˚˖𓍢ִִ໋🌊🦈˚˖𓍢ִ✧˚.

Catherine sat on the floor, unsure of what to do. She just wanted her mother. To tell her what was happening, to tell her that it was going to be okay, to hold her in her arms.

Instead, she dug her very sharp claw-like nails into her head. That night, she stared at her ceiling wondering what was happening and what was going to happen.

Catherine's father dropped the bag that she had forgotten and made lunch which she denied, saying she had already eaten.

Catherine felt like one of those boxes that were hidden in the attic, 'fragile' written all over it so that people would know to not stare at it too long or it might break.

Like those boxes in which her father stored all of her mother's belongings, just hoping to forget them.

As if there was an evil spirit attached to them, threatening to haunt him if he even just opened them up.
Stuff like her earrings, funky decorations, and even old pictures were stored away never to be seen again.

Catherine missed them, but the thought of the person they belonged to haunted her even more so.

She hid in her room all day, not wanting him to see her like this. She didn't feel like herself. She felt like some kind of monster that was hiding away inside of her all this time, only now showing itself.

She never wanted him to see her like this. Whenever she used to cry as a child he'd always scold her, saying emotions are only for the weak ones.
Because of this, she figured that hiding her emotions and not bringing them up was the norm.

Thankfully, the next morning seemed more peaceful. Her hair was golden, her fangs were gone and her eyes weren't so bright anymore.

She still felt different, but she now looked normal, at least.

However, the day itself was different.
She wasn't late, she didn't have to say "what?" A million times and her thoughts were so much faster, and so much louder. It was quite overwhelming but she managed to get through it.

It felt as if a million Catherines were arguing with each other over what she would wear, eat, and say.

She also decided to tell her father, even if it meant that he'd be super pissed and disappointed. Like that time when Catherine came home with a huge lizard she found on the street. It was almost as big as nine-year-old Catherine's palm. But then it got lost in the house and got squished by her father, which wasn't that fun.

The citrus lady at the front desk greeted her yet again, never getting bored of the same 'hello, darling' she says almost every day.

Catherine slowly walked through the hallway, hoping that she could save time and prevent the inevitable.

"...Dad?" She asked hesitantly.
"Hello, Catherine." He said, not looking up while stacking important documents.

"I have to tell you something," she bit on her lip, taking a deep breath in. "the other day, I was um, looking for something. And you know that one room that I can't go to...?"

Her father immediately dropped the papers he was reading, glaring at her. "What did you do?" He asked, expecting something like this from his daughter.
He even had a name for moments like this, Catastrophes.

Not only because of her nickname but also because any minor occurrence was a catastrophe to him.

"Well, there was this kitten and I tried to pet it but... it kinda bit me?"
She didn't mean to, but her sentence sounded more like a question, as though she wasn't sure what to say.

His face went from angry and concerned to simply confused and suspicious.
"And what happened then?" He asked as he stood up, walking towards her.

"My eyes sort of started glowing and my hair was, like, pale white, and-" she started, confusion in her voice, but got cut off.

"Fascinating... Tell me more." He bolted to get a notepad, writing her side effects down.
"Wait what?" Catherine deadpanned, not expecting that reaction.

"Did you, get any... powers or enchantments?" He asked next, finally paying attention to his daughter.

" I guess I ran way faster and stuff but, aren't you mad at me?"

"Mad at you?! Honey, of course not. I'm proud, actually. We thought of testing it out on animals, but humans? Brilliant!" He sort of exclaimed to himself, now measuring her length.

Catherine's eyes sparkled with hope and joy, "really?" She squeaked.

Not even an A+++ exam could compare to the reaction she got out of him, pure excitement in his eyes.
But maybe the excitement was a reflection from his daughter's eyes, pure evil hidden away behind the mask in his eyes.

Walter Hardy ended up doing several tests on his daughter; taking a sample of her blood, doing various scans, and testing her newfound abilities.

"Are we done yet?" Catherine asked as the sun was setting. She's been in his office for about two hours now.
"Just one more phone call..."

He then picked up his phone and made a call. The conversation was a little hushed, but Catherine could make some things out.

"-Yes. Black, and a mask of some sort."
"Yeah just borrow one from Stark. Thank you, Adrian."

No way. Her own suit? One that the Stark company made? Oh my, they must be so high-tech.
Catherine was beaming with excitement. "Do I get a suit?" She cheered.

Her father simply nodded, ending the call.

"So, I'm gonna be like, a superhero?!" She squealed with joy.

"Sure." Walter trailed off.

Typical. Hyping her up just to break it all down. Half-truths and half-lies were Walter's favorite language,
'but I didn't say that exactly' was his favorite sentence.

He always had an excuse to blame others or manipulate the truth itself.

Elli's comments ౨ৎ

I TRULY HATE HIM AND IT HURTS TO WRITE HIM

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