Author's Notes: Hey there! This fic was inspired by a scene from the Season 2 Trailer for the Mysterious Benedict Society, and it is the first in a series where I write requests. To submit a request, and for more details, check out my tumblr acollectionofcuriousreblogs. Hope you enjoy!

….

Constance had power. Constance had a silver dollar coin, and to a child in a convenience store, the two were practically the same. It was a sluggish Saturday afternoon, a day when the sun hung heavy and hot in the sky, scorching the helpless Stonetown resident with merciless wrath. For children off of school, it was an awful morning for skipping rope, an abysmal afternoon to play tag, and a no-good day to do anything at all except sit inside and wait to go to bed.

Constance Contraire did not go to school and she did not like to skip rope or play tag. But it was still an awful, abysmal, no-good day for her. It had been almost two weeks since Mr. Benedict and Number Two had left the house to go prepare some great adventure for her and her friends: Reynie Muldoon, Kate Wetherall, and Sticky Washington. While Constance did a good deal of complaining about her fellow residents, she truly enjoyed their company and missed them dearly now that they were gone.

When Constance walked around Mr. Benedict's large house, she was used to feeling anxious about running into him, anxious about him asking her questions and then wondering how she might respond to them. When she sat at the dinner table, she was accustomed to having Number Two fuss over her clothes and poor manners and go on about how she really must clean that room of hers. But with the two of them gone, none of this happened anymore.

When Mr. Benedict and Number Two were home, she felt awkward. Awkward for taking up space, for living in their home, for accepting their generosity. Awkward in the way that, with Rhonda, the three of them acted like a family, and how they treated her like family too, despite her rejection of the adoption offered to her.

When Mr. Benedict and Number Two left, they took the awkwardness with them. But in its place, they left a breeding ground for loneliness and boredom. Constance would take all the awkwardness in the world over that.

Rhonda had been doing a wonderful job. Board games, baking, and excursions around Stonetown took up most of their first week alone together. But eventually, there was no more avoiding the work Rhonda had to do, so Constance's last couple days had been spent filling the time with solitary activities and a great deal of moping around the house.

Rhonda had taken notice, so at lunch that day, she slid a singular silver coin across the table and told Constance that, if she wished, she could go down to the convenience store and buy anything she liked.

"Unsupervised?" Constance had asked.

Rhonda nodded. "But only to the convenience store, then come straight back. And take the main roads! And avoid people dressed in suits and…"

She went on like this for some time until she'd almost convinced herself not to let Constance go at all, but Constance reassured her that she would stay safe, and then left without putting her dishes away.

And so, Constance found herself in the local Dollar and Dime shop, clutching her token. The coin was thrilling. One small disc held great promises of freedom and responsibility.

"Buy whatever you like…" Rhonda had said. Whatever she liked. What a lovely concept to think about. Constance had never had money before. Not that she recalled, at least. She didn't even know what she was supposed to want, but she was sure she would find it sitting on one of the long, metal shelves. What an amazing, new experience this was. She couldn't wait to tell Mr. Benedict about it.

Mr. Benedict. Her heart dropped at the thought of him. Ever since he'd left, she'd felt sad whenever she was reminded of him. She didn't like feeling sad, so she pushed past the thought and looked around her.

There weren't many people in the store. One woman stood hunched over, examining the myriad of items in the Medicine and Health section. Her fingers jumped from a box claiming "Miracle Migraine Relief!" to a book titled "The Happiness Revolution".

The only other person in the store was the cashier. He was a young man with thick curls that bounced as he rocked back and forth cheerfully. He was humming a song softly to himself, one that Constance had heard before yet could not recall the title of. When he saw her, his mouth split open in a toothy smile, saliva glistening on slightly yellowed enamel and fleshy gums.

"Hello there!" The cashier gave her a wave. "Looking to buy some candy, little girl?"

Candy, yes. She liked candy. She would buy some candy.

"Undoubtedly." Constance shrugged. "Where might I find some?"

The man answered her question by reaching beneath the counter and pulling out a large, glass jar filled with rainbow colored confections. He beckoned her closer and Constance came forward to examine the treats.

"There are so many," she whispered, mainly to herself. "How much can I get for this?" She handed her silver coin to the man who rubbed it against his shirt and laughed.

"Five pieces!" He exclaimed, tucking the money away.

"How am I ever to choose?"

"Take all the time you need." He winked at her and left to assist the other woman, who had come forward to check out.

Constance reached into the jar and took out a handful of sweets. The sheer variety astounded her. Caramels, lollipops, hard candies, chewy candies, and everything in between lay spread out before her. She could only pick five? How unfortunate. She debated going back home and asking Rhonda for another coin, but quickly dismissed the thought.

As she set to the task of sorting through them, she listened to the conversation of the cashier and the sole other customer.

"Fine day today, isn't it?" He chirped.

"Suppose so."

"Say, I have this book!" The cashier paused his duties to hold up the book in question and flip through the pages tenderly. "The Happiness Revolution. Truly an amazing piece of literature. I can't tell you enough how much it helped me. That Curtain fellow knows his stuff!"

Constance dropped the lemon drop she'd been holding. It clattered on the counter beneath her, but she hardly noticed as she turned to look at the pair.

The book he held was perfectly innocuous in appearance, except for the familiar person posed on its back cover. It was a man, a man with shocking resemblance to Constance's beloved Mr. Benedict, but who was, at the exact same time, completely different. It was none other than Dr. Ledroptha Curtain.

"Excuse me," Constance interrupted, ignoring the conversation that had continued between the two. "May I see that book?"

"Why, sure thing!" The cashier handed it over, ignoring the woman's silent gesture of protest. "Looks like it would be worth a read for you, wearing a frown like that."

"What's it about?" Constance tried to keep her voice casual, but her heart was pounding in her throat and the world felt dizzy as she stared down at the wretched man grinning up at her from the page.

"It teaches you how to be happy!"

"And this book…it made you happy?"

"Extremely!" To prove his point, the man took his fingers and pulled the corners of his lips upwards, stretching his skin back in a horrible grin. "See?" he said, still in that awkward position, his words coming out muffled.

Constance nodded slowly and handed the book back to the woman, who's sour expression demanded it be returned.

"Have you decided what candies you want?"

Constance shook her head.

"Well here, I'll help you decide between—"

"That's alright!" Constance spoke quickly. "I'm not hungry."

The man titled his head as if regarding a wounded puppy. "You should smile more," he said quietly. "You'd be happier that way."

Constance swallowed. "I think I'm going to go home now."

"But here! Your coin—"

"Keep it."

Constance shoved out the door and began to retrace her steps. She wrapped her arms around herself, squeezing tightly. She needed to get home. Nothing felt safe. Her mind was racing, clinging to that image of Dr. Curtain, smiling, and of the cashier, also smiling. She saw the faces of people on the sidewalks next to her, grinning and laughing, their voices distorted into malicious, mocking chuckles. She began to run.

…..

When the house finally came into view, she did not let herself relax until she collapsed through the front door. She should be safe now. But she was not. For Mr. Benedict wasn't here, and the closest thing she had of him was that image of his brother, permanently ingrained in her memory.

What was the meaning of it all? Why had Curtain written a book? Why didn't she know about it? Mr. Benedict would have the answers, if only he were here.

Constance dragged herself over to the mirror and looked at her reflection. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen herself smiling. How long had it been? A day? A week? Or perhaps, she hadn't smiled since they'd left.

Constance smiled in the mirror, just to see if she still could. It was a weak smile. So she took her hands and pulled her lips up and open, revealing a mouth full of crooked teeth that had only seen a dentist twice in their life. She was doing all the right things, but it was not a smile. She let her hands drop. Her face settled back into a trademark scowl.

"Constance? Is that you?" Rhonda called as she descended the stairs into the foyer. Constance nearly wept at the sight of her, but she didn't.

"Oh dear…" Rhonda murmured upon seeing the girl. She strided over, and Constance let herself be pulled into a hug.

"What happened?"

"I failed," Constance admitted softly

"Failed?"

"I…I didn't buy anything. And I left the coin behind too."

"Oh Constance," Rhonda stroked her hair lovingly. "It was just a coin."

No it wasn't, Constance thought, it was so much more. But she didn't say any of this.

Instead, she let Rhonda guide her upstairs into the study where she was working. Constance was allowed to sit by the window with a glass of cold lemonade that she held in her hands more than she drank. The cold from the ice cubes seeped into the pads of her fingers and spread throughout her, reminding her that even the sun and all its heat was only so powerful.

She sat there for many hours until it was time to make dinner, upon which her and Rhonda moved to the kitchen for a dinner of meatloaf washed down by tall glasses of chocolate milk. And then they cleaned the dishes and did their evening reading and both climbed into bed, exhausted.

And that night, as Constance lay beneath thick sheets, she was haunted by vicious laughter and the cruel, horrible smile of Dr. Ledroptha Curtain.