Maria Fuyuki's Arc

Chapter 3 of 3

Maria heard the screaming before she saw them. A woman dragged a girl up the sidewalk toward the sanctuary, gripping her arm while the girl twisted and kicked. The girl couldn't have been more than thirteen. She clutched a stuffed bunny against her chest with her free hand, holding it like a shield. When they reached the door, the woman shoved the girl forward and said, "Fix her." Then she turned and walked away. The girl stood frozen at the threshold, bunny clutched tight, tears streaming down her face. Maria recognized the terror in her eyes — not the fear of powers awakening, but the fear of being abandoned by someone who should have stayed. This wasn't what the sanctuary was for. Maria had built this place for girls who came searching, not girls who were delivered like broken things. She stepped forward and said, "You don't have to come in." The girl looked up, surprised. Maria held the door open and waited. After a long moment, the girl took one step inside, then another. Maria closed the door behind her and understood something new: sometimes the first winter wasn't about teaching a girl to control her powers. Sometimes it was about teaching her she could choose to stay.