ᴛʜᴇ ᴜᴍʙʀᴇʟʟᴀ ᴀᴄᴀᴅᴇᴍʏ

ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀʟʟ (ʙᴇɴ)

(This is in an AU where Ben didn't die and Five didn't disappear (: )

I adjusted Diego's stance as he prepared to spar with Allison. They both refused to make eye contact with me, despite the fact I've been training them since we were 10. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Five sending Diego an angry glare. I wondered what Diego did to make him so mad.

For 6 years, I've been training the Hargreeves' in combat. I lived in an apartment next to their house, which is how Reginald found out about me. My (parent) was so paranoid about my safety; they taught me all karate and martial arts types. When Reginald found out, he insisted that I teach his children in exchange for payment. I accepted it since our family had started to fall behind on our bills.

I was thirteen when my family was kicked out because we couldn't afford rent. My parents begged for Reginald to take me in. He agreed as long as I continued to teach his kids, free of cost. Throughout the years I taught the Hargreeves children, they never really liked me. Allison and Luther had their own thing going on, Diego and Five ignored me, and Vanya was kept from us. Every now and then, I talked to Reginald about teaching her too, but he never listened.

I was best friends with Ben and Klaus, though. They happily welcomed me to the Academy, and we became a troublesome trio. Klaus and Ben usually took the blow so I wouldn't get in trouble with Reginald.

I still remember the first day I arrived.

I wore a plain grey shirt with blacks pants. "Children, meet Y/N. She will be teaching you the proper ways to use martial arts in battle. As some of you may have noticed, she also lives next door. I allow you to go over and visit for extra lessons. Starting today, half of your designated training time will be spent training with Y/N. Now, go get dressed for training." Reginald instructed them.

As the kids rushed up the steps, I could hear hushed whispers.

"She has nice hair."

"How is she taller than me?"

"I call dibs."

"You can't call dibs!"

I couldn't recognize which voices belonged to who. "Number Seven, please give Y/N a tour of the house."

A girl with long brown hair and bangs motioned for me to come with her. I wondered why she wasn't with the rest of the kids.

After I had toured the house, I was brought to a large gym. All of the Hargreeves children were in a line, waiting for me. "Number One and Number Two, get on the mat and be prepared to spar. Y/N will observe and correct." I stepped to the side as Number One and Two stepped into a large blue mat with a circle in the middle. The rest of the kids were seated on a nearby bench.

They got into their positions. Two's stance was by far better than One's. I walked over to One's and leaned down. I adjusted One's feet and fixed the posture. When I glanced at Two, the only thing wrong was Two's fists. Once I set those, I stepped back. I nodded at Reginald. "Commence!" He shouted.

From that day forwards, I taught them everything they knew. Two, Three, and Five were by far the best. Four and Six were too busy joking around with each other to really care, and One focused on brute strength more than anything.

I noticed that there was a lot of tension and anger between Two and Five. They would fight and argue over seemingly nothing. I made a lot of money to teach them, and also made some friends.

I was quite happy until my family was kicked out of our apartment. The taxes slowly began piling up, and it was too much for my parents. Reginald allowed me to live in the house by my parents' request. They left me because they knew I would have a better life in the Hargreeves household.