Number Zero- The Umbrella Academy (Book 1)

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March 24, 2019

Zero abruptly landed on the ground with a hard thud while he held a suitcase tightly in his left hand. The boy continued to lay on the cold cement ground trembling with grief and fear; it seemed to take minutes before Zero was able to recompose himself.

Once he did, the boy stood on unsteady legs, suitcase in hand, as he looked down at himself, ensuring that everything he needed was on him. After checking that everything was accounted for, Zero walked out of the alley he was in and began looking for clues as to where he was or, more importantly, when.

While walking down the street, he noticed that people were dressed differently than where he used to be. He was so preoccupied with all the differences in this time period that the only thing that managed to pull him away from his awe was a sudden news broadcast in a store window.

"We're now going live to a breaking story. Father of the Umbrella Academy, Sir Reginald Hargreeves, has passed away. More details will be released soon..."

Zero looked at the news, his eyes wide in shock. He couldn't believe that the man who had raised him had passed away; how long had he been gone?

He looked at the reflection in the window and noticed that the person staring back at him was his fifteen-year-old self which wasn't surprising since he had been stuck in that state for what seemed like decades.

Finally knowing what year he was in Zero quickly threw the suitcase on the road, watching as an oncoming taxi ran over it before making his way down the street.

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Zero stared at his childhood home from afar; it had been decades since he had seen the building. After Five had disappeared, Zero had left in search of his brother, but he never was able to find him in the end.

He knew it was selfish of him to leave the rest of his family behind but Zero wanted to bring back their missing brother. The boy wanted nothing more than for all of them to be together again, even though it seemed impossible.

Zero knew that his family was behind those doors, all of them having been brought back after years away because of their father's death. He hadn't seen them since before he left, making sure to disappear in the middle of the night when everyone was asleep, and no one could stop him. Even back then, he knew that if one of his siblings had discovered him, he wouldn't have been able to leave.

The blonde turned around from where he was standing, deciding to do some research on his siblings to see what they had been up to while he was gone. To say the least, he was not surprised at all by what they had done with their lives which was disappointing in a way.

Luther was the last to leave the house before being sent to the moon for four years by their father. But, just as expected, once a daddy's boy always a daddy's boy.

Diego had left and joined the police academy before getting kicked out. Of course, Zero thought to himself. Now Diego fought crime in the shadows as a vigilante with little objection from the law.

Allison had become a big movie star and had gotten married to a man named Patrick, but they were in the middle of a divorce and had lost all contact with her daughter, Claire. Zero had an idea as to why this was happening to her but still felt bad for his sister.

Klaus had been in and out of rehabilitation centers because of alcohol and drugs over the years. Which didn't surprise Zero; he knew that after what their father had put them through, at least one of them would be addicted to drugs.

Ben had passed away while on a mission with the rest of their siblings a year or so after Zero had left. The boy felt guilty not being there when his brother needed him. He knew that if he had just stayed, things might have been different, but instead, he chased after a brother that had vanished.

Vanya had become a violinist in an orchestra as well as authored a book about her experience growing up in the academy. Zero always knew that she would do something with her music and he was glad she found a way out.

Zero hoped that his family could forgive him someday, but he knew that it would take a long time for them to forgive him for leaving, especially without saying goodbye.

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Later that day, Zero laid on the edge of the house's roof waiting for their father's funeral to begin. He hadn't figured out a good way to make his presence known to his siblings, so the boy opted to put it off for a while longer.

Suddenly Zero heard thunder rumble, compelling him to immediately sit up and look at the sky, questioning how it had gotten cloudy so quickly, especially if it had been clear moments ago.

He frowned up at the sky, running countless possibilities through his head when at that moment, he realized that everyone had gone outside to investigate, which of course, they did because they were all idiots.

"What is it?" Vanya asked as she stepped forward, but Allison pulled her back.

"Don't get too close!" Allison yelled.

"Yeah, no shit." Diego said, rolling his eyes.

"Looks like some sort of temporal anomaly," Luther said. "Either that or a miniature black hole. One of the two." Really Luther, one of the two?

"Pretty big difference there, Paul Bunyan." Diego said. Zero couldn't help but look at his brothers in amusement.

"Out of the way!" Klaus yelled from behind the others, pushing his way to the front with a fire extinguisher. "What is that idiot thinking?" Zero muttered to himself as he watched Klaus attempting to use a fire extinguisher on the ripple in the sky.

He continued to watch as Klaus got frustrated at the fire extinguisher before throwing it into the ripple. "He's going to die a stupid death," Zero muttered to himself, shaking his head.

"What is that gonna do?" Allison asked.

"I don't know," Klaus said. "Do you have a better idea?" The man asked, giving her a look.

Before anyone could respond, electricity crackled through the air, and the ground shook as Zero steadied himself on the roof. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." Luther yelled, causing Zero to look down at his family. "Everyone, get behind me!"

"Yeah, get behind us." Diego said. Really Diego, not the time.

While Klaus yelled, "I vote for running, c'mon!"

Zero couldn't make out what was in the ripple because his focus was on his family in case they needed him, but at one moment, he thought he saw a figure of a man. Then, the ripple in the sky disappeared as a boy fell to the ground in front of his siblings.

The boy looked up at the family, causing Zero to realize that he knew that boy.

"Does everyone else see a little Number Five, or is that just me?" Klaus asked, causing the boy to glance at Klaus before looking down at himself. "Shit." he muttered.

Zero stood there in shock, not believing what was obviously below him. The person he had spent so long looking for was standing right there as a thirteen-year-old boy. "You've got to be fucking kidding me." He whispered to himself angrily.