Raincoats | The Umbrella Academy

Cain and Abel

Crisp winter air followed them inside the motel room. It was one of the nicer ones they had been to in the last few weeks. At least this one didn't smell like cat pee or old ladies.

The young girl set her duffle bag down on the bed closest to the door with a small huff. Her companion claimed the other bed. 

"I'm going to go smoke," the girl informed her friend, taking a crumbled pack of Marlboro's out of her dark coat.

Instantly, Denis shot up from the bed. "I'll come." He didn't smoke, but he also never passed up a chance to talk to Charlotte. He followed her back out of the motel room and settled for standing next to her.

They looked out over the railing of the second floor, letting their breath mingle like smoke in the chilly air before Charlotte lit her cigarette.

"You know those things will kill you, right?"

She was well aware, but at seventeen, death was far from her mind. Smoke mixed in with their cloudy breath. "Yes."

Denis stared at her hard, trying to come up with something to talk about. She was always especially quiet after they used the briefcase. He watched as she shivered. Her coat was warm, he knew that, but she was wearing her favorite plaid skirt underneath it; there was nothing keeping her legs from the onslaught of freezing air.

"Who are we looking for this time?" Charlotte asked before taking another drag. Her eyes were glued to the parking lot that lay out before them.

Watching this, Denis lied easily. "A real sicko, this time. He didn't get busted until a few years after the crime."

Charlotte gave in. "What did he do?"

"Kidnapped a bunch of girls." 

The girl let that sentence sink in. "When do we get him?" There it was. She would be all ears now.

Pushing back his slick hair, Denis leaned on the metal railing. "Actually, I was thinking that you could take over this time."

Beside him, Charlotte grimaced. "That's a terrible idea."

Maybe it was, but Denis wasn't about to join her for this mission. "No it's not," he assured. "You've gotten really good lately. I'm proud of you, Lottie."

She blatantly ignored his flattery. "Not enough to handle things on my own."

He had to convince her of this before the evening rolled around. "I never thought I'd hear you say that." Charlotte rolled her eyes. "But seriously. You've gotten so much better at controlling this and the other parts are easy."

None of that seemed to matter to her. God, that girl was stubborn.

"You have no confidence in yourself."

Between them, her cigarette glowed at the tip. "At least give me some more details then."

That was something he could do.

Three hours later the sharp smell of herbal tea filled their motel room. Denis had gone out and bought a box of tea just for that day.

Sitting on one of the padded chairs the room had come with was Charlotte, finishing her second cup with a satisfied sigh. The more she practiced, the more tired she was and she needed her energy for that night. Getting to know the case had helped her feel a little better about what she was going to do.

"You're going to do fine," Denis reminded her from the bed.

He had always preferred her with her hair up, like it was. The back was still too short to fit in with the rest of the pony tail, but it looked good on her. He liked it when he could see her face; it was easier to read her guarded expression that way.