Shadows & Mirrors // f.hargreeves fanfic

:::: Forty ::::

When Ben couldn't find Manuela in the zen garden or her room he knew that something was wrong. Manuela had always been the sibling he was closest with he knew everything about her, especially her habits. He finally found her in the dojo where Pogo had taught them all how to spar before Sir Reginald Hargreeves had kicked the chimp out. That was when all of their lives changed. It was when they started crushing up those little pills in Hargreeves's food. It was better for everyone that way.

For a moment, Ben just leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed watching his sister as she beat up the practice dummy. He studied her form watching for any weak points or areas for improvement. To the rest of his siblings, this behavior wouldn't seem very out of the ordinary but Ben knew how much Manuela hated violence and being in the Sparrow Academy. If she was training, in combat of all things, something must have happened. Something must have put her on edge.

"Plant your feet slightly wider. It will give you more stability and strength," Ben commented as he pushed himself away from the wall.

"What are you doing here?" Manuela asked as she looked up in a startled voice.

Quickly she moved to the bench in the corner of the room where a white towel lay along with her water bottle and her protective gloves. Ben watched silently as Manuela unwrapped the thin fighting gloves from her wrists and slipped her normal gloves back on. She didn't say anything as she wiped her face with the towel before slinging it around her neck and taking a long drink from her water bottle.

"Question is, Manu, what are you doing in here?" Ben asked when his sister finally started to make her way back over to where he was standing outside of the mat.

"Training," She shrugged without meeting his eyes and Ben frowned.

"The last time you trained by yourself was when Jayme challenged you to a fistfight over who got the room with the bay window that didn't face the street," Ben pointed out and Manuela crossed her arms over her chest defensively. She knew he had a point.

"What do you want Ben?" Manuela asked quietly her eyes still glued to the ground.

"I want my sister to look at me when I'm trying to have a conversation with her," Ben responded as he bent low at his waist so he could turn his head and look up at her. A small smile broke out on Manuela's face as she rolled her eyes and tilted her head up. Ben grinned back at her as he straightened out.

"Alright, now what do you want?" She asked sarcastically but already just talking with her brother for these few short minutes had already lifted her mood significantly. Manuela knew that things would always be okay as long as Ben was by her side.

"I was coming to tell you that I've called a family meeting but clearly there's a bigger issue to be addressed right here," Ben said while gesturing in Manu's face. Again she rolled her eyes before pushing his hand out of her face.

"It's nothing," Manuela said running a gloved hand through her hair but with one disbelieving look from her brother, she knew he wasn't buying it, "Alright, fine. It's something that Luther said to me and Sloane earlier today. It's just not sitting well with me."

"What did he say? I swear I will kill him if he threatened you. Either of you," Ben growled suddenly in flight or fight mode and it seemed to Manuela that he was picking a fight, as usual.

"No, no! He didn't threaten us, Ben, I promise. You don't have to go kill him. I easily could have done that myself if I wanted to. I mean I was standing close enough," Manuela assured him as she put her hands on Ben's shoulders to stop him from pacing.

"Alright, fine, I won't kill him, yet," Ben grumbled and Manuela nodded before he looked up and continued in a softer tone. "But, Manu, you need to tell me what he said and why you're so upset."