October 1st, 2002. 1:13 AM.

"What do you think goes here?" Nine asked her adoptive brother, Five.

He shrugged in response. "Maybe four?"

Nine twisted her lips. "No, that doesn't feel right. I think it's supposed to be a two."

Five shook his head, pointing to a number a little before the blank. "That one makes it so it has to be above three."

"You're right. Maybe a six, then?"

Five looked over the equation. "Yeah, that seems right."

Nine yawned as she penciled in the number.

Five glanced over, but said nothing. He knew Nine wouldn't stop working until she fell asleep.

The next morning, Nine woke up, lifting her head off of her notebook. She felt something fall off of her shoulders as she sat up. It was a blanket. Five must've put it on her after she fell asleep.

Nine stretched. She saw Five asleep on his bed, but decided not to wake him.

But, before she left, Nine placed a quick peck on his cheek.

From there, she headed down to breakfast.

Her twin brother, Eight, was sitting at the table. "Morning, sis. Ready for Testing today?"

Nine groaned. She's forgotten all about the Test.

Once a year, on their birthday, Sir Reginald Hargreeves tested the children to see how they had progressed in regards to their powers. The Test included sparring, offensive and defensive simulations, and individual assessments.

Nine hated the Test. Every year, her father screamed at them all for not living up to their full potential. It was infuriating.

So, every night after the Test, Nine snuck out with the rest of the Academy and they all went to Griddy's Donuts. Nine was looking forward to it tonight, especially since she might be able to get some time alone with Five.

An hour later, Sir Reginald rounded up all his adoptive children, except Number Seven, for the Test.

Nine fidgeted as she watched One spar Eight. She and Two were up next.

Sir Reginald scribbled down notes in his journal as the fight went on. He took notes on practically everything they did in the Academy. He even took notes of their sleeping forms.

Finally, the fight was over and One had won. Nine dragged her feet up to the platform, dreading the fight.

"Begin!"

Two drew a dagger from his belt, throwing it at Nine. It stopped an inch from her face.

Nine was a telekinetic, very similar to Two's trajectory curving, minus the fact that she didn't need an object to move to manipulate it.

The two went back and forth for a few minutes, Nine finally faking defeat so Two wouldn't get too much heat from their father.

"Elementary, Nine. You must work harder to master your power!"

Nine lowered her head slightly, staring at the floor. "I did the best I could, Dad." A lie.

Sir Reginald shook his head, motioning for Three and Six to begin sparring.

After sparring, the offensive and defensive simulations began.

The Academy was divided into two groups: the attackers and the defenders.

This year, the teams were One, Two, Four, and Five versus Three, Six, Eight, and Nine.

Sir Reginald stared at the children grouped in front of him. "Team One, you will attack. Team Two, you will defend. Begin!"

Nine clenched her fists. She was going to ace this challenge.

One came at her, bringing his fists down on her head. Nine flipped into a handstand, kicking her legs upwards. They connected with One's head, sending him staggering backward.

Nine flipped into her normal stance, her wavy brown hair softly hitting her shoulders.

Nine noticed Four sending a fist at Eight's head. Her hand shot out instinctively, stopping the motion halfway.

Suddenly, a force pushed her to the ground. Nine's nose hit the floor hard, blood spurting out of it.

In a rage, Nine sent a wave of telekinetic energy flowing off of her, sending everyone in the room flying.

"Enough!" shouted Sir Reginald as the rest of the Academy readied to retaliate. "I've seen enough."

Then it was time for lunch. No one spoke for they were listening to a Shakespearean play via a cassette.

Nine accidentally brushed her nose when she spooned some of the lobster bisque into her mouth. She swallowed the soup, trying not to show any signs of pain.

But Seven, sitting at the end of the table, noticed her sister's almost nonexistent grimace. She didn't say anything, instead giving Nine a small smile.

Nine returned the smile, praying none of her other siblings had noticed. Luckily, it seemed they hadn't.

After lunch, it was time for the individual assessments. The children were allowed to spend the time their siblings were being assessed doing whatever pleased them.

Each assessment was forty five minutes on the dot. The children were assessed in order by number, starting with One and ending with Nine.

Which meant Five and Nine had three hours until Five had to get assessed. They spent those three hours in Five's room doing equations.

"How long until they're ready?" Nine asked Five.

Five shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like I've ever time traveled before."

"True enough."

Pogo came to get Five when it was his turn to be assessed. "Master Five, your father will see you now."

Nine waved goodbye to Five and kept working. She hoped to make a breakthrough on these equations before he came back. Maybe that would impress him.

But, forty minutes later, she still hadn't made a breakthrough.

Then she noticed something. One of the numbers in the equation was off. She quickly fixed it and realized how the equation ended.

But, just as she was writing it down, she stopped. Their father always said that time traveling was dangerous and unpredictable. If he was right, Nine might lose Five forever if he time traveled.

Nine crumpled up the paper and rewrote the original number in the place of the correct one. She was not going to lose Five if she could help it.

A minute later, Five arrived, exhaustion written all over his face. "I'm going to take a nap after dinner. Did you make any progress?"

"Some. But not anything huge." Nine lied. Two in one day. She'd be nearing her record soon if she kept this up.

Five sighed. "Well, hopefully we can get this finished soon. I can't wait to time travel."

Nine nodded, following him down the stairs to eat. After dinner, the two went back up to Five's room. Five rested while Nine stared at the calculations.

A while later, Pogo appeared in the doorway once more. "Miss Nine, your father will s--"

But Nine was already out the door and down the stairs, heading toward the examination room.

"Hi, Dad," she said when she entered. "What will I be doing today?"

Sir Reginald didn't answer, instead choosing to scribble a few notes in his journal.

Nine tapped her finger against her arm impatiently. Her father was taking a while to get on with his assessment of her individual progress.

Suddenly, Sir Reginald pulled a handgun and shot it at Nine.

She reacted, her eyes going wide as the bullet stopped a millisecond before going through her forehead. The bullet dropped into her palm. "You almost surprised me."

"You may go," said her father, not paying any heed to his daughter's comment. "I no longer need to assess you."

Nine turned on her heel and strode out, her fists clenched. Was she not important enough for the full assessment time? Or was her father merely being a prick?

Nine couldn't decide. Probably the first. She did always feel inferior to her siblings.

Her head lowered in the thought that she was lesser. She wondered briefly if this was how Seven felt.

Nine walked over to the kitchen. No one was there. She opened the silverware drawer, pulling out a knife.

Nine shook her head, forcing herself to put the knife back. She had promised herself that she would stop having these thoughts long ago.

Another voice whispered inside her head. You aren't good enough, it said, so just get on with it. No one will miss you.

Nine slowly picked up the knife again. The voice was right. No one would miss her. No one cared about her.

She positioned the knife on her wrist. Before she could back out, Nine pulled the knife upward, slicing open her arm.

Pain blossomed as shining red blood dripped from the wound. But Nine didn't care. It felt good to do this, it felt good to finally do what she'd been wanting to do for years.

"Nine?" came a voice.

Nine looked up to see Seven, her eyes wide with worry.

Nine looked down at her arm, shaking. What have I done?

Seven hugged Nine, slipping the knife out of her sister's hand. "Why would you want to do this?"

"No one cares about me," Nine confessed. "No one would care if I died."

Seven shook her head, pulling away from the hug. "That's not true. I would care."

Nine closed her eyes. "I'm going to bed now. Please don't tell anyone what happened."

Seven bit her lip. "I won't."

Nine forced a smile. "Thanks, Seven."

Nine went up to her room, shaking. What would've happened if Seven hadn't been there? Would she have taken her life?

Nine wanted to say no, but she knew deep down that she would've. Thank goodness for Seven.

Nine laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, not tired in the slightest. The others would be sneaking out soon.

But should she go after the incident? Nine knew the others would get suspicious if she ditched.

So she grabbed some gauze and bandaged her wound. She threw on a dark denim jacket over her uniform, hoping everyone would believe she was cold.

The siblings met on the front steps leading to the mansion. "Ready to go?" One asked. The others nodded and they strode off into the night.

Nine wasn't having much fun. Her arm wasn't bothering her, but Five hadn't spoken to her once the entire evening.

At first, she thought she was making it up. But he kept avoiding her eyes and he purposely sat as far away from her as possible when they got to Griddy's.

No, Nine had to be imagining it. Five would never do that to her.

Eventually, One had to be a fun killer and told everyone it was time to go back to the mansion.

The nine siblings headed back, the majority smiling and laughing.

Nine and Seven weren't among them.

When Nine noticed Seven was upset too, she stopped her.

"What are you doing?" Seven asked.

"Just wait. I want to talk."

Seven nodded, too tired to argue.

"What's up?" Nine asked once the others were out of earshot.

"Nothing, it's just I'm a little annoyed that I'm not part of the Academy."

Nine frowned. "You're more a part of the Academy than me."

Seven looked confused. "What do you mean? I don't have powers."

Nine shook her head. "Maybe not, but everyone likes you better. You're like the glue that holds us together. Even if no one appreciates you."

Seven smiled faintly. "Thanks, Nine."

"No problem."

"Now, what's up with you?" Seven inquired.

"I, uh, was just a little annoyed Five hasn't talked to me for the entire night, that's all." After Nine confessed that, she blushed. "I know, it's stupid."

Seven shook her head. "No, it's not. I know what it's like to be ignored. It's not fun."

Nine couldn't argue with that. "It's just different with Five. I don't know how to explain it."

Seven smirked as if she knew something Nine didn't.

Nine let it go. Seven probably wouldn't tell her what it was about anyway.

The two girls went back to the mansion, silence filling the space between them.

When Nine tip-toed into her room and threw her coat on her bed, she almost screamed. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry," Five hissed. "But we need to talk."

"What about?" Nine asked.

"That lump under your sleeve."

Nine's eyes were drawn to the barely noticeable area. "What about it?"

"Show me your arm. Without the sleeve."

Nine didn't budge so Five rolled up her sleeve slowly. Nine didn't stop him.

"Shit," he muttered when he saw the bloodied bandage. "What happened?"

Nine didn't answer. Five shook her gently. "Nine, what happened to your arm?"

"I cut it," she whispered. "It's not bad."

Five glanced at the bandage again. "If it's not bad, then why did it bleed through?"

Nine didn't answer. Five sighed and unwrapped the gauze. He sucked in a breath when he saw what Nine had done. "Shit, Nine, did you do this?"

Nine gave a small nod.

"Why?" Five asked.

"The world doesn't need me."

"You're even more of an idiot than I thought. I'm getting more gauze. Don't move."

"What will happen if I do?"

"I'll kill you myself."

Nine rolled her eyes. He was bluffing. She could tell by the way his eyes shone dully as he glanced at her one last time before blinking away.

Nine walked over to her bed and laid down. She didn't care if Five threatened her: she could handle him.

Nine fell asleep before Five came back, dreaming of a perfectly normal life.

If only it was that easy.

Nine woke up the next morning with a crabby attitude. She had slept well for most of the night, but halfway through the sleep cycle her dreams turned to nightmares.

The world burning, bodies everywhere, and rubble covering up everything. One figure appeared, lost and heartbroken as he saw the bodies of his loved ones around him. He fell to his knees and screamed.

Nine shook her head roughly. She didn't want to relive it again.

Two rushed into her room. "Nine, we have a m-mission."

Nine nodded and thanked her brother. He ran out of the room.

Nine threw on her Academy uniform and straightened her mask. She was ready to go.

"In five, four, three, two . . . This is Jim Hellerman, reporting live for Channel 2 News outside of the Capital West Bank at Main and Sixth. A group of heavily armed men stormed the bank not three hours ago and took an unknown number of hostages."

"Hey, get them behind the counter!" shouts the leader, trying to ignore a blaring alarm while speaking into a phone. "Now you've put me in a position where I gotta do something I don't want to. Hmm?--SHIT!"

A girl in a school uniform walks up next to the man, bouncing on her toes.

"Hey, get back with the others." the man says.

The girl walks closer. "I heard a rumor."

"What? What did you say?"

"I heard a rumor that you shot your friend in the foot." The command echoes through the man's brain as he complies, pointing the gun at his friend.

"Hey, dude." said his friend as the guy turns the gun on him. "What the hell?" His voice trailed into a shout as he was shot.

"We just heard shots from inside the bank. It's uncertain if any hostages have been harmed in that." Jim Hellerman said, ducking behind police vehicles like everyone else.

"Up there!" came a voice.

"There's some movement in the roof. Possibly law enforcement." Jim said as the camera turned to get a shot of a boy in uniform running on the roof.

Glass shatters as the boy drops down into the bank, landing behind the counter. He hits one of the robbers and throws him out the window.

"Looks like one of the armed robbers has been thrown from the bank." Hellerman reports in wonder.

"Guns are for sissies. Real men throw knives." another boy in uniform declares, releasing two blades that curve around a corner and slam one of the robbers against the wall.

"I've been in many hostage situations, like this, and it can escalate very quickly." Jim Hellerman says into his microphone.

The man who shot his friend is on the counter, waving his gun. "Get back, you freaks."

"Hey, be careful up there, buddy."

"Get back now!"

"Wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"Or what?" says yet another boy, blinking into existence next to the man.

The man shoots at the boy, grunting.

The boy appears behind the man this time. The man tries to shoot the boy again, only to realize that his gun has been switched with a stapler.

"Ooh! That's one badass stapler!" the boy says, proceeding to slam the object into the man's forehead, leaving a bloody mark.

Suddenly, the robber who was shot in the foot raises his gun and fires at the boy.

The boy doesn't react quickly enough, but someone else does.

The bullet freezes in midair, stopped by a girl. "Geez, Five, you're getting slow."

"Although there's been no activity for a few minutes, we're gonna stay live on location to make sure we don't miss anything in this hostage situation at the Capital West Bank." Hellerman informs his viewers.

"Do we really have to do this?" asks a boy.

"Come on, Ben. There's more guys in the vault." says one of his brothers.

The boy sighs. "I didn't sign up for this."

The hostages are running free, screaming. "Now we see the hostages. They. . . They're free. They're scared, clearly, but they do seem to be unharmed."

Monstrous noises come from inside the vault. Tentacles thrash, slamming bodies against the glass. Blood is everywhere.

The boy comes out, blood covering him. "Can we go home now?"

Guns click as the children walk out. "People are coming out now. It's not the armed robbers. These are young schoolchildren in uniforms with masks on."

The police start to shout. "Lower your weapon!"

Jim finishes his report. "Jim Hellerman, Channel 2 News."

"How did you get in the bank?"

"What happened inside?"

One of the children gets bored and starts to run around the others, going at a speed too fast for the human eye to see.

Gasps echo through the crowd as an old man with a cane steps in front of the children. "Our world is changing--has changed. There are some among us with abilities far beyond the ordinary. I have adopted eight such children. I give you the inaugural class of the Umbrella Academy."

Questions were shouted at the children, but the kids paid no heed as their father answered every single one.

One of them frowns. It was the girl who'd stopped the bullet.

"Seven is special, Dad," she whispers to herself. "Just you wait and see."

"Well," said Five, plopping down onto the couch. "That was fun."

Nine stayed standing. "He didn't include Seven."

"What?" the others inquired.

"He said he adopted eight such children. Not nine."

"So? She's not special," One said.

Nine clenched her fists. "She is special!"

Three shook her head. "Whatever, Nine."

Nine knew it wasn't whatever, but she didn't push.

Five met up with her later, surprising her in her room. "How's your arm?"

"Fine," Nine replied, her voice colder than she wanted it to be.

Five scowled and blinked away.

Nine fell back onto her bed. Why did life have to be so complicated?

Three Weeks Later

"Five!" Nine shouted as she ran after him. He had just left the dinner table after getting into an argument with their father about time travel.

Five didn't answer. He ran out onto the sidewalk, balling his hands into fists.

Nine knew he was about to try to time travel. "No!" she shouted, reaching for him.

Her hand brushed his shoulder as he time traveled.

Nine screamed as she was torn from her time.

The calculations. That was why this was going wrong. Because she hadn't shown him the correct way before he tried it.

When Nine regained enough energy to focus, she gasped. But no one could hear her.

The world was full of fire, bodies, and rubble. Nine watched Five as he looked around in horror.

She tried to reach out to him, but when her hand touched him, he didn't respond. She called his name, starting to hyperventilate when he didn't say anything back.

Nine looked down, a sob slipping out when she saw that she was transparent. She knew she wasn't dead, but only one other thing could've possibly happened to her.

She had been separated from her body.