ZERO! the umbrella academy

cinquante-neuf

I CAN DO BETTER

I ROUNDED THE SIDE of the barn and slipped in through the door as silently as a ghost.

Lila had her back to me. She was towering over Five on the ground, her foot on his neck. He was pushing back against her with all his might to keep his windpipe from getting crushed, straining with the effort.

I raised my hand and snapped my fingers. Five went rigid, his face frozen in a painful grimace. Lila turned her head to look at me and grinned. She removed her foot from his neck to face me head on.

"Did you really think that was going to work?" She cocked a brow.

I shrugged. "It got your attention, didn't it?"

She chuckled darkly. "And what are you going to do? Fight me?" She circled me like a shark that smelled blood in the water, leaning in close. "Your two boyfriends can't come running now if you cry for help."

Something inside me snapped, and I struck out at her. This seemed to be the opportunity she had been waiting for. Her grin remained etched into the features of her face. She easily evaded my blow and retaliated with a few well-placed ones of her own. She sprung into action, and I knew I was in over my head.

First of all, I was never a strong fighter. I was always the worst at sparring when we trained as kids, and I heavily relied on my power to get me out of any situation, a decision I was currently regretting.

And second, Lila was good. Like, really good. Dangerously good. She was fast, struck with precision, and had just the right amount of strength and momentum behind each of her hits. She gave Five a run for his money.

It wasn't long before she had the upper hand. She twirled me around so my back was flush with her front. Her arm was coiled around my neck in a choke hold, and she lifted me off of my feet. I gasped and flailed my legs to no avail.

"I swear to God, I'll kill you," I squeaked, scratching at her arm.

She laughed condescendingly at me. She leaned in close to whisper in my ear, "Why don't you ask him to save you?" She jutted her chin out at Five frozen on the floor. "Come on. I know you want to," she purred enticingly.

I knew she was just trying to antagonize me, to provoke me. She was like a cat toying with its food before she ate it, but I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction and give in to her.

I craned my neck to stare into her bright eyes and twisted my lips into a forced grin that made my muscles ache. "Just do it already, you pussy."

Her smile faded, and she pouted. "That's not fair." She stroked my cheek almost tenderly. It made my skin crawl. "I think he should get to watch."

I felt time slowly speed up against my will, and Five sucked in a breath. He rolled over and jumped to his feet, poised to fight. His face paled when he saw Lila with her arm around my throat.