On the first day of October, 1984, forty-three women around the world simultaneously gave birth. None of the women showed any prior signs of pregnancy. Sir Reginald Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire and playboy adventurer, made it his personal mission to find and adopt as many of these children as possible. He got ten of them.
Thirty Years Later
It's not as if Evangeline and her siblings didn't consider the death of heir father as a possibility, they just figured Reginald would fight God and win before giving up his soul to hell. So, when the telegram made it to Evangeline four hours after his death she immediately packed up and took the first flight to New York.
Evangeline had packed light for this trip, so found it easy to abandon her current position and return to her childhood home. The Umbrella Academy. The square block of space the mansion took up on the small private street offered quite the privilege growing up, but what happened within the fortress walls was not worth the price of living there.
The weather wasn't great when Evangeline's private car finally pulled up to the foreboding home fourteen hours after Reginald's death. She figured the drowsy dark clouds hanging overhead were apt for the funeral of her estranged father. Upon entering, Evangeline nervously rubbed at the tattoo on her wrist, feeling a bit anxious contemplating how the family reunion would transpire, after all, it had been over a decade since the six remaining Hargreeves children had been in the same room with one another.
Evangeline carefully made her decision to return. She did not owe her father anything, not even attendance to his funeral, but some sort of nostalgic part of her brain which she cursed with distain, gave her justification for this very moment. With one last deep breath of the freedom she had chosen by leaving, Evangeline entered.
She was comforted upon first glance that the house had remained unchanged in the last twelve years. The same stiff, cold entryway greeted her with low lighting and expensive art with the everlasting feelings of loss tainting every ornate turn. Evangeline felt the presence of three of her other siblings and deduced that it was Allison, Luther, and Diego lurking in the hollow home.
"Hello?" She called. Her voice echoed momentarily before Diego revealed himself from the great room. He looked just about the same as she remembered, scar and all. He looked at Evangeline with stiff, cold face and it wasn't until Evangeline offered an awkward smile did Diego accept her presence.
"Eva," Diego pulled Evangeline into a tight hug. Evangeline was still for a moment before wrapping her arms around her brother. "You're alive," Evangeline squeezed Diego a little closer after hearing those words.
"I see your observational skills are unchanged," Evangeline said. Diego pulled out from the hug and narrowed his eyes at his sister, already falling into their childish bickering.
"I see you're still an ass," Diego replied. The two shared a silent look before bursting into laughter. Between giggles, Evangeline noticed Luther and Allison followed their noise and came to greet her as well. As expected, Allison and Luther both seemed a bit put off by her appearance at the house but were still polite enough to say hello.
"Allison, Luther," Evangeline nodded at her siblings. One swift glace in her siblings direction told Evangeline everything she needed to know about the current state of their lives. Allison was going through a nasty divorce and based off of the state of her cuticles, won't be seeing her daughter anytime soon and Luther. Poor Luther. Evangeline could see his hulking body through the large coat he wore and the far off look in his eye told her it had been a while since he had been on earth. "Moon base wasn't good enough for you?"
"We thought you were dead," Allison said. She crossed her arms over her chest in the most Allison fashion with a look Evangeline wished she had seen sooner.
"Yea well so did Dad and that's more than I can ask for," Evangelina held Allison's hard stare before looking back to Luther.
"Where were you?" Luther watched Evangeline closely. She knew that he was capable of seeing past the very few lies Evangeline could spew so went with the most general answer possible.
"Better question: where wasn't I?" Evangeline left her bag by the door and walked into the great room and straight to the bar. She purposefully ignored the inane amount of Umbrella Academy shrines and detailed paintings of her previous life and poured herself a glass of the special cognac Reginald would never share. Her three siblings followed her to the bar and easily got comfortable.
Before a more awkward silence could fall onto the fragmented family, Allison went to the doorway where Vanya stood weary. Evangeline did not say a word, but rather invited the off feeling Vanya provided to the room. Throughout childhood, Evangeline felt Vanya was missing something important, yet should could not pinpoint what is was. The familiar feeling we a welcome challenge for Evangeline. Not because she lacked the same capabilities as the rest of them, rather because there was an empty space in Vanya's mind that thrummed and invaded Evangeline's.
"Would ya look at that," Allison broke the silence that permeated the room. "Everyone was taking bets on whether you'd show,"
"Did you win?" Vanya deadpanned. Allison shrugged then went to approach Vanya further but hesitated.
"Are we supposed to… how's this go?" Allison said, obviously uncomfortable. Vanya's brows pulled in confusion, she had no idea how functional siblings worked either so was just as apprehensive as Allison.
"I have no idea," Vanya finally admitted. Evangeline took another sip of her drink while watching the scene unfold. Allison went in for a hug, it was clearly forced, but once Allison had little Vanya in her arms, she pulled her close. Evangeline felt conflicted by the emotions that crossed Vanya's face. She seemed to have needed that hug.
"I'm glad you're here," Allison said. Everyone was surprised at the sincerity in Allison's voice, especially considering neither Diego or Evangeline were inclined to agree.
"At least someone is,"
"Eat shit, Diego," Allison said.
"You're seriously going to defend her? After what she did?" Diego replied with a hint of malice laced in his tone. He glared at Allison, looking for his reasoning to resonate with her and when it never did he rolled his eyes with a light scoff.
"You're seriously gonna do this today? At Dad's funeral?" Allison said.
"Would you two cut it out, I'm not in the mood for this," Evangeline shut her eyes in a brief moment of frustration, contemplating whether or not staying in New York France much more peaceful.
"As if you're better than her, Evie?" Allison pressed, Evangeline anticipated Allison's bitter remarks and wanted to scoff, but held back for the sake of civility.
"Dad knew what she was," Diego said the final words. He turned away from Allison and Vanya in disgust and moved to the bar where Evangeline was casually sipping her drink from behind the counter.
"Well I'm not here for this," Luther announce and walked away. The afternoon sun was beginning to dazzle the shiny floors and gilded picture frames as Luther's hulking figure wandered off into the mindful halls of their childhood home. Slowly, the rest of the siblings followed suit but Evangeline stayed put. She felt no urge to explore the haunted halls.
Evangeline watched Vanya move through the library shelves, searching most likely for the book she wrote about her life as Number Seven. Evangeline read every word. Each syllable ingrained into her memory, each criticism of her character echoing in the insecurities hidden in the crevices of her mind.
Evangeline left her tumbler on the bar top and took a seat on the small couch with a clear view of the portraits of Ben and Five. The urns of Eight and Nine were on a mantle between the two paintings; not all ten of Reginald's children survived infancy. Eight died of heart failure within the first six months of his life and Nine, little Nine. Her powers surfaced at four years old. The very real flames she was able to call upon did not hesitate to take her victim to their own destruction.
Evangeline waited before letting her eyes connect with the same ones she lost so many years ago. Five. He never had the chance to pick his own name. He was always just Five. Five was a perfectly human number. The number Five indicates a person who is full of boundless energy with no conscious to prevent reckless decision. Evangeline knew that Reginald gave them numbers at random, the order in which he bought them, yet felt Five was perfectly fitting for his stubborn personality. Evangeline herself struggled at first with being labeled Number Ten, but once Vanya's power never appeared it felt like a weight was lifted off of her shoulders. She was free of being the last pick.
Five. Her best friend. The only other Hargreeves that could keep up with her ever growing mind. Five did not have the same photographic memory as she did but listened intently to every word Evangeline spoke. As for her other siblings, they tended to avoid her. They found her ability to recall just about everything from memory unnerving and quite annoying.
Evangeline overheard the quiet conversation between Vanya and Pogo with mild curiosity. They were discussing her autobiography from the overlook's bookshelves. Instead of thinking about the book, Evangeline focused on the youthful face of Five and his familiar blue eyes. Often she found herself imagining what he would look like today. Whether or not he would have stayed at the Academy (her imagination always leaned towards the two of them running away together once they could), if he would ever grow a beard, or if his eyes changed even a bit.
Evangeline let her imagination run for just a moment, and imagined Five being with her. He would be well dressed, most likely following his path to perfect time travel. Evangeline would join him on some trips, taking the time to learn and see everything she could. She imagined laughing on the winding paths of the original Champs-Élysées gardens, sitting tea with Emperor Taizong of Tang, and maybe even sneak into concerts of all eras. They would spend their lives learning and exploring, discovering the world side by side.
The thought of just the two of them brought the image of Ben to her mind. Evangeline grieved for Ben each day. In their youth, Evangeline, Five, and Ben were consistently pitted against one another in their academics, and more often than not in the training rooms as well. Needless to say, the three of them became quite close. It was not until Five disappeared did Ben begin to follow in the footsteps of his other siblings and distance himself from Evangeline.
"How long as it been?" Vanya said, breaking Evangeline out of her rambling thoughts. She stiffened as Number Seven took a seat on the opposite end of the couch. The empty portion of Vanya's mind called out to Evangeline but she resisted the urge to dive into Vanya's missing consciousness.
"Seventeen years, seven months, and sixteen days," Evangeline said at the same time as Pogo. Evangeline nodded to the chimp in recognition, trying to avoid an emotional reunion on part of Pogo.
"I used to leave the lights on at night, in case he came back. I didn't want him to be scared," Vanya said. It was rare that Evangeline and Vanya shared a moment of vulnerability with one another, and if Five were with them Evangeline knew that he would have forced Evangeline to get over whatever is bothering her about Vanya.
"I used to remake his bed every morning. I think it was just an excuse to feel close to him," Pogo and Vanya looked at Evangeline and she appreciated their attempt to cover their shock at her admission but she could still feel it lingering. Evangeline was never known to be sentimental.
"Your father used to insist he could feel Number Five's presence. That he was still out there somewhere. He never gave up." Pogo rested his hand on top of Evangeline's but Evangeline pulled her hand away and stood up, still facing the portrait of her lost Five.
"He's gone Pogo. Dad was delusional for even suggesting that. If her were still alive I would be able to sense him," Evangeline felt her throat tighten in shame at her words. It took her many years to heal from his disappearance and yet his existence plagues her every thought.
"If that is what you choose to believe Miss. Evangeline," Pogo said before retiring to another portion of the massive mansion, leaving Vanya alone with Evangeline. Neither of the women said a word, they just sat in the presence of their lost siblings.
"I had a dream once that Ethan would have been a healer," Vanya said.
"I imagined him to be a seer," Evangeline mused. "Do you know why I chose Ethan and Nuria as Eight and Nine's names?"
"Because they both begin with the same letter?" Vanya supplied.
"Wrong. Ethan is a name of Hebrew origin meaning enduring, long lived. I wanted his name to reflect the tragedy of his life," Evangeline looked at Vanya to gauge her reaction. Vanya's eyes were wide and her pupils were expanding, Vanya was anxious. "Nuria is Hebrew meaning fire of God. Often the name is closely associated with the Virgin Mary,"
"I assume the irony of their names is not lost on you," Vanya let out a small laugh which Evangeline regarded with a slight smile.
"You were too young to understand the irony, but I figured once all of you caught up to me mentally you would figure it out," Evangeline sat back down next to Vanya but this time faced her instead of Five's portrait.
"Five probably loved it," Vanya added.
"He did," Evangeline said. "We should get a snack before the funeral. Hopefully mom continued to keep the fridge stocked with coffee ice cream," Evangeline bumped shoulders with Vanya before getting up. When Evangeline didn't hear Vanya follow she turned back.
"I'm sorry," Vanya's voice was small. She averted her gaze from Evangeline's and picked at her callouses unconsciously. Evangeline knew what she was apologizing for. The book.
"Don't worry too much about it. I was already thought of as dead," Evangeline grimaced when Vanya's face fell. "I chose to be dead," Evangeline said in the hopes it would make Vanya feel even a little bit better.
"You know I never meant to hurt any of you," Vanya said. Evangeline found it interesting that Vanya could not hold eye contact with her while speaking. She thought about commenting on it but understood it would be better to leave it alone.
"You could never predict what would happen when you released the book. I can bounce back from some bad press considering I've been 'dead' for twelve years," Evangeline held out her hand for Vanya to take. The small voice in the back of her head warned Evangeline that Vanya was a threat, and to make matters worse the thrum of the empty intensified when Vanya accepted her hand. Evangeline pushed her discomfort aside in Five's memory.
They walked silently to the kitchen still holding hands. Vanya was small compared to Evangeline. Evangeline was just an inch taller than Allison, which bothered Three more than she would admit. Vanya stood eight inches shorter than Evangeline, if they were in public people would wrongfully assume Vanya is Evangeline's daughter. That is until they saw her thirty year old face. Vanya and Evangeline were different in every aspect of their being. Where Vanya had dark hair, Evangeline had light, Vanya's eyes were an earthy hazel and Evangeline's a glacier blue. They did not look related, the only aspect that connected them was their upbringing.
The kitchen looked exactly the same. Evangeline took off to the freezer while Vanya took a seat at the table. Evangeline smiled when she located the coffee ice cream, in the exact place she used to hide it in her youth. She grabbed a spoon then took the seat across from Vanya.
"You want?" Evangeline mumbled through a mouth full of ice cream. She held out the spoon and carton to Vanya. Vanya took the spoon and carton and took a bite.
"I haven't had coffee ice cream since before you left," Vanya stared into the carton wistfully. Evangeline could see her mind bringing forth memories of their youth. "Even when we were children I could tell you didn't like me so whenever you offered me ice cream I always accepted. I thought if I ate enough ice cream…" After a pregnant pause Evangeline replied.
"I tried my best," Evangeline took back the ice cream.
"I know what dad made you do had a toll," Vanya looked directly at Evangeline this time. Evangeline figured this is what Vanya truly wanted to talk about.
"Of course it did. I tortured all of you," Evangeline said with a shrug. "There's no reason to dwell on the past when we have an entire future ahead of us,"
"We all tortured each other," Allison said; she had been standing in the doorway of the kitchen listening to her sisters converse. Evangeline looked at Allison and nodded in agreement.
Diego was the next to join them in the kitchen. They all sat in silence as Luther and Klaus joined them as well. Luther seated himself at the head of the table, always the one to try and take charge. Always Number One. Evangeline knew it was only a matter of time before Diego challenged him.
"Can we hurry this along?" Diego said. His leg was bouncing and his eyes were darting between his remaining siblings.
"Another vigilante night for you? Do those pants ever, you know, squeeze you a little too tight?" Evangeline said. Diego looked at his lap then glared at Evangeline.
"These pants are more comfortable than they look. They're… flexible," Diego muttered. Luther looked between Evangeline and Diego, disappointed, then spoke.
"I thought we could have the memorial service at sundown, tomorrow. Out by Dad's favorite tree," Luther said. He searched each Hargreeves in the eyes, looking for someone to challenge his idea. It didn't go unnoticed by Evangeline that Luther lingered on Diego.
"Dad had a favorite tree?" Allison said, breaking Luther's inspection of his family.
"The big elm? He, um, he used to take me out there and we'd sit and… talk about…" Luther felt too uncomfortable to finish his sentence. The jealousy from his siblings was palpable. Evangeline knew about their little talks and Evangeline had some of her own, although hers were nowhere near as pleasant. "It doesn't matter. What's important is: there are things we still need to discuss," Luther said.
"Question." Klaus raised his hand, "Will there be food?" Evangeline knew he was hopped up on drugs. If no one else could smell the alcohol then maybe they could see the sweat lining his brow. It was nice to see him again though, his wild demeanor was always fun.
"Like what?" Allison ignored Klaus' question, she didn't even bother to acknowledge him.
"Like Dad. The way he died," Luther said. Evangeline laughed. "What are you laughing about?"
"And here we go," Diego rolled his eyes and took out a knife to fiddle with.
"I thought it was a heart attack," Vanya looked to Luther with a taut face.
"I wish it was something worse," Evangeline said between her next spoonful of ice cream. The cold ice cream felt reenergizing in her mouth, the taste of coffee reminded her of Five and the cool creaminess brough back her more positive moments of childhood.
"The coroner said it was a heart attack," Luther said. "Why should we believe him?"
"Are you so fucked up that you can't even trust a coroner? What did Dad do to you, Luther?" Evangeline said. Allison shot Evangeline a warning look which Evangeline stuck out her tongue to.
"I hate to say it, but I agree with Evie," Allison said.
"His heart stopped at 4:32 in the morning. We know the exact moment, because of his pace maker," Evangeline listened to Luther with intent. Of course it crossed Evangeline's mind that their father was murdered, he had accumulated many enemies in his sixty-three years, but ruled out homicide due to the fact The Academy is a fortress.
"Why does that matter?" Vanya asked. Evangeline wished her siblings could see the world through her eyes, then questions like the one Vanya posed wouldn't need to be asked.
"There are over 250 camera on the property. You know how dad was," Luther said yet still it did nothing to change Evangeline's mind.
"Paranoid?" Allison said.
"Insane?" Diego offered.
"Senile?" Evangeline thought that was the superior explanation to the cameras, the only evidence that it was not just age that contributed to the cameras was the fact many of the cameras, about one hundred of them, were there when they were children.
"Tall," Klaus added. Evangeline looked at Klaus again. He seemed pretty out of it and one look into his mind showed Evangeline that he was stuck in the same downward spiral that began soon after Five's disappearance.
"He died at 4:32. Three minutes before that, the cameras stopped recording. All of them. There's a ten minute gap before they come back online," Luther was becoming more and more frustrated. His shoulders became tense and his hands were clenched into tight fists. Oh, Luther thought one of his siblings killed their father. Evangeline sat back in her chair and huffed out a breath. It was obvious none of her siblings killed their father, Evangeline would know immediately if it was one of them.
"Wait, sorry, I wasn't listening. What?" Klaus fell back down the reality for a moment and Evangeline pushed the half eaten carton of ice cream to Klaus. Allison looked off into space, mulling over Luther's words which Evangeline thought were pointless.
"You're saying someone killed him and made it look like nature causes," Allison contemplated the thought while Evangeline didn't care.
"Why does it matter? He's dead. We don't owe him a full investigation," Evangeline argued. She turned to Klaus to get back the ice cream back but recoiled in disgust when she noticed the dribbles of ice cream leaking down his face. Klaus wiped his face when he saw Evangeline's disgust and stuck out his tongue.
"He erased the footage!" Luther argued. "That's gotta mean something, Eva,"
"Okay, hold up, confused," The siblings waited for Vanya to continue, "Who had that kind of access?" Evangeline rolled her eyes. Of course Vanya was entertaining Luther. She was trying to appease him by agreeing with his asinine ideas.
"It's the same system from when we were kids. Retinal scan grants full access. I tested it to make sure," Luther said. There was no immediate response from any of the Hargreeves. Evangeline still felt there was no reason to change her mind to murder.
"What… what does that mean?" Vanya asked.
"Please, like it's not obvious," Diego said, eyeing Luther, "You're not telling us this because you want our help," Luther was quiet. "Are you?" Still no answer. "You think one of us did it," Diego stabbed the table with his knife.
"So there will there be more than just ice cream offered?" Klaus said.
"Whatever's here you can eat Klaus," Evangeline got up and left. She no longer wanted to entertain the idea one of her siblings killed their father because none of them did. Evangeline wandered the halls of her own home until she found herself in face to face with the door to Five's room.
"You miss him," Pogo's voice didn't startle Evangeline.
"Of course I do," Evangeline didn't make a move to enter the room so Pogo opened the door for her. It looked just as she expected. Pristine. Not even a layer of dust. "It's nice to see Dad didn't skimp out on the cleaning services in his old age,"
"He always had the rooms prepared for you all," Pogo walked in and took a seat at Five's desk. Evangeline wanted to scold for sitting in Five's seat but bit her tongue, this was not the time to take out grief on family. "I am not here to reminisce and I get the sense neither are you,"
"Dad wasn't murdered," Evangeline took a seat on Five's bed. Small bits of his smell were lingering in the air and tears welled in Evangeline's eyes. She looked up at the ceiling and took a large breath then focused on the conversation. "You know what happened," Evangeline could have read his mind for the truth but instead waited for Pogo to offer honesty.
"I expected you to find out first," Pogo said. Evangeline looked at him expectantly, "Your father was a very interesting man. I owe my life to him. I would do anything for him… I would even help him orchestrate his death," Evangeline bit the inside of her cheek but otherwise stayed impassive.
Evangeline put the pieces together. "The world is ending soon, isn't it?" It was in moments like these she was grateful for her mind. More often than not, her powers left her knowing information she wished she could unknow but for the first time in a while it has finally been helpful.
"Yes. Your father knew either a wedding or a funeral would bring the Umbrella Academy back together. He figured his death it would force all of you to work together to figure out the mystery of his passing." Pogo pulled Reginald's monocle out of his breast pocket.
"Did he take into account that I would immediately know the truth?" Evangeline took the monocle and inspected it for a moment before handing it back.
"Was it immediate?" Pogo countered. Evangeline was unsure of how to answer. Reginald always managed to be one step ahead, even in death.
"No. I wanted to believe he just died. No fanfare, no malicious intent. Just nature taking back the life it gave him. Guess Dad was trying to outsmart God even in death," Evangeline ran her hand across the bed covers. Five would know what to do in a moment like this. Evangeline hated that Five was interfering with her mind even seventeen years after his disappearance. She was so distracted by Five that she didn't see the obvious.
"Don't tell your siblings," Pogo said. That caught Evangeline's attention. She never lied.
"Why shouldn't I?" Evangeline said.
"Because you know your father was right. The end is soon and you all need to be together to—"
"To save the world. I know, Pogo. Dad said it every damn day. I thought he was just a crazy old man. I'm relieved to know that he had some sense in bringing us together," Evangeline sighed.
"He thought if he could even train two of you he could change the course of time. He was never expecting ten. Unfortunate you're down to six," Pogo tapped his cane onto the floor. "I must take my leave Miss. Evangeline. It has been quite the day. It is lovely to have you all back home," Pogo walked over to Evangeline and rested his hand on her shoulder. He offered a small smile which Evangeline returned.
Evangeline laid on Five's bed. Her mind was racing to digest all of the new information her mind accumulated throughout the day. Evangeline braced herself her entire flight for the inevitable hatred radiating off of her siblings but was pleasantly surprised to find out they had made peace with her decision. Of course they still harbored feelings of resentment but Evangeline could see in their minds that even Allison had forgiven her just as she had accepted Vanya earlier that day. What resonated with her the most was her small interaction with Vanya on the couch. Never had Evangeline been so earnest with her supposed sister, she hopped that today's small progress would bear well for a future relationship.
Swirling in experience from the day, Evangeline fell asleep to the memorable atmosphere of Five's room. Her mind was reeling with information but her dreamless sleep allowed her to finally rest from the constant hum of her overworking mind.
The following morning Evangeline had the opportunity to look around Five's room. She had every inch of the academy ingrained into her mind, but somehow she still felt the need to look around Five's room. Every book was in place and every rebellious carving was intact. Evangeline traced over the obscene amount of carvings with a small smile. She, Vanya, Ben, and Five had all etched their number into the side of the bookcase. Klaus had seen their little act of vandalism and added a dick to the mix as well as his name in large letters.
Evangeline left Five's room to prepare herself for the day and by the time she had freshened up and had a bite to eat, it was already time to prepare for the funeral. Evangeline had slept in much later than anticipated, in France she would rise with the sun so the extra snooze was well deserved. Evangeline readied herself when the sound of music playing from Luther's room filtered in, making Evangeline giggle. The song grew louder and so did her laughs, but this time mouthed the lyrics to the song while doing so. The last time she heard this song, she was with Five. Luther adored this song and every so often would play it loud enough for all of the Academy to hear and on days like that the two danced. Evangeline's laughter grew hysterical, tears were beginning to roll out of her eyes. Her and Five danced. So Evangeline danced.
The music was playing so loud and had so much so entranced Evangeline, that she did not immediately feel it. Then the feeling overwhelmed her completely. The furniture in the room began to rattle with a fierce determination and Evangeline ran. As she was running, she took a good look at the courtyard and as expected, a brilliant blue light was forming. She increased her speed and used her mind to open any and all doors in her path, foregoing all decorum of adulthood. Evangeline was the first out there and was amazed by the beauty before her as the winds whipped her hair out of its French braid. Evangeline all but fell to her knees.
im just practicing writing again before school starts. let me know if you have anything constructive, i'm looking forward to read what people have to say. thx