2003 - Age 14
You sat quietly at the dinner table, trying to act normal even though your heart was racing. Today, Five was going to confront your father and attempt to get his permission to time-travel. He had requested this before, but never in front of the other kids, and Reginald always said no. Firmly.
Five glanced at you from where he sat to your left, and you gave him a tiny nod. You were nearly 15, and you had promised each other you would get out of here before your 15th birthday.
Bang. Five slammed a knife into the table, making you jump. Klaus raised his eyebrows at you with a small smile, and you waved your finger in circles next to your head, implying that Five was crazy. Klaus snorted and looked at the floor.
"Number Five?" your dad asked without looking up from his plate.
"I have a question."
"Knowledge is an admirable goal, but you know the rules," your father responded, his fork clinking against the china. "No talking during mealtimes. You are interrupting Herr Carlson."
Five stood up, pushing his plate back.
"I want to time travel."
"No." His response was so fast, you had to cover your laugh. Klaus met your eyes with a grin, making it even harder to resist the urge, and you felt a sudden pang of guilt that you would be leaving them behind.
You noticed Vanya shaking her head at Five, but he pressed on anyway, his hand inching along the table and brushing against yours.
"But I'm ready. I've been practicing my spatial jumps, just like you said." He disappeared momentarily, reappearing next to Reginald. "See?"
"A spatial jump is trivial when compared with the unknowns of time travel. One is like sliding along the ice, the other is akin to descending blindly into the depths of the freezing water and reappearing as an acorn."
"Well, I don't get it," Five said, voice thinly veiling his frustration.
"Hence the reason you're not ready."
"I'm not afraid."
"Fear is not the issue," your father said, finally looking up as his tone turned strict. "The effects it might have on your body, even on your mind, are far too unpredictable. Now, I forbid you to talk about this anymore." He returned to his food as though nothing had happened.
However, when Five turned and motioned for you to follow him, his head snapped up.
"Number Five! Number Eight! You haven't been excused!" he shouted as you and Five ran for the door. "Come back here!"
"We're leaving right now?" you asked, heart racing.
"It's our only option. Now that he knows what we're doing, Dad won't keep his eyes off of us for more than a few seconds. Sorry I messed it up, but we have to go now."
You hesitated, glancing back at the front door and remembering Klaus, Vanya, Ben - what if they needed you?
"Are you coming?" Five asked, his hair blowing over his eyes in the breeze.
After a pause, you nodded.
"Let's find my parents."
He grinned, reaching out to take your hand before you both jogged forward. A blue void appeared moments later, and Five leaped through it first, keeping a tight grip on your hand. You smiled, taking one final breath before you jumped forward, and-
"I heard a rumor..."
*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:
When you woke up in your bed, all of your siblings were gathered around you.
"Huh? What happened?" you asked sleepily. "Why are you in here?"
"I'm sorry," Allison whispered. "I had to rumor you to fall asleep so that you wouldn't run off with Five."
"Oh," you breathed, memories flooding back to you suddenly. "That's... fine, I guess. Dad made you, didn't he?"
She nodded sorrowfully, and you sighed, rubbing your forehead before your eyes snapped back open.
"Where's Five?"
The siblings looked at each other guiltily, and you sucked in a breath, leaning on your pillows for support.
"He was already in the void. I'm sorry," Allison said quietly, and you nodded. "It's fine, it's fine. Just... can I have some alone time? Please?" you added when nobody moved. They finally filtered out, glancing at one another sheepishly.
Once they were gone, you cried into your pillow for almost an hour straight.
The next 16 years passed much as they always had, save for Five's absence and Ben's death. His death was... odd. Everyone came home quietly crying, their eyes wide with horror, but refused to talk about it. You, as per usual, we're forced to stay home while everyone endangered their lives.
Klaus was the only one to comfort you when he found you crying in your room later that day - he pushed your door open quietly, and you quickly wiped your tears away. You hadn't ever really cried while at the Academy, save for when Five left, and you were determined to never let anyone see it.
"Hey," he said quietly, tucking a flask into his jacket pocket. "You all right, Sis?"
"Yeah, fine," you said shakily, clearing your throat hurriedly. "It's just... he was only 16, and I... I never talked to him. I never spoke to him, other than a hello. He was my brother."
You buried your face in your hands, and suddenly the fog that seemed to follow you around everywhere cleared for an instant, and you caught whispered voices.
"Ben says to tell her he doesn't blame her. Oh, and... can I give her a hug, please, Pogo?"
But then the voice disappeared, and Klaus stepped forward, wrapping a comforting arm around your shuddering shoulders.
"Hey, I summoned Ben. He says he doesn't blame you, all right?"
"You did?" you asked, relief flooding your heart. "Oh, thank goodness... I was so scared I would never get to speak to him again. Can you let him know I wish I had gotten to know him better?"
Klaus nodded, pulling you into a brief hug before backing away.
"I'll let him know. See you, Sis."
You smiled weakly at him, relaxing into your bed and closing your eyes.
Just another person to miss.
When you and your siblings turned thirty, you were all still living in the house, your father insisting on still attempting to activate your power.
One night, however, you went to sleep and felt very... strange. Voices whispered around your head, confusing you.
"Oh! Daddy?" Klaus' voice.
"What is it?" Vanya.
"Don't get too close!" Allison.
"Yeah, no shit."
"Looks like some sort of temporal anomaly. Either that or a miniature black hole. One of the two." Luther.
"Pretty big difference there, Paul Bunyan." Diego.
"Out of the way!" Klaus again.
"What are you..."
"What is that gonna do?"
A faint buzzing, like the sound of electricity, whispered through your brain.
"I don't know. Do you have a better idea?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Everyone behind me," Luther said protectively.
"Yeah, everyone behind us," Diego added.
"I vote for running! Come on!" Klaus shouted, but you didn't hear any pounding footsteps. He must have stayed still.
Suddenly, your brain became a lot clearer, and the voices cut through your brain like knives through butter.
"Does anyone else see little Number Five, or is that just me?" Your heart picked up speed at Klaus' words, and you suddenly became a lot more interested.
"Shit." You knew that voice - you had to be dreaming. Five was gone. Footsteps made their way inside. "What's the date? The exact date?"
"The 24th of March."
"Good."
"So, are we gonna talk about what just happened? It's been 16 years."
Five scoffed.
"It's been a lot longer than that." A faint flashing noise followed, as though Five had spatial jumped.
"I haven't missed that," Luther mumbled.
"Where'd you go?"
"The future. It's shit, by the way."
"Called it," Klaus announced.
"I should've listened to the old man. You know, jumping through space is one thing, jumping through time is a toss of the dice. Nice dress," Five told who you assumed to be Klaus.
"Oh, well, danke!"
"Wait, how did you get back?"
"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."
"That makes no sense," Diego said.
"Well, it would if you were smarter."
"How long were you there?"
"30 years. Give or take."
"So what are you saying? That you're 44?"
"No, my consciousness is 44. Apparently, my body is now 15 again. Well, almost 15," Five said, like it should have been obvious.
"Wait, how does that even work?"
"Delores kept saying the equations were off. Eh. Bet she's laughing now."
"Delores?"
Five ignored the question.
"Hmm. Guess I missed the funeral."
"How'd you know about that?"
"What part of the future do you not understand? Heart failure, huh?"
"Yeah," Diego said.
"No," Luther objected only a moment later.
You wanted to be able to get up, move, see what was going on, but it was like you were trapped in a dark place, unable to do anything but float in the strange void you were in. Your brain was just thinking Five is back on repeat.
"Hmm." You heard Five click his tongue. "Nice to see nothing's changed."
"Uh, that's it? That's all you have to say?"
"What else is there to say? The circle of life. On second thought, where's Number Eight?"
A long pause passed, and you wanted to scream I'm sleeping! Come wake me up, because clearly I can't!
"Where. Is. Number. Eight."
"She's been asleep for the past 16 years - ever since you left," Allison said sheepishly.
"What?! Why?" Five's voice was surprised and also slightly angry. "Allison, what did you do?"
"I... I didn't mean to! I thought she would wake up, but... I rumored her into falling asleep right before you brought her into the void with you."
"Yeah, thanks for leaving us," Klaus said.
"Go on," Five said coldly, ignoring him.
"Well, I tried everything to wake her up - everything I could think of, but she never moved! She's been in a sort of... simulation ever since you left. Dad and Pogo wanted to make sure she didn't wake up with the mindset of a 14-year-old, so they controlled her thoughts with a machine, made her believe that she was still growing up with us, and occasionally we would get to speak to her through Pogo. But she has no idea what's going on right now."
"Sick bastards," Five mumbled.
"Excuse me?" Diego demanded.
"Not you, Dad and Pogo. But you too, honestly. Where is she? I need to see her."
There was a small hesitation, and then you heard footsteps approaching.
A sharp intake of breath, and shoes hastily making their way to the side of your bed.
Finally, breath tickling your ear as someone leaned closer.
"(Y/N), wake up."