The Eighth Member || Five Hargreeves

Prelude //001// Manifestation

QUICK DISCLAIMER THAT THERE ARE DEPICTIONS OF BODILY HARM AND LOSS OF BLOOD, IF THAT IS TRIGGERING IN SOME WAY PLEASE DON'T READ THIS OR DO BUT PLEASE BE CAREFUL.

17 years ago

Eight sat on her bed, her back against the headboard, legs stretched out in front of her and feet crossed over one another reading a book Six had lent to her. A radio played faintly in the background, she would have nodded her head along with the song if she wasn't so immersed in the book.

The song was cut off abruptly, leaving the room in temporary silence before the radio host reported a bank robbery in progress, and shortly after that alarms were blaring throughout the house.

Eight cringed at the sheer volume of it and rubbed her temples, she was sure she was going to have a headache later. Probably lose her hearing too if she has to hear that damn alarm one more time.

She stood from her bed and placed a bookmark in her book and placed it on her bedside table.

She strode to her door and peeked her head out her door and saw her siblings running around like headless chickens.

She laughed quietly to herself and stepped toward her dresser. On top laid dark grey woollen gloves and a pair of binoculars her father had given her for when they observe her siblings on a mission.

She pulled the gloves over her hands and ambled out of her room. She walked past everyone's rooms and heard Three yelling for Grace to ask if she had seen the girl's mask, she didn't hear Grace's reply but assumed she did because the next thing she knew Three was barreling past her and toward where their father was waiting in the foyer.

She walked past Two's room and heard him trying to tell his reflection not to move, but he couldn't complete his sentence with how much he was stuttering. Eight was about to go in when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Grace smiling at her and shaking her head. Eight stepped back and allowed Grace to walk into the room.

Eight walked away and decided to go to Six's room, he was one of her more favourable siblings.

She walked up to his room and saw that he wasn't there. She then heard laughter from the room behind her and turned to see Four jumping on his bed and Six trying to put out his desk drawer that had somehow caught fire.

She shook her head fondly and decided that she would just wait in the foyer with her father.

When she got there, only three of them were there, those three being Three, One, and Seven.

She went and stood next to Seven, the girl was her best friend, and understood what it was like to be the ordinary one before Reginald had figured out her powers. But that hadn't stopped the two girls from becoming close.

"Hi," she whispered to her sister. Seven smiled and whispered back, "Ready to see me show the other numbers who's boss?"

Eight had always liked the competitive side of her sister, it was so unlikely but yet so uniquely Seven. And 'the other numbers' is what the two usually called their siblings, since their supposed father couldn't give them real names, but numbers. It became a little inside joke to the two.

"Always," Eight answered as Reginald sent a disapproving look to the two girls. She held his gaze for a moment before she felt Seven's eyes on her. She turned to her sister and they couldn't help but giggle at each other for a reason they didn't know.

Eight was grateful that Seven hadn't left her after finding her powers as her other siblings had done. She glanced disdainfully at the other two siblings waiting in the foyer, they either didn't notice her stare or simply didn't care.