#davidcasteneda

[celestialmidnights]

Mania{Ch.2}

Description: By a twist of fate, a young girl is swept up in the chaos of the Hargreeves family. Ophelia Cortez was never supposed to become close to any of them. She was just a neglected girl who's family pawned her off the moment things started to get abnormal. With new abilities cultivating, Ophelia is forced to face old wounds and new flames.

Pairing: Diego Hargreeves/OC

Warnings: Death

Word Count: 2,842

Series Masterlist

Ophelia left behind all the hurt Reginald had instilled in her, after leaving The Umbrella Academy. The Hargreeves siblings were split up across the state and moon, leaving the woman to fend for herself. She did not have any real skills other than her extraordinary abilities. Ophelia had no choice but to use her ability to her advantage. Since her time at the academy, she had been hired for a large tech company that was researching a way to use her abilities for trauma recovery. It became an overnight hit, allowing users a safe way to cope with unforeseeable circumstances. The irony in her new job was hilarious.

"This will only take a moment. Please, relax and do not be alarmed when you start seeing images." Ophelia explained to an anxious patient.

The man sighed, "No matter how many times we do this, it still scares me."

"That's understandable, but am I really that scary?"

The man ignored the chuckling woman as he went through the treatment. He wasn't scared. After suffering from an accident overseas, She had helped him gain control over his life. He was grateful she was in business.

Ophelia on the other hand was always ridden with a sense of guilt. After being left with the Hargreeves family 13 years ago, she never amounted to Reginald's expectations. Every failure after Ben's death was blamed on her, stemming from Ophelia being there for the least amount of time. She eventually got tired of being the scapegoat and left before it could get any worse.

For the next thirteen years, Ophelia hadn't stopped trying to help people. The only thing Reginald assisted her with was control. Now she had the opportunity to support people in need, without the scrutinizing tone of Reginald. It's not like she didn't grow attached to the other members of The Umbrella Academy, but it was just different. They were all so closed off to the idea of a person replacing Ben that it made forming relationships difficult. She didn't take it personally. They were all screwed up by their childhoods, including Ophelia.

"okay, you're done for today so take it easy. I mean it. You need to stay for another 10 minutes after the treatment just to make sure you're alright." Ophelia explained as she broke the mental connection she had with her patient.

The man groaned, "Can you at least put the tv on?

"Sure. The only things we have is the news though."

She turned on the tv and was automatically hit with the breaking news.

Reginald Hargreeves, the Billionaire mostly known for the creation of The Umbrella Academy has died. He leaves behind six grown children.

What the hell just happened? How was that man dead?

Ophelia never would have thought that she would feel such dread at hearing the news about Reginald's death. A part of her seemed to believe he wasn't able to die. She thought that her running away from her problems would help avoid having to interact with them again. He was dead, but he still insisted on tormenting her. 

This meant she had to return to the academy.

Lucky her.

—————

Ophelia sighed as she looked at the enormous doors that seemed to still be outlined with the red engravings of umbrellas. She had only spent a brief moment inside, but she couldn't forget the amount of neglect inflected on her.

What had happened to them. What he did to her.

There was no way a person could forget all the trauma that fell upon her. She didn't want to be here. Maybe she could turn back and pretend the old man was still alive. It wasn't like any of the original six members would care.

Ophelia was about to back out, but was interrupted by the sound of the heavy doors opening. It revealed the familiar face of Pogo. One of the few redeeming parts of this place.

"Hello Ms. Cortez, I am glad to see that you were able to make it."

The monkey hadn't changed from the last time she saw him. He still talked like he was some well polished gentleman. Other than the fact that he was a monkey, She had always considered him as one. For an animal, he did have more empathy and compassion compared to her actual caretaker. Pogo would always read her stories with Grace's help, ensuring the young girl every night she was wanted. Grace and the monkey were her soft spots.

"Hi pogo, I've missed you so much." She excitingly spat out, reaching out her hands in order to hug him.

"I've missed you too Ophelia. It's a shame this is how we meet again." Pogo expressed sadly.

"Well, this is probably the only way I would have came back. Have the others arrived yet? "Ophelia questioned pogo, taking note of his facial expressions for any sign of discomfort.

Pogo looked into Ophelia's eyes, "Miss. Vanya and Allison have arrived. Your brother Luther is also around here somewhere. We are still waiting on the other siblings I'm afraid."

"None of them are my siblings Pogo. That was made clear. I was only here for a year, and Reginald made sure to remind me of it. I don't know anything about them anymore."

The monkey stepped into the mansion, waiting for Ophelia to walk inside, "Maybe this is the chance for that to change Ms.Cortez. I believe you've been brought back together for a reason."

Ophelia thought about that for a moment. Was there a reason she was here? Maybe there had been some universal tampering to get them all in the same room. Whatever the reason was, it still didn't account for the awkwardness that was guaranteed to take place.

"Ophelia is that you? You look great and you've changed so much." Allison's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm kinda surprised you remember what I looked like." Ophelia joked.

"Oh come on, not that again. We were kids Ophelia. Also, I couldn't forget your horrible bob and the bad eyeliner"

It was true, she had changed since the last time they were all in the same room. She had filed out and was taller than the last time they were together. Now, she sported long hair and a athletic build. Ophelia wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a woman.

Ophelia offered a genuine smile, "Okay, yeah I get it. You weren't any better. It's nice to see you again Allison."

"You too. Everyone's missed you." Allison said, walking away from her.

Ophelia seriously doubted that. After Ben's death, they wanted nothing to do with each other. There were obviously good times, but they were hard to remember. Being older probably faded a lot of the emotional baggage each of them carried. There was no use in being angry. Everyone was dealing with the torment of Reginald Hargreeves.

While exploring the old home, Ophelia stumbled across her room. Nothing had changed. It was still bleak and barely had any photos. The only things displayed were news articles about The Umbrella Academy. She really didn't have much decor style. As she was admiring her handiwork, Diego appeared in the hallway.

"Hey, long time no see." Ophelia called out catching the man off guard.

"H-Hey. Wow you actually showed up. I wasn't expecting it. Y-Y-You look good." Diego stuttered.

Ophelia knew his stutter would appear again when he was talking to her. For some reason, Diego had always had such a problem talking to Ophelia when she moved in. They had communicated normally before Reginald took her in, but after being integrated with The Umbrella Academy it changed. He barely talked, only stepping in when his siblings got too bold with her.

He had always treated her with such softness. Always making sure the siblings and Reginald didn't make life for her too hard. She had to tell him that she could take care of herself, which she could. But it was nice having at least one person stick up for her, even though they never stayed in touch after the academy.

Things had since changed. They were both grown, and he looked at her as an equal. They both had made a name for themselves since leaving. He had become a man now. It was far different than when they were in their teens. She still didn't get his whole Ninja get up but respected it. Other then the outfit, he looked good. She would even consider him handsome if it weren't for the fact he would probably kill her if he found out.

"Thanks. What's with the outfit?" Ophelia inquired.

Diego looked down at his outfit, "Needed some gear. I'm still helping out the police force."

Ophelia smiled lazily at him, "Helping? I guessed, since you're still with Patch."

"You keeping track of me? Who would of thought. Im surprised after how everyone left. " Diego said, scratching the back of his neck.

Ophelia shrugged, "Well, we were kids. I've seen a lot of family trauma, and you would be surprised by how ours wasn't the worst."

Diego chuckled, "So you weren't just keeping tabs on me Ophelia."

Blushing, Ophelia hastily snapped, "I kept tabs on all of you idiot. Don't get a bigger head than you already have."

His facial expressions softened, "too bad, was kinda hoping it was just me phelia."

His words carried a double meaning that Ophelia was confused by. What was that supposed to mean? What was going on with this family? Obviously, she was in a dream. Diego was probably just trying to get under her skin.

They had left on bad terms. There was a huge fight that had caused a drift. A mission hadn't gone well, with the suspects getting away and breaking Klaus's arm. Ophelia was the only one in the vicinity to stop them, but she decided to let them go in order to help Klaus. They came back stealing more money, and shooting her in the process. After finding this out, Reginald punished her and the team the next day.

Diego was mad that she let them get away, telling her she should've protected herself. He made it seem like she was weak. Could she have fought back? Yes, but not when it was at the expense of Klaus. He knew that, but he had chosen to pretend like he wouldn't have done the same. If Diego wanted to keep living like that he could, but she wasn't sacrificing her own beliefs for Reginald Hargreeves. She hoped he would come to his senses. Ophelia always had a hidden soft spot for the knife thrower.

Luther shouted at Diego and Ophelia, "Meeting down stairs now. We need to talk about things."

"Uhhh. He's still the same isn't he?" Ophelia complained.

Diego began walking downstairs. "Definitely, just a lot meatier than usual."

"Diego, What's that supposed to mean"

The two walked towards the living room, "You'll see." Diego warmed Ophelia.

—————

The seven members of the Umbrella academy were now all in the living room, pretending it was under normal circumstances. Ophelia hadn't seen everyone in thirteen years. So much had changed, but at the same time nothing had changed. Klaus was still pretending to be sober, secretly pouring himself a drink under the table. Luther was in the middle of the room. Allison and Diego were sitting by the bookshelf, listening to Luther.

"I guess we should get this started. So, I figured we could have a sort of memorial service in the courtyard at sundown. Say a few words, just at Dad's favorite spot." 

Allison's face contorted in confusion, "Dad had a favorite spot?"

"You know, under the oak tree. We used to sit out there all the time. None of you ever did that?" Luther had asked.

"No Luther, not all of us were his favorite. Also, can everyone remember that he's your guys's dad and not mine." Ophelia huffed.

"Shush. Shhhh cranky pants. Will there be refreshments?" Klaus asked joining the group. "Tea? Scones? Cucumber sandwiches are always a winner."

Ophelia rolled her eyes, "Don't shush me Klaus. Shouldn't you not be smoking in here? Pogo could get sick"

"Is that my skirt?" Allison asked, eyeing Klaus' eccentric outfit. 

"What? Oh, yeah, this. I found it in your room." He explained.

"It's a little dated, I know, but it's very uh, breathy on the bits." 

" There's still some important things that we need to discuss."

"Like what?" Diego asked.

"Like the way he died." 

"And here we go." Diego sighed, looking at Ophelia from across the room.

She couldn't believe this, "Wasn't it a heart attack?" Both Vanya and Ophelia answered at the same time.

"They checked and it all lined up Luther." Ophelia sighed in frustration.

In order to calm her down, Diego put a supportive hand on her back.

"I'm fine. Thanks." Ophelia said to Diego as he slid his hand up and down her back.

"No problem." He replied as they both held each others gaze.

Confused by the outward comfort being given, Luther continued, "Theoretically. He sounded strange, and told me not to trust anyone."

Diego had gotten up from beside Ophelia. "Luther, he was a paranoid, bitter old man who was starting to lose what was left of his marbles."

"No. He must have known something was going to happen." He relocated his attention towards Klaus. "Look, I know you don't like to do it, but I need you to talk to Dad."

"I can't just call Dad in the afterlife and be like, Dad could you just... stop playing tennis with Hitler for a moment and take a quick call?" Klaus snapped.

Ophelia couldn't contain her laughter, causing the siblings to stare at her.

"What that was funny."

"This is why she's my favorite." Klaus responded.

"Since when? That's your thing." Luther refocused on the topic at hand.

"I'm not in the right... frame of mind." 

"You're high?" Allison asked. 

"Obviously." Ophelia muttered.

Klaus drunkenly pointed at her, "Ophelia my dear, I will retract your title of my least despised number."

Starting to get annoyed, Ophelia alerted the group. "He's totally high."

"Yeah! Yeah!" He laughed. "I mean, how are you not with listening to this nonsense?" 

Luther kept talking, "Then there's the issue of the missing monocle."

"Who gives a shit about a stupid monocle?" Diego sighed.

"Exactly. It's worthless. So, whoever took it, I think it was personal. Someone close to him. Someone with a grudge." 

"Where are you going with this?" Klaus asked 

"Oh, isn't it obvious, Klaus?" Diego started. "He thinks one of us killed Dad."

This was a serious allegation. Yes, most of them wouldn't have cared if he died. But killing him? None of them would be stupid enough to try. As soon as Luther had voiced his theory, he looked guilty.

"You do!" Klaus yelled in amusement.

"Come on, Luther. Who do you think it is? Who's going to do something that stupid? What a brother you are." Ophelia angrily said.

Luther getting more heated by the second, and aimed his words at Ophelia, "I'm not saying that. I'm just saying it could happen. I mean you hated him, and your track record with people isn't great."

Ophelia became red with anger, "Are you seriously accusing me? She raged, trying to calm herself down. "I know you've never liked me Luther, but don't you fucking dare accuse me of that. Have I done questionable things? Yes, but I'm not a monster."

"How could you think that?" Vanya asked in shock.

"I spent years helping people and that's not enough? I know I had slip ups, but I never killed someone ."

"Yeah, but..."

Unexpectedly, Diego bursted out in anger, "Don't blame her. We're not kids anymore. She didn't kill dad. You've just always had something against her Luther. "

"Look, Diego you can't protect her all the time. I don't know what's happening with you guys, but don't pretend she's above this. Ophelia has a short circuit, always has. " Luther instigated.

"WHEN?" Ophelia put her hands to her head. She couldn't believe this. She blows a goats head off one time, and suddenly she's a hot head.

"Come here, let me show you what a short circuit looks like. " Diego stepped forward to hit Luther.

"STOP. I can handle it myself Diego." Ophelia pressed down on his chest, trying to calm him down. "I didn't kill him. None of us did. If something actually happened, then we'll figure it out like adults. I'm not going to stand here and let you accuse me or anyone else. Get a grip Luther."

"Fine." He huffed.

"Great job Luther. Way to lead." Diego said, angrily walking out of the room. 

"That's not what I meant to happen..." Luther tried to defend himself.

"You're crazy, man. You're crazy." Klaus interrupted him.

"I'm not finished!" Luther exclaimed as everyone stepped out of the room. 

"Sorry, She's just gonna go murder Mom. Be right back, I'm going to go watch." Klaus said.

"Geez, that went well."

[streambetween-blog]

Check out our latest podcast episode! We discuss Season 2 Episode 2 of #TheUmbrellaAcademy  “The Frankel Footage”

https://stream-between-the-lines.simplecast.com/episodes/the-umbrella-academy-season-2-episode-2-the-frankel-footage

#TheUmbrellaAcademy2 #UmbrellaAcademy  #UmbrellaAcademy2  #TUA #TUA2 #TheFrankelFootage #RobertSheehan #JustinMin #JustinHMin #TomHopper #DavidCasteneda #EmmyRaverLampman #AidenGallagher #EllenPage #GerardWay #RituArya

[celestialmidnights]

Mania {Ch. 1}

Description: By a twist of fate, a young girl is swept up in the chaos of the Hargreeves family. Ophelia Cortez was never supposed to become close to any of them. She was just a neglected girl who's family pawned her off the moment things started to get abnormal. With new abilities cultivating, Ophelia is forced to face old wounds and new flames.

Pairing: Diego Hargreeves/OC

Warnings: Mentions of abuse

Word Count: 1,116

Series Masterlist

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.

.

————————-

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.

.

There was no life behind his eyes, he had succumbed to new darkness she hadn't experienced before. Having no real-life experience with kids her age, she didn't know how to react. They were both 16, and so much trauma had transpired in their lives since the last time they met.

.

Lost in thought, Ophelia was luckily snapped out of her daydreaming when Reginald introduced her. Ophelia hadn't heard her name used in years. It was either eight or girl, never her actual name.

.

"Listen here Umbrella Academy. Number eight is to be your new member. You shall be responsible for her shortcomings. She will be a new and improved number eight. So I suggest you all make sure she does not fail, as it would be your faults." The billionaire told the seven children.

.

"Why do we need her now?" A girl with dark curly hair asked. 

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Sighing with discontent, Reginald snapped,  "Have I ever owed you an explanation number three? I think not. Now get on with your day."

.

The older man walked away, leaving the young girls at the mercy of the seven children.

.

"So your family's dead, right? I'm guessing because there's no way he would have waited this long to get you. A boy with dark eyeliner interjected. "She's here to replace Ben. He must have had her since we met in your dads factory. I heard she went crazy." He aimed towards the young girl.

.

"KLAUS. You can't just say that." Number three punched his arm.

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Rubbing where his sister hit, "What? We were all thinking about it."

.

"No, he's right. My parents died when I was born, and the adoption didn't really work out. Mr. Hargreeves took me in and said I was a new member. I heard what happened to Ben. Reginald is horrible, I'm sorry." Ophelia quietly murmured to the seven children.

.

The curly-haired girl frowned, "Well thanks for the apology... I'm Allison. This is Klaus, Luther, Diego, and Vanya must be somewhere."

.

Ophelia smiled at the girl and her siblings. This was her first time interacting with them, and she didn't want to mess anything up.

.

"Ophelia." She offered. "Nice to meet you all."

.

"It won't be for long. Do you think it was bad when he was training you? Now that you're a part of the team, it'll get worse for all of us. Dad will make sure of it like always. " Allison muttered.

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Klaus held a pained expression.

.

"Bastard." The siblings all seemed to silently agree with his outburst, except for the more confident boy of the group.

.

Luther, the oldest of the siblings, snapped at Klaus, "Don't say that about dad. He loves us. She's just a test run." He added, trying to deflect the pain his father had caused onto the newest member. "Let me make it clear. You're not one of us. You're not Ben. We have been here since the start. Don't make it seem like he didn't do you a favor. Pull your weight or we won't help you."

.

Ophelia hadn't realized she had hit a sore subject for Luther. She was under the impression that they all knew what type of monster Reginald was. She couldn't fathom that anyone could possibly care for the abusive man. Especially, since Mr. Hargreeves contributed to Ben's death.

.

"Stop Luther. We don't need you yelling today. She didn't kill Ben. Dad did." Diego interjected, making sure to place a hand on his shoulder.

.

Aiming his words towards his brother Luther turned, "Diego, he didn't make it happen. You just can't get over the fact that you couldn't stop it. Don't blame dad."

.

The two boys began to exchange heated words with one another as the rest of the siblings tried their best to calm them down. Ophelia had always thought about what meeting The Umbrella Academy would be like. This wasn't how she had imagined it.

.

From this one small introduction, she could see how much Reginald Hargreeves didn't care about his children. They were all in competition with one another. None of them had dealt with the emotional trauma of losing their brother. Now she was expected to take his place, living with them was going to be interesting.

.

After a few minutes of the constant bickering between siblings, the commotion settled down. Each of the children had walked out of the room except for Diego, leaving Ophelia and him alone.

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"Look all you have to do is lay low. We've been together since we were born and you haven't. You're not our sister. They'll ease up just give it time." Diego made sure to explain to Ophelia

.

"Okay, thanks." She nervously replied.

.

"Don't thank me. Just stay out the way and do what he says. You know how he is, so you need to adapt." Diego said turning to look at her face. "Training isn't the same as real life. You're not Ben so don't try to be.”

.

His face remained void of any emotion.

.

Ophelia could tell he was still mourning the loss of his brother. He couldn't meet her eyes, and his voice had become so cold. She had once thought they could become friends. Ophelia knew it was still possible, but it would take longer than she thought. It had become painfully obvious that the death of their brother had messed the Hargreeves children up badly.

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Luther was in denial.

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Allison was angry.

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Klaus was barely coping.

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Vanya was hiding

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Diego was burying his emotions.

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Ophelia was wishing she hadn't met them in these circumstances. Maybe they would have become closer sooner, but she wasn't a part of their family. It was a little too late for that.