The Great Unknown

Ocean Eyes - Billie Eilish

At that same moment across the country, a young man walked into Griddy's donut shop. He made his way across the empty shop and sat up at the counter, ordering a black coffee and a glazed donut. As the kind woman poured him a cup of coffee he ran his hands down his face shaking off what felt like years of sleep. As the mug was set down in front of him the bitter smell of half-decent coffee filled his nose causing a small smile to form on his lips.

"There you go, sir." The young woman behind the counter said with a smile pulling his attention from the intoxicating smell.

"Thank you." He responded. His eyes grew wide as he sat there frozen, his voice no longer sounded like his voice. He glanced down at his hands in shock, his hands no longer looked like his hands, and then caught sight of his own reflection in the coffee. "Where is your bathroom?" He asked quickly and followed in the direction the woman pointed. He slammed and locked the door before throwing his body in front of the mirror.

"Holy Shit!" Five yelled staring at his now 30-year-old self. "No, no, no, no, no!" He yelled again, kicking the wall. He looked back up at his reflection. He stood in front of the mirror in a grey suit with a long, black, jacket. He rubbed over his jaw line which had a bit of stubble already growing. He threw open the bathroom door and ran out of the shop in the parking lot. He spun around looking for any sight of his siblings but the tan glow from the donut shop's sign did little to illuminate the area.

"Luther!" He called out into the night. "Klaus!" He continued, "Allison! Charlotte! Vanya!" He dropped to his knees. "Diego!" He couldn't hold back the tears as he yelled for his siblings. "Not again." He whispered to himself. His knees cold and wet from the concrete he pulled himself back up and once again searched for his siblings in the distance. Finding nothing but empty streets he walked back inside the shop.

"What is the date? The exact date?" He asked as he charged towards the woman behind the counter. He didn't bother sitting down at his spot and trying to act normal.

"The 28th, it's the 28th of August." She said leaning back away from the seemingly crazy person in front of her.

"What is the year!?" He asked, growing more stressed. The small woman jumped at his harsh tone.

"2020!" She yelled out hoping that he wouldn't attack her. Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes. He reached into his pocket and slammed three dollars onto the counter.

"Thank you." He said as he grabbed the mug and donut, dramatically walking out of the shop.

The coffee's steam seemed thicker in the cold night air as he walked down the city streets. Passing closed boutiques and busy bars he peered into every window for some sign of his siblings. In every bar he hoped to see Klaus dancing around the bar or Diego fighting some pervert in the corner. In every diner he hoped to see Luther and Allison sitting in a booth taking over a shared milkshake or Charlotte talking with Vanya who was just nodding along to be supportive. But in every window he found only strangers.

"Hey!" A sweet voice called out. Five turned around to be met with a pair of bright blue eyes. Five looked around looking for who the woman could possibly be talking to but he found that he was the only one that had heard her call. "I'm talking to you." She said with a small laugh.

"Um. Hi." He said with a questioning glance. He was sure that he didn't know the woman standing in front of him.

"Sorry, I just, well, I saw you looking in the bar window and you just looked so alone I thought you might want a friend." She said as a blush covered her cheeks. Whether it was her kind smile or mesmerizing eyes, Five would never know but something about the woman in front of him made him feel as though everything was at peace and he didn't have any worries.