Mania// Diego Hargreeves

Memories

It couldn't get worse than this.

The early training sessions had started when Ophelia arrived, making it nearly impossible for the girl to settle in. The practices became a regular occurrence after Reginald Hargreeves brought her back to the academy. The old man had made it his mission to "properly" train her himself, since he couldn't have the new recruit messing things up for The Umbrella Academy.

Ophelia consistently worked on growing her abilities. Reginald's favorite way to ensure improvement was to use her gifts on living animals. The man would hook goats up to brain scanning machines, and project their brain waves onto the lab reports.

On multiple occasions, Mr. Hargreeves asked Ophelia to practice her abilities on small goats. The animals were strapped onto metal tables, fighting to break loose. She didn't want to do it but was forced into it.

"I don't want to hurt it. This isn't going to work." The young girl cried out to her caretaker.

The man scoffed. "Girl, you must continue. I will not have an incompetent child running amuck. If you do not do this I will lock you up and kill it slowly. Do you want it to die in pain? The man asked. "I will make it far worse. I am not making you kill the animal, but I will if that is what you want."

"No, please don't... I-I'll do it." Ophelia cried out to the man.

A stinging sensation arose in her brain as she projected an image into the animal's head. The goat was safe in her illusion, and it had absolutely no reason to be afraid. But fear began to invade the young girl's brain, reflecting in her illusion.

Due to an overwhelming amount of stress in Ophelia's mind, the goat started to convulse on the table. Ophelia tried to reign in her emotions but was unable to do so. The girl's head was filled with an unexplainable sense of dread, causing her illusion to transform into a nightmare. The sounds from the machines were off the charts. She didn't mean for it to happen, but her mind seemed to twist her abilities into something dark.

The once peaceful animal was now lying in its own pool of blood, its head blown off.

Years after this incident, Reginald kept her isolated from the rest of the world. The girl wasn't able to conjure non-lethal illusions. He would need more time training her. Before introducing the girl to the other children, Ophelia needed to learn control. She was far too dangerous to have among other people.

He couldn't have the girl blowing peoples' heads off. It would create too much bad publicity.

It took years of training for Reginald Hargreeves to feel comfortable letting his pupil use her gifts. When she first arrived, Ophelia could barely create an illusion without an emotional trigger. In the last six years, she had grown the ability to manipulate reality at will.

After the death of Ben Hargreeves, Ophelia was forced to become an improved number eight. She had been trained rigorously for years. Her life wasn't hers anymore. She belonged to a man who cared for no one but himself. Ophelia was a ploy in a game only Reginald Hargreeves knew how to play.
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When Ophelia was first introduced to The Umbrella Academy, it was quite underwhelming. She had been expecting a better reaction then what she received. The only person who seemed to notice her at first was Diego, the boy she met in the warehouse a year ago.

He had changed so much in three years. Diego had become taller and much more muscular since the last time she interacted with him, but this wasn't what drew her attention. It was the dark circles under his eyes and sunken face that Ophelia noticed first. She remembered their first encounter, recalling the exciting nature of the young boy's aura. This wasn't the same boy. It had to be the result of his brother's death.