𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 ━ five hargreeves³

II│INTERLUDE II: RELATIONSHIPS III

It didn't help that her father encouraged her behavior— though not the use of her powers on him, of course. He always supported the children practicing their gifts in order to be stronger, better, faster. He didn't even mind the use of them on each other— just as long as it didn't cause team morale to decline.

☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎

It all started after their first mission.

The team was riding the high of the adrenaline rush— even days later— when they were scheduled to do their first interview. As Number One, Luther was mostly the one who spoke but everyone got a piece to say. Diego repeated his carefully practiced lines. Allison answered each question with composed ease. Klaus' comments were amusing and (sometimes) borderline inappropriate. Five kept his replies short and to the point. Ben responded to his questions shyly.

Alexa— as she had always been— was jittery and full of energy during the interview. She could barely sit still for two seconds as she waited impatiently for her turn. If Five had been sitting next to her (as it was, they were in number order) he would have put a hand on her knee to keep it from bouncing. When it was finally, finally her turn, her golden-retriever-like enthusiasm unexpectedly charmed the interviewer. The journalist even added some extra questions for her to answer because of her candidness— perhaps a mistake in the long run.

Then, the headlines started coming out:

BLONDE OR BRUNETTE? READERS PICK THEIR FAVORITE UMBRELLA ACADEMY SISTER!

WOULD YOU RATHER: A) BE SAVED BY THE GUARDIAN ANGEL OR B) GO ON A SHOPPING SPREE WITH THE RUMOR?

HOT OR NOT? WHICH UMBRELLA ACADEMY PAIRING IS THE CUTEST?

PROTECTOR VS. RUMOR: ONLY FRIENDS FOR THE FAME?

And finally, the one that affected Allison the most:

TEEN QUEENS: WHO'S DESTINED FOR HOLLYWOOD?
The Guardian Angel and The Rumor share their dreams for the future. Do their plans match their personalities?

Based off of reader polls, they determined that Alexa was the one meant for stardom and fame— a dream that had always been Allison's.

☂︎ ☂︎ ☂︎

Number Three couldn't take her eyes off the damning words. It's decided: we'll be seeing the Guardian Angel on the big screen within the next decade!

The ink blurred in front of her as her eyes stung with tears. She refused to let them fall; some dumb article wasn't enough to make her break down like this. Who cared what the public thought? Who cared if they always chose Alexa over her? Who cared if they thought that the two blondes— Alexa and Luther— looked best together?

The page crumpled in Allison's hands under the force of her angry fist. She'd show them! There was no way her sister— her stupid, sweet, flighty sister— could ever handle the gossip and cruelty of Hollywood. What did the public know of her feelings for Luther (or possibly vice versa)? It was only because they gave off the same energy and looked similar.

It wouldn't take a genius to identify what she was feeling: envy.

In a family of six other super-powered siblings, it was always a scramble for attention. It was rarely given and any morsel that was left out was pounced upon as if they were vultures fighting over roadkill. Even scarcer was praise— which the magazine articles so freely gave to the eighth Hargreeves. All Allison wanted was to be recognized for her ability. She wanted someone to see that her Rumors were good, that they were something to be admired rather than feared. (But even she was slowly growing familiar to the unpleasant truth.)