Prologue: The Beginning

On October 1st 1983 43 infants were born under extraordinary circumstances, their mothers showed no signs of pregnancy the day prior to their births.

Billionaires Reginald Hargreeves and Sir Frederick Halifax, friends from decades past, decided to have a friendly wager to see who would succeed at creating the better academy, training teenage superheroes, picking the best from both for the ultimate goal of saving the world from the apocalypse, one that was bound to happen.

Reginald got seven and Frederick got five.

The two men had very different ideas on how to raise such children to be the best. Reginald desiring to rule over them with strict guidance stating obedience is what keeps them in line. While Frederick believed humans needed to be loved and cherished in order to excel. Both men laughing at the others foolishness.

Reginald numbered his children, one through to seven, changing the order of ranking when the children began showing their unique abilities. They were simply tools in his overall plan and nothing more. He called them the Umbrella Academy.

Frederick named his children, twins Aurora and Xavier, Sara, Jackson and Felix. He grew to truly love the children as his own, regardless of their abilities he loved them all equally. Wanting nothing to do with Reginald's plan the more time went on. He called them the Oak Academy.

2005

Five Hargreeves sat at the dining table for lunch as they always did for meal times, his father sat at the head of the table, Vanya at the other end to his right. Ben read a book in his seat across from him, Diego was attacking the armchair with a pocketknife, Luther and Allison were making gooey eyes at one another and Klaus was rolling up a joint; all in silence. They were only allowed to be silent during meal times, the only time the children were ever allowed to talk while eating was when they had the monthly dinners at the Oak academy. Five felt like he was jumping out of his skin the longer he spent in this house, he had sworn he would leave this place when he turned eighteen but he wasn't sure he could make two more years. Maybe he could go live with Aurora, the thought making him blush while simultaneously cursing himself for his juvenile thoughts. He felt stagnant, he wasn't learning anything new, none of them were. It felt like their 'rival' academy were leaps and bounds in front of them but whenever he wanted to push to learn more he was told he wasn't ready. The drone of Herr Carlson's recording in the background making him grit his teeth, slamming his knife into the table making them all turn to look at him.

"Number Five?" His father questioned, unimpressed at the interruption to his meal.

"I have a question." Five's jaw tightened in irritation, his father giving the same speech about interrupting his precious recordings whenever any of them spoke during meals. "I want to time travel."

"No. You are not ready." His tone was bored and he never stopped eating.

Five rose to his feet using his spatial jump to appear beside his father. "I've been practicing like you've said, I'm ready."

His father dropped his utensils and twisted in his chair to face the boy. "We've been over this before, now I forbid you from talking about this again." Five's eyes narrowed, he saw Vanya shake her head no from the corner of his eye but ignored the girl, turning and running out of the room. "Number Five! You haven't been excused!"

Ignoring his father's words calling him to come back he burst out of the back door into the courtyard, the fall breeze chilly against his face. Gripping the door, he jumped into the Oak academy's living room. Sara stood at the top of the stairs, hand resting on the rails, pointed stare aimed at the boy who had spatial jumped into their living room. "Are you lost? Your little group of ragtag losers are next door."

Five glanced up in her direction, unimpressed look across his face. "I'm looking for-"

"I know who you're looking for." Sara interrupted, her image changing in front of his eyes. Her short black hair growing down to her lower back, changing to golden coloured curls, shrinking two inches with her eyes changing to a hazel from its original blue. She took lazy steps down the stairs in his direction now the mirror image of her sister.

"You know she hates it when you do that." Xavier called out, lounging over the rails, he had matching golden curls and hazel eyes. Sara rolled her eyes before returning to her own image, mattering words of annoyance as she walked away. Xavier stood upright, hands slinking into the pockets of his trousers, tilting his head, smirk gracing his features. "Spending a little too much time around my sister hm? You're lucky our father is more tolerant than yours. She's in our room." He turned and walked away from the stairs before adding. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you where that is."

Five rolled his eyes, is this how his family felt whenever he spoke to them? The Oak academy always acted like they were so much better than them. He scaled the stairs two at a time heading in the direction of the twins room. This place always looked like a real family lived there, family pictures all over the walls, laughter was a common sound throughout the halls and they even had a pet cat called S'mores. He knew his siblings were jealous, hell he was jealous too, they got everything; their father acted like a real father. Monthly dinners were always more fun at the Oak over the Umbrella academy. Five jumped out of the way as Jackson sped past him in a blur, muttering 'umbrella turd' as he passed. He fixed his jacket scowl on his face looking in the direction the boy had disappeared in before continuing on his way.

Five lent against the door frame of the twins room, arms crossing against his chest, watching her curiously. Aurora sat at her desk staring at the potted plant that sat tucked in the corner, its leaves turning yellow around the edges as it withered from lack of care. Moving her fingers forward she lightly touched the plant watching it springing back to life, leaves returning to a healthy green, doubling in size at her touch, coming back to life.

"I've been thinking." Five spoke announcing his presence to the girl.

"Did it hurt?" Aurora asked getting to her feet, flipping shut the book she had been reading. Turning away from the desk to look at him, teasing smile playing on her lips. "Let's take this outside? My siblings are nosier than yours."

He held his hand out for her, spatial jumping the two away the moment their hands connected. He had ported them to the joint courtyard between the two academies, he was always able to jump further holding her hand. Releasing her hand, he shoved his into the pants pockets.

Aurora loved being outside, she'd spend a lot of her free time in the courtyard, it was where she felt strongest when the sun was on her skin. Clasping her hands behind her back she turned around to look at Five, golden curls bouncing around her. He had this look in his eyes that she couldn't work out but leaving that for now she instead titled her head. "What did you want? You know your dad hates it when you hang with me."

"Screw that old man. Your powers, you radiate energy right? Part of the reason you can make plants grow?"

"I mean... I guess? Dad and I are still trying to learn exactly what my powers do, why?"

"I want to time travel, I'm ready. He can't keep stopping me. You've seen my jumps, they're getting better. I'm sick of waiting."

"And this involves me...how?"

"Come with me." This seemed to surprise her, her lips parting in shock at the question, he smirked, she looked so pretty to him right now. "I'll bring you right back."

She seemed to regard his words for a moment looking at the boy in front of her, the smirk still on his face, his green eyes staring intently at her. She couldn't silence her hearts irregular flutters as it thundered through her ears, reaching out an open palm to him. Five took her hand spatial jumping them to the front of the two academies, people in the streets turning heads at the noise to look at the two teenagers that appeared. He felt ready, he knew he could do it. Gently tugging on her hand to get her to walk with him, the words of his father telling him he couldn't do it echoing through his mind, he was determined to prove him wrong. He focused all his powers and pulled them through time, the world around them changing as they landed.

Aurora looked around at the people previously wearing long coats and pants now in summer dresses and shorts. She released her death grip on Five's hand to take a moment to marvel at the summer weather, children playing in the streets, a couple walking with ice-cream cones. Taking a hold of her hand again Five pulled her into a walk with him once more. "I knew I could do it! That asshole always doubted me!" He pulled them through time again, the world around them now cold with snow falling from the sky.

"This is great and all, amazing actually but you can take me back now, you've had your fun, your ego should be over inflated once more and all is restored in the universe. Time to go home."

Five looked back and smirked, pulling her through time once more, only the site that met them this time was ruin. Buildings lay in rubble around them, fire still blazing over ruined buildings. Aurora held his hand so tight, if he hadn't of been so distracted it would have hurt. The smell of smouldering rubble was thick in the air, smoke making it hard not to choke with ash falling from the sky. Five went to spatial jump but blue sparks fizzled out around him, he pulled Aurora into a run, practically dragging her in a full sprint. Cars were charred and rumble lay all over the street that just minutes before had people walking on them. Coming to a stop in front of what remained of the academies he heard her sobs but didn't dare look, his breathing strained, his life was in rubble in front of him. "Shit.."