Chaotic Good | the umbrella academy

EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
' I DON'T THINK I WILL. '

Eddie heaved again, body hunched over the toilet from where she sat on the floor. She gasped before another wave hit her, and she gagged again. A cough escaped her, spitting blood into the bowl. Her breathing was quick as she tried to regain the oxygen, but it was cut short by another heave.

Her throat burned, and her chest ached. She'd been there for so long that she didn't know whether it was night or day. She sniffed, wiping her nose and then using the shirt sleeve to clean the tear stains from her cheeks.

As she blew out a breath to try and avoid another gag, the door opened from behind her. The person entering caused her attention to move from her task and let the tidal wave of heaving begin again. Sobs escaped her mouth as she was helpless to succumb to the retching.

Diego knelt by her side, gently pulling her hair away from her face and rubbing her back. "Hey, take a breath," he murmured. Eddie let out a sob, resting her head against her arms. "Come on." His hands gently pulled her away from the toilet and to rest against his body.

She collapsed against him, exhaustion clamping her shoulders and wrenching her to the ground. Diego looked past her, one of his hands wrapping around her side and the other gently massaging her temples. His gaze fell on the blood, and he swallowed thickly.

"You know how long you've been here, Eddie?" he asked quietly, forcing his eyes away from the toilet and to his sister.

"No," she whispered hoarsely. Her torso curved into an odd angle against his body which Diego was sure must have been uncomfortable. It was, but she hadn't the strength to shift to make it so.

"Let's get you to bed, hm?" He shifted, but Eddie's body moved with his like there were no muscles in her body.

"Can't," she managed, eyes fluttering as she fought to keep them open.

Diego sighed, eyes flickering to the ceiling, trying to stop the tears from falling. He squeezed them shut before getting to his feet and lifting her into his arms. She shivered in his grip, and he caught the first look at her face. A trickle of blood dribbled from the corner of her purple lips, skin ashen and almost see-through. He looked away the moment his eyes settled on her.

She stared at him with dazed eyes and breathed slowly through her parted lips.

After laying her in her bed and promising he would return, he burst from the room and shot down the stairs.

"Don't-don't leave..."

Her eyes slid shut, and exhaustion overtook her.

\_|_/\_|_/\_|_/

When she returned to her senses, the world shifted around her, swirling and mixing with all different colours. A quiet groan escaped her lips, and something in front of her moved.

"Eddie?"

She recognised Five's voice through the haze. "Five?" she whispered, blinking slowly to try and form some understanding of where she was.

"Yeah, it's me," he confirmed. "How are you feeling?"

Her eyes found him, and she weakly raised an eyebrow. "I'll... give you a clue. Fir-first letter is... 's' and... the-the last is... 't'."

"Sorry, stupid question."

"So..." She took a deep breath, eyes fluttering for a moment. "What... did I... miss?"

"Well, dear old Reggie has a plan for us to save the world."

"He does?"

"Yeah, something about a back door and a guardian."

"I... don't understand."

"Don't worry about it. You need to rest, Eddie."

A short laugh escaped her, which morphed into a cough. "You do... realise that... this is the... ste-stepping off point?"

"You don't know that," Five argued.

She gave a weak smile. "I... think we both know it." Silence fell at her words before she shifted slightly. "So are... you?"

"Am I what?"

"Going to... save the... world?"

"I don't know," he replied with a sigh and reclined in his chair. "We're voting on it."

Eddie let out a short hum of amusement. "I... already know what... you'll do."

"Oh, yeah? Tell me then."

"No... I don't think... I will." Her smile slipped from her features, and she fell into unconsciousness.

\_|_/\_|_/\_|_/

Five spatial jumped into Eddie's room, pulling her into his arms and teleported back to the Buffalo Suite. He rushed forward, adrenaline making him ignore how difficult her limp body made his arms feel. He followed his family through the corridor, and in the chaos, he didn't see her eyes flutter.

"Klaus-"