CORNELIA STREET | five hargreeves.

ONE

On the night of March 21st 2019, the world stood still.

Perhaps more importantly, Cornelia Hargreeves' world collapsed in on itself as she held the hand of her deceased father, her mother's loving hand coming to join her with a solemn look.

Whilst the girl all but collapsed at her father's side, her siblings had to find the news through other means. Whether it was through the various news reports, personal assistants or a transmission, each sibling's heart cracked once they heard the news and immediately made plans to return to the house they swore to escape.

On the morning of March 22nd 2019, Cornelia Hargreeves felt more pain than she had felt the night prior as her dreams were infiltrated with visions of a future yet to come. Her father had taught her how to look upon the future at her own will yet this hadn't stopped the universe from forcing a scene into her eyesight when it thought best. 

Hours after her father's death, she was ridiculed to the sight that she wouldn't have expected in her wildest nightmares.

The world was a wreck, Cornelia stood still in the ash and unbothered by flames as she looked at her surroundings; buildings continued to collapse and rock slides crashed into pits of fire, creating large clouds of dust to cover the immediate vicinity. A force pushed her forward toward a pile of rubble which resembled her home, but as she got closer she dug her heels into the ground, yet no footsteps were left and nothing ceased. 

6 bodies lay intertwined with the rocks and dust as she attempted to look away. She recognised each one of them, not immediately by looks but by the unifying Umbrella tattoo that 5 of them adorned. She felt something grab roughly at her jaw before it forcefully coerced her head to face a small boy, stepping over a ruffle of dark blonde hair towards a larger body. Cornelia recognised the boy much quicker than the rest. At that moment she was wholeheartedly aware that this was a vision and not some sick dream, as not even in a nightmare would she ever imagine her siblings laid to death whilst the boy who ran away so long ago stood over them.

It was short but this vision stuck with her in the passing days and as the funeral grew closer, the idea of having to look at the very same people in their eyes, never knowing if that would be the last time, crept up on her and she needed to escape.

You would think that the bustling city was an easy place to blend into society and free her mind from the terrifying revelation and you would be correct; Almost.

The girl had just returned to her home street, on the morning of the 24th of March, with her small polka-dotted dog in tow before the flashes started. Without a second thought, Cornelia smiled softly for the cameras knowing that if her smile were too wide, she would be judged but if it were non-existent, then the numerous articles and news segments would state that she was struggling at the loss of her father. Which of course she was, but she needed to stay strong and carry forward the family legacy as per her late father's request.

Fumbling with her keys to open the ornate, black gates, the girl tried to drown out the questions thrown at her in coherence with the blinding flashes and large video cameras in her face. This had been a common occurrence since she was 13, a true moth to a flame sort of deal when it came to the Paparazzi. 

On an average day, she would stand and speak with the reporters and spend the best part of her free time answering questions over and over again about subjects that really had nothing to do with her. Yet today, rightfully, she refused with a small, sparkling smile and a slew of apologies leaving her red-stained lips. The questions, however, didn't stop, like crows to a carcass, they swooped in to pick at the girl, slowly devouring her emotions entirely.