COPYCAT ✾ The Umbrella Academy

{ THREE }

The lights in the hotel lobby flicker on and off, making several people gasp just as I jump off my stool. Once they're back on, I cuck my empty yogurt container into the garbage and head toward the stairs. But just as I reach the steps, someone grabs my arm and pulls me back.

"Let me go!" I say to the old man that grabbed me for no apparent reason. "Get your hands off of me!" "I saw what you did!" The man, whose name tag reads "Chet" says as he fights to keep hold of me. "You're blind, old man!" I say, pushing the man away from me, just as a familiar voice rings out.

"Hey, hey, hey! What the hell are you doing?" Diego asks as he runs up to us. Chet stops trying to grab me as he instead looks at my father. "Your daughter stole food from the buffet when the lights went out." He says as if it was obvious.

"You need to get your eyes checked, old man. I didn't steal shit!" I defend myself. Diego looks from Chet to me and grabs my arm. "I got her." He says to the man before dragging me away.

"Let go of me!" I say angrily, jerking my arm out of my father's grip. "I didn't steal anything!" "Yeah, I know. But it's time for some ground rules. Alright?" Diego says, sitting me down on the stairs.

"How about no physical assault? That's a-" I start before Diego cuts me off by roughly grabbing my shoulders. "Shut up and listen." He says. I smack his hands away. "Then stop touching me, asshole." I retort. I really hate people touching me.

Diego sighs, sitting on the stairs next to me. I scooch away from him, just to be petty, while I cross my arms and scoff. For a second of silence, I can hear a phone ring somewhere in the hotel, and the wail of a siren from outside. Then Diego starts in on me.

"My father was a hall-of-fame asshole." He starts, looking at me as he folds his hands. "And when I was just a little pissant like you, I made a promise to myself that I would never act like him to any kid of... mine." His voice gets quieter and quieter until I almost can't hear the last word he said. But I do.

I can't help but glance at him, my face softening only slightly before I respond with a sarcastic comeback. "Yeah, stop. You're gonna make me cry." Diego ignores me, choosing to continue rather than respond. "But I'm a busy man, with a lot on my shoulders, okay? So I'm not gonna let you slow me down either, all right?" He says.

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, you look really busy right now." Diego sighs and groans at the same time. He looks like he wants to wring my neck, but his hands clench into fists, refraining from doing so. "You can stay until your mom gets back, all right?" He says. "But no more doing dumb shit, or else you and I are gonna have a serious problem. ¿Me entiendes?"

I shift as I feel my father's eyes boring into me, waiting for an answer. "I haven't done any 'dumb shit'," I finally say after a long silence. "And I don't speak Spanish." "Let's keep it that way." He responds.

I can't tell if he's referring to the fact that I don't speak Spanish or to the fact that I haven't done anything dumb. But, I suspect the latter. I groan, suddenly standing up and starting for the door, making up my mind that I need some fresh air.

"Where do you think you're going?" Diego asks, suddenly in front of me, halting me in my tracks. I look up at him and narrow my eyes. "For a walk. Outside. Alone." I say. Diego groans as if I'm the biggest pain in his ass. "Come on." He says, grabbing my arm before instantly pulling his hand away.

"I said I'm going alone," I say, stepping around him and starting to walk again. Diego follows me, opening his mouth to protest before Viktor walks up to us, again stopping me in mid-walk.

"Whoa, whoa!" Where do you think you're going?" He asks Diego. "I need you to stay put and not do anything stupid until I get the briefcase back." "Kid thing," Diego says simply. "We'll be back soon." I guess my father doesn't understand the meaning of "alone".

Before we leave (for real this time), I turn to Viktor. "Congratulations," I say. My uncle smiles once he gets what I'm referring to.