Actually there were 8

5 you're back!

At the house Grace puts on a record it didn't really sound like dad as she walks around the house. Whoever it was they were talking about weather and climbing. I don't think dad ever wrote or talked about anything that wasn't TUA. But then she rang the bell and down we all came. Well I guess that would explain why its not dad's voice we're hearing right now it's another flashback. I wonder if they even listen to things that have dad's voice on them. I know he wrote journals but I can't remember if he actually used voice recordings. But in any fashion there we all were flying down the stairs to see what it was Grace wanted. It was meal time probably the only time Vanya and I ever got to be anywhere in the same room as the rest of our siblings. We all stood by our assigned chairs and waited for dad to come to the table. We waited like dogs to be told a command like we were his pets as he told us to sit and we all sat without saying a word. I always sat between him and Vanya. The table was rectangular but it was more like a circle. Dad at the head and in numerical order he would have us all seated. Myself on one side of him and Luther on the other and Vanya next to me and so forth.

Luthor looked up a smile at Allison while I looked up and watched and observed everyone especially 5 since that was kind what he was doing as well. He always seemed to question things. The only one that seemed to challenge dad. We caught each other's eye. He had this smart Alec challenging look on his face all smug. But that's 5 for ya. Probably always would be. He was the only one that ever knew the truth about anything you didn't even have to tell him but he would listen if you wanted him to. After a moment he stabbed his knife at the table to get dad's attention while dad scolded him. He said he had a question dad told him that knowledge was admirable goal but that he knew the rules. And by the look on 5's face its possible it was a question he had asked before and hadn't been happy with the answer dad had given him but it could've been my imagination. That's kind of what my powers were anyways. The one that was different from the others anyways. I gave him a pleading look. I never liked confrontation never did well with it but it seemed that's all we were good for in this family and 5 was no exception it seemed no matter what he was always challenging dad about something. He said we don't talk at the meal times. So in other words just endless awkward silence at every meal we've ever had.

His silver clattered he said he wanted to time travel. Here we go again I thought. At least 5 knew better than to bring up any of my powers. But of course dad said no. Not that I was expecting him to say anything other than no. The chair scooted back I didn't like where this was going he said he was ready that he'd been practicing just like dad had told him to. He jumped over to dad I just kept looking at him pleading him not to do this. See? He asked. But dad said a spatial jump was trivial compared to jumping through time. If he were anyone else he would've thrown me under the bus to make his point. I could imagine it now. I could hear him saying but your daughter can travel through time and dad would say it was nonsense because I didn't have any powers. And probably call me number 0 or sometimes it was at least original. That would've sparked some interest in everyone else if he'd said that. Luckily he did not 5 wasn't one to complain he used facts and logic he would've never stooped so low as to say but she but he did fill in the blank or get jealous. He was confident in his powers and in himself. Sometimes a little too confident in both. That it got him into trouble. And I was always supportive of my siblings but it was hard to go against dad.

He said that there were so many unknowns in the way of time travel. That one was like sliding on ice and the other was akin to descending blindly into the depths of the freezing cold water and reappearing as an acorn. Not that I thought that last part was even possible but then again what did I know? We had superpowers that should be impossible too just like having a bunch of women give birth when they had never had sex or showed any symptoms of having been with child before giving birth after being kissed just once or at least that's show how it felt like it happened. Well I don't get it 5 mumbled and because he said that dad said that was a reason why he wasn't ready. Or mostly THE reason why. Even if dad had acknowledged me and my powers and hadn't made Allison take away mine and Vanya's powers he might have said that's because she was built different or that she was built to time travel. So what that just meant he was meant to jump between spaces? Be anywhere he wanted but not when? He looked at me and Vanya as we caught his eye we both shook our heads at him. He said he wasn't afraid. Dad said fear wasn't the problem. It was the affects it might have on his body or even his mind. Hey slow down there pops it almost sounded like he cared about what would happen to him. But I said it my mind so that no one heard it except me. He said it was far to unpredictable and that he forbid him from talking about it anymore.