Untimely

- V -

A cup of coffee burned warmly in Mara's hands, a steady steam rising up towards her face. She breathed in the calming scent and felt her body automatically relax. She sat cross-legged on one of her dusted armchairs with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

It could have been a peaceful scene. If only there wasn't so many inquisitive looks staring at her and an unconscious man lying on her floor.

"Just what are your powers exactly?" the woman, who she now knew as Allison, stared down at her.

"My father code-named me 'Erebus', the Greek premordial deity of darkness." she replied, staring at the still black liquid in her cup, "Though I'm not born of chaos, I'm somehow connected to the darkness just as Erebus personifies."

"And that's how you're able to move from one place to another by using the shadows?"

"Exactly. But it can only be to somewhere I know or where I can see."

"So why didn't you just teleport us here?" Klaus stretched his legs, "My feet are killing me."

"I don't think you would be able to come out sane if I took you with me." She answered. "You won't be able to handle the things in the dark."

Klaus made an 'o' shape with his mouth.
"What about the 'seeing everything' bizz? How's that connected?"

"My power is to conjure up nightmares, or your biggest fears. But before any of that, I have to see what makes you tick. It only happens when I touch someone with my hands, and my fingers just so happened to accidentally grab on to Five when we were fighting back in the house."

"What about your brothers?" said Diego, shining his knife with dish rag "If worse comes to worst, we should know what we're up against."

"You fought them didn't you?" Mara crossed her arms.

"I got busy fighting the one who kept trying to grab a piece of my hair."

"That's Alvi. He wanted that piece so he could control you." she said simply, "Vodoo shit basically."

"Huh." Diego stopped fiddling his knife. "And the rest?"

"One can manipulate the energy in the air, one can control the light that hits your eyes, one can turn water in the air to ice, and I believe all of you already know what Ben can do." Mara huffed. "Are we all sorted now?"

"So you guys are like the edgier versions of us?" asked Klaus as he raised his hand. "Also, if you were born on the same date like the rest of us, why do you look like little number Five."

"I'm not little." The boy growled, glaring at the taller man.

"Did you get stuck somewhere in the time too?" said Klaus, ignoring his brother. "Did you date a mannequin and join a crazy organization?"

"No. Dad stuck me in a giant freezer to improve my powers and kept me there for a few years." Mara shrugged. "At this point, I think he forgot I was even there it the first place until my brothers took me out."

"I guess the old man is still an asshole even in a different timeline." Allison stared out the window.

"You should all get some rest." Mara concluded before the group could ask more questions. She wasn't comfortable in sharing her life as it is. "You guys look like shit."

"Well, it's been a long day." Five muttered, and Mara tried hard not to give him the comfort he was so truly deprived from.

It was another reason why she hated using her powers. It was just easier to kill people when you didn't who they were and what they've been through.