March 24, 2019
Eight days wasn't a lot to work with. It was all Five Hargervees had though. Eight days to stop the apocalypse that ends all life on Earth. Lots to do but not a lot of time. His life was just one stressful situation after another. At least he had one lead. A glass eye that he took from his brother's corpse. He didn't know who it belonged to or if it had any real significance but it was a start.
He only had a few hours between now and when Pogo told him they were going to hold the memorial for their dad. He did consider skipping the service that would honour the man that never loved them. Not the best impression towards his siblings that he didn't see for decades though. Unwillingly, he would have to attend whether he wanted to or not. Again, not a lot to work with but he'll take it.
It was easy enough to sneak out of the house when everyone was too busy dealing with the whole reunion. Not just with him. He wasn't blind to the obvious tension that they all had with one another. He had a rough idea of its presence prior due to Vanya's book. He didn't think it was this bad. Wasn't like anything she wrote in the book was particularly a lie. Still, seeing them all face to face after so long reminded him of why jumped back in the first place. Stupid hostilities aside, they were his stupid siblings.
A quick drop by the Meritech Prosthetics to find the owner of his eyeball was not going to take long. Too bad that there is something called patient confidential. As if that wasn't demeaning enough, the worker named Lance was a wussy that he almost called security on him. He was only asking a question, didn't need to get so defensive. Gosh. His young body was the main thing stopping him from getting the answers he needed. He needed an adult. Plans for tomorrow he supposed.
For now, he just had to get back to the academy for the memorial. The sound of thunder boomed around him. As if things couldn't get worse today, the thunder was only a second until he felt a raindrop fall on his face. He barely had enough juice in him after time jumping that he needed a ride. Would have been a lot better if taxis actually stopped for him. This stupid body didn't let anyone take him seriously. All the taxis were passing by him and his siblings would give him too much shit if he was late after reappearing 17 years later.
Five let out an exasperated sigh. After the memorial, he needed a hot cup of coffee.
"Hey kid?" He heard a woman's voice coming up to him from behind. He took a deep breath. The rain starting to pick up as if trying to cool his hot head.
"What do you want?" His anger dispelled when he saw who she was. Too fast to process, he became overwhelmed with confusion, shock and fear. In his 45 years, he never once forgot her face.
She looked the same age as back in 2002. Maybe around her early thirties like his siblings? Her shoulder length brown hair stuck out in random spots on her head as if she had brushed through it once but had the wind mess it up in a minute. She dressed formally. Not in the vintage dress he once saw her in but more like business casual. Nor did she have that broken green watch.
His eyes went to her carrying a black umbrella in one hand above his head and a thin briefcase in the other one. It didn't look the same one that he worked with at the Commission. This one was only big enough to carry some papers and maybe a small book. Nonetheless, she was the woman that told him not to time travel 40 years ago.
He took a step back and readied for a fight. "Sorry kid. I didn't mean to shock you. The rain might get heavier and I was wondering if you wanted an umbrella? My workplace is pretty close by so please take it."
He scanned the area. He didn't see anyone else around them. The rain blurring his long distance sight wasn't helping in confirming that statement. The Commission did have the ability to time jump in right in front of them if need be. Was that their plan? Use this woman as a distraction in order to snipe him at a distance? But in his years there, he never once heard nor saw of her. The long game? Did the Commission always know he was going to break his contract? Set this lady up to get into his head early on?
"Kid? You okay? Are you lost?" He grabbed her umbrella and pointed the end at her.
Normally Five would have played it cool but with this mysterious woman, he couldn't take any chance. She knew him back in 2002 and had no presence in the Commission. For all he knows, she planned to have him jump to the future. Not to mention, this was only the first day, first few hours of him breaking his contract. She found him so fast that it proved that she was a threat.
"Who are you? What are you trying to do right now?" She didn't show that she was threatened by the umbrella. He was young and the weapon wasn't exactly the standard needed to do real damage to her. The only thing she did was flinch under the sudden exposure to the spitting water from above.
"I was trying to offer you an umbrella?"
"Don't try that innocent act on me. You know who I am. What's your game? Is this umbrella a bomb? Did the Handler set you up? How long did you plan this out? Since 2002?"
"Kid, I was like 15 in 2002. I don't know who you are. I understand that sometimes an adult talking to a kid can be seen as a stranger danger but you are free to refuse this. It's good to be skeptical of kind people. Just don't overdo it."
"You really don't know who I am?" Five couldn't see anything cold about her. She appeared to be a normal civilian. Commission scum always had such a textbook way of moving that she didn't display. Then again, when he met her in 2002 she tripped. Spoke in rambles. There was too much that contradicted her from what he knew of the organization.
"I don't? What's your name?"
"Five."
"Like the number? How unique. I'm Cielo by the way. Nice to meet you." He cautiously shook her outstretched hand. Before he never got her name. This time she gave it without him even asking. She wasn't wearing a watch either.
"Cielo, would your last name happen to start with a C as well?"
"Wow how did you guess that? My full name is Cielo Cavallone. Have we actually met before? I'm sorry I don't recall such." C. C. Just like the initials on the briefcase she had in 2002. No one had their briefcases personalized. Yet her initials were on that one.
"Let me ask you this then, Cielo Cavallone, what do you know about time travel?" Five had to figure out what she was doing here. To distract him? Coax him back to the Commission? This woman was selling a good act but time pleasers all act the same way.
Time travel was the sole thing that made the Commission function. Therefore, every worker looked to time as if it were their god. They poured their hearts and souls into understanding it's perplexities and respected the delicate system. Time travel the same. Morals always came second if time was at stake. Time travel was only meant for the most careful of individuals. There was never any space for mistakes. In turn, also no freedom. They loved that and never could stop praising how much they knew the strictness.
"Time travel? Is that something you're interested in? Um strange question but um it's complicated? I assume that there's a reason why it's not popularized. Like if time travel was possible then there would be more travellers around. Unless there's a reason why people don't know about it. There are a lot of theories out there that explain exactly that. Butterfly effect and space time continuum mumble jumble. I'm not the best person for this." He nodded along as she tried to explain that she essentially knew nothing about time travel.
"I see." He lowered his guard a little. She may look similar to the woman in 2002 but didn't have anything really connecting the two. The smile on her face didn't seem fake nor malicious. If anything, the only threat he could detect right now was himself.
"So are we good or do I need to call you parents or...?" He gave her a tight lip smile.
"I think we're good here. Have a nice day." He attempted to put his hands in his pockets when he remembered the umbrella. He held it out for her to take back.
"Oh you can keep it. Like I said, the rain might get heavier. You should be getting home before that happens. It's not good for a kid to get sick. Your family will worry for you." She turned her back towards him to hail a taxi. There was nothing that showed that she was afraid of Five.
"Thanks." He didn't bother to try correcting her on his age. He had to get back to the funeral and he really didn't like being around her. It was better to leave now with a bad impression.
"Don't mention it. And don't worry about the umbrella, I can easily get another one. I should really get going but get home safely." She gave him a smile. The conversation ended quickly and cleanly. The first one leaving being her. Rushing off in a direction he assumed to be her workplace briefly mentioned. Not in any way did she hint that she would follow him or that she wanted to continue their relationship. Besides the basic umbrella that he may return, there was nothing more that connected them.
Cielo Cavallone. Same as in 2002, he couldn't put a finger on the unsettling feeling he had. She didn't do anything but it was her mere presence that set him off. It was only his first day back and he ran into her? If the universe had some way of speaking, this was it telling him that he was fucked. When he stops the world from blowing up, he can figure out who she is. If she makes any moves, this time he would be prepared to stop her.
On the other hand, Cielo continued her way without a second thought. Though the encounter was strange, she didn't want to dwell too much on a child's active imagination. In retrospect she should have given more attention to him since he did seem lost and on edge. Ultimately though she didn't want to push any boundaries with her being a stranger and all.
All she did was straighten her appearance a little before walking into her workplace. The receptionist stopped midway of their usual greeting once seeing that it was her.
"Girl did you not notice that it's raining?" They rushed up to her with a tissue box in hand. She gratefully took a few to pat herself down.
"It's not that bad yet. I should dry up with the remaining time from my lunch break. Glad I didn't wait for that fresh pot of coffee or I would have been caught in the middle of it. Last thing I need is for my next patients to complain about my professionalism because I got soaked from the rain. Or late for not getting a ride."
"Did you go to that place down the road again? You've been hanging out there for a week now."
"It has good doughnuts. Too many businesses around here are flooded at this time anyways. I have my next arm replacement appointment right after my break so I didn't want to waste my break waiting for my order that I can't eat anything at all." Before the receptionist could respond, they heard a door slam open.
"This new generation of kids is crazy! Crazy I tell you!" The two watched as Lance for everyone to hear as he went into his office. The clear windows making it visible that he was fuming in there.
"Woah, what's with the Big boss?" Cielo asked.
"Some trouble earlier, don't worry about it." They both jumped at the sound of thunder booming from outside. Heavy rain followed soon after. "Damn that came down fast. Do you have an umbrella back in your office?"
"No but it's okay. It's not supposed to last long. It should pass before I leave. At least I hope it does lighten up. This kind of weather always brings disaster with it."
"You know I heard in some countries, rainy days meant that foxes were getting married. Perhaps we have a wedding to celebrate."
"Or a funeral. In the movies, it's always raining at funerals."
"You are so negative." She shrugged.
"Hey, funerals can be a good thing if the person is a scumbag. Either way, funerals or weddings, people love to gather on those days. Hopefully they are having fun in this weather. It would have been better with wind though." Mumbling last part.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Just talking to myself as usual. Send my next appointment to my office when they get here? I'm going to grab their arm now." The receptionist nodded, allowing her to head to the back storage. She didn't have to look too hard for where the prosthetic arm was placed. The little info card on the box confirming that it was the one for her patient. A child that needed to replace their old arm due to growth spurts.
At the back of her mind Cielo thought of Five. It was sad sight watching the boy stand alone in the rain. Frustrated at his failed attempts to get a taxi by himself. Before she knew it, she was holding an umbrella over his head. He was a strange kid. She only hoped that he got back to his loved ones safely.
Vanya shivered when the wind blew past her. The night had already taken over that the only source of warmth was in the oversized jacket. Pogo did give all of them the option to stay in their old rooms. One that she didn't take. Too many bad memories there to stay. They literally spent 1 day together and started a fight every moment they could. It was better that she went back to the place she can actually call home. She didn't even get to say goodbye to the siblings. Some memorial they held. Quite fitting to deliver their emotions to their dad.
She slightly jumped when the bush beside her loudly rustled. Due to the lack of streetlights, she could barely make out that it was a human inside. It was just her type of luck that it was outside her apartment entrance too.
"H-hello?"
"No!" The human popped out with a hissing cat scrambling in their arms. It took a moment to recognize the face.
"Cielo? Is that you?" The human turned around. Still very much struggling with the small cat desperately trying to get out of her arms. Her formal work outfit dirtied with wet leaves, the cat's fur and paws clawing mud on. Not that she seemed to worry about it too much.
"Oh Violinist? No-don't- stay still you runway cat- Look Violinist! I found the missing cat! I don't understand how he always ends up disappearing but our neighbour really needs to put a tracer on him. At least this will get us a few days without her knocking on our doors." Vanya held her hands, not exactly sure how she can help her neighbour contain the cat.
The two weren't that close. Only giving brief greetings when passing each other in the halls. Though they both dealt with Miss Kowalski's cat running away on more than one occasion. That's one thing they bonded over. Though Cielo was the more outgoing one between the two that she often was the one that held the conversation whenever they did meet.
"There there, little runaway. We'll get you back to your family soon. I'm sure our neighbour will prepare you a feast to fuel your next adventure."
"Next adventure?" Vanya questioned.
"Of course. This little Runaway clearly likes to go out. Yet if you ever see him with our neighbour, he's well taken care of and happy. He just likes his freedom as well. I'd like to bring him back to his family now that he's been missing for a while." Cielo readjusted her hold on Mr. Puddles as he was starting to calm down. Vanya gently scratched the cat's chin.
"Family is confusing like that." Cielo turned to her neighbour.
"Everything okay? You sound really tired."
She sighed. "Yeah. Just- I- my dad's memorial was today. The family reunion was- not the best- it was bad."
"My condolences. I saw the news and didn't know if it was appropriate to knock on your door for that. And if your family is anything like you said in your book, I can imagine how it'll turn. After I return the runaway, do you want to talk about it?"
"No no, I don't want to inconvenience you. My family's been a mess for years. Nothing I didn't expect today honestly. I think what I really need is some sleep."
"If you say so. I'll leave you to your own troubles then. You know where I live if you need anything."
"Thank you. Should we head inside now?"
"That'll be nice. This runaway smells. Do you mind opening the door though? I can't do it with this guy in my arms."
"Y-yeah sure." Vanya scurried a bit to open the building's door.
"Thanks, I'm going to take this guy home. I wish you good night and that you have a restful sleep."
"You too, goodnight." The two separated without much more to say. They were essentially strangers to one another.
Unloading all the stress that came with the Umbrella Academy reunion wasn't for Cielo to hear. And while Vanya knew that she had read her book, explaining everything that came today still wouldn't make sense.
The eccentric man who raised them died of a normal heart attack. Their brother that was missing for 17 years re-appeared as a child. The talking chimpanzee and robot mom held the memorial. The ceremony ended because their super strong brother destroyed the statue of their dead brother. There was nothing about today that a normal person like Cielo should be burdened with.
Vanya sighed for the millionth time today as she unlocked her apartment's door. She placed her keys on the drawers as her other hand went to the light switch. But she didn't get the chance to when the standing lamp turned on.
"Jesus!"
Her younger looking, technically older, adoptive brother sat in her chair. Not caring that he nearly gave her a heart attack. "You really should have locks on your window."
"I live on the second floor."
"Rapists can climb." Yep, her family was truly full of weirdos. Not even 17 years away from them could change that. All of the Umbrella Academy members were still children that failed to fully grow up. From the look on Five's face, she wasn't going to be sleeping well tonight.
