𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 ~ 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀

~ Chapter Four ~

Back in her bedroom, Dusk continued to work on her song. Her fingers gently touched the weighted keys, each letting a beautiful note come out. Whenever it came to working on her music, she became so focused that she would completely ignore her surroundings. And as the melodic tune echoed through the room, she hoped that this time Luther wouldn't force her to come out of her musical zone.

Found you when your heart was broke
I filled your cup until it overflowed
Took it so far to keep you close
I was afraid to leave you on your own

I said I'd catch you if you fall
And if they laugh, then fuck 'em all
And then I got you off your knees
Put you right back on your feet
Just so you can take advantage of me

Tell me how's it feel sitting up there
Feeling so high but too far away to hold me
You know I'm the one who put you up there
Name in the sky
Does it ever get lonely?
Thinking you could live without me
Thinking you could live without me

Baby, I'm the one who put you up there
I don't know why
Thinking you could live without me
Live without me
Baby, I'm the one who put you up there
I don't know why

You don't have to say just what you did
I already know
I had to go and find out from them
So tell me how's it feel

Tell me how's it feel sitting up there
Feeling so high but too far away to hold me
You know I'm the one who put you up there
Name in the sky
Does it ever get lonely?

Thinking you could live without me
Thinking you could live without me
Baby, I'm the one who put you up there
I don't know why

Suddenly, a loud crack of lightning startled her, making her nearly fell off the bench. She looked through her window and saw a blue vibrating hole forming in the backyard. She quickly ran down the stairs and out to the backyard where the rest of her siblings were, just as equally shocked and confused. "What is that thing?!" She called out. "Looks like some sort of temporal anomaly. Either that or a miniature black hole. One of the two," Luther shouted over the whooshing. "Out of the way!" Klaus shouted, rushing towards the hole with an extinguisher and throwing the red metal into it.

"What is that gonna do?!" Allison shouted. "I don't know! Do you have a better idea?" Another crack of thunder made Klaus jump, and everyone gathered behind Luther. Dusk felt her heart race faster and faster as she wondered what could happen next. Suddenly, she felt someone gently squeeze her hand, and glanced over her shoulder to see it was Klaus. A human figure started coming through the vortex, and when they finally escaped its clutches, they fell onto the ground.

The portal waned into nothingness, and the mysterious person slowly stood up and revealed to be someone they remembered all too well. "Does anyone see little Number Five? Or is it just me?" Klaus squinted. Five looked down at his oversized suit and said one word, "Shit." He quickly ran inside, and the others followed close behind as he walked into the kitchen and started making a sandwich. "What's the date? The exact date?" He asked as he grabbed the bag of bread. "The 24th," Vanya answered.

"Of what?" Five queried. "March," Dusk elaborated. Five ignored his siblings as he continued making his sandwich. Luther stood next to him, hoping that Five would eventually take notice and answer their questions. "It's been seventeen years," Luther said in an annoyed tone. "It's been a lot longer than that!" Five scoffed, spacial jumping to the fridge and then to one of the shelves. "Where did you go?" Diego asked. "The future. It's shit, by the way," the boy explained, returning to the table with a bag of marshmallows. "I should've listened to the old man. You know, jumping through space is one thing, but jumping through time is a toss of the dice,"

Five looked at Klaus for a moment and saw his skirt before returning to making his sandwich. "How did you get back?" Dusk asked. "In the end, I had to project my consciousness forward into a suspended quantum state version of myself that exists across every possible instance of time," he explained. Everyone at the table looked at each other, having no idea what he was talking about. "That makes no sense," Diego said, still trying to process. "It would if you were smarter," Five replied in a smart-aleck tone. Klaus and Dusk held back fits of laughter as Diego stood up with anger in his eyes, wanting to lash out at Five. But Luther held him back.

"How long were you there?" Luther questioned.  "Forty-five years, give or take," Five answered. "So, you're fifty-eight?" Dusk asked, her mouth hanging open in shock. "No, Dusk. My consciousness is fifty-eight. My body is now thirteen again. Delores kept saying the equations were off. I bet she's laughing now," Everyone looked at each other again in confusion, questioning who this Delores was. But it was clear to Dusk that Five must've met a woman with that name when he went to the future. Five took a bite of his sandwich and picked up the newspaper, reading the front page. "I guess I missed the funeral," Five sighed as he looked at the enlarged picture of Reginald.

"How do you know about that?" Luther asked. "Oh my god, what part of the future do you not understand?" Five scoffed before walking away, his sandwich in hand. "That's it? That's all you have to say?" Allison called out. "What else is there to say? Circle of life!" With Five dodging their questions or speaking in a confusing scientific language, the rest of the Umbrellas were still left wondering why Five came back seventeen years later. "Well, that was quite eventful," Dusk said, breaking the silence before getting up and walking upstairs. As she climbed up the stairs, a pair of footsteps followed close behind her. Klaus was right behind.

The two climbed the rest of the way, separating as they disappeared into their rooms. The raven laid down on her bed, comprehending what had just happened. The brother she barely talked to when they were kids was back in their lives right after their father had died. This day could not get any weirder. Glimpsing down at her wrist, she rolled up her sleeve and looked down at the Umbrella tattoo, sighing as she recalled the day she and her siblings got them.

"Children! Come downstairs!" Reginald called from down the steps. All the children, save for Vanya, went downstairs and saw a man with tattoos all over his arms, setting up a machine and looking through a small case of needles. "As you grow up, I want you to remember that you will always be part of The Umbrella Academy. So, you all will be getting special tattoos," the old man explained. Dusk's eyes widened when she saw the box of needles. She never liked the sight of them.

Reginald's eyes scanned the children as he pondered who should get the first tattoo. "Number Eight, go sit down in that chair," Reginald said, pointing to the chair next to the tattoo artist. She gulped loudly and slowly sat down, holding her left wrist out. Someone bent down next to her, and she opened her eyes and looked to see Klaus placing his hand in hers. "Squeeze it as much as you want. I don't care if you break it," He whispered. Dusk chuckled as she squeezed his hand. The needle dug into her skin, and she bit her lip to suppress a groan.

Tears started to form in her eyes, but she blinked them away, not wanting to show she was in pain, though the look on her face said otherwise. "Alright, your done," The man said, putting down his ink machine. She let out a sigh of relief and sat down next to Klaus when it was his turn, returning the favor.