But What If I Was Better? | Mob Joins UA

18 | After Deserae's Heart

][ Previously: Mob has a mental breakdown. But don't worry, he gets better!... Sort of. ][

     "Deserae! Look at this!!" I -- but a young girl -- shouted across the yard to my sister in the kitchen. The window was cracked open, so I knew my older sister could hear me. The teen glanced up from cleaning the dishes as I built up some speed. Using my newly awakened quirk, I sped across the yard and jumped over a stack of tires, landing in the dust with a sweet roll. "I did it!!" I exclaimed. Excitedly, I turned back to the eldest, who was looking down again.

     Deserae had the same quirk me, only she used it for menial chores around the house. She often felt so distant from us younger ones. The nine year age gap didn't exactly make it any easier for us sisters to bond. The eldest was often away in her own inner world, only interacting with people when absolutely necessary.

     "Do that again, Elyse!" At least my brother was always there, excited and happy to support his older sister. He didn't have a quirk, so it was kind of natural he take such an interest in the quirks of others, especially family members.

     "Oh, alright. Help me set up an even cooler obstacle course, Davie!" I jumped back into the hype. Our backyard was a literal junk yard; plenty of stuff to play with.

     "Yeah!!"

     Deserae was always so distant... But... At least us kids knew she had our backs...

     Right?

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     Us two pre teens sat on the couch watching TV. The eldest sat at her desk, busing herself with studies involving foreign languages. We were a mixed family with a Japanese dad and American mom. However, Deserae was the only one of us three who showed any interest in the Japanese half of our heritage. That's what led her to learning Japanese as a second language and later other languages on top of that just for the fun of it. That was pretty much all I knew about my older sister.. other than that she liked watching Anime in her free time.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

     "Guhh, one of you guys get it.." Deserae groaned. I zoomed down the hall and opened said door. It was raining outside, the occasional thunder clap shaking the house a little. I froze when three strange, shadowy figures stood at the door. I jumped from the doorway, a silent scream parting my lips.

     "Don't be alarmed.." One of the men spoke solemnly.

     "Is there a guardian in here we can speak to?" A lady spoke. There was a certain hesitation even my young self picked up on which the I didn't yet understand.

     "That would be me." Deserae stood at the other end of the dark hallway. Thunder rumbled just outside as the young woman approached. It was uncanny how much older she looked compared to her younger siblings. Like she could be our aunt or something. "What's the matter?" She picked up on the somber attitude of the trio immediately, hurrying down the hall toward them. Without saying a word, she motioned for me to step behind her. I did so. They didn't seem like criminals, but, they weren't friends either.

     "We are sorry to inform you... Hhh, how am I even supposed to say this..?" The man up front let his head drop, the collected rain atop his hat spilling through the threshold. "This is the Taylor household, correct?"

     "Yeeaah?" Deserae was uneasy.

     "Well.. Thing is... We're terribly sorry to inform you, but.."

     "They're dead... Aren't they?" Deserae was quick to assume the worst. Her voice was so void of emotion, as if she had been preparing for this all along. I gasped at my sister's side. They better not be!