𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃
( chapter two )

☂︎︎

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐋𝐋 now sitting in the living room in silence. Klaus was pouring himself a drink and Alora was seated on the same couch as Vanya.

She counted each of her siblings. Six of them, including her. She missed Five and Ben. She remembered when Ben died. She was stuck in her head and couldn't attend the funeral. Klaus had come up and told her, then their father forced his to leave to attend the funeral for him, leaving her to mourn by herself.

Alora got up from the couch and walked to the bar. She grabbed a glass and was about to pour some whiskey when Klaus stopped her. "Ah, ah, ah, young lady!" He scolded, slapping her hand away.

"Klaus?" Alora said, annoyed.

"No alcohol for you, you're still fifteen." He said, grabbing the bottle and pouring his own glass.

"I'm the same age as you!" Alora defended. "We're twins! All of us are the same age!"

"But your body is still... somehow fifteen, so you fit have the physical capacity to drink it!" He whispered.

"Give it to me!" The girl hissed, holding out her hand.

"No."

"Give it to me!"

"N-o!" Klaus dragged out.

Alora levitated Klaus' glass and it sailed into her hand with ease. She smiled and waked back to the couch, hearing Klaus sigh behind her.

"Um." Luther stood up. "I guess we should get this started." When no one protested he continued, "So I figured we could have a sort of memorial service in the courtyard at sundown. Say a few words just at Dad's favourite spot."

"Dad had a favourite spot?" Allison asked, swallowing her own drink.

"Yeah, you know, under the oak tree." Everyone looked at him blankly. "We used to sit out there all the time- none of you ever did that?"

"Favouritism!" Alora sang out.

"Will there be refreshments?" Klaus asked, coming to sit down next to Alora. "Tea? Scones?"

"I love scones!" Alora groaned. "I think. I kinda forgot what they tasted like."

"Cucumber sandwiches are always a winner." Klaus went on.

"What? No!" Luther said. "And put that out, Dad didn't allow smoking in here."

"Well, Luther, Dad isn't here anymore." Alora said, clinking her glass with Klaus'.

"Is that my skirt?" Allison asked, making both siblings look up.

"What?" Klaus mumbled, cigarette in his mouth. "Oh! Yeah, this. I found it in your room. It's a little dated, I know, but very breathy on the bits."

"Ew, are you commando?" Alora asked, moving away from him.

"Hey, you're busy wearing her clothes right now!" He pointed at her clothing, making Allison scoff a laugh.

"Listen up!" Luther interrupted. "Still some important things that we need to discuss, all right?"

"Party pooper." Klaus whispered.

"Funeral pooper." Alora corrected him.

"Party pooper." Her brother insisted, making her shrug.

"Like what?" Diego spoke up for the first time, referring to Luther's previous statement.

"Like the way he died." Luther said, as if it were obvious.

"And here we go."

"I don't understand." Vanya's voice trembled a bit. "I thought they said it was a heart attack."

"Yeah, according to the coroner." Said Luther.

"Well wouldn't they know?"

"Theoretically." He shrugged.

"Theoretically?" Allison leaned forward in her chair.

"Look, I'm just saying, at the very least, something happened. The last time I talked to Dad, he sounded strange." Luther explained, looking at all of them.

"Oh, quelle surprise!" Klaus gurgled his drink.

"Strange how?" Allison questioned Luther.

Luther elaborated, "he sounded on edge. Told me I should be careful who to trust."

"Luther, he was a paranoid, bitter old man who was starting to lose what was left of his marbles." Diego stood up and stepped towards Number One.

"No. He must have known what was going to happen."

"He predicted his heart attack?" Alora scoffed slightly, swirling the liquid in her cup.

"Look," Luther ignored her comment and looked to Klaus. "I know you don't like to do it, but I need you to talk to Dad."

Klaus waved his cigarette around as he said, "I can't just call Dad in the afterlife and be like, 'Dad, could you just... stop playing tennis with Hitler for a moment and take a quick call?"

"He'd be more of a golf guy, tennis would never be his forte." Alora muttered.

"Since when? That's your thing." Luther demanded.

"I'm not... in the right frame of mind." Klaus defended himself.

"You're high?"

"Yeah!" He laughed. "Yeah! I mean how are you not, listening to this nonsense?"

"Well, sober up! This is important!" Luther badgered. "Then there's the issue of the missing monocle."

"Who gives a shit about the stupid monocle?" Diego sighed, annoyed.

"Exactly. It's worthless. So whoever took it, I think it was personal." Luther paused as everyone stared at him. "Someone close to him. Someone with a grudge."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Isn't it obvious, Klaus?" Diego chuckled, not amused. "He thinks one of us killed Dad."

Luther grunted softly, not denying anything.

"You do?" Klaus gasped.

"How could you think that?" Vanya asked him, hurt.

"Wow." Alora dragged out.

"Great job, Luther. Way to lead." Diego smirked and left the room.

"That's not what I'm saying." Luther mumbled.

"You're crazy, man. You're crazy!" Klaus got up from his seat, not looking back.

"I'm not finished!" Luther announced as everyone else started to leave.

"Sorry, I'm just gonna go murder Mom. Be right back."

"I'll be your alibi." Alora said, also standing up.

"That's not was I was saying!" Luther countered.

"I didn't-" he sighed as everyone left him in the living room. Except Alora. He looked down at the young-looking girl. "I'm sorry to ask this, but did you see anything? You were here the whole time!"

"No, no, I was asleep." Alora said it slowly, like talking to a child. "So I didn't see anything. Just black since I was stuck in my head."

☂︎︎

Alora flopped down onto her bed with a sigh. She spotted a black eye mask sticking out of a draw and frowned.

17 years ago

"We are back in five, four, three, two, one." A news man said. "This is Jim Hellerman, reporting like for Channel 2 News. We are outside of the Capital West Bank at Main and Sixth." He continued to speak into his microphone. "A group of heavily armed men stormed the bank not three hours ago and took an unknown number of hostages."

Inside the bank, one of the men was speaking into a walkie-talkie. "Hey, get them behind the counter!"

The alarm blared as he spoke, "now you've put me in a position where I gotta do something I don't want to do. Hm? Shit!"

He looked shocked at the little girl standing next to him, in a school uniform, hands behind her back. "Hey! Get back with the others." He pointed to the spot where all the hostages were standing.

"I heard a rumour..." the girl said.

"What? What did you say?"

A young Allison stepped closer and spoke into his ear, "I heard a rumour... that you shot your friend in the foot."

The man's eyes glazed over and he obeyed the command, cocking his gun as his friend looked at him, confused. "Hey, dude?" The gun went off and the man's friend hobbled on one foot, clutching his bleeding one.

Everyone outside the bank flinched as they heard the gunshots. "We just heard shots from inside the bank!" Jim commentated. "It's uncertain if any hostages have been harmed in that."

"Up there!" A policeman pointed to the roof where a boy stood.

"There's some movement on the roof! Possibly law enforcement." Jim explained.

It wasn't law enforcement. Luther jumped through the sunroof and behind the counter, beating up one of the men and throwing him out the window in seconds.

"Looks like one of the armed robber had been thrown from the bank!" The news reporter clarified.

Another boy, Diego, rounded the corner, knives in hand. "Guns are for sissies! Real men throw knives!" He launched the knives and they rounded the corner,  lodging themselves into a guy's chest, making him fall to the ground in pain.

"I've been in many hostage situations like this." Jim the reporter said to the camera. "It can escalate very quickly."

"Get back you freaks!" The man had jumped into the counter and was pointing his gun at the three kids.

"Hey! Be careful up there, buddy."

"Yeah, wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"Get back now!"

"Or what?" A boy smirked as he teleported onto the counter, legs crossed.

He disappeared just in time before the man started shooting the spot he just sat in. He turned around to face the kid behind him. He tried to shoot, but realised he had a staple in hand rather than his gun from before.

"Ooh! That's one badass stapler!" Five laughed before he forced the stapler at the guys head and the man fell off the table, onto the ground.

"Nice one, Five!" Alora smiled as she moved his body out of her way. He helped her up on the counter with him as they looked around for anymore perps.

"Although there's been no activity for a few minutes, we're gonna stay live on location to make sure we don't miss anything in this hostage situation at the Capital West Bank." Jim said to the camera.

"Do we really have to do this?" A timid Ben asked his siblings.

"Come on, Ben." Luther persisted. "There's more guys in the vault!"

Alora stepped forward, "you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

Ben sighed. "No. It's okay. I can do it."

As Ben stepped into the vault, the rest of the children let the hostages go. They ran out immediately, screaming and yelling.

"Now we see the hostages. They're- they're free. They're scared, clearly, but they do seem to be unharmed." The reporter spoke.

The silhouette of Ben' tentacle monster could be seen through the distorted glass. Blood splattered on the surface and people screamed inside. One last roar and everything went quiet before Ben covered in blood stepped out.

"Can we go home now?" He shivered. His siblings placed a scarf and a towel on him and walked outside.

"People are coming out now!" Jim told the News. "It's not the armed robbers. These are young schoolchildren in uniform with masks on."

Five ran forward, gripping Alora's hand as the other's came out behind.

"This is Jim Hellerman, Channel 2 News."

The kids were lined up in order, Luther on one side and Alora on the other, rubbing Ben's back comfortingly.

On the roof of a nearby building, Reginald Hargreeves and Vanya, Nunber Eight were standing looking out at them. Reginald had his telescope in hand as Vanya asked, "Why can't I go play with the others?"

"We've been through this before, Number Eight." He lowered his telescope, not glancing at the girl. "I'm afraid there's just nothing special about you."

"Oh."

Reginald arrived infront of the kids. "Our world is changing! Has changed. There are some among us gifted with abilities far beyond the ordinary." Some of the kids smirked, some exchanged glances. "I have adopted seven such children.

I give you the inaugural class of the Unbrella Academy."

The reporters moved forward, throwing questions at him. "Mr Hargreeves! Channel 9 News! What happened to their parents?"

"They were suitably compensated." He answered.

"Are you concerned about the welfare of the children?"

"Of course." Klaus and Alora looked at each other, sharing a look. "As I am for the fate of the world."

That was their first mission. She'd say it went pretty well. For some people.

☂︎︎