𝐻𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝒯𝑜𝑔𝑒𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 - 𝐵𝑒𝓃 𝐻𝒶𝓇𝑔𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓈 𝓍 𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇

Part I

The sound of a bell ringing made The Umbrella Academy file down the stairs. Upon their descent, they sprinted to stand behind their designated chairs and bowed their heads in respect as their father walked in. Hugh Herr, one of the best rock climbers in the world, played in the background.

Reginald walked to his chair which was at the head of the table. He looked to Grace, then the children. His eyes scanned over them and stopped when he saw the empty seat next to Five.

"Where is Number Seven?" He demanded.

"I'm-" Vanya started but Reginald ignored her and repeated his request.

"Where is our Number Seven?" His tone was more angry now, more frustrated.

"She isn't here yet." Luther answered him, his eyes sparkled at the thought of the girl landing in trouble with Reginald.

Ben and Klaus exchanged a worried glance, while Allison and Vanya kept their heads bowed. Five concentrated on the empty space beside him, as if willing the girl to magically appear there. Diego glared at Luther for being such a snitch.

Reginald sighed but slid his chair back. "Sit." He commanded the present academy members, and they proceeded to do so. 

"Sorry I'm late!" A voice exclaimed just as everyone sat. Y/N rushed in, and stood behind her chair. She ignored the stares she got, focusing only on Reginald who scrutinized her with a glance before he picked up his fork and knife to dig into his breakfast.

"Sit down and explain yourself." He ordered simply, and the girl gritted her teeth at his lack of concern. Still, she obeyed.

"I lost someone very close to me this morning," she started, "my mom's best friend, and I loved her a lot too." Her voice quivered and some of her schoolmates gave her sympathetic glances and smiles. Ben even gently nudged her leg under the table with his own, providing her with some form of comfort.

"She had a heart attack while she was at our place this morning, and my mother and I decided to take her to the hospital before coming here." She finished.

"Did she survive?" Reginald asked.

Y/N blinked twice, "No, I said we lost her.".

"Then what was the point of wasting your time in taking her to the hospital?" He raised his voice, making her flinch.

Everyone looked at him in shock, minus Grace who was programmed to always smile and be happy. Y/N scoffed.

"I had no way of knowing! Believe me, if I'd known something was wrong with her I would have saved her life. I could have helped her. I..." She trailed off, her last sentence cut off with a sob.

Hot tears clouded her vision and they streamed down her face, dripping onto her breakfast. She pushed the plate away from her and cried, not caring that she was doing it in front of her friends and her benefactor. Five rubbed her back reassuringly, and Vanya and Ben took her hands in theirs. Allison, Diego, Klaus and even Luther gave her sorrowful glances, conveying apologies with their eyes. 

Reginald however, exhaled sharply at the display and resumed eating. Choosing to listen to the words of the rock climber rather than listen to the cries of the girl. He looked to Grace who stood a bit behind him, swaying on her heels. He gestured to Y/N, and she understood, approaching the weeping child and helping her get up before taking her outside for fresh air.

Five watched his best friend walk away from the table, her sobs could still be heard in the dining room despite her being taken to the courtyard. He looked around at his siblings, who also appeared miserable at hearing of their friend's loss. Yes... If only poor Y/N had known this was going to happen. Suddenly, a thought popped into his mind.

He took his knife and plunged it into the wood of the table. Everyone was caught off guard, even Reginald who momentarily paused and looked at the boy. Still, he continued to eat, only acknowledging the action by calling his name.

"I have a question." Five declared.

"Knowledge is an admirable goal, but you know the rules. No talking during mealtimes. You are interrupting Herr Carlson, and we've had enough interruptions already." Reginald announced.

Five ignored him and continued, "I want to time travel.".

"No." Reginald bluntly stated.

"But I'm ready!" Five whined, "I've been practicing my spatial jumps just like you said."  and he blinked to stand next to his father.

"See?" he said upon demonstrating.

"A spatial jump is trivial when compared with the unknowns of time travel. One is like sliding along the ice, the other is akin to descending blindly into the depths of the freezing water and reappearing as an acorn." His father lectured.

"Well I don't get it." Five told him.

"Hence why you're not ready." With that, Reginald expected the conversation to end. Vanya looked at Five, silently pleading with him to let the topic go, but he continued.

"I'm not afraid." He told his dad, "You know how valuable time travel can be. You saw Y/N crying, all her pain could be avoided if she knew in advance! I can genuinely help people.".

"Fear isn't the issue. The effects it might have on your body, even on your mind, are far too unpredictable. Now, I forbid you to talk about this anymore." Reginald ordered.

Nobody was prepared for Five to storm off, and out of the building. His siblings turned and watched him disappear out the doorway. Reginald dropped his cutlery.

"Number Five! You haven't been excused!" He exclaimed, but to no avail.

Five jogged down the front steps of the academy and ran down the pavement, pushing past people and mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do.

He put all his focus into his powers... and jumped. Not in a way he'd done before though, the colorful stalls and the significant change in the weather around him being an indicator that he'd succeeded. He'd time traveled. 

"Not ready my ass..."

He grunted, and this time the scene around him shifted to a colder, more grey one. Snow fell gently and indistinct chatter enveloped him. He beamed proudly, and in his excitement, jumped one last time. He shouldn't have.

Immediately, the chatter around him disappeared. The familiar comfort of being surrounded by fellow humans was no longer as there was nobody in sight. Or rather, nothing in sight. There was ashes and fire everywhere. A scorching sun fell on Five's skin, but he still shivered. 

He ran back to where he expected the Hargreeves mansion to be standing, but like everything else, it was now a giant pile of ashes. Five let out painful shrieks, hoping somebody would be there. Would hear him.

"Y/N!"
"Vanya!"
"Ben!"
"Dad!"

Tears began to fill his eyes.

"Anyone!"

He tried to jump back to the present, but his powers simply whooshed, crackled and fizzled out. His efforts to return to the time period he'd left behind were all in vain. 

"Come on!"

He finally gave up after a few exhausting attempts and surveyed what was to be his new home. Terror filled his entire being. Despite his demeanor, he despised being alone.

"Shit..." He muttered and fell to his knees.

Oh, he should've listened to the old man.