You Better Bring an Umbrella, Vol. 1

Chapter 27: Recon in Neon Lights

        Pins clattered onto the wooden floors nearly exactly in time with the slam of bowling balls hitting the ground. A few laughs carried over the music drifting from the speakers, while a small group a few lanes over shouted congratulations and 'happy birthday's at a kid who looked to be no older than Five's corporeal age.

I straightened again as I finished adjusting the tightness of my shoelace, looking over the faces of all my siblings. The fact we'd had to pay for a lane was bullshit to me. We could have just sat in the food court area, ordered something and talked all this out, but no, the manager had to rob us in a time when we were already desperate. Five and I had gone a couple of times just to get some scores on the board, but the game had long been abandoned at this point. We had more important things to focus on, things that would keep this old bowling alley we all used to sneak out to standing.

"Look, I hate to be the one to say this, but everyone needs to prepare." I crossed my arms as I focused on Luther, for once ready to hear out whatever plan he'd been formulating in his mind this whole time.

"For what?"

"To do whatever it takes to stop Vanya." My open mindset started to close off a little at his implications. No way in hell was I going to hurt my sister any more than we already were going to need to. Even then, there had to be a way to avoid harming her at all.

Thankfully, before I could chew him out, Allison slapped his chest with her pad of paper.

"We may not have a choice, Allison."

"Bullshit," I scoffed. "There's always options." While the rest of us focused on the plan, Klaus opened up the newspaper Five had brought with him and started to read it.

End of the world and he finally decides to read. Between this and getting sober, I barely recognized the person he'd become. Not that it was a bad thing.

"Yeah, like what?" I raised an eyebrow as I looked down at Five, almost daring him to keep contradicting me. However, despite my momentary confidence, I couldn't come up with something on the spot.

"I don't know." He smirked at me, causing me to kick his shin just hard enough to make him grab the affected area, but not enough to actually hurt him.

"Look, whatever we decide, we need to find Vanya. And fast, okay? She could be anywhere."

"Or... here." Everyone looked to Klaus and stood up, crowding around him and leaning over the paper. "Look at this."

My eyes rested on the ad for her orchestra's concert, featuring her smiling face front and center. In all of the panic, I had completely forgotten that she was performing tonight. For a second, I felt guilty, but reality hit me again, and I remembered we had more pressing matters at hand than missing one concert. After all, if we didn't do something, this could be the last one.

"That's right. Her concert is tonight."

"Hello." Discomfort settled in my stomach as a slightly peeved worker approached us, forcing a smile onto her face. "I hate to intrude, but my manager says if you're not gonna bowl, you gotta leave." I flinched a little as the manager at the desk slammed a pair of bowling shoes down on the counter.

"Whose turn it is?" I snickered a little at Diego, unsure how he could think we were taking this seriously enough to remember who was supposed to go.

"Oh for..."

Luther reached down and grabbed onto a pink bowling ball, then proceeded to chuck it over his shoulder. It bounced across a few lanes, perfectly jumping over the gutters, and knocked down all ten pins, all without him even looking. I met eyes with the worker that had approached us and smirked, causing her to roll her eyes and turn away.