The Umbrella Academy: The Numberless Girl DISCONTINUED

Chapter Fourteen

Hi! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in quite a while!
Here we go...

"I don't like this anymore than you do, but she's hiding something."
Luther said.
I was lying on the floor of the living room in wolf form, listening to Luther and Allison prattle on about mum.
"Hiding? To me, she just sounded confused." Allison answered, trying to dissuade Luther from his ridiculous notions.
"Well, uh. You saw the tape, Grace knew what she was doing." Luther said.
I raised an eyebrow and looked up at him.
"Grace?" Allison asked, I looked to her, "This morning she was mum!" She pointed out.
"She's a machine, Allison." Luther replied, tiredly.
"Who read to us and cleaned up after us and put us to bed. And then we left her here, alone, in this house for thirteen years. I mean," Allison scoffed, "No wonder she lost her mind. To be away from your kids?" She added.
"Hey, what happened with Claire, with Patrick. You never told me." Luther asked. I rolled my eyes, Luther really needed to work on his subtlety.
"Yeah I don't wanna talk about it." Allison replied.
"It's just when we were kids, we used to sit in here and tell each other everything." Luther pressed.
I zoned out slightly, gazing at the sofa that Allison was seated on.
*****
We were all seated in the hall, Father was droning on about some motivational crap.
"The ties that bind you together make you stronger than you are alone. They will make you impervious to the pain and hardship the world will thrust upon you. And believe me when I tell you, life will be hard."
I glared at him in fury. He truly was a despicable man.
Diego was sitting in a large chair in the centre of the room, a bright light shining down on him. To his left sat a bearded, heavily tattooed man, leaning over his wrist.
I tried not to look at the tattoo needle piercing his skin.
Mother went forward to hold his free hand but he pushed her away and she fell back. Turning to catch our father's eye and smiling slightly.
Father nodded and left the room.
I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to jump up that very moment and rip him and his life lesson bullshit into pieces.
I  turned from his retreating figure to look at my siblings.
Allison was crying into Klaus's chest, both of them clutching their wrists. They had gone first.
The rest of us were seated in a line, awaiting with dread the pain that was about to come.
Luther was sitting upright in his seat, trying to look brave.
Ben was looking outright terrified, staring at the wall opposite him.
Five was gripping my hand tightly as we both stared in fear at Diego.
I could hear the mechanical buzzing coming from the tattoo pen and I shivered.
Five wrapped his arm around me and I broke into a fresh set of tears.
I could spot Vanya at the top of the stairs, staring down at us timidly. She got out a permanent marker and drew the umbrella tattoo on her wrist.
I shook my head, I would honestly have given anything to be her right now and here she was, wishing she was us!
I leant on Five and sighed, shakily.
Afterwards, we were all dismissed. Most of my siblings went upstairs but Five stayed behind.
I followed him to the living room, with clenched teeth, trying my best to ignore the insufferable pain on my left wrist.
I sat down on the sofa next to him and pulled him over slightly.
He lay his head on my shoulder and we both stared at the angry red drawings on our wrists, immortal reminders of who we were and who we would always be.
*****
"We've got to call a family meeting." I say, transforming into a girl and standing up, my siblings both jumped.
"How long were you there?" Luther asked, turning around to stare at me.
"Long enough." I stared.
"How much of that did you hear?" Allison asked, looking fearful.
"Only the first bit, why?" I asked curiously.
"No, no reason." She muttered and looked down.
I squinted at her and raised an eyebrow.
"How did we not see you!" Luther added, looking incredulously at me.
"I blend in with the rug." I pointed to a small grey rug near the fireplace and rolled my eyes.
"I'll wait here for you, I suggest you go find our siblings?" I motioned to the door.
They nodded and went to the door.
*****
We all sat huddled around the small television set in the living room.
Well, I say all of us, Luther and Klaus failed to perused Five to abandon whatever he was doing and join us. But he was the only in absent.
I bit my lip and promised myself that I would find out what's going on with him tomorrow.
"I mean do you really think Mum would hurt Dad?" Vanya asked.
I looked up.
"Well, you haven't been home in a long time Vanya. Maybe you don't know Grace anymore." Luther said.
Diego spoke up, defending Mum.
"If he was poisoned, it would have shown in the coroner's report." He said, looking pointedly at Luther.
"Yeah, well, I don't need a report to tell me what I can see with my own eyes." Luther shot back.
"And what is it that you think you can see on the screen Luther? Cause I don't see anything suspicious!" I said.
Luther glared at me and I glared back.
I looked around at my siblings, so innocent! They had no idea that the world would be ending in less than a week!
Diego stepped forward again. "Maybe all that low gravity in space messed with your vision." He said, walking up to the television set and clicking a button, replaying the footage.
"Look closer." He said, we all leaned forward.
"Dad has his monocle. Mum stands up. Monocles gone." Diego points out and retreats back.
"Oh yeah!" Klaus chuckled.
"She wasn't poisoning him. She was... taking it. To clean it." Diego said.
"Then where is it." Luther asked, looking confused.
"No, I've searched the house, including her things. She doesn't have it." He said.
We all looked at Diego, awaiting a response. He looked down.
"That's because I took it from her." He said. "After the funeral."
We all stared at him in shock.
"You've has the monocle this whole time? What the hell, Diego?" Allison asked.
"Give it to me!" Luther commands, outstretching his hand.
"I threw it away." Diego says, lazily looking up at Luther.
"You what?" Luther spits out, Allison scoffs and laughs, taking a drink of alcohol.
"Look, I knew that if you found it with Mum, you'd lose your shit, just like your doing right now." Diego said.
He pointed his knife and I noticed Klaus slip away from behind Luther and back away from the knife.
Luther stepped forward. "Diego, you son of a bitch." He muttered.
"Hey. No. Calm down." Vanya insisted as Diego went into a fighting stance.
She stood inbetween them.
"Look, I know dad wasn't exactly an open book. But I do remember one thing he said." We all looked to her quizzically and the boys relaxed slightly.
"Mum was, well, designed to be a caretaker, but... also as a protector." She said
"What does that mean?" Allison asked, not breaking her gaze from Vanya.
"She was prone to intervene if someone's life was in jeopardy." Vanya finished.
"Well, if her hardware is degrading, then..." Luther paused and looked around. "We need to turn her off."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. She's not just a vacuum cleaner you can throw in a closet. She feels things, I've seen it!" Diego started shouting.
"She just stood there, Diego, and watched our Father die." Luther said, through gritted teeth.
"I'm with Luther." Allison said.
"Surprise, surprise!" I said.
"Shut up!" She shot back.
I rolled my eyes.
"Well I'm with Diego, we can't just turn off our Mother!"
We all turned to Vanya.
She stuttered slightly and looked intimidated, "I- I don't..."
"Yeah, she shouldn't get a vote." Diego said, turning away.
"Wh—" Luther started.
"I was gonna say I agree with you." Vanya said.
Luther rolled his eyes and glanced at Allison.
"Okay. She should get a vote." Diego decided.
He turned towards Klaus.
"What about you, stoner boy? What do you got?"
Klaus looked startled and rose from his leaning spot on the pillar.
"Oh, so, what? You need my help now?" He said. "Oh, "Get out of the van, Klaus!" He mimicked. "Well, welcome back to the van!" He said.
"What van?" Allison and I asked in unison.
Luther looked at us and scoffed and then looked back at Klaus.
"What's it gonna be, Klaus?" He asked.
"I'm with Diego, because screw you!" He exclaimed.
Diego nodded and pointed at him.
"And if Ben were here, he'd agree with me." Klaus said.
Then he hissed in the direction of the table.
I stared at him, searchingly.
"Was that Ben?" I asked Klaus, accusingly. "He doesn't agree with you, does he?"
"Shut up!" Klaus said.
"So that's four?" Luther asked. "Ben doesn't count." He added when Klaus started to protest.
"To two." Diego smiled.
"Well, at least wait until Five's here. And Pogo should get a say." Allison said "The whole family has to vote, we owe each other that."
"Right." Luther said.
"Yeah everyone should vote." Vanya added.
Yeah, I'm sure Cali will be able to convince her boyfriend to side with us!" Klaus said, optimistically.
"Jesus, Klaus! Just because we kissed does not mean we are in a freaking relationship!" I blurted out and then covered up my mouth as everyone stared at me in shock.
"You guys kissed!" Allison squealed.
I blushed and looked down at my feet.
"You guys are way too young!" Luther said, angrily.
"Oh, just because your still a virgin, Luther!" I rolled my eyes.
"Don't even go there, Accalia!" He bossed.
I rolled my eyes.
"Cali and Five, sitting in a tree. K-I S-S-I-N-G!" Klaus started chanting.
"Shut up!" I said and ran up to my room.
I locked the door behind me and lay on my bed, exhausted and frustrated.
I took a book from my bookshelf and started to read.
*****
The sky was dark and two figures, a man and a woman stepped out of a car.
The man looked at a drawing in his hand.
They walked up to the gates.
"This is the one." The woman said.
They slipped on two creepy kid's masks.
*****
Well, cliffhanger!
There you go!