The Silver Killer

Five: The Note

Five woke up with a crick in his neck and Klaus drooling all over his shoulder. So no, the morning wasn't getting off to a great start.

He shoved his brother off of him and stood up, going to stand at the window of the old factory they'd ended up in. It faced a thick copse of trees, which was probably the only reason it was still there. Moving heavy machinery through those trees would cost too much and be too much of a hassle. Besides, what would they do once the building was gone? Build some houses?

He almost laughed out loud at the thought of a bunch of suburban houses, out here in the middle of a forest, a forest that was oddly less than a mile away from a city.

He groaned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "I need coffee," he muttered, running a hand through his hair and stepping away from the window.

Vanya was awake, sitting against the wall, her arm propped up on her knee. She had a serious case of bedhead that would've made Five snicker under any other circumstances.

"Sleep well?" she asked flatly as he took a seat across from her, seeing no better option.

"Yes, the rock hard floors and Klaus's drool made for excellent sleeping conditions," he snapped, gritting his teeth and leaning back against the wall.

"Better than at Sparrow Academy," Vanya's voice had lowered, almost as though she was worried just saying the name would summon the villains.

"Sparrow Academy set the bar on the ground, it's easy to beat that," he said, his eyes drifting to a hole in the wall that looked out into the forest. It was green and alive at this time of year, mid May ... or was it June? He honestly had no idea; time had passed at a different pace inside the Sparrow Academy.

A flicker of black passed over the hole, and he tensed, starting to sit up as a flashback of the young woman from the night before invaded his mind.

"Five?" Vanya asked quietly, and he realized he'd sat bolt upright, his eyes glued to the outside.

He forced his gaze away from the forest beyond. "Huh?"

"You just ... did you see something? Out there?"

He swallowed and shook his head. "No, no, nothing." But he was already getting to his feet and heading toward the forest.

"Five!" his sister hissed again, and he bit his tongue to keep himself from snapping at her.

"What now?" he hissed back, eyes flicking around at each of his sleeping siblings.

"Want me to come with you?"

"No." The answer was immediate; no hesitation, no moment to think. If that really was the woman from the night before, he wanted to meet her alone. He wanted to be the first to know what she was up to.

Vanya shrunk back, clearly hurt by the quick retort, but Five was already clambering out of the hole and into the forest.

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You watched the boy's feet land softly on the greenery of the forest floor. He stood stock still for a moment, taking in his surroundings, squinting in the light of the grinning sun, before slowly making his way deeper into the forest.

You waited until he'd gone a few feet, and then dropped down from your branch, slowly creeping along in the shadows behind him, not making a sound. You were well trained, and knew your way around these forests.

You knew them very well.

At some point, the boy - Five - stopped. You froze as well, noting how stiffly he stood and turned, cautiously taking in his surroundings. His gaze swept right over you.