It was a little known fact that seven, six and five were close.
Six would often be found with Klaus, and five would be found writing equations on walls and poor lonely seven would be playing a melancholy song on the violin.
However in quiet evening you would see all three huddled together reading, whispering about what they read.
The lower numbers specifically one and three never seemed to notice anything outside themselves and their own issues.
On one of these evenings Vanya was talking more animated then normal.
" it's a code you see! Written in a normal book but if you know the key or phrase it takes on a whole new meaning."
Ben looks up to five with a small fond smile on his face.
"Don't you understand we could leave messages to each other!"
And so they did, usually small things, like the fact they missed each other. Then it transformed into more, speaking in phrases so their father with all his cameras wouldn't see, wouldn't understand.
Years later when everything had gone wrong, when five had disappeared and Ben had died Vanya wrote a book.
Allison commits to the media that the book is as unremarkable as the girl who wrote, just a jealous girl with low self esteem.
Luther was on the moon, he never read it but believed Allison when she said it was bad.
Diego was angry that secrets were spilt, though if he was honest he hadn't read it, but a friend said it seems to just be a self pity party of a lonely girl.
Klaus stole it from the shelves. Was very confused when the spectre that was Ben demanded to read it over his shoulder. Klaus thought it was brave, though a little stupid. He jumped when Ben laughed. "Wait what's so funny, come on you can't keep things from me. Seriously brother dearest I don't understand what's funny about daddy dearest a grade parenting."
"That clever girl"
"Ben I'm serious what's going on, am I high again?"
"It's in code, this is a book written to five and well me, but she doesn't know I know because of the whole dead thing."
When five fell back through time he told her the book was brave.
"They all hate me."
"They are obviously idiots"
Launching herself into his arms, her breath hitched.
"I missed you, I left the light on and your stupid sandwiches out."
" your book kept me sane."
And maybe that was enough.