[✓] 𝑃𝑅𝐸𝐿𝑈𝐷𝐸 | 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐒

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧. 𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑

𝑊𝑒𝑑𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑑𝑎𝑦. 8:15 𝐴.𝑀.

𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑, 𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍, 𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐆𝐎, Klaus, and Valerie were all gathered in front of the bar in the living room. 

Valerie and Luther had called for the meeting, knowing that they had to tell the rest of the family about the oncoming apocalypse. Time was running out, and they still had no idea what to do, and now that Five was nowhere to be found . . .

Valerie looked around as the group settled into their spots. "Okay, everyone good?"

"Where's Five?" Klaus questioned, spreading his legs out in front of him as he sat on the ground in front of one of the couches.

"Yeah, where'd he go?" Diego questioned. His left arm was now in an arm sling; he had gotten shot during a tussle with Hazel and Cha-Cha just before the ice cream truck incident (like an idiot).

Valerie wished she knew where Five was. One moment he had been right next to her, the next he was gone. 

She knew that it had probably been part of whatever his big plan was, but still, she worried. She wanted for him to have told her what the plan exactly was, but him being the annoying little prat he was, he hadn't.

"Can't you check around the city?" Allison suggested to the girl as she handed to-go cups of coffee to everyone.

"Well—" Valerie was about to tell them that she thought she knew where he had gone when Diego interrupted.

"It wouldn't hurt to look," he agreed, glancing around as he nodded. "Just in case."

She shook her head. "But—"

"It'll take, like, ten minutes, won't it?" Klaus raised his eyebrows, nodding in agreement with the others. "You're a fast girl."

"No," Valerie tried again, "actually—"

"Don't you want to see?" Allison questioned with raised eyebrows. "You never know. He could be out there."

Figuring she wouldn't get a word in until she actually did what they wanted, Valerie sighed, "Okay. I'll be back in a bit."

She dashed off, racing through every path in the city as she examined every who lined the streets. But to her unfortunate luck, the only faces that passed were those belonging to strangers. She knew it was a hopeless case; if he was carrying out his plan, there was no way he would be doing it in the city. Especially if it was connected to some higher power.

Valerie arrived back in the same spot, shaking her head as she grabbed her decaf coffee from the bar counter and sighed, "Nope."

"Wha—you just left, like, a minute ago!" Klaus's head spun towards her, his eyes wide as a look of bafflement came over his face. "You said you'd be back in a bit!"

"That's the thing about super-speed" —Valerie raised her eyebrows as she sat next to Diego on the couch— "it makes me really fast."

As Klaus gave an "Ah, right" of understanding, Diego looked around at everyone and slowly asked, "So . . . why exactly are we here?"

"Right, so . . ." She sighed as she looked over to Luther and folded her arms. "The world's ending in three days."

"Three days?" Allison repeated in shock as her eyes widened, glancing between Luther and Valerie.

"That's what Five said," Valerie confirmed with a short nod.

"The bastard did mention the apocalypse, come to think of it." Klaus nodded as he leaned back on the couch and exhaled. "He just left out the part about how soon."