"Cornfields. It had to be a cornfield. She couldn't have been in a Montel or some-you know, olden day spa." Ris whined, her boots making another squelching noise. "Ugh, great."

"Stop complaining. We're almost there." Five called from in front of her, dropping down a bullet casing. "Swedes were here. She must be around somewhere."

"She better be." Ris said, swatting away a few flies. "God, I hate farms. Bad things always happen to us on farms."

"No they don't."

"Umm, Kalistarios, Gables, 1914?" Ris listed, on her fingers. "Shall I continue?"

Five grumbled under his breath. "I heard that," Ris mumbled.

"So you heard that, but not me shouting your name?"

"Are you still on about that? It's been two hours!"


It's not every day, she got attacked and hid in a cornfield. In fact, never. It had never happened before. As far as she remembered. Vanya was quite content with her life with Sissy and Harlan, so going back to the house was not an option for her.

Leaving her here, hiding in the thick stalks until she stuck up the nerve to move.

"Hope we find her soon, I need to go check on Quinque." said a voice from afar. It was clearly a girl's voice. Light and soft, but not tingly or squeaking. Quite a good volume.

"Who?" asked another voice, a boy's this time. His was sharper, sounding much older than his voice suggested. "Quinque," the girl replied. "My dog."

"You have a dog?"
"No, Five. I have a living breathing version of Latin dialect. Yes, I have a dog." the girl said, the sound of something snapping under their feet. "Believe it or not, I got lonely."

They were coming closer.

The boy was silent. "What kind of name is Quinque?"

"Really need to work on your Latin if you don't know." the girl said curtly, she and the boy bursting though the cornstalks, dusting themselves off.

"Phew." the girl said, smiling at the boy, as she shook her hair out. She was small, rather dainty-looking, despite her strange black clothes and short hair. She seemed sweet. "Finally."

Next to her, a boy around the same age, maybe older dressed in a school uniform. Next to him, the girl looked a little smaller, only making it slightly above his shoulders. Maybe around her height.

Straitening his jacket, he looked around, his and the girl's eyes meeting hers at the same time. The boy shared a grin with her, strolling over pushing the cornstalks away, leaning down, smiling at her.

"Hi, Vanya." he greeted, the girl waving from behind him. "Who are you?" Vanya asked, glancing between the two. "I'm your brother." the boy answered.

"I have a brother?"

"Brothers, it more like it." the girl said as Vanya got up, staring at them.

"Look, you can either stay here or wait for the IKEA mafia to come back to kill you, or you can come with us." the boy said lightly.

"Five," the girl said, shooting him a look. "Be nice. Or at least your equivalent of nice." she said, turning to her. "Sorry, bout him. He's got as much manners as a 'Go Away' doormat. I'm Ris," she said holding out her hand.

Vanya hesitatingly taking it.

"And this is Five." Ris said gesturing to boy behind her, who was already walking. "You're my sister?" Vanya guessed.

Ris laughed. Her laugh was nice. Not tingly or fairy like, more natural almost riddled with a strange mix of child-like excitement and older generational amusement.

"God, no." Ris said, a smile still lingering on her lips. "That would be so weird." she said, her eyes darting to the boy in front of her and back to Vanya so quickly, that if hadn't been paying attention she would have missed it.

"Anyway, let's go. We shouldn't wait around here." Ris said, her eyes scanning over the field, before following Five.

"Wh...Why are they trying to kill me?" Vanya asked, deciding to follow the two children. "Cause you're not supposed to be here, Vanya." Five said, swatting a few leaves, two smacking Ris's face.

She was not impressed.

"In Dallas?" Vanya asked, as Ris brushed the leaves aside. "No. Here, in 1963." Five answered. "Careful, you don't wanna make her head explode." Ris warned, as they walked into a clearing.

All the cornstalks in the middle were flattened into a wide perfect circle. In the very centre lay a large crater in the middle. It was a brilliant crop circle. Elliott would have lost his mind.

"Holy shit." Vanya mumbled, looking around. Ris and Five smirked, seeming too realised, she didn't seem to know she did this.

"Yeah, pretty wild, right?" Five said proudly. "It's good to see your powers are still intact. Let's go."

"Wa-powers?"

"Long story."


"Dinar, we always seem to end up at a dinar." Ris mused to herself, as a woman poured them two cups of coffee. Vanya having some tea.

The place was fairly empty, besides a few who were eating and minding their own business and besides the few odd looks she received (probably due to her clothes) no one had taken notice of them.

Good.

"Leave the pot, dear. Thank you." Five said, turning the handle towards him. The woman glared at him, mumbling: "Lippy little shit." under her breath, making Ris roll her eyes.

"Do you just plan on pissing off everyone we meet?" Ris said, taking her mug from him. "Personal mission, Rissa." he said winking at her.

Ris snorted. "I think the monkey scratch is starting to affect your brain. Should have given you a rabies shot."

"You couldn't-"

"You gonna tell me what the hell's going on?" Vanya interjected, having a feeling if she didn't step in, they have continued until the evening.

Five turned to her, sighing. "When you were a baby, you were bought by an eccentric billionaire. He raised you in an elite academy with six other siblings with extraordinary powers, but in the year 2019, in order to avoid the apocalypse, we jumped into a vortex and ended up being scattered throughout the timeline in Dallas, Texas."

"To put it simply," Ris added, taking a sip of her coffee. Vanya still processing this information. "Any questions?"

"What do you mean, 'the apocalypse'?"

"I mean the end of the world as we know it." Five said, Ris glancing down at her coffee, unconsciously trailing her fingers along the rim of the mug.

"Yeah, but how?"

"You don't remember?" Ris asked, pausing in her stirring. Vanya shook her head. "No, nothing before a month ago."

"Then what do you remember?" Five asked.

"I landed in, like, a...back alley. Got hit by a car. My head was ringing like crazy. I had no idea how I got there, where I came from." Vanya said quietly. "What causes the apocalypse?"

Ris licked her lips, staring at Five. Five slowly turning to her, meeting her eyes. The two said nothing, but Vanya felt as if they had an entire conversation in just a few looks.

"Asteroid impact." Ris said, after a few seconds of silence. Five nodded. "Yeah, the big kaboom ends everything."

"Just like the one that got the dinosaurs, except way worse." Ris continued. "But it's over now." she said reassuringly. Five shut his eyes, shaking his head. "Not exactly."

"What?" Ris said a little too loudly, earning a few looks. "What?" Ris repeated quietly.

"Bad news is, it followed us here." Five said calmly. "What do you mean, 'Bad news, it followed us here'?" Ris hissed, clearing doing everything in her power not to yell and/or freak out.

"Eight days from now, the world ends in a nuclear doomsday." Five said, breaking his gaze from her, to his mug. "It's a different disease, but... same result."

"That can't be right." Vanya mumbled, smiling as if hoping for him to say something funny and laugh it off.

Ris shut her eyes, running her fingers though her hair. "I can't believe this…."

"I saw it. With my own eyes." Five said sighing heavily, remembering what happened. "You were there. Both of you. We all were."

"Shit." Vanya whispered, jumping up suddenly. "I need to make a phone call." she said rushing to the phone on the wall. "Vanya." Five called out weakly, before glancing at Ris. "You okay? Rissa?"

"All this time," Ris mumbled, opening her eyes leaning against the counter. "All this time and you didn't think to tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you."

"Didn't want to-why? Hmm? What were you so worried about that you didn't tell me this?"

"You were alone Ris." Five started, Ris instantly scoffing, turning away. "Don't do that. I know you Clarissa. I know what happens when you're alone. I know more than anyone, what happens when you're alone."

"You take more risks, you get reckless. You hyper-fixate on things. You get lost, lost inside your head-"

"I don't do that."

"Yes, you do. You always have. You just got better when someone's around."

"Klaus was around-"

"That's even worst, he's just as bad as you. Adding fuel to the fire." Five said sharply. "I'm not much better, but I know when to rein you in, just like you know when to rein me in. That's why…I have to prote-"

"Shit Five! How many times-I-You don't have to protect me! I can protect myself. I-"

"I know! That's exactly why I have to protect you."

"That makes no bloody sense." Ris snapped, folding her arms sighing. "I'm not a child."

"Believe me I don't think you are." Five replied, taking another sip, sensing that her anger was beginning to fade. "A baby is probably more accurate. Hey!" he cried, when she smacked him on the arm, a small smile on her face.

"Asshole."


"As soon as I can, I promise." Vanya said into the phone. Five and Ris walking up to her, Ris waiting patiently next to Five. Five standing impatiently in front of Vanya.

"I'm happy you found your real family-"

In one swift movement, Five reached out, cutting out the call. The dial tone buzzing.

"What the hell?" Vanya cried. "We don't have time for this." Five said calmly. Ris was impressed, two angry females and he was remaining quite calm. Usually he would have thrown some sort of tantrum by now.

"That's my friend you just hung up on!"

"Listen to me." Five said, taking Vanya by the shoulder. "Those people from the field are coming after us. They are never going to stop. Do you understand me?" Five said softly.

"We need to stick together, find the others, figure out how to stop doomsday. Whoever this person is, they can't be more important than the end of the world." Five said releasing her. "We need to go." he said.

Vanya glanced down at the phone, conflicted, before slowly setting it back down walking out the dinar.

Five sighed, lightly tugging Ris's sleeve. "Come on."

Ris nodded getting up, walking to the car. "I think you're wrong, you know." she said. Vanya opening the backseat door slamming it behind her.

"About what?

"Whoever the person is, they can't be more important than the end of the world." Ris repeated.

"What about her world?" Ris asked, nodding to the car. "How important do you think the person is in there?" she asked, glancing at Five, making her way to the car. Yanking open the passenger door.

Five paused, staring after her. Before sighing to himself and opening the driver's door.


"You sure this is where he'll be?" Vanya asked, as Ris wandered her way through the hordes of men and skimpy dressed woman. "Yep." she said, squeezing past easily. "Carousel Club, secret fighting ring, Jack Ruby they all link up."

"What?"

"He'll be here. I've seen him." Five said, from behind Ris. Ris scoffed. "Obviously, a strip-club within a 5 mile radius, how could you not?"

"Jealous, Rissa?"
"You talk such bullshit."

"Don't worry, I only have eyes for the Sleeping B-"

"I'm gonna flipping kill you, one of these days." Ris said, ducking under someone's arm, her cheeks lightly flushed. "Down here."

"Take me out first." Five replied, smiling. It was a smile that different for the others. "With a sniper or on a date?" Ris asked, shaking at her at his antics. It was stranger than normal.

"Surprise me, though I wouldn't mind the last option."

"I honestly think the monkey gave you brain damage." Ris said, faint shouting rang out. "Here we are." she said, walking in.

The smell of blood, sweat and money, attacking her senses. "There he is," Ris said pointing Luther out.

He was in the middle of a fight. "Here." Five said, ducking under, behind careful to hid from the rest.

Luther punched his opponent back, making the man stumble. The man leaned against the wall, the crowd going nuts, screaming at Luther to finish him off.

"Come on! Come on!"

The man hit him hard in the face. Once, twice a third time. Ris winced in pain, even though she wasn't the biggest fan, it hurt seeing him just stand there. "What is he doing?" Ris whispered to Five.

Five stared wide-eyed not seeming to believe what he was seeing either. "Look, he's pummelling him." Vanya moaned, like Ris and pained expression on her face.

"The hell are you doing?"

The man growled, taking Luther by the head, slamming him into the wall where they were standing. "Oh, my God, Luther." Vanya breathed out. "Why isn't he fighting back?" Five said, Luther letting out a groan of pain.

Ris clung to Five's wrist, trying to relax her beating heart. This was too much like the Lab.

The man delivered more punches, seeming to take his chance at mercilessly beating him.

"Hit me again." Luther slurred, the screams were echoing in Ris's ear, the faces of the children of the Lab flashing though her mind.

The man punched him again, the blood flying out of his mouth. "Again! Hit me!" Luther shouted.

"Luther, are you crazy? Just hit him!" Five shouted.

"Come on, Luther!"

Ris shut her eyes. The screams turning to background noise, as she listened to Luther's words. "Hit me. I wanna feel pain. I wanna feel all the pain." he whispered. "Give me everything you've got!" he shouted.

She could hear the collision. The sound of a hard thump on the floor. The crowd going slient, before booing loudly.

"Shit." Five said, Ris finally able to pull her hands away from her eyes. Staring down at Luther's broken body, but it wasn't his body that was broken.

"Luther." Vanya said, turning to the two of them. "Why didn't he fight back?"

"He wanted to feel pain." Ris whispered, making the two turn to her. "He wanted to feel all the pain."

Thoughts?

I want to thank all my readers for reviewing, following and faving! For sticking though with this book! You have no idea how much it means that you guys read and fav and stuff!

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Till next time...