CHAPTER SIXTEEN
sisters in spirit
⋆*✧･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:
THAT NIGHT, NADINE had the hotel room to herself. Both Viktor and Allison were still out—Viktor was with Harlan, and Allison... left after what happened in the bathroom. Nadine still slept in the bed she'd claimed for herself, though she did bring over a few blankets from the others. It was unnaturally cold in the room, colder even than outside, and she didn't want to put the effort in to light the fireplace. She lay there under the bundle, Band-Aid over her cheek and bruise forming on her jaw, and stared at the ceiling until she fell asleep.
It had been one of the wildest days in a while—which was truly saying something, considering the chaotic mess Nadine's life had become—so it was no surprise that some of that showed up in her dreams. She ended up waking several times from nightmares about ravens pecking her eyes out and Harlan's power melting the flesh from her bones. Eventually, she ended up trudging down the hallway to the bathroom and splashed water on her face, trying to shock the bad dreams out of her system. It didn't work, but she at least slept for a solid five more hours.
In the morning, Nadine had just finished getting dressed when Allison arrived. She was still in her clothes from yesterday, and her newly shorn hair was mussed. She had a split lip, and her knuckles were red and scabbed over. The sight of her caused Nadine's heart to stutter.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Allison touched a hand to her lip as if she hadn't noticed that she'd received such an injury. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
"Did you get into a fight?"
"Are you really the person that should be asking that?" Allison pulled off her shoes and crawled on top of her bed. "Why does it matter, Nadine?"
"Jesus, I'm not allowed to ask my friend if she's okay?"
Allison closed her eyes. "Where's Viktor?"
"I don't know. With Harlan, probably." Nadine combed her hair with her fingers. Now that she wasn't actively curling it, it had become a little stringy, falling down past her chin like strands of spaghetti. This wasn't exactly the look she was aiming for, but she supposed she'd have to wait until it grew a little longer. She liked it short, but this was a little too short. It'd probably be better if it was down to her shoulders.
"Huh," Allison said. "Okay."
Nadine rubbed the pad of her thumb over the Band-Aid on her cheek. She'd been lucky the cut hadn't required stitches. She'd had to steal a wad of toilet paper from the bathroom and hold it to the laceration until it stopped bleeding enough to cover up. Even so, it still stung a little. Kadence really hadn't been messing around last night.
Speaking of, she should probably let the others know that Kadence had been here. Not to get them to go after the Sparrows—though that was likely to happen eventually, especially with the combined fury of Allison and Diego—but just as a warning. Kadence had managed to slip past all of them, and she might've killed Nadine if not for the fact that Sloane was alive. That was something that couldn't simply be ignored.
Even so, she really didn't want to tell Allison about it right now. She hadn't commented on the Band-Aid on her cheek or the slight limp in her step—the bottoms of her feet were pinpricked with tiny lacerations from the sharp floor, and it still hurt to walk on—which meant she wasn't paying attention or she simply didn't care. Nadine wasn't sure if she should be offended or not.
"I'm going to have breakfast," she announced, giving up on her hair. Honestly, it really didn't matter. She looked like shit, anyway—the collage of wounds on her face would do that—and the clothes she'd managed to scrounge up (a graphic T-shirt of some American university and track pants) weren't exactly her usual style. If she'd had makeup, she wouldn't have even bothered with it.
"Okay." Allison rolled over in bed. It looked like she was trying to fall asleep. Nadine laced up her shoes and headed out.
She made her way back to the lobby, where there were fewer people than ever. Chet let her take three Danishes, which she piled onto one plate and brought to an empty table. She sat near the front door, and as she ate, her eyes kept darting over there unconsciously. It was as if she was watching to see if Kadence would make a return.
When she was finished, she dropped off her plate and nearly bumped into Luther, who was freshly dressed in his maroon Sparrow Academy sweater and jeans. He was eating a croissant and looking moodier than usual, which Nadine attributed to Sloane's departure. Still, he brightened when he saw her. Which was a first.
"Oh, hey, Nadine," he said, speaking with his mouth full. "How's it, uh, going?"
"Hi, Luther." Nadine set her plate down. "I'm doing as well as I can in these circumstances. I also slept like utter shit last night, so I'm probably going to need at least three cups of coffee to get me through the day. What about you?"
"About the same, honestly. What happened last night was such a disappointment. I truly thought we'd sway the Sparrows onto our side." He tilted his head. "What happened to your face? I didn't see that Band-Aid yesterday."
Right. Nadine should probably tell Luther, at least. "Ehm, funny story about that. You know how Kadence wasn't at the meeting yesterday?"
Luther swallowed his croissant and blinked. "...Yes?"
"Yeah, that was because she was here. When I tried to get back to my room last night, she attacked me. You know, turned the floor into like, needles, cut my face open, that kind of shit. She said she wanted to find the man who'd killed her siblings. She didn't know that Sloane was still alive."
His eyes widened. "What? Kadence attacked you? She was here? Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Nadine crossed over to the coffee machine. Luther trailed after her, open-mouthed. "When I told her what we were trying to do—you know, releasing Sloane and returning the bodies of Jayme and Alphonso to the Sparrows—she left. Let me off with a warning, you know, 'If I find out you've been lying to me, I'll kill you and everyone you love.' But, considering it looked like she wanted to kill me, I call that a success. Sort of."
"Oh, my God. Why didn't you tell anyone? Did she hurt you?"
Nadine shrugged, pouring a heaping portion of coffee into her mug. If Five had been here, he likely would've snatched it right out of her hands. "I just told you she did. But don't worry, it wasn't bad. This—" she gestured to her face, "—really was the worst of it. And I didn't tell anyone because it was super late at night, and honestly, I just wanted to sleep. I was planning on calling a meeting or something today."
"Well, yeah." Luther finished his croissant and dusted off his hands. "Do you think we should be worried about this?"
"Probably. But Kadence wasn't working with the Sparrow Academy. She told me herself she came alone. So, it's not like Ben double-crossed us or anything. But she did promise to be back, so I guess I'd at least keep an eye out."
"Jesus." Luther shook his head. "Well, I'm glad you're okay."
"Me, too." Nadine sipped her coffee, relishing the heat that ran down her throat. "So, ehm, do you know what we're going to do about Harlan?"
He sighed. "No. I thought—I thought maybe we'd talk to the others. Get their opinions. We can't make a decision like this without at least taking a vote."
"A vote?" Nadine repeated. "You want to vote on Harlan's life?"
"No! No. I didn't mean it like that. I just—I just think we have to consider all of our options."
Nadine let the coffee steam curl around her face. "I'm not giving him up to them. Umbrella Academy or not, he's a person. I'm not going to let him be murdered."
"That's—fair. That's fair. I'm just worried about what comes next."
"So am I," Nadine admitted, chewing on her lip. "I mean, Five's still running around with Lila—or one of them has killed the other—and he's really the only lead we have on this whole Grandfather Paradox thing. And without the Sparrows on our side..." she shrugged. "I don't know what to do."
For some reason, it hadn't really sunken in yet that this might actually be the end. Oh, sure, she'd started freaking out when she'd first heard the news, but a few days later, she'd gone completely numb. Oh, people were disappearing in droves. Oh, a third apocalypse might be coming. Oh, she might be dead soon.
Rationally, she was terrified, but emotionally... there was just nothing. Perhaps there was just too much in her system, lately. Missing Molly. Everything with the Sparrow Academy. The discovery of Sabine—who'd gone completely offline, lately. Her worry about Allison.
She had to get out of this fucking timeline.
"We'll—we'll figure it out," Luther said unconvincingly. "Hopefully."
"Yeah." Nadine took another sip of her coffee. "Sure."
The two of them moved away from the breakfast bar, deciding to try to find Viktor and come up with some kind of plan of action. But in the end, he found them first, calling out from behind.
"Hey. You seen Allison?"
The two of them turned, and there he was, descending the stairs. At first, Nadine smiled, relieved to see him, but her smile quickly fell when she realized she wasn't the only one to have received a facial injury last night. On her friend's left cheek, there was a bloody slash, as if someone had nicked him with the tip of a sword. It had scabbed up by now, but it was still ugly, and immediately made Nadine's stomach drop.
"First Nadine, now you," Luther breathed. "What the hell happened?"
"It's uh... it's not as bad as it looks," Viktor said. "And what do you mean, first Nadine? What—" he cut himself off, noticing the Band-Aid on Nadine's own face. "Wait, holy shit. Are you okay?"
Nadine circled her fingers in the OK symbol. "I'm alive, if not well."
"What happened?"
"Ehm, long story, but it starts with K and ends with -ADENCE."
"What? Kadence Hargreeves? How did—Nadine, what the hell happened?"
Nadine waved him off. "I'll tell you later. But seriously, what happened to you? Your wound looks a lot worse than mine."
Viktor sighed. "I told you, it's not as bad as it looks."
"It looks as if you're lucky to be upright," Luther pointed out. "Did Harlan do that?"
To Nadine's surprise, Viktor didn't deny it. Instead, he shrugged. "We just got in a disagreement."
"About what?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Viktor, it looks like you were jousting without a helmet. Of course it matters," Nadine said. "Was it an accident?"
He nodded. "Yeah. But you're deflecting. What's this about Kadence?"
"I asked you first."
"No, you literally didn't. I did. So, tell me."
Now, Nadine wasn't exactly the sharpest knife in the block (and this wasn't exactly something she took pride in, just something she knew to be true), but even she could tell when someone had backed her into a corner. She breathed out a heavy sigh. She might as well just get it over with. Then Viktor could freak out, and she'd assure him everything had (somehow) turned out all right, and they could go back to talking about Harlan.
Before she could open her mouth, though, Diego arrived, flipping a knife in his hand. "So, I just checked the perimeter," he said. "We're good. Now, we're gonna have to take turns."
He gestured to Luther, Nadine, and Viktor with his knife, but Luther must have noticed something from his position, because he gasped and took Diego's arm. "Oh my God! What happened to you? Was it Kadence? Was it Harlan?"
"What?" Diego asked. Nadine discerned the source of Luther's concern—a slice on the back of his neck. She sucked in a breath. Had everyone gotten hurt last night?
"The Sparrows are right," Luther continued. "He shouldn't be here. He's dangerous."
"He's only dangerous because I made him that way," Viktor said. "This is my problem, and I appreciate your concern, but I'm gonna figure it out. I'm gonna fix it."
Allison chose that moment to arrive, sporting the bloodied lip Nadine had seen her with earlier. "What's going on?"
"Oh my God." Luther's eyes seemed as if they were about to bulge out of his skull. "He got you too? Or was it Kadence this time?"
"You okay?" Allison asked Viktor.
"Great. You?"
"Never better."
"How the fuck did four of us get beaten up last night?" Nadine asked. Allison's eyes trailed over to the Band-Aid on Nadine's cheek, as if she hadn't noticed it back in the hotel room.
"Yeah, um, that's a good question."
Diego turned again, showing off the injury on his neck. Nadine was just about to ask whether he'd got attacked by a rabid wolf when a blinding blue flash, a zap of electricity, and the arrival of two more additions to this impromptu meet-up tumbled down in front of them. Five and Lila, breaking a shelf and nearly their own bones, crumpled to the floor, groaning in pain. Nadine jumped back.
They lay in the rubble of their own creation for a moment, gasping for breath. Smoke billowed out from an unknown source, and the room smelled of metal and fire. Nadine's heart was beating so fast that it took her a moment to realize the significance of this.
One, that Five had gotten a briefcase working.
And two: Lila Pitts was fucking here.
Lila, wearing a forest-green jacket, cargo pants, and sporting bleach blonde hair, sat up with a wince. When she met Nadine's eyes, her entire face blanched, then neutralized again. Nadine wasn't sure what to think.
Obviously, she hadn't killed Five, and he hadn't killed her. But at what cost?
"Where have you been?" Viktor asked the old man in question, who had stumbled to his feet.
"Facing my mortality, Viktor." Five picked his way over the debris. "I don't recommend it."
"You had the briefcase?" Allison asked accusingly, gesturing to it. "We've been looking for this!"
She crouched down in front of it, paling when sparks and smoke crackled off of its end. Five barely bat an eye.
"Well, look no further. That's the last one on Earth. Or, was the last one on Earth."
"Wait," Nadine said, taken aback. "What?"
Allison let the briefcase fall to the ground and went to sit on the stairs, likely to go over the consequences of this. Nadine, who had no interest in an existential crisis yet, simply stayed where she was, her chest heaving. Five bent down in front of the briefcase.
"Yeah, that's toast," he murmured. Lila threw her arms around Diego.
Nadine had no idea what was fucking happening.
"Hey. You're happy to see me," Diego said to Lila. "What's wrong?"
"Turns out there's less time to hold grudges than I had planned. You're off the hook," Lila responded. "Speaking of..." She marched right over to Nadine and took her arm in a vice-like grip. Nadine startled, preparing for a punch to the face or something, but Lila didn't seem interested in violence. "Um. Hi. Uh, you know how I was all on your case because my mum didn't end up adopting you and you started working with my sworn enemy? Well, that's all out of the window now. I forgive you."
So much had gone on in the last minute that Nadine could do nothing but stare. Her brain was working a mile a minute, going over each new development. Not enough of it could process what Lila had just said, what it meant. "...What?"
"What, are you deaf?" Lila shook her arm. "We're good now. We're mates. I've decided you can be my sister in spirit instead of my real one. Let's go back to making peanut butter and jam sandwiches ASAP, please."
Well, this certainly wasn't what Nadine had expected in a reunion with Lila.
"Ehm." Nadine blinked. "Can you slow down and go back to the beginning?"
But Lila wasn't paying attention. "Hey, where's Stan?" she asked.
Luther grabbed Diego's arm and pulled him aside. Nadine locked eyes with Viktor in a silent plea for help. He shrugged at her, silently asking, What can I do?
"Hey Chatty Cathys, quit the chitchat, all right?" Five ordered. "I'm calling a family meeting here."
"Yeah, good idea," Nadine said. "Because I'm extremely confused."
Lila started to walk away, but Diego pulled her back. Apparently, she was involved now, too. Great. Maybe Nadine could get a straight answer of what the hell she was talking about.
"Where's Klaus?" Five asked.
Luther shrugged.
"I'll be right back," Diego announced, moving away from the group. Lila let go of Nadine, a frown forming on her face.
"Don't leave me with your—"
Of course, he was already gone.
"Dieg—Lost another," Five said. "Great."
"Spit it out, Five," Allison growled from her position on the stairs. Her voice was murderous, and her tone matched the dark look in her eyes. She seemed about one second away from snapping his neck.
"Oh, well, since you asked so nicely, sister mine, our little paradox brought forth a freaking kugelblitz."
"What the hell is a kugelblitz?" Viktor asked.
Nadine had the same question. But, judging by the look on Five's face, she guessed she wasn't going to like the answer.
WHEN KADENCE ARRIVED back at the Sparrow Academy, she originally thought no one had even noticed her disappearance. It wouldn't have even been the first time. When she was younger, there had been multiple occasions in which her siblings had completely forgotten about her. Her loud, in-your-face personality was a consequence of this, an attempt to not be left behind anymore. Even so, she wouldn't have been surprised if, with everything else her siblings had been dealing with, they'd simply not perceived her departure.
But when she made her way inside—through the front door, this time—in her tattered clothes and with hair that looked as if it had just fought a battle against a shredder, she found Ben, Fei, and Christopher waiting for her.
They were strewn out on various furniture in the living room, passing a bottle of whiskey back and forth. Ben had his feet up on the coffee table, and Fei was curled up on the sofa. Christopher hovered over the couch, his approximation of sitting. When he spotted her, he alerted the others, who looked up.
"Kadence," Fei said. If Kadence hadn't known better, she would've thought she might've been relieved. "You're back."
"Where the hell were you?" Ben asked.
"I needed some fresh air," Kadence said, dropping onto one of the vacant sofas. The beginnings of anger began to stir in her when she noticed something crucial.
Sloane wasn't here. She wasn't here. Which meant that the bitch Nadine had lied, and she really had died with Jayme and Alphonso, whose corpses probably hadn't been returned, either. Her eyes began to burn with unshed tears. Hadn't she warned Nadine of the consequences of lying? Was she really trying to put a target on her back? Hadn't she known that this would mean that Kadence went after Viktor next?
Maybe she'd underestimated her, even though Kadence had had the upper hand last night. After all, she'd been the one to pin Nadine down and press that shard of glass to her face. She'd been the one to land blows on her, and turn the floor into needles, and nearly wring out her neck. Not Nadine. Kadence.
Well, she's not going to make the same mistake now, Kadence thought murderously. When she was finished with Nadine, she was going to wish she was dead.
"Like hell you did," Ben said. Kadence looked up at him, and her brain took a moment to process the meaning of what he'd said. She'd gotten so lost in her own thoughts for a second that she'd forgotten the excuse she'd given. "You look like shit."
"Thanks." Kadence took the whiskey from Fei and put it to her lips.
"Seriously, Kadence," Fei said. "Where did you go? We were wondering where you'd gone. Ben said that you were probably off sulking somewhere, but I figured it was more than that. You wouldn't just leave, after everything that happened."
Christopher chirped his agreement. Kadence sighed.
"It's none of your business, okay?" she snapped. "I'm a grown-ass adult. I'm allowed to leave the house. Sometimes I just want to do shit by myself."
"Well, while you were... getting mauled by a tiger, I presume, the rest of us were actually being productive," Ben said. "The Umbrellas called. Again."
"What the fuck did those sickos want now?" Kadence asked. "To rub it in our faces that our goddamn siblings are dead?"
"Surprisingly, no," Fei said. "We talked to the big guy—you know, the one we held hostage. He said..." she trailed off, pursing her lips. "You might want some more whiskey before hearing this."
Kadence gulped down another generous mouthful, heart pounding. What was Fei talking about? What had the Umbrella Academy told her?
Before she could even set the bottle back down, Ben decided to just reveal it. "Sloane's alive," he said. "And she's here."
Kadence nearly spat out her whiskey. What?
No way. There was no way. Nadine was a lying asshole—there was no way she'd been telling the truth. She'd just said that to get Kadence off her back. She hadn't actually meant it.
But by the look on her siblings' faces, it didn't seem like they were joking. And why would they, when it had to deal with the murder of one of their own? That wouldn't be—that wasn't something that the Sparrow Academy did.
Kadence took in a few deep breaths, swinging her gaze between Ben, Fei, and Christopher. "You're serious?" she managed to ask, her voice coming out a little higher than she'd wanted it to. "Sloane's alive?"
Christopher confirmed it, and Fei nodded. "Apparently, the big guy tried to protect her when that mad grandpa attacked. Not that I believe that part. But the Umbrella Academy took her hostage later. For some reason, though, they decided to let her go. And return the bodies of Jayme and Alphonso. We're planning to bury them in the courtyard."
Holy shit. Holy fucking shit.
Nadine hadn't been lying.
"Oh, my God," Kadence said.
"Yeah," Ben said, snatching the bottle from her and taking another sip. He swallowed, belched, and wiped his mouth before continuing. "It was apparently supposed to be some gesture of peace or something. I guess they were tired of us constantly beating the shit out of them. The little one even wanted to form an alliance."
"An alliance?" Kadence repeated. "With those morons?" She shook her head. "Don't tell me you actually took it."
"He didn't," Fei said. "Which was a bad idea, in my opinion. I mean, I hate them as much as anyone here, but they could be useful in dealing with whatever the hell's in our basement. But Ben insisted that they first hand over the man who killed Jayme and Alphonso. Which, obviously, is not going to happen."
Kadence clenched her fists. "We don't need the Umbrella Academy. We can deal with things on our own. Plus, why the fuck would we work with them if they've teamed up with the man who murdered our siblings? It's obvious that they don't care that they're dead."
"That's what I said," Ben gloated, looking pleased. "But Fei seems convinced that we can't do this alone. Like we're not the team that's been saving the world since we started puberty."
"We're half of that team. And this is different. This isn't another Dr. Terminal or Gustave Eiffel. Those were villains we could deal with. This... this is out of our control."
Christopher spoke up again. Fei scoffed.
"I'm not saying we're weak. I'm saying it might be good to have some help. Even if it means we kill them when we're done."
"Well, who knows," Ben said. "Maybe they'll cave and hand our siblings' killer over. But for now, we're going to fix this by ourselves. And, because we're the fucking Sparrow Academy, we're going to do this right."
Kadence nodded. For once, Ben was right. They hadn't been putting in any real effort since the discovery of the great devourer, but if they actually put some work in, it should be easy to find a way to get rid of it. She didn't want to be pals with the Umbrella Academy. Even if they... even if they'd let Sloane go.
Speaking of...
"If Sloane's alive, then where is she?" she asked. "I assume she isn't taking a walk in the park."
"She's in her room," Ben said. "The murderer's attacks got her injured, so she's just resting until she feels better. But you can go see her, if you want. Since, you know, you missed the official reunion."
"Sure," Kadence said. She probably wouldn't completely believe it until she saw her sister with her own two eyes.
"After she's feeling better, let's actually come up with a plan," Fei said. "If we're not working with the Umbrellas, then we need to start right away."
Kadence got to her feet and began to make her way to Sloane's room. It was sandwiched in the middle of Jayme and Alphonso's—which was an unfortunate placement, but also made sense based on the order of their numbers. Kadence walked as quickly as she could past those two desolate rooms and knocked on Sloane's door. Her hands shook. Sweat began to bead on her brow.
But, only a few moments later, a familiar voice called, "Come in."
Kadence opened the door. And there, sitting on her bed with a bloody lip and awkward arm (had she dislocated her shoulder?) was Sloane herself.
"Kadence," Sloane breathed, a smile forming on her lips. "You're back."
"And you're alive," Kadence replied. "Oh, my God, you're alive."
She crossed the room and immediately threw her arms around her sister, being careful not to jostle her injured arm. Sloane returned the embrace gratefully, and Kadence closed her eyes, relishing in the warmth of her sister's presence. The sister that, up until last night, she'd thought she'd never see again.
Sloane was alive. Sloane was alive. And she was here, hugging Kadence in a way she hadn't since they were children. Kadence buried her face into her sister's good shoulder, breathing her in. Some of her residual anger dissipated.
Marcus, Jayme, and Alphonso were gone. But Sloane was still here, and that—at least for the moment—was enough for Kadence.
⋆*✧･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:
HAVEN: kadence and sloane are cute or whatever <33 if only they'd gotten the chance to be actual sisters yikes
next chapter, the umbrella academy learns about the kugelblitz and debates whether or not to literally murder harlan (fun!), and the sparrow academy realizes that grace has gone a little nuts. it's gonna be a real riot.
we are getting closer to the end of act one, though!! act two awaits!!!
thanks for reading!! :)