully, she was kind enough to say she would until Maria felt ready to have it in her hands and do whatever she wanted.

By the time the young assassin was back home, she had trouble contacting her parents because it was still too painful for her. And by the time she felt like she was ready, she tried again. To her luck, she saw them this time. They didn't seem to notice her, though. She felt like she was blocked, and discouraged, she stopped trying for a while. Eventually, the Blip happened, and she returned to work.