Chaotic Good | the umbrella academy

EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
' BECAUSE IT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING . '

Eddie sat in the front seat, Diego speeding through the streets, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly with his foot flattening the accelerator. Knees tucked to her chest, her eyes watched the glaring lights fly by, which made her migraine slowly worsen, but she couldn't pull her gaze away in fear of seeing her brother's state through the rearview mirror.

Allison sat with Five in the back, trying to stop the bleeding.

The car was deadly silent, and Diego glanced warily back.

"There's a sheet under the seat," Eddie spoke quietly, her forehead resting against the cool glass of the window. "To help stop the bleeding."

"Why is there-" Diego began but cut himself off, glaring at Eddie, which she didn't see. "You knew, didn't you?"

Eddie didn't reply or even react to the words.

Allison pulled out the sheet. "Why didn't you tell us?" she asked incredulously.

The redhead sighed, squeezing her eyes closed. "Why didn't he tell us?"

Her siblings scoffed, shaking their heads while Allison tried to stop the bleeding. They pulled up to the house, and her two siblings jumped out, pulling an unconscious Five with them. Eddie remained in the car, shifting to sit straight. Slowly, she pressed her head into her hands, the throbbing of her head worsening.

I DON'T WANT TO DIE ALONE.

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Five shuffled on his bed, groaning softly. His eyes fluttered open and adjusted to the darkness of the room. He pushed himself to sit up in his bed with a wince.

"Careful, you'll rip your stitches." A voice grumbled beside him, and his head whipped around. Eddie was curled up in a chair at his bedside, broken fingers cradled to her chest and eyes shut.

He sighed, leaning back into the bed. "How long have I been out?"

"Four hours," she replied, keeping her eyes closed, her voice low and husky.

Five groaned again and tried to get up but fell back onto the bed, squeezing his eyes shut with pain. Laying there in defeat briefly with ragged breathing, he glared. "You're not gonna help me, are you?"

"Nope." Eddie hadn't moved from her curled-up position, not even looking up.

Five seemed to notice it, and he furrowed his eyebrows. Gingerly, he leaned to turn on the lamp beside his bed. He winced at the sudden light, but it illuminated Eddie's pale, almost sweaty complexion. "Eddie?"

"Go back to sleep," she mumbled in an almost scolding tone, eyebrows furrowing. "Turn that light off too."

Concern brewed in his stomach, memories of her collapsing in a heap the day before piercing his mind. "Eddie."

Her eyes fluttered open, but there was something wrong. "I'm alright."

"Bullshit."

Quietness hung in the room before she sighed. "Just tired."

"Why are you here?"

"Didn't want to be alone, and Diego and Allison are pissed at me."

"Tell them."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because it will change everything."