I am not a stranger to the dark
Hide away, they say
'Cause we don't want your broken parts
I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars
Run away, they say
No one'll love you as you are

-This Is Me; by Keala Settle + The Greatest Showman Ensemble (From The Greatest Showman, 2017)

June, 1930

Ana Novak grew up in Slovenia, the middle child of eight children, and the only daughter to her Romani parents. Life was, for the most part, difficult for the Novak family. Every member of the family had to work to contribute, to get enough money saved up to one day get out of their native country. But it seemed, no matter how hard they tried, there was always something that set them back. It started when Ana's mother, Katja, died from illness. The day Katja fell ill, it took most of the family's earnings to get her medicine and a proper doctor. It took a lot of time and effort to find someone who was willing to help the Novaks. In their little community, they were shunned for being Romani. Sadly, when Katja's medication failed to work, and the doctor could find nothing else to assist in her recovery, it resulted in the Novak matriarch's death. Whatever remained of the family's funds went into a funeral and contacting family members.

By the time Ana had turned eleven, her father, Jakob, had become an abusive alcoholic, blowing whatever money the family earned on booze and women. Any plans the family had of leaving Slovenia had vanished in just two years. For Ana, however, she wasn't about to let herself stay, or even die, in such a toxic environment. By the time she turned eighteen, she had saved up enough money for a one-way trip out of her home country. Her travels eventually led her to Hawaii, where she stayed for a number of years. She learned their language and their culture, even marrying a man native to the country. The couple ended up having two daughters, twins Malia and Kala. By the time the twins were four, their father died, which left Ana widowed with two young children. As a result of that, Ana chose to take her daughters and live somewhere else. While she enjoyed living in Hawaii, she couldn't stand living somewhere her husband wasn't. The small family chose New York as their latest home. It took a long time, and plenty of hardships, but they made it.

But it seemed as though things for the small family got more complicated. Over the summer, a young woman came to the small apartment Ana and her children lived in. The woman was Asian, claiming she had been watching the family for quite some time. She offered Ana and her children an opportunity to see something beautiful, to become something more. It was an offer that was taken with hesitation, but accepted nonetheless. The woman had introduced herself as Jiaying, promising that the family would be safe and happy in the community they were being sent to. But, it was a secret community, which meant the family couldn't even know where it was. Jiaying guided the family outside of their apartment building and into an alley, where another woman was waiting. The woman instructed for everyone to hold each other's hands, something Ana couldn't comprehend. Her daughters seemed a little eager to do so, grabbing each other's hands tightly before grabbing Ana's and Jiaying's. When everyone was finally touching, the woman transported them, instantly, to the community Jiaying had mentioned.

0 . 0 . 0. 0

Over the course of seven years, during each summer without fail, Ana and her children would go to that community. Each summer, they'd meet the woman, who called herself Bella Rose, in the alleyway. Bella Rose had grown close to the family, had watched Malia and Kala grow and Ana work into her second marriage. She was always eager to transport the family from their home in Brooklyn to the community known as Afterlife.

Ana, Malia, and Kala had learned so much in Afterlife. They learned about their true genetic heritage; that they were the descendants of something bigger. That they had it in them to reach their true potential. All they had to do was train for it. Jiaying had expressed countless times that each person who came to Afterlife was given a guide, someone who would help them mentally and emotionally train for their eventual trip through the Mist. However, it was also stated that only Afterlife's elders, or Jiaying herself, picked one person a year to go through the Mist. It was tradition. There had been a few instances were no one was allowed to go through, due to them not being seen as ready. The Mist, from what the twins came to understand, allowed their true potential to be unlocked. It could either give them noticeable physical transformations, or more subtle ones. It was a guessing game. But the twins' guides, and Jiaying, stated that the Mist allowed their people to obtain a sort of balance that was originally missing. Something that was needed to bring about a more equal grounding. Ana herself found it all to be fascinating, but she also had to question why Jiaying had known about the family for so long.

"I have a friend," Jiaying had said, "who specializes in locating those who haven't transformed. He told me about you and your daughters. He believed someone in your family had great potential. I also believe it's my job to help my people learn about their true heritage."

By the twins reached eleven years old, Jiaying had decided one of them was ready to go through the Mist. Malia had been chosen. For Kala, she considered that to be the utmost betrayal. She believed it was her right to change, too. Kala and Malia were twins, they did everything together. Why couldn't they change together? Jiaying had said Kala needed more training, but it, in the young girl's mind, seemed as though something was being kept hidden. That caused even more anger to surge through Kala.

The day Malia was to be sent through the Mist was a ceremonious one. The people in the community wore traditional, formal attire, gathering around to see such a young girl change. Malia's guide had informed her that the Mist would originate from a special crystal called the Terrigen Crystal. That was the only thing in the world that allowed them to reach their full potential. Malia had also seen enough changes to know that after the Mist disappears, the cocoon appears. The cocoon is a dark brown, stone-like layer. It produces from the person's skin, instantly hardening after the area is covered. Some people who underwent the change lasted a couple minutes, others a few hours. There were only a rare few who lasted days or even weeks. For Malia, she lasted roughly half an hour. When her cocoon broke off, she felt different. Her skin felt tingly, her insides felt as if they were constantly shifting. She felt uncomfortable in her own skin. The one thing she did notice however was her hair changed. Originally, Malia had hair similar to her mother's - black, thick, with unruly curls. The tips of her hair changed from black to bright pink. The next change she noticed was the pink electric energy that crackled around her hands. In no time at all, the energy started to become unruly. Anything and anyone could be inflicted by the power Malia could produce. Buildings were crumbling, people were getting hurt. Jiaying had the eleven year old placed in a specialized room while she spoke to Ana and Kala.

"What happened to her?" Ana cried.

"Every cell in her has changed," Jiaying explained. "Both in her body and her mind."

"I know how the procedure works," Ana exclaimed sharply. "That doesn't answer my question!"

"If you're wondering what her powers are, then I would say she has the ability to control probability."

Ana's brows furrowed, her mouth hanging open a little.

"I've seen this only once before," Jiaying explained, "years ago with another young Inhuman. He could control luck. With him, he brought good luck upon himself, and bad luck on those around him. For Malia, I would say she brings only bad luck to everything and everyone around her."

"Bad luck?" Kala scoffed. "That's her power?"

"It's a rare but serious one," Jiaying said, her tone soothing but scolding. "Left uncontrolled, Malia can destroy everything around her."

The sounds of Malia's cries in the room, the sounds of things breaking and crashing in the room, caused Jiaying and the family to look on in both pity and sympathy.

"I will have Janine train Malia," Jiaying explained. "She is one of our best when it comes to those with powers like this. I will tell Frieda she's done all she can and assign her to a new member."

"You're sure this Janine will be able to help my daughter?" Ana asked, her voice trembling. She held Kala close to her, looking at the door Malia was in with wide, tearful eyes. "Frieda seemed so close with Malia."

"Yes, I believe Janine will be perfect." Jiaying placed a comforting hand on the mother's shoulder. "She's had experience with this before. Her powers are also powerful, they left her feeling terrified, feeling as though she couldn't control herself. Trust me when I say Janine is perfect for this."

"...Okay."

0 . 0 . 0 . 0

Malia couldn't understand what was happening. Her hands were covered in bright pink, electric-like energy. Whatever she touched, or whatever she looked at, or wherever direction her hands were pointed in, something would be destroyed. Or, in the worst case scenario, someone would get hurt. Malia couldn't understand it. She'd seen the transformation countless times, she knew that some people had harder times accepting their powers than others, but Malia couldn't imagine hers being so destructive. She always imagined hers being something cool, like mind-reading, precognition, or telekinesis. Not...destruction. Looking down at her hands again, Malia felt another surge of fear wash over her as the pink coloration, those tendrils of electricity, seemed to glow brighter and become more intense. Throwing her hands out, Malia let out a shriek as waves of energy hit a nearby wall, causing it to crack. The room itself was starting to fall apart, cracks to the walls, ground, and ceiling were causing the structure to crumble. Chunks of the ceiling were falling on the ground, dust was flying into Malia's face.

When the door to the room opened, a feeling of dread washed over Malia. The energy around her hands hadn't dissipated, not even for a little while. The overwhelming sense of fear that remained in her body only intensified at the sound of that door opening.

"Malia Kensington." It was a woman's voice. Younger than Frieda's, Malia's old guide. "My name is Janine Thompson. I've been assigned by Jiaying to help you."

Turning her head slightly, Malia looked at Janine. She had to be somewhere in her late twenties or early thirties. She had blonde hair, pinned up out of her face, styled in the current fashion. Janine's eyes were brown, her face soft, but her voice was loud and firm.

"W-What happened to Frieda?" Malia asked.

"She's being reassigned to a new member," Janine stated. "I'll help you through your transitioning. I've done this plenty of times before."

Taking a shaky breath, Malia brought her hands in, slowly curling her fingers into fists. Tears sprung in her eyes at the thought of not having Frieda with her anymore. She had been Malia's closest friend, the biggest influence in her life when it came to her Inhumanity. Frieda had been an older woman from Spain, one who'd embraced her Inhuman culture decades before. Malia learned so much from her, so it broke her heart knowing she'd be reassigned.

"Don't worry, okay?" Janine's voice became soft. "I'll help you through this. I just need you to trust me."

"How can I trust you?" Malia hissed. The energy around her hands became brighter, the electricity starting to run up her wrists, as well.

"Because I've been in your position before. Please, Malia, let me help you."

6 Years Later

It had been six years since Malia Kensington unlocked her true Inhuman nature. Since she reached her full potential. In those years, with plenty of visits to Afterlife, she came to fully control her abilities with the help of Janine. It had been a hard transition, but it worked in the end. Janine proved to be a good teacher, one who was patient but firm. She gave Malia advice on how to further keep herself further in check emotionally and mentally. She gave tips on how to harness her abilities and when to appropriately use them. While Janine expressed that Malia's abilities should never be used unless completely necessary, Malia believed she should use her powers if someone absolutely deserved it. She was able to inflict bad luck onto others, she could use her powers on those who were inflicting pain on others. Janine had been quick to shoot that way of thinking down. And as Malia got older, she came to realize that her initial way of looking at her abilities had been both disturbing and extremely inappropriate. Janine, Frieda, even Jiaying, taught incoming and outgoing Inhumans that their lives should be kept a secret. The rest of the world wouldn't be ready for the realization of enhanced individuals. Inhuman safety always came first. And with that, keeping Afterlife a secret. If humans found the Inhuman sanctuary, God only knows what kind of destruction would happen.

So, by the time Malia turned seventeen, she came to embrace her Inhuman nature and everything that came with it. Her powers were under her control, she could live her life in a healthy manner. She could be happy. The only problem was Kala. In the six years since Malia's transformation, Jiaying continuously denied Kala her chance to change. There were many factors that led to the decision. One of them being Kala's resentment and jealousy over Malia's change. Being twins, the two usually did everything together. But when Jiaying only allowed Malia the chance to change, it left Kala feeling left out; inferior. The thoughts festered and built up into intense negativity that just wouldn't go away. Kala's guide, Aiden, expressed great concern for her. He'd told Jiaying he believed she should be denied her "birthright", but Afterlife's leader wanted the child to have a chance. Kala could have it in her to let go of her negativity, to move forward and finally claim what belonged to her. But in the years that followed, that never happened. Ana, Malia, and Jiaying continued to witness Kala's downward spiral, and, by the time the duo were seventeen, Ana had to remove her youngest daughter from Afterlife. No progress had been made to heal her emotionally. There was no point in them staying. Malia, on the other hand, tried to visit as frequently as possible. Since her abilities were under control, she didn't have to go back as often as before. But she tried when she had the chance.

But, for the first time since moving to Brooklyn, the Kensington family found themselves not going to the Inhuman sanctuary. They were spending the summer with Victor, Ana's husband and the twins' stepfather. They were going to do normal things that normal families typically did. It was a big step forward for them. Well, almost all of them.

"Kal, are you ready to go?" Malia called. It was a warm summer day. Ana and Victor had gone off to work for the day, leaving the twins to take care of the daily tasks. For Malia, she made deliveries for local stores in the area on top of working as a seamstress. Kala worked as a house cleaner.

"Why don't you just go?" Kala snapped, her voice muffled by a closed door. The twins shared a bedroom, since the apartment wasn't all that big. "I don't need you waiting for me all the time."

"You're my sister, it's important that we go together."

"I'm seventeen, I'm not a child."

"That doesn't matter. I'm older so it's my job to make sure you're okay."

"You're older by twelve minutes."

"And?"

"Just go, Mal, I don't need you."

With a huff, Malia stormed over to the bedroom and tried wiggling the doorknob. The door wouldn't open. "You do know I can break this door down," she called. "Don't make me do that, especially to Victor."

"I'm getting dressed."

"Well hurry up. I can't afford to be late."

"You won't be late if you'd just leave, Malia."

Growling in frustration, Malia slammed her fist on the door. "Fine," she snapped. "I'll stop by Madam Eppinette's at the end of my shift to make sure you showed up." Storming to the front door, Malia grabbed all her items before heading out. She wasn't about to lose her job because her sister was being difficult.

(A/N):

What'd you guys think? Hopefully it wasn't too much. If you guys see anything in this first chapter that could use improvement, don't hesitate to let me know, okay? I'd greatly appreciate it.

Also, nothing in the MCU belongs to me. All I own are my OCs and the subplots I put in. If you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, don't hesitate to let me know, okay? Reviewer contribution can be really important. At least, that's what I think.

Like I said before, let me know what could use improvement. If I'm not told what's bothering or confusing you guys, I won't know to change it. Also, that kind of feedback can help me improve as a writer. So it'll be really important to me that I get whatever feedback you guys can provide.

On that note, I'll wrap this author's note up!

Be kind to one another. Don't drink and drive.

See you on the flip side.

Daisy J