Chapter one of Cherish.

June 2005.

"Your dad's coming over this weekend," Marnie glanced at Inanna, trying to judge the fifteen (almost sixteen) year old girl's reaction. "He said he'll take you and Jacob out for lunch and then maybe the arcade," Inanna dropped a packet of oreos into the basket that Marnie held, barely turning her head towards her mother. "That sounds fun, right?".

Inanna grabbed another packet of oreos. "Yeah. Fun," Inanna mumbled.

Marnie took the oreo packet from Inanna's hand and sat it in the basket next to the bread and apples they had picked up already. "Free food. What's not to like?" Marnie asked.

Marnie knew what Inanna's response would be. Her father and more specifically, having to spend more than a couple hours with him while Jacob acted as the peacekeeper with his presence alone.

"No, it will be fun," Inanna's response wasn't genuine, not in the slightest. "If he turns up this time," Inanna followed Marnie down the aisle, heading towards the donuts that sat on their own shelf at the far end.

Marnie sighed, "That's not fair, Nanni. He's trying. He wants to-".

"He wants to make up for the birthdays he missed and the fake cards mom sent for him for two years in a row," Inanna tucked her hair behind her ear as she mumbled under her breath.

"He's trying," Marnie picked up the sugared donuts from the shelf and glanced over her shoulder to Inanna who stood a few steps behind her. "Jon isn't winning an award for being a good father anytime soon but he's doing the best he can".

Inanna was silent for the remaining time in the store. Marnie was right, Inanna knew that. Jonny Hope was trying to be a good father and if he had tried to fix things the year before Inanna would have accepted his apology the moment he appeared at their front door but he hadn't and Inanna was yet to forgive him for not even answering her phone calls.

"You got them?" Marnie handed the tray of donuts to Inanna before taking the two bags of shopping from the cashier at the till.

"Yep," Inanna shifted her hands, finding the most comfortable position to sit her fingers to stop the cardboard box from digging into her skin. "Got them".

Marnie thanked the cashier and Inanna walked out of the store ahead of her, briefly holding the donuts with one hand to pull open the door far enough to push it open with her foot.

The summer heat hit against Inanna's face and the gentle wind blew her red hair over her shoulders, making Inanna miss the coolness that the store provided her moments ago with the many fridges and AC. Inanna looked over her shoulder to Marnie, noticing that her mother was still standing in front of the till, paying for a bunch of pink flowers she had picked up at the last minute to give to Iris once she returned from her long hours at the hospital later that night. Inanna shook her head, unable to hide the smile that dared to creep onto her lips. Even if her mood had been completely shrunk by her father, her mothers never failed to make her smile with their acts of love, no matter how small they were.

Inanna turned on the heel of her trainers as a flash of blue blurred in front of her eyes, mixing with her red strands of hair that swept across her face. Inanna's stomach flipped and in the split moment before Inanna's head smacked against the ground knocking her unconscious, she was positive that the pancakes she ate for breakfast were going to come back up.

"I know Iris prefers red roses but I think-" Marnie's words turned into a whisper as her eyes darted from the spot she had seen Inanna seconds before from inside the store to the spilled box of donuts that laid on the dirty sidewalk.

Marnie turned her head, looking up one side of the street. Her eyes scanned the few people that walked ahead carrying various bags and walking their dogs, but none of them had the same vibrant hair that made Inanna stand out. Marnie's chest began to rise and fall rapidly and her grip on the shopping bag handles loosened. Inanna wasn't a perfect child and any mention of her father in the recent months often led to Inanna storming off to her bedroom and slamming the door behind herself but Marnie knew Inanna wouldn't have just ran off. That wasn't Inanna. That wasn't something her daughter would do.

"Nanni?" Marnie's head whipped around and her eyes scanned up the street, again searching for the red hair that Inanna had inherited from Iris but she had no luck. Inanna had vanished in seconds.

The handles slipped from Marnie's fingers and her groceries spilled at her feet. "Inanna!" Marnie screamed her daughter's name as she stepped and stumbled over the apples and oreos that rolled across the sidewalk.

"Inanna!".

Inanna swiped her fingers across her temple, smearing a trail of blood over her forehead as her eyes fluttered open. Inanna dropped her hand in front of her face and examined the red liquid that seeped into the fine lines of her finger tips, "Oh, what the hell?" Inanna clambered to her feet as her words left her mouth in a whisper.

Inanna wiped her hand against her shirt and as her eyes took in her surroundings, she staggered backwards, scuffing her exposed ankles against the ruins that laid around her.

Where tall buildings stood moments ago, as homes and businesses to those who lived and worked along the street, nothing but broken structures, some completely destroyed, laid in their place, burning with orange flames.

It was like a warzone, something that Inanna had seen on the news or in realistic movies that her mother didn't like her watching as a child and it was quiet, eerily so, with only the crackling of the fire being heard over the deafening silence that dared to cave in on Inanna. There was no rumble of a car engine, no screeching of tires, no loud chatter that floated down the street as shoppers went about their days. It was silent.

"Marnie?" Inanna turned towards the store she had just been in as she shouted her mother's name. The building was a pile of grey, ashy bricks that spilled out into the street around Inanna and the only identifier was the bold, bright blue sign that had been split into two pieces and discarded under the fallen roof.

Inanna's knees dug into the rubble as she fell in front of the building and the palms of her hands scraped against the sharp edges as she shovelled and overturned the broken bricks in search of Marnie who had been inside the building before Inanna blacked out.

"Mom," Inanna's voice cracked into a sob and her hands began to bleed as she pushed aside each brick, searching for a body that she wouldn't find even if she looked until nightfall.

Inanna's body slumped forwards and she pressed her head against the ruins, ignoring the droplets of blood that stained the grey stone she had been holding seconds ago. It had only been minutes but she knew it was useless. Inanna screwed her eyes shut and warm tears slipped from the corner of her eyes, they slid down her cheeks and fell onto the stone beneath her.

Inanna didn't know how long she had laid there but her throat hurt and her eyes stung, however it was the crunch of rubble under someone's shoe that made Inanna stop. Inanna's eyes shot open and her cries died instantly in her throat as she froze.

The person continued walking towards Inanna, their dark brows furrowed deeply, uncertain if the crying they had just heard was real or a part of their imagination. Inanna curled her fingers around one of the bricks and grasped it tightly in her hand as the footsteps grew louder until the person stood next to her. They looked over their shoulder, briefly glancing over the street, but they were certain that the loud sobs had come from the body with the long red hair.

"I'm already losing it".

Inanna didn't have time to process the voice as a hand grasped her shoulder — The voice belonged to a boy, she took note of that — Inanna rolled onto her back but before he could see if she was alive or dead, Inanna swung her arm, hitting him in the jaw with the brick which startled both of them.

The brick fell from Inanna's fingers as the boy, who wore what Inanna recognised as a navy school uniform, vanished from in front of her in a flash of blue.

Inanna's gaze darted across the street ahead of her as she slowly stood up. She didn't know who she was looking for. Inanna glanced over her shoulder but as she did the boy reappeared back in front of her and punched Inanna in her jaw (in the exact same place she had hit him), knocking her to the ground again with a stronger hit.
Inanna's hair fell over her face and she rubbed her jaw as the pain spread across her face in a dull ache that worsened as she moved her mouth.

The boy wiped away the trickle of blood that ran down his jaw, "That was payback for your cheap shot," Inanna looked up at the boy. He looked oddly familiar, with dark hair that hung over his forehead and green eyes which Inanna mistook as a light grey until the boy tilted his head a little. "You got a name?" The boy asked.

"Obviously," Inanna's glare burned into the boy's skin and a smile, which was almost a smirk, spread across his lips. "Inanna," Inanna muttered.

"Like the Mesopotamian goddess?" Inanna shrugged. "Nevermind," The boy shook his head and glanced over his shoulder, confident that Inanna wouldn't try to knock him out again.

Inanna's eyes widened ever so slightly. When she had first seen him, he looked familiar but she hadn't put the few pieces of evidence together. The boy was missing the black mask his father made him and his siblings wear on the news but his dark hair and the Umbrella Academy badge stitched onto his uniform gave his identity away. He was the missing Superhero kid, the one who had disappeared a few months ago.

"You're supposed to tell me your name now," The boy dropped his gaze back to Inanna, drawing his brows together as he tucked his hands into his pockets. "I've told you mine. Now tell me yours before I kick you in your shin," Inanna's eyes flickered from his face to his legs which were exposed by the uniform shorts he wore.

The boy nodded, unfazed and a little amused by Inanna's threat. "You don't know my name?".

"Have some fucking manners and introduce yourself".

The boy untucked his hands from his pockets and extended his right one towards Inanna. "Five. Five Hargreeves," The boy introduced himself.

Inanna took his hand in hers and Five pulled her up to her feet. The rubble slid from under Inanna's feet, causing her to stumble into the boy. Five's arm curled around her waist and as her head hit his shoulder he blinked them into the middle of the street.

With a churning stomach, Inanna shoved Five's chest, pushing him away from her as she dropped his hand. Five tucked his hands back into his pockets, taking a step away from Inanna and she brushed the palms of her hands against the side of her thighs.

"Yeah. I know who you are," Inanna muttered.

I'm literally about to cry.
Divorce just hit 200k reads. It started out as a silly little book to get over my Five Hargreeves obsession (which didn't work btw) and i'm so happy that others enjoy it. Anyways, I love you all so much.