"I'm sorry...who are you?"
Thea stared blankly at Vanya's words, taken aback by the honest confusion and unrecognition on her sister's face. Five, on the other hand, took the news with surprising ease and smiled as he introduced them both.
"I'm your brother," he said before pointing towards Thea. "And she's our sister."
"I have...siblings?" Vanya asked with wide eyes. Her voice was laden with shock, but the happiness rang loud and clear.
At hearing that, Thea pushed everything else to the back of her mind to focus on what was most important right now. Her sister.
"Of course you do! We're sorry it took us so long to find you..." she said in a rush but trailed off once she realised their predicament.
If Vanya couldn't remember anything, then she would have also forgotten their trip back in time and the fact that they were all super-powered -
"It's good to see you still have your powers," Five commented with casual disregard, his gaze searching the crop field around them and Thea turned to him with shock.
You're just going to reveal it so casually!? Thea glanced at Vanya and wasn't surprised to see her pinched expression.
"I'm sorry, what?" she asked blankly.
Five waved away her questions and began walking back the way they'd come. Thea offered her sister a hand, to which Vanya accepted with a shy smile her way before both girls quickly followed Five's lead.
Though, it looked like losing her memories had given Vanya a little more backbone because once Five was back in their line of sight, the girl put her foot down, questioning just what was going on.
Five rolled his eyes, impatient as ever and gave her a narrow-eyed stare.
"Look, unless you want to wait here until the IKEA mafia come to kill you, you better come with us."
"IKEA mafia...?" Thea repeated, utterly confused at this point. Just what on earth was her brother spouting?
She tried imagining this allusive mafia but could only picture a pair of goons torturing their victim by reading one of those ridiculous furniture manuals Thea could never quite wrap her head around...so many pieces just to assemble one goddamn bookcase...
"Why are they trying to kill me?" Vanya asked, fear and desperation evident in her tone.
Thea snapped out of her thoughts, back on track.
"Because you're not supposed to be here," Five answered vaguely before carrying on his walk.
Thea, feeling bad for her sister's blatant frustration, took pity and placed a gentle hand on her arm. She smiled warmly, meeting her gaze.
"I'm sorry if this is all very confusing for you, Vanya. I can explain it to you better once we get back, okay?" Her voice was calm, inviting.
"I promise we're only here to keep you safe, though. We're family."
The word family seemed to hit home as Vanya's eyes turned soft. She swallowed before her lips parted ever so slightly. Her voice was quiet, almost vulnerable.
"I kept hoping...that someone would find me..." she licked her lips, shifting her gaze. "I put so many ads in the paper, I- I thought that I'd been forgotten..."
Thea's chest restricted at the raw tone to her sister's voice and didn't hesitate to pull her into a crushing hug. Vanya stiffened at the abrupt contact but when Thea refused to let go, her body relaxed and she lowered her head to rest it upon Thea's soft hair.
"You're were never forgotten, Vanya. I would have never given up on you. I promise." Her words were heavy, and she worried briefly that it may have been a little too deep to be saying to somebody who had – technically – only just met her.
Vanya's grip tightened though, and she didn't let go.
"Thank you. It makes me so happy to hear that."
Eventually they both pulled back from their shared warmth, the air between them much calmer now. Their smiles were fond, if a little shy.
"You know," Vanya began, her gaze taking in Thea's appearance. "We don't look much alike."
Thea let out a loud laugh at her words, finding the comment hilariously ironic. "Oh, Vanya, I have so much to catch you up on," she said between giggles.
"Well, if you're both quite done with the theatrics, I suggest we get a move on before we lose even more time," Five said blandly, watching them both with a cocked brow. Unimpressed.
"Don't be jealous, Five. If you wanted a hug so badly, you could've just asked," Thea said with a sarcastic smile.
She opened her arms widely, a smirk on her lips. "Come here, little brother. Let big sister show you some love."
"I've realised it's in my best interest to decline that offer," he replied dryly, turning away from them both.
Vanya was watching their back and forth with an amused smile tugging at her lips. It was quite obvious that they were siblings by their easy banter and the way they jabbed at each other while sending fond smiles the other's way.
However, before Thea could begin to ask Vanya any more questions, Five finally walked out into a small clearing within the crop field. Thea followed suit, Vanya close behind her and the girl stared with wide eyes at the small crater in the centre of it all.
"Holy shit," Vanya muttered.
Thea cracked a smile, whistling at the display of sheer power left behind after her sister's attack.
"Why're you surprised? Forgotten so soon?" Five said with a side-glance towards Vanya.
"Wait, I did this?!" she said with a high voice.
Thea smiled brightly, taking her sister's hand in her own. "Remember what I said before? I'll explain everything soon."
Vanya stared back at her for a moment, startled eyes wandering across the flattened crops around them before landing back on her own. Her brown eyes reminded Thea of a frightened doe and her smile became even more fond, remembering a much smaller Vanya, one who would often whisper her fears to Thea as children, hidden beneath the blankets.
"You can trust us," she promised.
Vanya nodded, a smile of her own touching her lips. "Okay," she breathed. "I'll come with you."
Five had taken them to a comfortable looking diner where the three could talk in relative peace. Thea would have preferred to explain everything to her sister in the privacy of Elliott's home, but there was a larger part of her that was absolutely dying for a good cup of coffee and so she'd commended Five on his brilliant choice.
The woman from behind the counter sat the pot of steaming coffee upon the tray, three mugs around it as well as a couple packs of sugar and a white paper bag. Thea smiled in gratitude, taking the tray and walking back to the booth they had been seated in.
At least this way, they could shield themselves from anybody too nosy for their own good.
Thea placed the cups down in front of both her siblings and poured them both some coffee.
She smothered her grin when Five downed the piping hot drink without even a wince and simply refilled his cup without a word needed, winking at Vanya when the girl turned wide eyes her way.
"Here, I got you something. I wasn't sure when the last time you might have eaten," she said, placing down one of the small paper bags that crinkled at her touch.
Vanya opened it with curious eyes and smiled shyly when she saw the sugared donuts inside. "Thank you," she said sincerely, taking a bite out of the treat.
Five coughed, getting Thea's attention and she barely caught herself from laughing at his put-out expression.
"Oh? Did you need something, Five?"
"Don't be an asshole. Give it to me," he demanded.
"Yes, yes. Whatever you wish, oh-greatest-Five," she drawled, handing him his own tasty treat. Thea looked across the table at Vanya, her expression dramatically exasperated.
"Whoever said family were life's greatest gifts, huh? I should be getting compensation for putting up with the runt."
She was sure Five tried saying something along the lines of 'shut up' but with his mouth full, it was a muffled jumble of sounds, instead.
Vanya guffawed and quickly coughed, hitting her chest as she almost choked on the donut.
Five sent her a withering glare, too busy to speak with the donut stuffed inside his mouth. Thea ignored them both and opened her own paper bag, grinning down at the treat inside. This one was covered in pink icing and topped in multicoloured sprinkles.
"I can already feel the diabetes kicking in," she muttered before taking the biggest bite ever, a goofy smile on her face as the sugary goodness melted on her tongue. "Totally worth it~"
After a minute or two of silence, all three of them enjoying their food, Vanya finally spoke up.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on now?" She had finished her snack and was leaning on the table with both her arms crossed.
Thea's mouth was stuffed with donuts, her cheeks resembling a squirrel and so with an amused smirk sent her way, Five answered the question instead.
"When you were a baby, you were bought by an eccentric billionaire who raised you in an elite Academy with seven other children wielding extraordinary powers."
Five explained their history bluntly, and with cold indifference, going on to expand on his trip through time, the 2019 Apocalypse and how they'd all ended up travelling even further back in time, finding themselves stranded in the sixties.
Thea wasn't surprised when Vanya stared back at the boy blankly. She quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and took a sip of coffee before chiming in.
"I know it seems like a fantasy tale but he's telling the truth," she said, urging Vanya to meet her gaze so that she could see the honesty in her eyes. "When we landed here, we were split up and all landed in different dates. I got here February 14th, 1962. You landed here over a year later, on October 12th, 1963."
At least, that's what Elliott's notes said.
She paused for a moment to let Vanya take that information in, before continuing. "Five was the most recent to arrive."
"So... I have other siblings?" Vanya asked quietly. She was frowning now but didn't look like she thought they were crazy, which was a plus.
Thea hummed happily, lifting her hands to show seven fingers, lowering them as she listed off their names one by one. "Klaus, Ben, Allison, Diego and Luther."
She indicated herself and then the boy beside her. "Thea and Five. Including you, that's eight. We're a big family," she said with a crooked smile.
"Wow... this might take a while to settle in," she murmured. Thea waved her worries away.
"That's fine, I expected nothing less once your memory loss was revealed."
Vanya seemed to be thinking deeply, nodded to herself. She parted her lips, asking another question-
"So then, what caused the apocalypse?"
Thea was caught off guard and her eyes widened in surprise. She blinked once, twice, before using all of her talents to construct her face into something decidedly more honest, trustworthy.
She smiled at Vanya like everything in the world was alright and lied straight through her teeth.
"Nothing we could have stopped. An asteroid hurtling through space decided to target the earth – shitty luck, huh?" she chuckled at herself, smiling ruefully the whole time.
Five was staring at her from the corner of his eye, one brow raised slightly at the obvious lies she was telling.
Well, technically it is the truth, I'm just omitting some minor details. Thea stared back at Vanya, who looked pale at the sound of such a horrible end to the world and felt her resolve strengthen.
She doesn't need to know about her own involvement. Not yet, at least. She can barely remember her own identity, how would telling her the truth effect her mentally?
"In the end, we were no better off than the dinosaurs," Five added in dryly. Thea blinked at his easy cooperation towards her lie, smiling at him with love when he briefly met her gaze.
Thank you, her eyes read. For trusting me with this.
"The bad news, however, is that it followed us here." Five's words brought them back on course.
Now that Vanya was, mostly, caught up – the shortcut course given to her by Thea and Five would have to be enough for now – Five was determined to get them back on track and focusing on what mattered most.
"What do you mean it followed us?" Vanya asked, confused.
"You'll soon come to realise, sis, that this family is cursed. Bad luck is like that one clingy ex that refuses to leave," Thea muttered, chugging the remaining coffee in her mug.
Our luck is as bitter as this coffee. Damn this shit sucks. She grimaced at the harsh dregs left in her mug, deciding to leave it.
"Exactly as I said. Eight days from now, the world will end in a nuclear doomsday," Five said seriously. "It's a different disease but, you know," he waved his hand in the air. "Same result. Kaboom."
"That- that can't be right?" Vanya asked shakily, her voice breaking as the reality of their situation truly began to settle in.
Five shook his head. "I saw it, with my own eyes." He took a deep sip of his coffee, glancing briefly toward Thea before looking down at the table again. "I saw you all, fighting. We all were."
Vanya's breath stuttered and her hands were trembling slightly. She pushed herself from the booth and Thea moved as though to stop her, but the girl turned, raising her hand.
"I'm just...I gotta make a phone call real quick."
Thea nodded her head slowly, watching with worry as her sister scurried toward the payphone on the other side of the diner. She sighed. This hadn't gone how she'd hoped, but then, what had she really expected?
"Thank you for backing me up on the lie," Thea said softly, keeping her eyes on Vanya.
"I can understand your reasoning."
She turned to face him with a tired smile. "If we fail and the world really does end...I'd rather her not be burdened with that knowledge."
Vanya's missing memories were actually for the best. While it pained Thea to know her sister didn't remember anything about them or the moments they'd shared as children, she was content knowing Vanya was happy here.
Even if these were their final days, that was good enough for her.
"She could still remember," Five warned.
Her sigh was forlorn, tired. "I can only hope she doesn't."
After a few more minutes passing and Vanya showing no signs of finishing her call, Five jumped up from his seat and strode towards her with intent. Thea hurriedly dropped some cash onto the table before following him.
She managed to catch his hand inches away from ending the call and when he sent her a glare, Thea glared right back.
Turning to Vanya, she waved her hand in quick motions, indicating for her to hurry it up before tightening her hold around Five's wrist and dragging him outside.
"What the hell, Z?" he said incredulously, pulling his hand back.
"No, Five, what the hell were you going to do?"
"End the call, obviously. We don't have time for this," he said in irritation.
He truly did look impatient, tapping his shoe against the ground and glaring out into the street like it had personally offended him. Thea sighed softly. She felt like she was doing that a lot today.
Sometimes you act like such an old man and then others like a spoilt child. Maybe this consciousness vs body crisis is giving you whiplash.
"It's rude, Five. Vanya clearly cares about this person if her first thought after hearing the oncoming apocalypse is to call them."
Five scoffed, gritting his teeth like he always did when he was annoyed but holding back from lashing out. Thea's eyes softened, trying to push back her own frustration to see it from his point of view.
She nudged his side, gaining his attention.
"If somebody told me that the world was going to end in less than a week, I'd certainly like to hear your voice," she said. "I can understand Vanya's mindset, you know. When faced with danger, it's only natural to want to be nearer to those you love."
Thea wasn't sure her words had gotten through to him at first.
He'd turned his face in the other direction and was glaring up at the sun. However, a few minutes later, when she'd already turned back to gaze into the busy streets, she felt a warmth beside her, closer than before.
"I'd like to hear your voice, too," he said quietly, almost a whisper.
Her smile was indulgent, brimming with such fondness and amusement.
"Then let's make sure we succeed and I'll reward you by talking your ear off for the rest of our lives," she teased, ruffling his hair.
He scowled, slapping her hand away and pushing his hair back into its usual slick style.
"On the other hand, doomsday does sound pretty enticing."
The resounding yelp when Thea gave him a good pinch on the cheek was what greeted Vanya as she stepped out of the diner.
She watched in amusement as Five batted away their sister, who was making grabby hands towards his face, muttering about how squishable it was.
"Family, huh?" Vanya whispered under her breathe, a smile tugging at her lips.
"Ew- Five! I'm going to strangle your tiny chicken neck once we get out of here!"
Thea practically shouted over the roaring crowd of sweaty and cheering men around them. She was huddled into herself, trying as hard as possible not to touch or be touched by everything and anything around her, gagging at the sight of spittle and blood within the arena.
They had arrived at a small, shady looking den where Five had said their brother was earning his money by participating in illegal fighting.
She's been sceptical – after all, wasn't Luther the biggest good-two shoes they knew? – but upon entering the dingy and absolutely awful smelling room, the makeshift arena in the middle, she'd soon swallowed those doubts.
Luther was objectively huge – his bulking frame and unnatural proportions easily outclassed him compared to regular humans – but despite that, he seemed to be getting hit a lot. In fact, if Thea didn't know any better, she'd think her brother was letting the other man hit him.
For what absurd purpose, she didn't know.
"Do whatever you please, but first, we need the idiot over there to come with us," Five said, staring through the metal bars of the arena to stare daggers at Luther.
"Why?" Vanya asked, raising her voice to be heard over the jeers and taunts.
Thea had commanded the space in front of Vanya, shamefully using her sister as some kind of human shield.
It wasn't like the men around them were going to hurt her or anything, but their wandering eyes were beginning to make Thea feel uneasy and she wasn't sure frying their brains into scrambled eggs was ethical nor moral. No matter her reasoning.
Unless they try anything, of course. Then it's eggs – sunny side up.
When the man finally hit Luther hard enough, her brother not bothering to avoid the punch like he could have easily done, Luther went flying into the air and landed on his back with a heavy thud.
His face was lax, his eyes dazed as he stared up into the sky like he had already disassociated himself from the entire situation.
His wounds looked painful and likely felt even worse and all of a sudden, Thea had the intense desire to try something out.
Ignoring everything around her – blocking out the booing crowd and the warmth of her sister's body behind her – numbing herself to every other person in the room but Luther, who was in pain, lying on the dirty ground, his dignity shredded and his eyes just as lost-
Thea ignored everything else and concentrated wholly on Luther.
She slipped into his mind with ease – his thoughts a melancholy song as he gazed toward the bright moon above – and with a fiery determination, Thea thought of what she wanted.
She searched out that part in his mind, the one that was aching with grief and throbbing from the pain of his external injuries. She grabbed a hold of it and willed.
Ease his pain. Stop him from hurting.
You're okay now, Luther. You're okay, big brother. I'm here, you don't need to be in pain anymore.
Luther's eyes – previously so dazed and bleary, his face lax from the aches of punches rained down upon him – became clearer, sharper and less unfocused.
I did it, Thea thought with a burning sense of accomplishment. I actually did it.
When it looked like her brother might try to actually stand up in his confusion, Thea panicked and with his mind still within her domain, she swiftly willed him to sleep, letting him slip into oblivion like he'd wished – only now he went blissfully, numb from the pain that had been weighing him down.
Whatever has hurt you, brother, we'll sort through it together. Rest easy, now.
The following morning, after a night spent stitching up Luther's cuts and icing the bruises that littered his body, Thea found herself once again pressing a wet cloth to her brother's forehead. He'd been sweating through the night, likely his body's reaction to being so beaten up.
Thea had already managed to help him swallow some pain medication, though just how useful it would be, she couldn't be sure. Between the shitty medical advancements of the time period as well as Luther's own physiology, Thea wasn't too confident that the pain-relief would do any good.
Well, no harm in trying. I can't keep you comatose forever.
"How is he?" Vanya asked softly, entering the room with quiet steps.
"He'll be fine. Though if he complains, I'll remind him he has nobody but himself to blame."
"Tough love," Vanya chuckled.
"Too right," Thea mumbled, turning to smile at her sister cheekily. "When you grow up with five brothers you soon learn that tough love is the most efficient method."
Vanya laughed too, though her eyes became a little distant at the mention of memories she couldn't recall. Thea smiled.
"Don't strain yourself. They'll come soon enough."
Though hopefully only those from our childhood, and not the ones after.
"I know," she sighed. "Sissy said the same thing. But I just can't help wanting to know what it is I'm missing. To know who I actually am."
Thea wasn't quite sure what to say in response to that and so she focused on the name her sister had let slip.
"Sissy? Is that the friend you called earlier?"
Vanya's cheeks darkened – she blushed! She actually blushed! Thea squealed to herself – and twisted her fingers together awkwardly.
"Yeah, she's...a friend I'm staying with. She let me stay with her family while I had nowhere else to go."
The images running through her sister's mind showed an attractive, smiling blonde woman, as well as a middle-aged man and a young boy. Likely their son. Thea disconnected the link to Vanya's mind, not wanting to intrude anymore.
Though, from how happy they make you, your thoughts are practically screaming out at me.
"She sounds like a wonderful woman," Thea replied in genuine happiness.
By the look on her sister's face, Thea didn't even need telepathy to understand that there was a deeper connection between the two. She wouldn't pry, but that didn't mean she couldn't tease...
"And just when will you introduce this Sissy to your family, hm? You do know that any potential suitors have to pass the sister test first, right?"
Vanya's face exploded in colour and Thea giggled at her innocence. "I-I don't, what-"
Oh Vanya, you never can seem to catch a break when it comes to love.
First, she'd gotten tangled up with a homicidal killer bent on making the Umbrella Academy suffer for his past and now she'd found herself in love with a woman who already had a family of her own.
If she makes you happy, then you have my support. I can only hope that if we stop the apocalypse, then you somehow find your own bubble of happiness.
"Well, no matter what, I'm happy for you," she said a little louder to get Vanya's attention.
Her sister had stopped stuttering but was instead searching Thea's face like she was looking for the sincerity in her words. Content with whatever it was she saw, Vanya smiled.
"Thank you."
Humming, Thea continued to dab the cloth against Luther's face. She hadn't been able to wash all of the dirt from his face but the majority was gone, leaving his face bruised and dotted in gashes. They were all cleaned and disinfected, which was all she could do for now.
"Is Five still outside?" she asked, not pausing in her movements.
Vanya hummed an affirmative. "He told me to tell you that 'the oaf doesn't need you playing nurse' and to 'hurry up'. He's certainly..." Vanya trailed off, trying to find the right word.
"Stingy? Spoilt? Arrogant? A little shit?" Thea listed in a drawl. "Take your pick, I have many more where that came from."
Vanya choked a little with laughter at Thea's blunt descriptions of Five but nodded her head in agreement.
"He's a little...pushy," she decided on, eyes darting nervously to the door like Five would jump in at any moment and murder them all.
"He's a big baby that needs to learn to slow down. He forgets not everybody can go at his pace."
Thea stopped wiping Luther's face and put the cloth back down on the side table, turning to Vanya with a warm smile that practically lit up the dingy room with its brightness.
"But I love him regardless, because he's my brother."
She pointed a thumb towards Luther. "This one's a selfish man-child who's too stubborn for his own good. But he has a big heart that tends to get him in more trouble than its worth," she smiled fondly.
"What about the others?" Vanya asked, still curious about her mystery family.
Thea hummed, tapping her chin. "How to put this in simple terms..." she contemplated.
"Well, Diego is very similar to Luther – as much as he'd enjoy gutting me for simply suggesting it," she laughed. "He likes playing the hero, even when there's no villain in sight. He means well, but you can imagine the trouble he brings, hm?"
Vanya nodded her head, amusement on her face at Thea's descriptions.
"Then you have Allison, she's our other sister. Allison is bright and brave, she's confident and is a person who, once she sets her mind on something, she refuses to back down."
Thea stared at Vanya, remembering a time when Allison's determination had caused her more grief, when her actions had forged a wedge between sisters that was fatal.
"And the others?" Vanya persisted, pausing for a moment in order to remember their names. "Ben and Klaus?"
The sound of their names sent a new wave of grief through Thea and she swallowed back the cry that threatened to fall past her lips.
Ahh, I miss them so much. It's never hurt like this before, not knowing if I'll see them again. Not since...well, not since I lost Ben.
"Ben was...well, he was a sweet boy. That's the best way to describe him. He was reserved and shy but was fiercely loyal. He was...beautiful," she smiled wistfully. "Truly and utterly beautiful."
Vanya stared in silence, biting her lip as her warm brown eyes scanned Thea's pinched expression.
"Was?" she whispered, barely breathing out the words.
Thea's smile was rueful, her chuckle slightly bitter. "You caught that?" she averted her eyes. "Hm, he died when we were young. He didn't deserve it...he deserved the world."
"You...you loved him?" Vanya spoke slowly, her words carefully chosen as though she wasn't sure she wanted to voice her suspicions.
"I did," Thea confirmed without further explanation.
She didn't think it really mattered, at this point. Nothing could explain the relationship between her and Ben. No words could do it justice and so Thea moved past it, knowing all too well that ruminating on it would only cause her further pain.
"And what can I say about Klaus?"
It seemed Vanya could take a hint as she didn't ask any more questions about Ben. "Klaus?" she repeated.
"Five told you we were all adopted, right?" Vanya nodded. "Well, while we share no blood, we're family nonetheless, if only through the bonds that we share. Klaus and I, however, are twins."
Thea grinned and the wide-eyed look sent her way, chuckling at Vanya's incredulity.
"Is that so surprising?"
"Well, I just assumed...I mean, we don't look alike, and well, neither does Five or Luther..."
Thea's cheshire grin was at full effect. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint but we're only fraternal. So while we share many of the same features – eyes, nose, lips – it's not very obvious unless it's pointed out."
She leant forward as though divulging a secret. "His hair has gotten darker over the years, though it used to be as bright as mine when we were children," she giggled at the memory of a young Klaus, a head full of golden curls.
Now his hair was more of a mousy-brown. Sometimes, a strand or two would shine blonde in the sun but with the addition of his dark makeup and facial hair, Klaus tended to look like a darker version of herself.
"I once called him by little Apollo and I think it annoyed him so much that he spontaneously willed his hair to turn darker," Thea said with a mischievous grin.
Vanya snickered at her words, trying to picture a male version of Thea, but struggling.
"Can I ask you something? It's been bugging me since yesterday."
"Of course, ask away."
"Why is it that you call him Five?" Vanya had waved her hand toward the doorway, obviously referencing the boy that refused to come inside and was instead stubbornly waiting alone.
"Oh," Thea muttered in realisation. "Yeah, that probably does sound really weird to you, doesn't it? Well, remember that eccentric billionaire who adopted us all? Instead of giving us names as children, he assigned us numbers," she explained. "Five is Number Five."
"What was I?"
"Number Seven," Thea answered honestly.
"And you?"
"Zero. Luther was one, Diego two, Allison three. Then it was Klaus, Five, Ben and you."
"Why in that order? Did the numbers mean something?" Vanya asked with a frown, trying to wrap her head around the fact that their parent had called them by numbers instead of actual names.
"Nope," Thea answered quickly. "Just a way for the old man to differentiate us. No more significance than lazy parenting."
"Oh."
"Sounds like Father of the year, right? Honestly, I wish I could lose my memories of the bastard." She laughed off Vanya's alarmed look, finding the way her sister was much more expressive fascinating and a refreshing change.
"I'm kidding. Don't worry yourself over the past. It sounds like you have a pretty bright future with this Sissy."
"Yeah, if the apocalypse doesn't ruin everything."
"World ending disasters have the tendency to do that. Pretty rude of them, hm?"
"Very rude."
Both girls laughed at the direction their conversation had taken and Thea enjoyed the ease at which her sister acted now the weight of grief was lifted from her shoulders.
Vanya might be mad at her should she realise that her and Five had lied about her involvement in the past apocalypse, but if it allowed her to smile with such ease, Thea would pay that price.
"All...ison?" a voice disturbed the silence and both girls turned to face Luther, who was slowly waking up. "Allison?"
Bleary eyes blinked as the world came back into focus and Luther was greeted not by Allison, but by two other familiar faces.
"Rise and shine," Thea greeted. "It's about time you woke up."
"Where... I mean, what happened?"
"You took a nasty hit," Vanya commented from her side, gaining most of Luther's attention.
"Why are you here?"
"Hey, no need to be so rude first thing, Luther," Thea chided.
"Well...you're my brother. I thought you might want some company," Vanya said awkwardly, eyes darting between them both, unsure in herself once again.
"Five's waiting outside," Thea explained, taking pity on her sister. She watched Luther groan and sit up slowly, his bones popping into place as he shifted.
"He's an asshole," Luther said bluntly.
"Yeah, well, pot – kettle, and all that," Thea said, staring at Luther with a raised brow.
Luther wasn't listening to her though, instead, he was staring right at Vanya, making her shift nervously. "How much did he tell you?"
"We," Thea stressed the term. "Told her enough. No need to overwhelm her in one go."
Luther frowned at her words, shaking his head. "No, no. She deserves to know."
"You do not have the right to decide that. At this point, it's Five's decision what happens."
"Why am I not surprised," Luther muttered under his breath but Thea latched onto his words with a narrow glare.
"Excuse me? Would you like to explain what you find so predictable?"
"Well, you, taking Five's side. It's pretty obvious. You always do."
Thea scoffed, finding his tone much too patronising for her liking.
"Oh? Do I? And who else's side should I take, Luther? Who else do I have to pick from? A brother who got himself locked up in the psych ward? Or how about the one that told us he didn't give a shit about the apocalypse?"
Luther's expression soured at the reminder of his words but he stubbornly met her stare.
"I take Five's side because he's the one that managed to save our asses the first time and he's the one who can actually time-travel. Let's not forget the fact that he worked for the commission," she said sarcastically.
"Don't accuse me of favouritism when I'm the only one willing to even help him."
"I'm just saying that Vanya deserves to know what happened. She was a part of it, too."
"You're just saying that to ease your own guilty conscience!" Thea accused, throwing her hands up into the air in frustration.
Vanya had stayed silent up until this point, watching them both argue back and forth and forgetting she was there, despite the topic of conversation centred around herself.
Finally, when they both looked ready to argue again, she chimed in.
"I want to know," she said softly. She coughed, trying to speak with a little more determination. "I want to know what caused the apocalypse."
Thea breathed a huff of air from her lips, narrowing a steely glare their brother's way before standing from her chair, resignation evident on her face.
"Fine. Do whatever you want. I can't talk sense into those who refuse to listen."
She turned to look at Vanya, her expression more serious than since the two had met. The look in her eyes was hard to read, but Vanya was sure she could detect the layer of sadness hidden behind the mask of indifference.
"Just know, that I lied because I cared more about your feelings than my own."
With that said, Thea walked out of the room, leaving Vanya and Luther to watch her go in silence.
Just when things seem to be looking up, I'm reminded that the world isn't so fair. Bad luck really does follow us all, huh?
Despite having a little spat in this chapter, Thea is not actually mad at either Luther or Vanya. She's incredibly frustrated at the entire situation and cannot understand why they aren't dropping everything to help Five stop the apocalypse, like she's doing. It is admittedly a selfish attitude (which she will realise in the next chapter) but I think it makes her a little more real of a person. She has faults, too.
After all, unlike Vanya (and Allison), Thea doesn't have anything to lose in this new period. She's willing to drop everything to find her family and makes things right and puts her entire trust in Five. The other's are not as willing.