invisible halo (the umbrella academy fanfiction)

Prologue

"What the shit? Cass, are we even allowed to do this?" a boy whispered, his tone perturbed and an expression on his face that screamed they were indeed not supposed to be doing whatever they were talking about.

The girl in front of him grinned, dark eyes catching the light as she turned around. "Come on, Ken doll, admit it, it was boring in there, you were dyinggg to escape as well." There was guests in their house, at a time like this, with COVID-19. Cassidy was pretty sure the virus would be flying around in glee and throwing parties in humans' bodies. But, oh well, who cared? Definitely not their family. It seemed like boomers were immune to a lottt more things than their kids' advices and persuasions. 

"Don't call me that! And, well, yeah, it was but . . . ," he grumbled in protest when he couldn't find the words what to say, "that's not the point!"

"Then, what is?" his older sister - the one that was supposed to be sensible and babysitting him and not the other way round - innocently blinked at him.

"They're gonna kill you later, you know."

The ravenette  huffed, wispy white mist leaving her lips as she replied, "Let them." The blonde boy looked at his older sister, head lowered and that spark in her eyes growing cold, like the biting chill around them. 

Cassidy noticed his stare and continued, "I'm eighteen, Ken. Eighteen! Eight-fucking-teen! I think I can sneak out of my house a bit sometimes."

Kennedy scoffed, "Fuck them. Why so serious? Like, why?" he looked up at the sky like it had the power to solve all their problems. Like even though it did, it wasn't doing a thing. If he had, he would do something.  Anything. He loved his family, both his sister and him did but . . . they can be a little too much sometimes. 

Then, he realized what he was getting dragged into and groaned, like a cat being told to use a litter box. Their family was going to be soooooo pissed. "But whyyyy did you have to drag me into following you?"

Another grin. His sister seemed to get immense enjoyment from his torment. Then, a shrug. Like they weren't going to get their skin peeled off if they do this. "I'm bored. Plus, you're gonna be, what? Fifteen? Sixteen soon? Wouldn't want my little precious baby bro to become an Ajumma unexperienced in her teenage years like me," she booped his nose, then, continued walking. 

"Fifteen, Cass, fifteen," Kennedy tried to interrupt, his voice and face impassive.

"-besides, I'm saving your life here, Ken doll. God knows how much of the house will be infested with germs after this . . ." she paused her tracks and for a millisecond, Kennedy thought that she would say something like Hey, you know what this is a bad idea, maybe it's worse there but nooo, his sister kept walking, "probably the entire house. I'm doing you a favor here."

They were still going to Cassidy's friend's place. A 'house' the size of a hotel. 

Damn rich people.

"Can you stop with that name?"

"The magic word."

He sighed, quite exaggerated, if Cassidy had to say. "Can you please stop calling me that?"

The girl nodded, shoving her hands into her mother's hand-me-down grey coat. "Of course, Mr. President."

Her brother made a sound that was something between a groan and a cry. "Not that either!" he dragged his palms alongside his face, like Gordon Ramsey did when he was upset.

"What? I thought you said you wanted to be the president when you're older?"

"That was when I was ten! Besides, I'm thinking more of a Prime Minister or something," he muttered the last bit into his green hood, breath fanning the fluffy edges and making them sway a bit. Like anemones that they showed on TV, he noted.

"Of course, your Excellency," again, his older sister mock curtsied. 

"Just, shut up," the boy deadpanned. 

"Cassidy?" he wailed after not even one minute.

"Hmm?"

"Do I have to?" he whined, with the most pathetic attempt at puppy eyes. 

Cassidy would call him Moaning Puppy if he wouldn't shut up. It was getting rather annoying. Then, a gentle whirl of cold wind and the drifting waft of something beautifully delicious breathed an idea into Cass.

"Will you shut up if I get you a cup of hot chocolate?"

Kennedy's head immediately snapped up, brown eyes sparkling. "Where?" 

Cass raised a brow with a self-satisfied smile. Ken cleared his throat. "I mean," he pointed at a nearby vendor, "add a pretzel and you got yourself a deal." 

The girl laughed, rummaging her pockets, "Here," she handed him half her money.

"Spend it all and I'll kill you," said the food sponsor monotonely, "Ok, I'm gonna go get a taxi . . . " she looked at the 'Puppy'.

"Hmm, 'kay," the younger sibling waved her off, not even looking up as he counted the money, already walking briskly to the vendor.

Hungry pup. Cassidy laughed as she sauntered.

She was near the road when her vision started to blur, like those old boxy TVs did when they were defected. There was not that much of a difference, she supposed. Cassidy's body was somewhat defected these days, too. She hasn't been eating well. Her appetite was lost, most of the time due to stress and the other, simply forgetting to eat once she sat down in front of her laptop, due to the online classes and online volunteering work and part-time jobs. Ahh, defected. Isn't it weird to be using this word for her body? Ha, she must have finally gone insane!

Dang, why now? In addition to her reeling head, there was also a ringing in her ears, a static that seemed to rise with each second. Cass shook her head, like it would help clear everything up, like it would stop everything that she was feeling. When it didn't and she stumbled a bit, she grunted in dismay, holding her head in her left palm. The sound struck her louder, and she couldn't focus on anything. More like, she didn't know what to focus on. The girl had no idea what to do. She frantically patted her hands around her, trying to find something to lean on. And she did, on some concrete pole. Cass sighed in relief.

And that was when she heard it. A crowd murmuring. Or shouting. She didn't know. The noise in her head was just starting to clear out. And car horns blaring. Though this one was loud and clear. Huh? Her vision was starting to clear.

A bright light, so bright that it stung. 

Cass closed her eyes.