#oc mariah

[rock-a-noodle]

[hipsofsteel]

fic title prompt: her mother heard the devil on the midday radio (from the way i talk by s.g. goodman)

for this ask prompt

her mother heard the devil on the mid-day radio

here, sibling, have something vaguely AU-adjacent.

Mariah may still be a child, but she's never seen her momma particularly scared. Helen's grit and sheer stubbornness has gotten them through years of bad harvests and droughts, as they cling onto their land. They stay deep in the mountains to hide Mariah's gifts. Momma doesn't call them powers. Powers, she tells Mariah, only means bad things can come to them.

She sees the photos on the mantle of her momma and her daddy. She tries to ask about him sometimes, but momma says she'll tell her when she's older. When she can keep all the secrets she needs to keep. Momma says daddy's still out there, staying safe somewhere. That one day, he'll come home again.

But then there comes the news announcement as they're driving to one of Mariah's doctor appointments, the off the record ones. An announcement that the prime suspect in the disappearance of a government agent has been arrested.

Mariah doesn't know who Christopher Joseph is, but she's never seen her momma look so terrified.

Chris "definitely killed a man to protect my daughter from being taken away by the government" Joseph is the most valid father of the year once again