So Mira’s parents are dickheads. We know this.
When she was first chosen by Celine, Mira was angry, standoffish, and traumatized. She refused to be emotionally vulnerable because anytime she tried, she was accused of being dramatic or needy.
She also hid the first injuries she received as a hunter, because her parents never cared about it when she got hurt. She was used to patching herself up.
But this put Zoey and Rumi at risk. Being a team means you need communication, which Mira was lacking severely.
Celine was mad, but knew why Mira was doing this. She had similar experiences with her own parents, and needed to approach this carefully without making Mira withdraw even further.
So she gave Mira some tough love. It was hard for Mira to hear, but Celine ended it by saying this:
“None of what your parents did to you is your fault, Mira. You were a child who needed to be loved and cared for and that’s not what you got. You deserve better. And everything they did is not on you, and it never will be.”
That was all it took. Mira broke down sobbing, and Celine held her for 30 minutes while she cried. Once she calmed down, she profusely apologized for being reckless and stubborn. She didn’t realize how much she needed to hear those words.
A few weeks later, the girls when on their first solo hunt. Mira was able to hold her own, take calculated risks, and slay the most demons while having Zoey and Rumi’s backs.
When they returned, Mira heard the words she never thought she would.
“I’m proud of you, Mira. You did good today.”
Tears blurred her vision. Her parents never told her that, and she never thought anyone would say it to her.
She crushes Celine in a hug, which catches Celine off guard, but she returns the hug anyway.
Rumi and Zoey make a point of telling Mira how proud they are of her on a frequent basis.
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