p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Trees and lines on the road flew by us as I caravanned behind Vanya, casting glances at Five every now and then. He'd propped one elbow against the console on his door's panel, his eyes absentmindedly trained out the window. I knew this conversation might upset him, but it was important to talk about the elephant in the room before we got to our meeting location./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"So, she doesn't seem to remember anything," I sighed, removing one of my hands from the steering wheel./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Well, the event she caused was pretty traumatic." I could tell he was trying his best to keep up his normal demeanor. "It's entirely possible it could have wiped her memory, given that was the first time she used her powers since we were little."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"'Were'? You still emare/em." He turned to glare at me. "Sorry, I couldn't resist." Five just shook his head and went back to looking out the window. "It's interesting she remembers her name, but not her family. I mean, her name is a pretty basic thing about her, but you'd think we'd be deep enough in there that she'd at least remember she had siblings."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Where, exactly, are you going with this?" Five snapped, his shoulders tensing./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Five," I shot back, my voice rising into the warning octave I hadn't learned to turn off. "I'm just trying to think things through, that's all." He deflated again, leaving me feeling a deep-settled guilt. "I know it's hard to see Vanya like this. Trust me. But she's got a life now. I think she's a nanny, and when she mentioned the kid she watches, she got excited immediately. We should at least be happy about that, right?" Five just shrugged./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I guess."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSilence created a barrier between us all the way to the diner, but once we climbed out of the car and met up with Vanya again at the diner counter, it seemed to crumble down. Five sat between Vanya and I, his leg bouncing slightly as a waitress delivered menus to us./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You going to get any food, Five?" I asked, trying to keep my voice low./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Probably just coffee. You?" An idea popped into my head, and I smirked./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh yeah. Four fried chickens, some dry, white toast, and a coke."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThere was silence as I continued to read the menu, and when I looked up, Five and Vanya were staring at me with slightly slack jaws and furrowed brows, unsure of how to really respond. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanShame./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Guess that was a pretty poorly placed reference," I shrugged. "Not a lot of people tend to know it. In all seriousness, I'm just going to get tea, then I'll eat something at Elliott's."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"As long as you eat." He turned away before he could see it, but I smiled down at Five, feeling the comfort of knowing we were looking out for each other./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanRight then, the waitress came around and asked for our orders, a coffee pot in her hand. Five looked as though he were about to start salivating right there, causing me to chuckle. The waitress, who appeared to be in her 60s, poured Vanya and Five their mugs, and right when it seemed like she was going to walk away, Five reached his hand out./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Leave the pot, dear." Though I'm sure that sounded fine in Five's mind, the waitress rolled her /span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanbr /span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Lippy little shit," she murmured as she walked away to grab the boiling water and their limited tea selection. I didn't have to dig through much, settling on just a basic green for now./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You gonna tell me what the hell is going on?" Vanya's words came off as agitated, but I figured she probably wanted to get back to her charge… which, unfortunately, was going to take a lot longer than she probably assumed. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAs I took a sip from my mug, Five swiveled his chair slightly, facing me./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You want to take this, or should I?" he asked lowly. My eyes flitted up to Vanya for a moment, then back down to my brother./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I've got this." I gently set my mug down while Five turned back around, then leaned over slightly so I could better look at Vanya. "When you were a baby, you were bought by an eccentric billionaire. He raised you in an elite academy with seven other siblings with extraordinary powers…"/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"…but in the year 2019," Five cut in, "in order to avoid the apocalypse, we jumped into a vortex and ended up being scattered throughout the timeline in Dallas, Texas." Vanya remained completely silent following the explanation, her eyes darting across the counter as she attempted to process. "Any questions?"/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What do you mean by 'the apocalypse'?" Of all the points she could have focused on, that was a pretty reasonable one to start with./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I mean the end of the world as we know it." It didn't really seem to need clarification, but given Vanya only seemed to remember things that happened in the last month—based on when Elliott's picture of her had been taken—the apocalypse likely wasn't a concept introduced yet./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Yeah, but how?"/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFive's head jutted back slightly, genuinely surprised by the fact she didn't even remember causing the apocalypse. What he said in the car seemed plausible, but this showed me he didn't actually believe it to be true—or maybe he just didn't want it to be./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You really don't remember anything?" I found the words for him./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No," Vanya answered, trying her best to look past Five, "nothing before a month ago."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Then what do you remember?" Maybe we could try and coax something buried deep in storage out. Vanya stuttered for a bit, trying to collect her thoughts./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I landed in, like, a… back alley. Got hit by a car. My head was ringing like crazy." She squeezed her eyes shut, like she could still feel the pain. "I had no idea how I got there, where I came from." The second her explanation was over, she switched gears. "What caused the apocalypse?"/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI caught Five looking to me again, and as subtly as possible, I shook my head. Maybe it was better if, for the time being, she didn't know what she had done. She still seemed pretty vulnerable, and if she found out it was essentially her fault, I worried about what she might do./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Asteroid impact." I grimaced slightly as Five looked away from her. Vanya was no idiot, and I could tell based on the way her face shifted, she knew we were keeping details close to the vest. "The big kaboom ends everything. Just like the one that got the dinosaurs, except way worse. Bad news is, it followed us here." /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanVanya's jaw fell again, just enough to indicate her shock. Part of me felt bad, dropping so much on her at once. Considering everything about this was completely new information, and most of it was likely unbelievable, she'd probably had a thousand more inquiries lined up. But Five's urgency to stop the end of the world took precedence./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What do you mean, 'followed us'?" This time, Five didn't hesitate./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Eight days from now, the world ends in a nuclear doomsday. It's the different disease, but… same result." /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanVanya's lips curled into a smile, purely out of shock./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That can't be right," she denied, laughing slightly./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I saw it. With my own eyes." As Five's voice broke, he took a sudden and profound interest in staring at his coffee cup. "You were there. We all were." I watched as he began to tremble with the demons clawing their way free in his memory. It felt like someone directly struck my lungs, knocking the air out of them, and without a second thought, I reached over and draped my arm over the back of his chair, setting a supportive hand on his back./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Shit." Vanya set her mug down and pushed away from the counter, bouncing with urgency. "I need to make a phone call."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Vanya." /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Let her go," I whispered. "She took off in the middle of the night, and hasn't had the chance to call that family she works for. They probably think she's lost, or worse."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanReluctantly, Five caved and went back to sipping his coffee. The two of us sat there for a while, unsure of how to resume conversation, until something from earlier started biting at my brain, begging for some attention./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hey." Both of us set our mugs down at the same time, causing us to laugh. "Uh, earlier, when we were back at Elliott's, you snapped at Lila." My mouth started to move silently as I attempted to put together the next part of this. "Do you not like her?"/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFive sighed through his nostrils, his eyes falling down to his hands. It was pretty clear to me he wasn't really willing to share his opinion, but he knew me well enough to understand I wasn't going to let up until I got an answer. He was probably just trying to find kinder words than what he was thinking./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I know you like her," he suspired, finally looking up at me again. "And, from what I've seen… she probably likes you, too. If she makes you happy, then that's what's important."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI resisted the urge to call bullshit, and instead squeezed his shoulder./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Five, you know the most important thing to me is my family. What all of you think of the people I may or may not date matters emimmensely /emto me; and out of all of their very loud opinions… yours is the one that matters most to me."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHe still held back whatever I knew he wanted to say, but for now, I chose to let it go, especially considering we had bigger things to worry about./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanVanya kept her voice low, not allowing us to eavesdrop on her conversation. Unfortunately, that also caused Five to grow more impatient as the seconds dragged on, to the point where he had to stand up and tap his foot to keep from launching into a fit of ranting. I tried my best to keep him calm, but my efforts could only go so far, and eventually, he set his mug down with a definite 'thud' and stormed over to Vanya, smashing his finger against the receiver to hang up. I rushed over and stood behind him, hoping to catch him if he completely started to lose his shit./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What the hell?" Vanya demanded, still trying to keep her shouts from reaching the other patrons./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"We don't have time for this," Five snapped. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That's my friend you just hung up on." Unable to empathize, Five reached out and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Listen to me. Those people from the field are coming after us. They are never going to stop. Do you understand me? 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."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanVanya still seemed completely unwilling to abandon the people she had called, likely because of what Five had just said. Though the love was there, he just hadn't conveyed it in a way that worked with Vanya. He lacked the sort of patience sometimes required with her. Hoping not to set him off, I set a hand on his shoulder and turned him around./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Can you give us a minute?" I shifted my gaze up to Vanya, smiling at her. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Mina, you can't be serious." I rolled my eyes and took in a deep breath, attempting to calm style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Just… please?" Something about the way I looked at him must have struck a chord in Five, because he let up pretty quickly and made his way back to the diner counter. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanOnce Vanya and I had been left alone, I leaned against the wall, resting my head against the cool tile. She glanced over at Five, making sure he was out of earshot, before she turned back to me, her expression indignant./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Is he always that much of an asshole?" I couldn't help but chuckle./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"80 percent of the time, yeah," I admitted. "He's always had a pretty short fuse." I cleared my throat and uncrossed my arms, trying to bring the subconscious barrier down. "But, the other 20 percent of the time, he's still a scared kid. I think, maybe, I see it more than the others because I'm his biological sister, but I know it pokes out around everyone on occasion."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You two are biological?" Vanya bounced her eyes between Five and I, assessing our faces carefully. "Actually, I see it." She smiled at me, shaking her head a little. "You just seem so different."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Well, we have different approaches to life, that's for sure—but believe it or not, both of us care about our family more than anything. Five may have a weird way of demonstrating it, but he's just focused on the mission he's set for himself so he can protect his family. It took me a little bit to figure that out, but it makes it a lot easier to tolerate it when he starts getting snippy. Then again, Diego's always said I had better patience when it came to Five than the rest of you."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Diego?" For a moment, I'd forgotten I wasn't talking to the same Vanya I'd known my whole life./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh, uh, Diego's one of our brothers. You'll meet him soon." That served as a perfect segue. "Five wants to stop the end of the world so he can save us, but we can't do that unless all of us are together. So, is there any way I could persuade you to come back with us?"/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThankfully, I managed to get through to her, and she nodded./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Good. Let's get out of here." I slung an arm around her shoulder, guiding her over toward our brother./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFive smiled at the two of us as we approached, and once I set money down on the counter, we headed out toward our cars./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Are we headed back to Elliott's?" I asked, moving some of my hair behind my ear as a light breeze dangled it in front of my face. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"We have one more of us to get for today," Five reported as he opened his door. "I can give Mina the directions if you want to follow?" Vanya nodded. "It's a bit of a drive, but we'll be back—and hopefully, all together—by tomorrow."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe promise of that filled me with a sort of giddy anticipation, causing me to practically jump into the car. I couldn't wait to see all my siblings together again… even the ones I hadn't gotten along super well with. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt would just be nice to all be in the same room again./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"strongem- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - /em/strong/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"strongemDude, if /emspan style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"anyone emgets that 'four fried chickens' reference, you will make my entire week/em/span/strong/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"So, she doesn't seem to remember anything," I sighed, removing one of my hands from the steering wheel./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Well, the event she caused was pretty traumatic." I could tell he was trying his best to keep up his normal demeanor. "It's entirely possible it could have wiped her memory, given that was the first time she used her powers since we were little."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"'Were'? You still emare/em." He turned to glare at me. "Sorry, I couldn't resist." Five just shook his head and went back to looking out the window. "It's interesting she remembers her name, but not her family. I mean, her name is a pretty basic thing about her, but you'd think we'd be deep enough in there that she'd at least remember she had siblings."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Where, exactly, are you going with this?" Five snapped, his shoulders tensing./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Five," I shot back, my voice rising into the warning octave I hadn't learned to turn off. "I'm just trying to think things through, that's all." He deflated again, leaving me feeling a deep-settled guilt. "I know it's hard to see Vanya like this. Trust me. But she's got a life now. I think she's a nanny, and when she mentioned the kid she watches, she got excited immediately. We should at least be happy about that, right?" Five just shrugged./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I guess."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSilence created a barrier between us all the way to the diner, but once we climbed out of the car and met up with Vanya again at the diner counter, it seemed to crumble down. Five sat between Vanya and I, his leg bouncing slightly as a waitress delivered menus to us./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You going to get any food, Five?" I asked, trying to keep my voice low./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Probably just coffee. You?" An idea popped into my head, and I smirked./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh yeah. Four fried chickens, some dry, white toast, and a coke."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThere was silence as I continued to read the menu, and when I looked up, Five and Vanya were staring at me with slightly slack jaws and furrowed brows, unsure of how to really respond. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanShame./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Guess that was a pretty poorly placed reference," I shrugged. "Not a lot of people tend to know it. In all seriousness, I'm just going to get tea, then I'll eat something at Elliott's."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"As long as you eat." He turned away before he could see it, but I smiled down at Five, feeling the comfort of knowing we were looking out for each other./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanRight then, the waitress came around and asked for our orders, a coffee pot in her hand. Five looked as though he were about to start salivating right there, causing me to chuckle. The waitress, who appeared to be in her 60s, poured Vanya and Five their mugs, and right when it seemed like she was going to walk away, Five reached his hand out./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Leave the pot, dear." Though I'm sure that sounded fine in Five's mind, the waitress rolled her /span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanbr /span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Lippy little shit," she murmured as she walked away to grab the boiling water and their limited tea selection. I didn't have to dig through much, settling on just a basic green for now./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You gonna tell me what the hell is going on?" Vanya's words came off as agitated, but I figured she probably wanted to get back to her charge… which, unfortunately, was going to take a lot longer than she probably assumed. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAs I took a sip from my mug, Five swiveled his chair slightly, facing me./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You want to take this, or should I?" he asked lowly. My eyes flitted up to Vanya for a moment, then back down to my brother./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I've got this." I gently set my mug down while Five turned back around, then leaned over slightly so I could better look at Vanya. "When you were a baby, you were bought by an eccentric billionaire. He raised you in an elite academy with seven other siblings with extraordinary powers…"/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"…but in the year 2019," Five cut in, "in order to avoid the apocalypse, we jumped into a vortex and ended up being scattered throughout the timeline in Dallas, Texas." Vanya remained completely silent following the explanation, her eyes darting across the counter as she attempted to process. "Any questions?"/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What do you mean by 'the apocalypse'?" Of all the points she could have focused on, that was a pretty reasonable one to start with./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I mean the end of the world as we know it." It didn't really seem to need clarification, but given Vanya only seemed to remember things that happened in the last month—based on when Elliott's picture of her had been taken—the apocalypse likely wasn't a concept introduced yet./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Yeah, but how?"/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFive's head jutted back slightly, genuinely surprised by the fact she didn't even remember causing the apocalypse. What he said in the car seemed plausible, but this showed me he didn't actually believe it to be true—or maybe he just didn't want it to be./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You really don't remember anything?" I found the words for him./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No," Vanya answered, trying her best to look past Five, "nothing before a month ago."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Then what do you remember?" Maybe we could try and coax something buried deep in storage out. Vanya stuttered for a bit, trying to collect her thoughts./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I landed in, like, a… back alley. Got hit by a car. My head was ringing like crazy." She squeezed her eyes shut, like she could still feel the pain. "I had no idea how I got there, where I came from." The second her explanation was over, she switched gears. "What caused the apocalypse?"/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI caught Five looking to me again, and as subtly as possible, I shook my head. Maybe it was better if, for the time being, she didn't know what she had done. She still seemed pretty vulnerable, and if she found out it was essentially her fault, I worried about what she might do./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Asteroid impact." I grimaced slightly as Five looked away from her. Vanya was no idiot, and I could tell based on the way her face shifted, she knew we were keeping details close to the vest. "The big kaboom ends everything. Just like the one that got the dinosaurs, except way worse. Bad news is, it followed us here." /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanVanya's jaw fell again, just enough to indicate her shock. Part of me felt bad, dropping so much on her at once. Considering everything about this was completely new information, and most of it was likely unbelievable, she'd probably had a thousand more inquiries lined up. But Five's urgency to stop the end of the world took precedence./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What do you mean, 'followed us'?" This time, Five didn't hesitate./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Eight days from now, the world ends in a nuclear doomsday. It's the different disease, but… same result." /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanVanya's lips curled into a smile, purely out of shock./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That can't be right," she denied, laughing slightly./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I saw it. With my own eyes." As Five's voice broke, he took a sudden and profound interest in staring at his coffee cup. "You were there. We all were." I watched as he began to tremble with the demons clawing their way free in his memory. It felt like someone directly struck my lungs, knocking the air out of them, and without a second thought, I reached over and draped my arm over the back of his chair, setting a supportive hand on his back./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Shit." Vanya set her mug down and pushed away from the counter, bouncing with urgency. "I need to make a phone call."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Vanya." /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Let her go," I whispered. "She took off in the middle of the night, and hasn't had the chance to call that family she works for. They probably think she's lost, or worse."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanReluctantly, Five caved and went back to sipping his coffee. The two of us sat there for a while, unsure of how to resume conversation, until something from earlier started biting at my brain, begging for some attention./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hey." Both of us set our mugs down at the same time, causing us to laugh. "Uh, earlier, when we were back at Elliott's, you snapped at Lila." My mouth started to move silently as I attempted to put together the next part of this. "Do you not like her?"/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFive sighed through his nostrils, his eyes falling down to his hands. It was pretty clear to me he wasn't really willing to share his opinion, but he knew me well enough to understand I wasn't going to let up until I got an answer. He was probably just trying to find kinder words than what he was thinking./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I know you like her," he suspired, finally looking up at me again. "And, from what I've seen… she probably likes you, too. If she makes you happy, then that's what's important."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI resisted the urge to call bullshit, and instead squeezed his shoulder./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Five, you know the most important thing to me is my family. What all of you think of the people I may or may not date matters emimmensely /emto me; and out of all of their very loud opinions… yours is the one that matters most to me."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanHe still held back whatever I knew he wanted to say, but for now, I chose to let it go, especially considering we had bigger things to worry about./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanVanya kept her voice low, not allowing us to eavesdrop on her conversation. Unfortunately, that also caused Five to grow more impatient as the seconds dragged on, to the point where he had to stand up and tap his foot to keep from launching into a fit of ranting. I tried my best to keep him calm, but my efforts could only go so far, and eventually, he set his mug down with a definite 'thud' and stormed over to Vanya, smashing his finger against the receiver to hang up. I rushed over and stood behind him, hoping to catch him if he completely started to lose his shit./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What the hell?" Vanya demanded, still trying to keep her shouts from reaching the other patrons./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"We don't have time for this," Five snapped. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That's my friend you just hung up on." Unable to empathize, Five reached out and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Listen to me. Those people from the field are coming after us. They are never going to stop. Do you understand me? 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."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanVanya still seemed completely unwilling to abandon the people she had called, likely because of what Five had just said. Though the love was there, he just hadn't conveyed it in a way that worked with Vanya. He lacked the sort of patience sometimes required with her. Hoping not to set him off, I set a hand on his shoulder and turned him around./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Can you give us a minute?" I shifted my gaze up to Vanya, smiling at her. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Mina, you can't be serious." I rolled my eyes and took in a deep breath, attempting to calm style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Just… please?" Something about the way I looked at him must have struck a chord in Five, because he let up pretty quickly and made his way back to the diner counter. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanOnce Vanya and I had been left alone, I leaned against the wall, resting my head against the cool tile. She glanced over at Five, making sure he was out of earshot, before she turned back to me, her expression indignant./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Is he always that much of an asshole?" I couldn't help but chuckle./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"80 percent of the time, yeah," I admitted. "He's always had a pretty short fuse." I cleared my throat and uncrossed my arms, trying to bring the subconscious barrier down. "But, the other 20 percent of the time, he's still a scared kid. I think, maybe, I see it more than the others because I'm his biological sister, but I know it pokes out around everyone on occasion."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You two are biological?" Vanya bounced her eyes between Five and I, assessing our faces carefully. "Actually, I see it." She smiled at me, shaking her head a little. "You just seem so different."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Well, we have different approaches to life, that's for sure—but believe it or not, both of us care about our family more than anything. Five may have a weird way of demonstrating it, but he's just focused on the mission he's set for himself so he can protect his family. It took me a little bit to figure that out, but it makes it a lot easier to tolerate it when he starts getting snippy. Then again, Diego's always said I had better patience when it came to Five than the rest of you."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Diego?" For a moment, I'd forgotten I wasn't talking to the same Vanya I'd known my whole life./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh, uh, Diego's one of our brothers. You'll meet him soon." That served as a perfect segue. "Five wants to stop the end of the world so he can save us, but we can't do that unless all of us are together. So, is there any way I could persuade you to come back with us?"/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThankfully, I managed to get through to her, and she nodded./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Good. Let's get out of here." I slung an arm around her shoulder, guiding her over toward our brother./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFive smiled at the two of us as we approached, and once I set money down on the counter, we headed out toward our cars./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Are we headed back to Elliott's?" I asked, moving some of my hair behind my ear as a light breeze dangled it in front of my face. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"We have one more of us to get for today," Five reported as he opened his door. "I can give Mina the directions if you want to follow?" Vanya nodded. "It's a bit of a drive, but we'll be back—and hopefully, all together—by tomorrow."/span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe promise of that filled me with a sort of giddy anticipation, causing me to practically jump into the car. I couldn't wait to see all my siblings together again… even the ones I hadn't gotten along super well with. /span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt would just be nice to all be in the same room again./span/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"strongem- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - /em/strong/p
p style="tab-stops: .5in 135.0pt;"strongemDude, if /emspan style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"anyone emgets that 'four fried chickens' reference, you will make my entire week/em/span/strong/p