TWENTY-TWO; PUTTING THE FUN IN FUNERAL
Sabrina sat on the concrete of the grounds, staring at her hands as the Hargreeves siblings performed a funeral service for Reginald. She felt a growing pain inside her stomach, something that didn't appear physically inflicted, just a side effect from her unhinged emotional instability. She recognised it almost instantly, and she despised it.
Grief.
Rain pelted against her uncovered body, her eyes watering, though she could hardly tell.
She had watched from a slight distance, her back against one of the concrete benches lining the courtyard as Luther tipped the ashes from Reggie's urn onto the ground. Due to the lack of wind, the grey matter fell into a damp pile on the ground; a disappointing end for such an eccentric man.
"Does anyone wish to speak?" Pogo asked softly. Sabrina could hardly hear him over the pouring rain, but that was okay. She just sat, staring at what was left of Reggie through the gap between Diego and Allison. Met with silence, Pogo exhaled softly. "Very well. In all regards, Sir Reginald Hargreeves made me what I am today. For that alone, I shall forever be in his debt. He was my master...and my friend. And I shall miss him very much. He leaves behind a complicated legacy-"
"He was a monster," Diego swiftly interrupted, and Sabrina's eyes flickered up, focusing on the back of his head. Water dripped from the ends of his dark locks, and she noticed how his fists were clenched once more. She wanted to get up and hold his hand, but she felt glued to her spot. "He was a bad person and a worse father. The world's better off without him."
"Diego!" Allison snapped quickly, her tone sharp and warning. Diego didn't care.
"My name is Number Two," he remarked, his voice hard and unwavering. "You know why? Because our father couldn't be bothered to give us actual names. He had Mom do it."
"Would anyone like something to eat?" Grace asked, almost in response to Diego's mention of her. Vanya shook her head.
"No, it's okay, Mom."
"Look, you wanna pay your respects?" Diego shouted over the rain as it grew heavier. "Go ahead. But at least be honest about the kind of man he was."
"You should stop talking now," Luther advised, his eyebrows furrowed. Sabrina tucked a piece of wet hair behind her ear, sniffling a little as she resisted the urge to shiver.
"You know, you of all people should be on my side here, Number One," Diego countered, his body tensing up considerably. Sabrina knew what that meant.
"I am warning you."
"After everything he did to you? He had to ship you a million miles away."
"Diego, stop talking."
"That's how much he couldn't stand the sight of you!" Diego yelled, and Sabrina forced herself to her feet, taking a step forward.
She opened her mouth to speak up, but she was too late. Luther shoved him away and threw his fist, but his brother ducked it with ease, retaliating with a few quick punches. Everyone reacted differently; Pogo yelled for them to stop, while Allison rolled her eyes. Klaus put his arm out to protect Five, who scoffed and denied the help.
"Come on, big boy!" Diego taunted, knocking the wind out of Luther and slamming his hands against the man's back.
"Diego, cut it out!" Sabrina yelled, but she was ignored. As she moved forward to intervene, Allison gently grabbed her by the arm.
"I'm sure he'll be more upset about accidentally hurting you," she said softly, and Sabrina hesitated, feeling distaste bubble in her gut at the sight of the siblings being so violent with each other.
"Hit him! Hit him!" Klaus cried, his cigarette between his lips.
Helpless tears welled in Sabrina's eyes as she watched them beat each other. It was awful to watch, but the Hargreeves clan didn't seem phased in the slightest. Was this normal? If it was, it was horrible. No wonder they had all parted ways if this was what Reggie had encouraged. She felt sick, seeing Luther hit Diego and Diego hit back.
She found herself thinking about her sister. She thought about how Alicia had taken care of her when they had nothing to eat; how the older sister would find ways to make her laugh when she wanted to cry. Upon seeing the hatred in the atmosphere now, she mentally reminded herself to embrace Alicia a little tighter when she was to see her next.
"We don't have time for this," Five muttered irritably, sauntering back inside. Pogo had gone too, leaving Klaus, Allison, Vanya and Grace alongside Sabrina.
"C'mere, big boy!" Diego yelled and Luther grunted, moving to punch his brother in the face, but when Diego moved, his large fist hit the statue of Ben Hargreeves in the crotch, sending it flying to the ground, dismembering it.
"And there goes Ben's statue," Allison grumbled, turning on her heel and following Five back indoors.
Sabrina's interior sensor began to rapidly blink to the point where she wanted to turn and run, but she grabbed Diego by the collar and pulled him back. He whipped around to face her, grabbing her by the upper arms before realising who it was. He then faltered at the sight of her upset expression, water and tears dripping down her face.
He didn't say a word, he just carefully pushed her aside and allowed Klaus to take her, before unsheathing one of his knives.
"Diego, no!" Vanya yelled, but he wasn't going to listen.
"Diego, stop it, you dumbass!" Sabrina snapped, watching in shock as he threw the blade, slicing through Luther's trenchcoat sleeve. Luther stumbled and groaned, holding his arm as pain flowed through him. He looked back at Diego, who smirked triumphantly, before storming back into the mansion.
"You never know when to stop, do you?" Vanya stepped towards Diego, incapable of a glare due to her soft facial features.
Diego scoffed and turned to face his sister. "You got enough material for your sequel yet?"
Vanya hesitated, before answering. "He was my father, too."
Once she walked off, Diego glanced over to see Sabrina frowning in his direction. He took a step towards her, but she shook her head, lifting her hand to wipe her eyes with the pads of her thumbs.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Diego dropped his head and stepped over to Grace. "Mom, let's go inside."
Sabrina pursed her lips as he passed her, dropping to the ground once more and bringing her knees to her chest. She knew why Diego was on edge; she understood. That didn't change how she felt about him. But still, she knew that it wasn't right, or okay whatsoever. It was what he was used to, sure, but the fact that he could sort his problems out with others through civil manner, but couldn't around his sibling rivals was upsetting.
"Hello, my darling," Klaus dropped onto the ground beside her, squirming a little as rainwater rushed up his skirt. He lifted his umbrella a little bit so that it sheltered her head, not that it made a difference, anyway. Sabrina sniffled a little and wrapped her arms around herself, tipping her body to the side a little and leaning against her friend.
"I always cry at funerals," she attempted to joke. But, as Klaus lifted his arm and rested it on her shoulders, she trembled a little bit and released a stifled sob. "I'm sorry you guys had to live like this; always trying to prove you're better than each other. How the hell did you do it?"
Klaus handed her his cigarette. She paused, before taking it and inhaling once. He smiled and kissed her temple. "We all got through it differently, babe. You're lucky he never found you."
Sabrina didn't respond. She had gone through her fair share, but he was right. She'd made it out with most of her humanity left. Her experiences had left her scarred both mentally and physically, but she couldn't imagine how much worse it would have been if she had been found by Reggie. If she'd been taken from her mother by the man who was now reduced to a pile of ash on the leaf-covered ground.
Klaus looked over at the remains of his father and pushed himself up a little. "I bet you're loving this, hmm? The team at its best. It's just like old times."
He then took one last hit of his cigarette and pressed it into the ashes, letting it die out as he got to his feet. He offered Sabrina his hand, but she shook her head.
"Best funeral ever," he smiled sardonically, before waving to her and strolling back inside.
Once she was left alone, Sabrina exhaled, her breath fogging up before her as she stared at Reggie. "You fucking asshole."
She imagined him opposite her, his usual angered expression on his face. He would say something stupid like 'don't use that language, Number Eight.'
"I'm not Number Eight," she muttered irritably, resting her chin on her knee. "Diego isn't Number Two. You damaged them, Reggie. What kind of lives did you expect them to lead, raising them the way you did? I'm glad you never got to my mother. I'd hate to be one of your experiments."
She went quiet, thinking about how she essentially had become one. She thought about the book he had given her, to help her harness her powers. What did he intend for her to feel upon the gifting of it? Should she be thankful, or disgusted with how he saw her as a way to further science?
Closing her eyes, Sabrina spread out and lay on her back, feeling her body grow colder as the weather completely consumed her. Tears pooled in the crevices of her eyes until they filled and fell down the side of her face, but she didn't care.
Maybe it was the funeral, or all of the fighting that was making her so sad. It could be the weight of the Hargreeves family that brought her down. All were possibilities.
The woman turned onto her side and stared at her reflection in the puddles surrounding her. She needed some form of an escape.
"What's your wildest dream?"
★☆
Yahoo!!!!!!!
oH guys guess what,
i don't think anyone cares (which is fine) but i'm really excited so ofc i have to tell sOMEONE !!
so
my school ball is this saturday!!! since i live in nz ball is our equivalent to prom, and i'm so pumped!! i'm wearing a suit this year and it's blue and white so i plan to look like a hot picnic blanket lmao
anyway
that's it
thanks for reading! let me know what you thought x