Chapter Text
In this world there exist two types of people. Those who are born lucky, with some sort of powers that enable them to do good, who experience hardships and get rewarded in kind. People capable of putting a smile on other people's faces, of remaining happy despite their struggles, because they know there is always something better waiting for them at the end of their journey. Those are the people that many see as heroes. Then there is the other type. The one who was born just to exist for the purpose of experiencing suffering. These people seem to soak up all the bad, and try twice as hard to get rid of it, to live a normal life. They often don't have any powers that would help them get out of this never-ending pit of despair, don't have anyone around them to help, and if they do, they cannot be understood, because their suffering cannot be measured. Nobody wants to believe them when they say they've been born unlucky.
Nobody wants to believe Mara Harrington when she tells people nothing in her life ever turns out right. Who'd take a five-year-old seriously? All they do is make mistakes, laugh it off, and move on, but not her. Mara's mother didn't listen to her when she stood by the door wailing after her cat that had gone missing.
"He will be back, stop it, Mara." The woman said, running around the kitchen to make dinner. She didn't look in her daughter's way; she was too busy trying not to burn the chicken as her little sister cried in her feeding chair.
"But mama—" She pleaded, trying to form words that might explain it, but she was too young to understand, and her mother was too busy to notice that something wasn't right.
"Just stop it, Mara. Your dad won't be happy to find you like this. The cat will be back."
And she wanted to believe her mother, she really did, and perhaps for a moment she had, but the cat never came back, and she was left feeling betrayed, confused, because only last night Mara had wished for the cat to be with her forever.
Everything in her life always seemed to be difficult. She couldn't focus in classes, too busy dreaming. She couldn't control her emotions, too easy to explode out of frustration. She couldn't keep her friends, too easily replaceable despite trying so hard to make them stay.
Day and night she'd beg whoever existed outside her little house for a chance at life. She'd look at the sky and plead for a friend, for her parents to see her, for her mind to be quiet and for things to be normal. But that never happened. It never would. Each time she'd find a friend and give thanks for this opportunity, promising never to let them go, but the next day things would change and they'd leave her. Each time she thought her mother had finally seen her, her sister would appear, stealing the spotlight. And when all that was left was her father, even he in the end didn't seem to try to understand her, only getting angry with his daughter for being too loud, too emotional, too disorganised and lazy. Mara had thought she was cursed.
Then she met Steph and her world changed. She wasn't lonely, she wasn't misunderstood or laughed at. Steph didn't mind Mara's personality, she was just as awkward as her, just as different. Two peas in a pod, her mother would call them. They could never be apart, because for the first time in a long time, Mara found someone just as unfortunate as herself, and she knew her prayers had been heard.
Still, she had no idea, how could she, that her words worked like an awful spell. Deep down, at times she might've thought about it and wanted to stop herself from wishing on things because none of them ever came true. But she never wished for Steph to come along, so it must've been a sign. A sign that she was normal and they were meant for each other.
"Where should we go for univeristy?" Stephanie asked, a piece of candy dangling from her hand. They were far from going to uni, both only turning fourteen this year, but it didn't stop them from dreaming, hoping about some distant future that might take them away from this awful reality they found themselves in.
"I don't know." Mara didn't like to speak her mind; often she didn't even like to think about things that mattered, because every time she did they ended up not coming true, so she let the dreamers around her do the work for her, live her life.
"I'd probably go to New York. I think, like, that could be fun, plus you'd get to see all the superheroes!" Steph giggled, kicking her feet in the air. The room was full of toys depicting Iron Man, Thor, Hulk and such. Mara loved the idea of heroes. Despite their struggles, they managed to come through and brighten everyone's day. They were her proof that no matter what, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
"I'd go with you." Mara stated the obvious, watching her best friend's eyes light up.
"Promise?" The girl extended her pinky, and something in Mara's stomach dropped. She didn't want to, she shouldn't, but if watching heroes taught her anything, it was that she shouldn't be afraid. She should fight her fears.
"Promise."
On her sixteenth birthday, she began drafting her admission letter for university in New York. Steph and she began looking at places they could live in. Both of them had wanted to move into Queens; the area seemed cheap and good enough for a start.
That day, after finishing drafting their plans, the two of them headed into town. The sun was scorching hot, and the sky was crystal clear.
"I wish I could get some booze. I'd make this summer day even better." Steph groaned as they stood on the crosswalk.
"Not long left. We can wait."
"No fun! We've got to start living our lives. People in Europe can legally drink in two years, so why can't we?" She pouted, staring ahead at the lights, impatiently waiting for them to change.
"Because we should leave the fun until we are in New York. Let's finish our chapter here on a peaceful note. I don't need to give my parents any more reasons to hate me." Mara rolled her eyes and started ahead just as the light turned green.
"Don't worry, Mara, once we move out we won't feel like the odd ones. Once it's just you and me, life will be perfect. No more nagging, no more guilt or lectures. It will be perfect." The girl spun around, her brown hair carried by the wind. "Not to mention, we might run into Spider-Man."
"Oh please." Mara laughed, nearly on the other side, while her friend stayed behind, taking her sweet time. There were no cars coming, still, it'd be safer to get off the road. Anything could happen in the span of a few seconds.
"Mara." Steph stopped, a serious look passing through her face. Whenever she looked at her friend this way, Mara knew she was about to ask something that would be hard to answer. "You are my best friend, promise you won't ever leave."
Mara drew her brows, taken aback by Steph's words. In that moment, she forgot about her worries. It was just the two of them, a life she always dreamt of.
"I promise." She smiled, promising herself that she would never let Steph go, that she'd be by her side forever, that she hoped nothing bad would ever happen, because she'd never been as happy as she was in this very moment.
"Great, I'll race you—"
As if in a dream, Steph's silhouette vanished from the crosswalk. Mara blinked, confused, because only a moment ago she'd stood there in front of her, talking. Now, like ashes lifted from embers, something stirred in the air. She looked down, and felt herself disappear as if she was nothing more than a sugar cube thrown into the water, dissolving slowly.
Nothing hurt, but worry grew, yet not quickly enough for her to register what was happening. She blinked and everything was gone. She was gone.
And just like that, her eyes snapped open. At first, she thought she must be dreaming. It was almost night-time. She could hear birds chirping in the distance. She could see the streetlight buzz quietly, even though she was sure it had been broken for months. Had she passed out? Had something happened?
She turned around, confused, the sounds all blending into one thing, and then she caught sight of Steph. Her terrified expression, her eyes reflecting exactly what Mara was feeling in that exact moment. In the next second, just as she was about to open her mouth, Steph's silhouette vanished, and all Mara could feel was warm liquid splashed across her face.
Her head turned slowly to the side, noticing a line of cars. The one in front of her was yellow like the crayon she'd pick to colour the sun. The driver sat in the seat frozen, his eyes bulged out in shock. He wouldn't move; he kept staring ahead. She followed his line of sight, slowly, feeling dazed, and then she saw exactly what the man was staring at.
It was Steph. Her body lying still on the road, surrounded by scarlet liquid. Steph was gone. She had died.