a mannequin and a boy • the umbrella academy ON HOLD

volume two, issue 12

Five couldn't get the image out of his head. He knew he saw Dolores, all battered and bruised, in the mirror of some odd kitchen in some bar that his father led him to.

He knew she was there. Deep in his heart, he knew she was alive. Part of him thought that was just grief, the 'denial' stage, but that theory was negated at this point.

Maybe he could've asked Reginald about it. His gut was telling him not to trust the man, though. After all, Five never trusted him, even thirty or forty years later.

"Dolores, if you're in here, show me. Do something," Five quietly urged, after a few moments of Reginald being gone.

Nothing. He got no sign, not indication that she was nearby.

"It's probably for the best, right? After all, I'd rather you not see who I have to meet later. Spoiler alert, you never liked her." He wasn't even talking to anyone at this point. 

 The boy gave up, packed his bag and left, feeling more dread than he had going into the place. Not to mention, his conversation with his dad barely helped him whatsoever, especially since he knew he couldn't trust the man.

The date was approaching, fast, and Five needed to get a move on with the plan or the whole world was in danger.

Later, after he cleared his head and calmed down, the boy held true to his word, meeting the Handler herself in her quaint living room. 

"To be clear, I take out the board... and you get me and my family home. No more doomsday, no more apocalypse. Is that correct?"

"That's the deal," the conniving woman responded, a cigar in one hand and a note in the other. "You seem like you want more," she added, observingly. 

"I do. Dolores. I know she's dead, but I know those blonde guys that you've come across are responsible for it. I want them gone too." His fists clenched, and the Handler sat up in her bed, smiling earnestly.

"Well, I have one already taken care of. And fine, I'll help you with that, too," she responded, almost impatient. 

"Then I'm in." And so, Five was given the time and the place to do what he really didn't want to do. 

----

The job was done, and the blood was shed. Specifically, all over his iconic suit, staining his white socks obnoxiously. Leadership was handed off to the Handler, and he even spared the life of the little fish, who would make a lovely pet later, or maybe snack. 

All of this was good news, of course. But the turmoil in Five's heart couldn't be settled with mass murder-- in fact, he found himself dreading and regretting what he had done a lot as he left the Handler. 

What would Dolores think if she saw him now? Better yet, what will she think, considering that there is a chance she's still alive. 

Although he certainly won't find her while he's looking for himself. 

"I'm gonna need to be hydrated," he told a confused Luther as he stood beside the fridge, downing water like he'd been in a desert. 

"Hydrated?" Luther repeated, standing at the doorway. "What's with the baby powder?"

"It'll help with the itching," Five explained as he applied baby powder on. 

"What itching? There's itching? What the heck is going on here?" Luther paused, watching Five in realization. "You do have a plan!" 

"Well, it's a desperation move, but since our brain-dead siblings are incapable of meeting a simple deadline, I got no choice," Five replied, stretching quickly. 

"No choice about what?" Luther asked, following him into the living room. 

"I have to find myself. I just arrived in Dallas about fifteen minutes ago." Five checked his pocket watch, nodding. His head was swimming with plans and thoughts, all crashing together at once. 

"Should I be worried about you?" Luther asked after a few moments. To be fair, the boy did look awfully frantic and crazed at the moment. 

"Luther, if you recall, I was sent to 1963 on a job by the Commission to make sure the president was assassinated."

"Oh, so wait, your old self is out there." 

"Precisely." 

"What, just walking around Dallas?" 

"Walking around Dallas with a briefcase that can get us home." 

"Oh, my gosh, Five, you're a genius." 

"However, there are two significant problems with this plan. Problem number one: I am a trained assassin, arguably the most dangerous assassin in the space-time continuum. If I know me, I am not going to react kindly to bumping into myself. Problem number two, and this is the real fly in the ointment here: you're not supposed to exist in close proximity to yourself in the same timeline. The side effects can be disastrous."

"Side effects? What sort of side effects?" 

And as Five went on to explain the very dangerous side effects, Luther looked more and more concerned and Five looked more and more delusional. But what other choice did they have? 

Luther agreed to help Five stay on track, even though Five already looked insane to begin with. Maybe it was this paradox psychosis, or the idea that Dolores could be anywhere, or the massive guilt that was tugging at his heart from the casual murders he did earlier. 

Not that that was any different from normal, after all. 

- author's note -

heyyy guys,,, y'all im not even going to say the "but im back now" stuff bc we all know how well that worked out for me... im sorry I am I've just been so busy.

question of the chapter: are you in school or e-learning?

my answer: in school!

thanks for reading!