CHAPTER NINETEEN
unexpected goodbye

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THINKING BACK, KADENCE still didn't quite understand the circumstances that had led to Pogo's departure from the Sparrow Academy. The day had started out just like any other, after all, and even the bits in the middle hadn't been out of the ordinary for their messed-up team. But, for whatever reason, it had proven to be the final straw for him. He hadn't returned since.

Growing up, Pogo had always been a constant in the Sparrow Academy's lives. Oh, sure, he followed Reginald's beck and call, but it wasn't like anyone else had rebelled back then, either. Grace's hardware had been in its prime, Reginald had kept an iron fist over the household, and Kadence was still allowing her siblings to walk all over her.

Kadence wouldn't exactly say she'd been close to Pogo—she'd had her attachments beaten out of her along with her disobedience—but she still wholeheartedly appreciated his presence. With his gentle voice, soft discipline, and sage advice, he'd been a welcome refresher from the harshness of her father. When she was younger, he used to tuck her in, folding the covers over her shoulders. He held her hand the time she'd dislocated her elbow and had to have Grace pop it back in. He sometimes even agreed to spar with her, back before his joints started to fail.

Which was why it was such a shock when, out of nowhere, he decided to leave them all behind.

It had been five years ago—almost to the day, actually. The Sparrow Academy had gone for their bi-weekly training with Pogo, which was usually a lot easier than the training with their father. They all wore martial arts robes held together with black belts (though this wasn't a graduated colour system, as in normal karate. They'd had black belts from day one), standing straight with their arms behind their backs. Here, their number order didn't matter—Kadence stood in between Ben and Alphonso. And Christopher, who didn't need such training, was absent.

Pogo, dressed in a Sparrow Academy branded yellow and black tracksuit, paced behind them, smacking his cane to the palm of his hairy hand as he spoke. "Just because something is right in front of you does not mean..." he tapped Alphonso's back with his cane, getting him to stand up straighter. Alphonso protested, but only weakly. "...it is within reach. There is always something in the way." He crossed back out onto the training floor. "Sometimes it is your opponent."

Jayme and Ben stepped forward. They'd been the two paired together for the first sparring session—Kadence was with Sloane next, Alphonso and Fei would go third, and Marcus would face whoever got the best time. There was a bell between them, lying innocently on the floor. But Kadence had been to enough of these sessions to know that nothing here was innocent.

And indeed, it wasn't. The goal of this challenge was to be the first to ring the bell—something that sounded easy until you factored in your opponent. Given how skilled each member of the Sparrow Academy was, it would be tough to even get close to the target.

"Sometimes it is yourself," Pogo finished, his voice echoing across the room. Jayme and Ben bowed to each other and assumed their fighting stances. Kadence leaned forward, breaking her poise for a moment to draw anticipation for the match. There was a breath, a collective exhale, and then Pogo raised his hand.

It was complete chaos from there.

Jayme and Ben immediately leaped into action, trading kicks and punches that were immediately blocked by the other. Their fighting styles were slightly different—Jayme usually went straight for the attack, while Ben bounced between that and defense—but it was obvious they'd had the same teacher. They moved as a unit, almost as fluid as a dance, their limbs flowing together in their quest to reach the bell by their feet.

Kadence watched them spar, shifting slightly away from the bell, and resisted the urge to cheer them on. Pogo was always firm about silence during these matches—noise, he said, would distract the fighters. This was one of the many things he disagreed with their father on, who claimed that they should be able to practice in any environment.

Like most pairings, Jayme and Ben were an even match. Jayme got as many hits onto Ben as he did onto her, and they were able to dodge each other with ease. Honestly, though, Kadence was rooting for Jayme's victory. Ben won far too much, and he'd gotten quite the inflated head about it. It would be nice if he was put in his place for once.

Jayme swung a kick at Ben's head, which he easily ducked under. Immediately, he made a beeline for the bell, but before he could, Jayme caught his wrist. He grunted in pain as Jayme pulled him backwards, again swinging for his head. He dodged, and now it was her turn to attempt to seize the trophy. But Ben was quick to pull her away.

After exchanging a few more blows, Ben flipped Jayme onto her back, a motion that looked and sounded as if it had hurt quite a lot. But Jayme immediately got to her feet, shaking off the pain. Ben panted, his chest heaving. Sweat glistened on each of their faces.

Then, apparently tired of using his fists, Ben struck out with his Horror. A single tentacle emerged from his stomach and struck Jayme across the face. She fell straight onto her ass, gasping momentarily before angling her head up to lock eyes with Ben. Her own expression was murderous. Blood leaked from a wound on her lip.

She hissed, and two streams of venom shot out from between clenched teeth and headed Ben's way. Kadence almost hoped they'd connect—she'd been on the receiving end of Jayme's hallucinogenic powers one-too-many times, and she knew just how awful it could be. But the single tentacle still protruding from Ben's stomach blocked the blow, nearly sending the venom into Fei and Marcus instead.

Jayme sprung to her feet yet again, facing Ben as a second tentacle burst free. With a war cry, he sent it streaking toward her. She leaped aside and tried to spit at him another dosage of venom at him. The Horror blocked it and went hurtling right at her head. Jayme managed to duck just in time.

When Ben's tentacles struck out for the third time, they ended up smashing into one of the wooden support beams, shattering it completely. Shards sprayed across the room, falling to the ground in heaps. In all of the chaos, the Horror finally managed to get a hold of Jayme.

Ben reeled her in like a fisherman with his catch, and Jayme screamed, thrashing wildly. Within moments, though, she'd been completely bound by tentacles. When her feet lifted off the ground, a soundless sigh broke free from Kadence's lips. It looked like Ben was going to win again.

The tip of a tentacle pressed itself against Jayme's nose and mouth, restricting her air. She whimpered under the makeshift gag as Ben pulled her to the ground. As she continued to wheeze, he announced, "You're gonna tap out or pass out. It's your choice."

The tentacles tightened around Jayme, and she grunted, unable to move even an inch. Kadence's breath caught, wondering whether or not her sister would be stubborn enough to not take the easier option.

And indeed, it seemed like Jayme wasn't giving up. Even without the ability to breathe, she made no move to surrender. Ben noticed this, and leaned in.

"Hey, it's your life." The Horror tightened itself even further. Kadence swore something cracked.

What the fuck is he doing? Kadence thought. He's clearly won.

As Jayme screamed again, Sloane finally broke her silence. "Ben, that's enough! Let her go!"

Ben snarled and continued to squeeze the life out of his sister. Something else cracked, and Jayme wailed.

"Jayme," Alphonso pleaded. "Jayme, come on. Just tap out."

"Nobody's gonna judge you," Kadence added. "Just let the dickhead win. You can get him back."

"I'm afraid there's no tapping out in the real world, children," came their father's voice. Kadence whirled around to face him. What the hell was he doing here?

Nevertheless, she got back into her proper positioning, as did her siblings. Jayme continued to wheeze in pain.

When another one of her bones snapped, however, Pogo raised a hand. "That's enough!"

"No!" their father argued. "Jayme will let us know when she's had enough."

"Dad, she can't—" Kadence tried. But Reginald raised a hand, silencing her.

Ben's face had taken on an expression Kadence didn't like, but knew all too well—one of complete bloodthirst. It was as if the Horror had seeped inside him, overriding his nature into something more... animalistic. He was savage, rabid. He saw his sister's pain and took delight in it.

Kadence couldn't keep her eyes off that face. It was a dangerous one. She was suddenly glad it wasn't her who'd been paired against Ben today.

She was so busy focusing on that, however, that she didn't notice Jayme's hand inching toward one of those fallen wood shards on the ground. And she didn't see her lifting it up to puncture the tentacle that covered her face until it exploded into a haze of red.

Ben screamed, tentacles retracting back into him, and Jayme fell forward. She took a moment to breathe, her entire body taut with pain, then got to her feet. There, she proceeded to kick the bell across the room.

Relieved, Kadence grinned.

"Suck it, squid boy," Jayme said, still panting.

"Bravo," Reginald praised.

Ben slammed a fist to the ground, groaning in frustration, then got to his feet. Without another word, he rushed past his siblings—nearly body-checking Kadence while he was at it—and burst out of the room.

"Sore loser," Kadence muttered.

Jayme returned to the group, still wincing. Their father faced them all, beady eyes narrowed at each and every one of them. "Remember, children," he began, "we never know what we're truly capable of until we're forced to confront our own extinction."

Kadence tensed. What the hell did he mean by that?

Pogo was similarly unnerved. "And as their sensei, it is my job to make sure they never have to."

"Then you overestimate yourself," Reginald replied coolly. "Children, leave us."

Everyone exchanged looks, wondering, for once, whether following their father's orders was the right thing to do. Then Marcus conceded. "Let's go, guys."

Kadence did, following the others as they left the way Ben had.

Later, though, she would almost wish she had stayed. Because whatever had transpired between Pogo and Reginald after she left was what led Pogo to, only an hour later, say his goodbyes.

She didn't cry, even though Sloane was unashamedly sniffling and even Alphonso was shedding a few tears. Not even when Pogo met her eyes, sad and wistful, with something unexplained flitting across his face for a moment.

He handed a box to Marcus, who opened it to find twelve jars of different coloured pills nestled inside. Kadence knew what they were for. Reginald sometimes took them for his migraines, even though they caused him to be relatively diminished for hours afterward. Those were the days he'd have Pogo lead them in his place.

What did Pogo think they needed them for?

Marcus didn't ask, though, just let the box fall shut. And Pogo started to make his final walk across the living room, only turning back once he'd grown closer to the door.

Kadence thought he'd say something, one final speech to commemorate his constant presence in the Sparrow Academy. But he didn't. Instead, he swallowed, turned, and made his way out the doors for the final time.

It all happened so fast, and Kadence couldn't understand why. Sure, she hadn't liked the way her father had looked at them all when he'd spoken about 'confronting their extinction', but then again, they were superheroes. They'd always been raised with the possibility of dying young.

A part of her hoped that Pogo would return later, metaphorical tail between his legs. But he didn't. In fact, Kadence never saw him again.

Sometimes, when she thought about it too much, she got a bad feeling. Like Pogo knew something about her father she and her siblings didn't, something that had driven him out the door. Something that had to do with the way he'd looked at her when he'd left, as if—and she only realized this later—he wanted to protect her.

Sometimes, when it was late at night and she couldn't sleep, this question kept Kadence awake. Because she and her siblings were superheroes. They'd taken out the worst villains the world had to offer. Pogo knew how capable they all were, especially when they worked as a team.

So what did he think they needed protection from?

YET ANOTHER KUGEL WAVE hit hours after Nadine and Allison left the city, seeping into their very bones. Nadine didn't let herself outwardly react to it, but it rattled her. The dice had been rolled to determine her fate, and though she'd avoided nonexistence this time, she might not be so lucky the next. It reminded her of the stakes of this mission, which were immeasurably high. This would likely be Nadine's last act, ever. If she didn't do this right, then everything would be meaningless.

So far, the plan was going on schedule—at least, as on schedule as it could be when it had been completely changed last minute. Right as Nadine and Viktor had been smuggling Harlan out of the Hotel Obsidian like a stowaway, they'd been caught by Allison. But, to Nadine's surprise, she hadn't even tried to stop them. Instead, though her eyes were full of disapproval, she agreed to tag along.

Somehow, things had escalated from there to Viktor offering to hold the family off while Allison and Nadine took Harlan out of the city. Despite this being a joint effort on the parts of both him and Nadine, Viktor wanted to take full responsibility for setting Harlan free. He wanted to take the brunt of the Umbrella Academy's wrath, whatever it entailed. After all, it had been his plan in the first place.

Nadine wanted to kill him for it. Of course he would be selfless enough to practically sacrifice himself. Of course he would want Nadine and Allison to avoid the crossfire. Of course, because he was the best person she'd ever met, and he loved more than anyone Nadine ever knew.

She envied him, and, well... a part of her was set alight, too. Thinking about the way she'd been feeling around him ever since they'd reunited in the cornfield (even though he hadn't known who she was, then) was not something she was particularly interested in doing. Unfortunately, soon—likely sooner than she'd want—she'd have to confront it. She was living on borrowed time, after all, and if that time ran out before she'd discerned her true feelings, she was going to cease to exist incredibly pissed at herself.

For now, though, she could push those niggling emotions away by focusing on the task at hand. She and Allison, with Harlan in their backseat, had driven two hours out of the city to find a place to successfully hide out. Nadine had expected another hotel or, at the very least, a shitty motel in the middle of nowhere, but that wasn't what she got. Instead, they ended up at an abandoned drive-in movie theater.

Though that did make sense. No one would bother them here, not nosy concierges or other patrons in search of the bathroom. And this was the last place the Umbrella Academy would think to look if they decided to go after them—after all, they could be anywhere. So Nadine didn't question Allison when she pulled into the parking lot. Instead, she just tapped on Harlan's shoulder, told him they'd made it, and stepped out of the car.

None of them had any idea when Viktor was going to show up—though Nadine hoped it was within twenty-four hours, so she had the opportunity to chew him out for being such a self-sacrificial idiot—so, they had an indeterminate amount of time to kill. In fact, they ended up sleeping there for the night, bundling themselves in old blankets and waking up at every little sound. By the time morning hit, Nadine's eyes were so weighed down that it felt as if she hadn't slept at all.

Breakfast was sandwiches smuggled from the hotel bar, one for each of them. They couldn't brush their teeth, so Nadine swished water around and around her mouth and hoped it was enough. She combed her hair with her fingers and tried to smooth out the wrinkles in yesterday's clothes.

Then, about an hour later, the kugel wave hit. A shudder overtook her, the kind of breathlessness that only comes with a near-death experience—scrambling back from the edge of a cliff as the rock formation begins to shift, crossing the road just as a car swerves through a red light, catching yourself right before you tumble off your roof.

Her face remained neutral, but she had to take a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She was still here, she reminded herself. She was still here. And that had to mean something.

Beside her, Allison scarcely flinched. The two of them were sitting on the hood of her car, swinging their legs over open air, watching Harlan, who sat against the wall, headphones over his ears. It seemed as if Allison had become numb to the waves—after all, they were beginning to become more and more frequent. Or perhaps she was hiding her feelings like Nadine.

Either way, she focused more on Harlan. "What are you listening to?" she asked.

Harlan, eyes closed and rubbing his hands up and down his thighs, didn't respond. Allison leaned forward, attempting to get his attention. "Harlan!" He opened his eyes, and Allison pointed at her ear. "Headphones? What's playing?"

Harlan took his headphones off reluctantly, letting them hang around his neck. He had a wound on his forehead that matched the one he'd given Viktor—something that Nadine certainly hadn't forgotten about. Still, he seemed docile enough, which was encouraging. He didn't even snap at Allison for interrupting him.

"You," he said instead. Nadine furrowed her eyebrows at that.

"Huh?"

"Everyone has their own vibration," Harlan explained. "Like a sonic fingerprint. I was listening to yours before," he added, nodding to Nadine, "but I moved onto hers."

"Oh, yeah?" Allison said. She was smoking, exhaling dark plumes into the air. Nadine tried not to wrinkle her nose. She couldn't begrudge her friend her coping methods. "What's mine sound like?"

"Wrong," Harlan answered. Allison stared at him for a minute.

"You're unpleasant to be around, you know that?"

He shrugged.

Nadine couldn't help but ask, following Allison's lead by trying to distract herself. Even if Harlan's assessment of Allison had put a twinge of worry through her. "What about mine?"

Harlan met her eyes. "It's... difficult to describe. There's so much going on in there."

"Try."

"There's... grief," he said. "But love, too. Fear. Hate. Most of all, though, there's longing."

"Longing?" Allison repeated. "Longing for what?"

Harlan looked to his lap. "I'm not sure I should say." He put his headphones back on and closed his eyes, signalling that he was finished with the conversation.

Nadine stared at him. Grief. Love. Fear. Hate. That seemed to describe her perfectly. But longing...

Well, that made sense, too. There had always been a lot she longed for. A mother's love. A world without hate. A girlfriend that understood her. And now, she longed for the right timeline, a safe universe, a familiar hand within hers.

But perhaps Harlan wasn't referencing any of that. Perhaps he was referencing the can of worms that Nadine still refused to open.

Fortunately, she didn't have to dwell on it for long. Not even three minutes later, the sound of a car pulling up yanked hold of Nadine's attention. For a second, her heart stuttered, wondering if it was the Umbrella Academy, but then she saw a familiar face in the driver's side and relaxed.

It was Viktor.

"Thank God," she said, sliding off the car. Viktor parked right beside them, so when he unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out, Nadine was right there. She threw her arms around him, indescribably relieved. "You fucking idiot," she breathed. "God damn it, Viktor."

"What?" Viktor asked, hugging her back.

"I never should have let you talk to the others alone. Fuck, I was worried about you. I can't believe I let you take all the blame. I was worried they might kill you."

"They wouldn't have killed me," Viktor laughed. "I mean, maybe Diego, but not in front of Klaus and Luther. And I think even he has limits."

"That's questionable."

Viktor finally broke the hug. "Sorry I took so long," he said. "I wanted to come sooner, but it was hard to get out of the city. It's a shitshow there. I'm glad to be in the country. And I'm glad everything seems like it's going to work out."

Nadine punched him in the arm, just hard enough for him to draw it back. "Next time, I'm staying with you," she said. "Never again am I letting you do that alone."

He rubbed at his arm, his mouth twisting into a smile. "All right. I guess that's a deal."

God, she just couldn't stay mad at him.

Finally noticing Allison and Harlan's presence, he gave them a nod. "Hey. You all getting along?"

"Oh, yeah," Allison drawled. "Three peas in a pod. How'd the others take you going AWOL?"

He shrugged. "Wouldn't say I'm their favourite sibling right now."

"I have a feeling that's an understatement," Nadine said.

He shrugged again, then stepped forward. "You okay, Harlan?"

Harlan didn't respond, continuing to rhythmically rub his legs. Allison slid off the hood of the car and joined Viktor and Nadine. "Mr. Conversation." She turned to Viktor. "Doing all right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." Then: "Like I said before, things are getting really bad out there. There's not much time until everything falls apart."

Nadine tensed at the reminder. Allison just took a deep breath. "Okay, so what's the plan?"

"Harlan helps me figure out how to take his powers back."

"And... and if that doesn't work?"

"Uh..."

"It'll work," Nadine said. "Viktor almost managed it in the '60s, and that was by himself. If he and Harlan try it together, there's no way it's gonna fail."

Allison narrowed her eyes. "You don't know that. Look, guys, I got your backs, okay, but there's a limit. The others are right. We have to face this kugelblitz."

"Yeah, I know, I know..." Viktor trailed off. Nadine said nothing. She didn't want to be the one to crush their hopes.

"You have 'till tonight," said Allison. "Otherwise, I swear to God, I'm gonna Rumor your asses to come back with me, okay?"

"Don't do that," Nadine said. "But fine."

Viktor nodded. "Yes, yeah. Sibling swear."

"I'm serious," Allison insisted. "Don't mess with me, tiny. Marilyn Monroe."

"Fucking hell," Nadine said. "Don't start calling me that now, too."

"Hey, the resemblance is uncanny."

"Goddamn it."

While Allison made her way back to the car, Viktor held his hand out to Harlan. "Let's do this," he said. Harlan took it and got to his feet.

"I'm here to help," Nadine said. "I mean, I have no idea what I can do, but if you need either an illusion or a punch to the face, I'm your woman."

Harlan smiled at her. It was the first time she'd seen that expression on his face, much less directed at her. "The illusion you made me when I was a boy was very nice," he said. "I never forgot it. It was thanks to you that I calmed down enough to allow Viktor to try to take my powers the first time. Perhaps, if a similar thing happens, you can do it again."

"Of course." Nadine smiled back at him. "I've got a whole library. I can do much more than beaches, I can promise you that."

"All right." Viktor took in a deep breath. "Thanks, Nadine."

"Of course."

He turned to Harlan. "You ready?"

Harlan nodded. "Definitely."

"Then I guess we should get started."

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HAVEN: i haaaaaate this chapter sm so please be nice about it 🙏i'm trying here

i swear the other chapters in this act will be better than this one. next up we're getting more vidine crumbs (which is more than y'all are used to, so EAT UP!!) and kadence and fei sister content :) honestly writing the sparrow academy has been one of my favourite parts about this fic (especially ben and kadence's relationship el oh el). they love each other, even if they don't admit it.

thanks for reading <333