Prophet - Five Hargreeves X oc UMBRELLA ACADEMY

7

Anneli took a moment to take in their surroundings. They stood next to a fire escape winding up the side of an apartment building she did not recognise.

She stared up at it curiously.

"I do not think your father left you an apartment in his will," she mused, glancing at him. "So who's place are we breaking into?"

"Vanya's." he answered shortly, nodding to the ladder.

She folded her arms across her chest and rose an eyebrow at him. "Unless you would like to swap your shorts for my skirt, you can go first."

His eyes rolled but he took to climbing the ladder swiftly, stopping at the second floor. She followed soon after, checking over her shoulder to scout the street, hoping no one was watching them as it did look a bit odd. Though she supposed she would feel it if someone was.

The window clicked and slid open above her and as Anneli reached it she was surprised to find a hand holding it open from the inside.

Hiding her little smile, she swung her legs through and ducked inside. The window thudded shut behind her and clicked back into place. Shadows hang in the corners of the open plan apartment, lingering in doorways, giving everything a sinister feel to it as they idly looked around in silence.

Five went to sit on the arm chair nearby and, maybe he thought she couldn't see, but she watched him run a hand over his face and in that brief moment of vulnerability he let slip, she could tell that he was tired.

Not the normal type, but the type of mentally tired that she was used to.

Seeing the look on someone so stoic and serious made her feel a bit sad though she wasn't sure why.

Quietly, Anneli slipped her boots off and sat cross legged on the couch corner, drawing her knees up and resting her head on her hand as the exhaustion sets in. The adrenaline had quickly left her body and now she just felt like sleeping. It was nice, sitting in the quiet of the night. Even if she was in the company of someone who may not like her presence quite yet - it was still calming.

She felt eyes on the side of her head and couldn't find any strength in her to care much, so ignored him.

Faintly, quiet footfalls were heard echoing on the wooden floorboards outside the apartment, slowly getting closer and slightly louder as the seconds ticked by.

"You're going to frighten her." Anneli told Five certainly, closing her eyes tiredly and resting her head on her arm.

The lock twisted and it sounded as though the person on the other side was having trouble getting the key in the lock in the bleak darkness. A few seconds of painful metal scratching and Anneli's finger twitched in her lap. (The lock clicked and released a second later.)

Vanya opened the door just as Five switched the lamp on beside him, illuminating the two teenagers abruptly. She gasped in alarm.

"You should have locks on your windows," Five observed casually.

She eyed the two, a hand on her chest to calm her racing heart. "I live on the second floor."

"Rapists can climb." He shrugged.

Anneli furrowed her eyebrows, turning her head to remind him, "We climbed."