The joint funeral took place just a couple of days later. Five small caskets lined up in a row. They were lowered one by one, into their own holes in the damp earth. It didn't rain that day, seemingly in spite of the cliché.
"I'm sorry you can't be there."
A hand reached out to grasp hers. It was cold and boney in that way that old people's hands are. She filched away. She always did.
"Now, Charlotte." The coldness felt like it was seeping into her own bones, covering her skin in goose flesh, and filling her with ice. "I know that this has been very hard for you- what happened was terrible- but it wasn't your fault."
Her eyes met her case worker's briefly. Charlotte never held eye contact anymore. The woman wouldn't be on this job much longer, that much was clear. Her hair was fully white at the roots, her hearing completely shot. Soon there would be someone else to place Charlotte in temporary homes.
She never thought it was her fault. Should she have?
"You know that, right?"
Yes. She had never thought otherwise.
The screams were there despite that. Like something whispered into her ear that only she could hear. They were forever present in the back of her mind. When her hospital room got quiet, and she could hear her own breathing, it was like they were right there, bellowing out in agony and begging for help she couldn't give.
They were in caskets, now. Buried six feet under the damp earth. The screams shouldn't be heard from there.
"Right."
The silence was too much, always too much. The screams-
"How are you feeling?"
She hated that question. The past few days that was a mantra, repeated by every person who entered the room. The answer, the real answer that she would never really speak, lost meaning. Bad. That was simple, too simple to really describe it. Charlotte couldn't describe it. When she grew up, maybe she'd find the right words, but those words would haunt her as well.
"Well." That was simple.
"Your legs?"
The pain was slowly starting to subside. The taut skin hurt when stretched. The doctors explained that the majority of the burned area was replaced by something called a skin graft. It was hers, just in the wrong place.
She could walk, though, so she supposed she was alright. "Okay."
The days flew by, merged together, and dragged on all at once. What time was it? When did the funerals take place? Charlotte didn't know.
It wasn't until a month later that she was allowed to visit the cemetery. It was raining that day and she was wrapped in a raincoat that she had recently been gifted. A pity gift to shield her from the constant rain in the somber Irish town. It stood out against the dreary sky and rolling green of the lawn.
Yellow had been Jasmine's favorite color. She used to have a pair of pants that she adored, the same bright yellow as the coat Charlotte wore as she stood over her grave.
They should have been cremated, the little girl thought absently. Their bodies were surely burnt to shriveled crisps already, why not finish the job? It was truly a challenge to separate herself from the idea of their deaths enough to not break down. Grown ups would call it strength, but it wasn't that; it was stubbornness, an incredible stubbornness at the tender age of ten.
It was a wonder that anybody let her there at all. Charlotte's mental state was a debate amongst the doctors. Perhaps they should put her in a facility. She had claimed to having severe delusions during the incident to begin with.
The case worker hung back to watch and allow the girl some space to grieve. She watched the child's still back, the frizzy braids that she did herself lay against it. What wouldn't she give to supply her with security? That poor little girl that would harbor the physical reminders of that night for the rest of her life.
Those scars, which would forever remind her of the terrible tragedy that made her childhood bleak, were always going to be a cause of pain. Years later, when Charlotte was close to being full grown, she'd sit in the bathroom for hours at times, staring at the tight pink skin of the grafts and the swirling burned pattern of once charred flesh. She would sit there and sob quietly over fading details, because it was her fault, it had to be.
As a child, the thought had never originally crossed her mind, because it so clearly wasn't. There was nothing she could have done to stop the fire or help anyone in that house, but that's just one of the ways that adults poison the minds of children. Because a child wouldn't think to blame themselves for something they had no part in, without the seed being planted that it is their fault.
But it wasn't your fault.
Despite knowing that the very notion of her guilt was ridiculous, that adult kind of blame crept into her mind. It was a gas leak, and a poorly timed candle lighting. At that time, Charlotte knew nothing of either of these things occurring. One moment, she was doing her homework, and the next, the house erupted in angry flames. Of course she hadn't contributed to the destruction that took place that day
As her eyes switched between the graves, a song began to play. When she turned, she found the source. Somewhere on the other side of the cemetery a violin squeaked to life. There was a funeral service being held. A crowd of people dressed in black with umbrellas perched over their heads. She watched the violinist, somewhat separated from the group in mourning. His eyes were closed, chin tilted as his arm worked the bow across the strings of his gleaming instrument.
A shiver ran through Charlotte when she heard the song. It was deep and sorrowful, so much so that it threatened to bring more tears to her eyes. She could never understand why people wanted to play sad music at funerals. Was it to provoke their emotions? Egg on the sadness in the situation? But she understood it then, as she stood over the graves of the people who were meant to be her family for a brief time.
That haunting song was like a beacon for the sorrow. As it played, she could feel the sadness seeping from her weary bones. She felt lighter than she had in weeks. The tears slipped down her rosy cheeks, but they weren't sad. They were empty. It felt as though Oliver's smiling face was staring down at her, a bowl of mac n' cheese in hand.
Charlotte didn't feel that way about the violin now. The high whine brought a heaviness to her chest. A shiver ran down her spine at the sight of Vanya in the first chair, her eerily pale eyes trailed on her music. That was the destroyer of the world sitting on stage. The destroyer of the Umbrella Academy.
Allison crept down the aisles of people, mesmerized by the sound of the orchestra. Her mouth hung open in silent awe. How could she have not known how beautiful Vanya's music was? How could she not have once thought about the progress she would have made in the years since she had last heard her play?
"What's the plan?" In front of her, Luther said nothing. His large frame hunched as he watched from the side stage. "Luther," Charlotte hissed.
If there was ever a time for Five to pop in and take over, it was now. If not to fix this, then to be by Charlotte's side for comfort. Her heart felt ready to beat out of her chest. This could be it. This whole place could go down any second. They all saw what Vanya did to the Academy; they all knew that their powerless sister wasn't exactly that.
With a deep breath, Luther dashed across the stage. Vanya's violin halted when she sensed his presence. Her bow whipped off the strings, bringing a wave of pure power and electricity along with it. Luther's body hit the ground, pushed back by the wave and everyone gasped as it passed through them with a cold chill.
The audience and the other players wasted no time leaving. With a roar of confusion, they grabbed their things and scattered away from the stage.
Come on, Five. Hurry up.
Angry at the interruption, Vanya whipped around, still using her bow as a conduit for her power.The other musicians plopped back into their seats, as if possessed, and the song continued.
The remaining people in the audience flattened themselves to the ground, covered by the seats, as not to alert Vanya of their presence. Charlotte spied around the rows of seats to catch a glimpse of her. Across the aisle, Diego, Luther and Allison did the same.
"We're fine, thanks for asking."
Allison scowled and shook her head at her brother. The injury she sustained a few days before made speaking impossible, but she still had the ability to shame them through facial expressions.
"I almost lost you, alright? I wasn't about to lose you again," Luther explained.
From beside him, Diego sneered. "So much for the element of surprise. What else you got?"
The pain from Charlotte's leg was becoming too much. It was searing and felt ready to force her into unconsciousness. If it wasn't for the danger lurking, she might've just let herself sleep.
"Yeah, no shit, Allison." She heard over the blood rushing to her ears and the music. "Tell us something we don't already know!"
Luther butted in. "She's talking about the violin. It's her lightning rod." They collectively took another look at their sister. Charlotte couldn't bother to take her head off the cold floor. "If we can take it from her- stop it from playing, we might have a shot."
As the auditorium emptied, it was refilled with bullets. They shot directly over the Hargreeves's heads as they hid. Charlotte peeked around the velvet seats this time, only to see the same geared up agents that attacked them in the bowling alley. She cursed under her breath and pressed herself closer to the floor. A rush of adrenaline pumped through her veins.
This time, the musicians got up for good to escape the gunfire, screaming as they went behind the stage. Vanya stayed in the center of it all, playing as if nothing else around her existed.
Diego rolled to his side. "What the hell happened to Klaus, I thought he was supposed to be our look out!"
"Yeah, are you surprised?"
Between all of the music and the ceaseless firing, the familiar sound of space opening up met Charlotte's ears. "What's with all the lolly-gagging?"
She looked up and Five was standing in the middle of the aisle, right next to where she lay. She grabbed his ankle and yanked him towards her as the agents' bullets turned toward him. He fell onto her, but was quick to realize the danger and scoot over and get his weight off her. Charlotte groaned and sat up.
"Where the hell were you?"
"What's going on?!" Five shouted, eyes twitching between threats.
The others realized he had come to join them quickly. "Five what the- I thought you bailed on us."
"I had an errand to run," he answered, glancing down at the fresh blood gushing from Charlotte's leg. "This is not good."
"You know these guys?" Diego asked over the chairs.
"Yeah... I do." More agents began to close in, coming through the aisles, the exits, anywhere they could have a chance to get out was blocked. "Ah, we're screwed."
"Guys! Guys! It's Cha Cha!"
They all looked over as Klaus ran in, frantically waving his arms. "Klaus get down!"
He didn't have to be told twice. Number Four hit the ground before any bullets hit him.
Both Five and Charlotte shared a look. Her face was drained and hollow, but there was a gleam to her eye. Next to them, under one of the seats was an abandoned purse. She grabbed it and Five nodded, blinking into the aisle and jumping one of their attackers.
The next person to walk near was stabbed with a set of keys, right in the Achilles heel. The agent went down, gun whizzing bullets. Charlotte stepped over him and took his assault weapon. She felt her body temperature match that of the cold metal in her hands and she was off.
There wasn't time to question the blue light whipping around and plucking gunmen from their stations, or even who was doing that. All that Charlotte knew was the pain in her body and the reflex to kill. The gun seemed to take out three agents on its own, without her help.
"That's Ben."
When she searched for the person Luther was talking about, her eyes landed on what was really making that blue light. It was a man, no older than most of the Hargreeves, sheathed- no, he was the blue light. His whole body was translucent and his arms reached wide to allow the glowing tentacles extend forth and grab more agents off their spots.
The building shook when Ben disappeared. More light blossomed from the center of Vanya's chest, spreading out ward.
The group huddled toward the back of the theater with the agents all taken care of and no more bullets threatening their skulls. Klaus was crouching out of exhaustion and Charlotte leaned heavily into Five's side.
"Oh, welcome back. Where were you?"
Diego limped over to his family. "Honoring a memory." He scanned everyone's worried expressions and then Vanya. "So, how do you want to end this thing?"
"We surround her, alright?" Luther began, the gears in his head cranking. "Go at her from all angles."
"We could get through," Five said, holding Charlotte up. He looked eager to move on with the plan.
Everyone shared a look. Luther's eyes locked with his sister's. "Allison?" She shook her head in response. Her, more than anyone was terrified of what they might have to do to Vanya.
With their directions, everyone went their separate ways in the theater. Charlotte clung to Five's arm, even as they crouched low to the floor.
"Five?" She shouted as the song grew in a crescendo.
He turned to her, matching her urgency. "What is it?"
She swallowed, pressing a hand against the blood welling from her thigh. "If we don't make it- if we can't stop her, I just wanted to tell you that I'm glad I met you."
Her words caught his attention then, and for a split second, the world wasn't about to end. It was just Charlotte and her big eyes staring up at him in sad admiration. Five wanted to smile, but the reminder of what was happening prevented him.
The sound of Vanya's violin was so loud that it became unbearable. She herself was glowing. Her suit had been bleached of color, as well as the rich wood of her instrument. The space around her vibrated with power.
Luther's shout was their cue. Everyone lunged. Five jumped from his place on the floor and appeared next to his sister. Both Luther and Diego came from either side. Klaus and Charlotte struggled to jump the stage in front of her. The air rung with sound, piercing their ears the closer they came.
The glowing bow struck through the tense air and let out a string of light that wrapped around their bodies. They were stopped in their tacks, held up by an incredible power.
Charlotte wasn't sure what happened next. The stress and the blood loss caught up to her. She hung, unconscious in the air, held by a barely visible force. It sucked the life from them. Five, Klaus, Diego, and Luther were awake for the pain it brought, the sensation of the literal life being pulled from them. They grew weaker by the second. Cheeks hollowed, eyes bulged, the world began to fade for them.
If it went on any longer, they'd never recover. Which is why the singular gunshot that rang through the stage brought a gasp of relief. Vanya dropped her siblings, but that power that had previously sucked their life force shot out. Glass shattered from the skylight it went through, raining down on the velvet seats.
Vanya collapsed. The light in her eyes dimmed and she fell into a sea of darkness. Allison caught her head and cradled her sister in her arms. The other Hargreeves joined them, surrounding them with worried faces.
"Is she okay?" Luther asked what everyone was thinking.
Allison nodded tearfully and the group broke into joyous smiles. Their sister was alive. She was alive and the world was still standing. "We saved the world."
A sigh of relief left Klaus's lungs, but his smile faded as quickly as it came. He surveyed his family. There was someone missing. "Hey, where's Charlotte?"
Five's head snapped in his direction. "What?"
"Charlotte," Klaus said, searching the stage for her.
It took a millisecond for Five to recall seeing her up in the air with them. He scrambled down the raised platform to where he and his brothers fell. There she was; she lay in a heap at the base of the stage, her hair plastered against her face and her body limp. The glass from the skylight surrounded her.
"Shit." He slid to his knees next to her and turned her head to face the broken ceiling. Charlotte's eyes were sealed tight. He pressed his fingers against the pulse in her throat, and then under her nose just to make sure. She was breathing, thank God.
"Hey, hey, come on. Charlotte, come on."
Above them, still relieved over Vanya, Klaus straightened. "Uh... Guys?" He pointed towards the hole in the roof, bringing attention to the strange orange glow coming from it. "Do you see that big moon rock, coming towards us?"
Their stomachs dropped. Allison let go of her sister, the boys got up from the floor, Five looked up from Charlotte's unconscious body.
"That can't be good," Diego breathed.
No, no, no, no. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Five bent back down and tapped the side of Charlotte's face with a lot more force than he meant to use. Her eyelids fluttered on impact. "Lottie, get up. We need you up."
"At least we're together in the end. As a family."
As Klaus began helping Charlotte come to, Five shook his head. It was a long shot, but he had an idea. "This doesn't have to be the end."
They all saw the epiphany written on his face. That stroke of genius at the last second. It seemed hopeless.
"What are you saying, Five?" Luther asked.
"I think I have a way out of here, but you gotta trust me."
When Charlotte came to, the violin music was gone, but the ringing it left still remained. Her head spun and body ached, but there was no rest now. Urgency hung thick in the air.
Above her, Klaus was holding out a hand. "Come on red, we've got a plan."
She frowned, but let him pull her off the sticky floor. Her legs threatened to give out, but straightened nonetheless.
"Okay, great. Luther, grab Vanya." Five glanced up from his sister as Klaus helped Charlotte limp up the stage. The ghost of a smile crept onto his face, but quickly disappeared as Luther picked up Vanya off the floor.
Charlotte tapped Klaus's shoulder as they debated whether or not to bring her. "What's going on, what are we doing?"
The former drug addict pressed his hands on top of hers absently. "Uh, I don't know. Time travel, I guess."
She frowned. "But we don't have a briefcase- how are we going to-"
"I'm going to get us out of here," Five supplied.
It was then that the orange glow caught her eye and she turned toward the gaping hole in the ceiling, letting in the chill of the night.
"Christ on a cracker."
Diego yanked her by the hand back to the group, successfully stunning her. Before she could have time to let her cloudy mind clear, Klaus grabbed her other hand, linking them all together. Five wasted no time in letting that familiar blue electricity surround them. Just as it was harder to get more than himself to a different place, time traveling with more than one person was much harder.
He didn't have the luxury of giving up, or panicking over time traveling that way for the first time since he got stuck in the apocalypse. It wasn't just himself he had to worry about now; it was his whole family. If he messed this up, then they were just as screwed as he was.
Forming that rift felt like tearing himself in two. It was mind shatteringly painful, but his hands stayed clasped with his siblings and their eyes stayed trailed on him. The light grew brighter and the air cracked like lightning striking it.
Just before they were swallowed up by the fabric of time, Five's eyes locked with Charlotte's. Hers reflected that crackling power back at him, his own, but somehow shared between his family. Her face held hope, real hope for the first time ever.
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