It was a very sunny day, and the children were outside, playing in the garden. The sun was beating down, and the courtyard was full of green plants and colourful flowers. Six, Nine and Five were by the side of the courtyard, under a
large horse chestnut tree. It cast a pretty pattern on the ground, like a kaleidoscope, almost. The sourness of the lemonade they were sipping mixed with the sweet smell of sun lotion, making it seem as if they were on holiday to a tropical island. But it was only a dream that the children possessed, for they were never truly allowed to leave the academy. They were all wearing their classic navy uniform, their blazers thrown off in the kitchen. It was these days that the children cherished, it was these days that Five missed the most. For now, he was alone. In the barren wasteland that the future was, and he would remain there, just him and his mannequin. The future was shit. Klaus was right. But there was nothing he could do. He should've listened to Reginald. Should've listened to Nine, when she laughed and said that "he would do something wrong and mess it up!" But that was a joke. And it was a lot less funny now that it was true. He had been stuck there for almost a week, trying desperately to find the academy's ruins, and when he found them, he almost wished he hadn't searched. Ruins of photos, memories, old singed teddy bears, but then his heart stopped. His eyes glued on one spot. What seemed like the familiar pattern. And familiar badge, sleeve. The familiar pin that was always on that crest on that particular blazer, that particular black cat badge that Reginald always wanted taken off. He fell to his knees and frantically started scrabbling at the debris around this familiar blazer. Pulling out the familiar person. The person Five couldn't live without. Nine. Her blue eyes were closed, her hair messy, her pretty face covered in soot. Her pulse non-existent. Tears fell out of Five's eyes. His throat ached. Painful sobs came out of his throat. "No,no,no! This can't happen, I- No! No!" He wiped his tears. Five's gut wrenched. He was in so much pain, physical and mental, that he didn't think he could keep going. He was going to find a way home, and he was going to save her. She was the only thing that mattered now.
