Let it Rain (The Umbrella Academy)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Am I Dead?

I woke up, or maybe it was fell asleep, to see a little girl riding her bicycle towards me. "Hello, Cameron," she greeted me as she handed me a red rose.

I gently accepted it and looked at it with curiosity. Everything was black and white, except for the one flower... and my hair, my hair was red again. I ran my frizzy locks through my fingers. Mah real form. I wasn't far off from my makeshift red-haired, pale skinned 'Bonnie' form.

"Awright," I returned the greeting, not taking my eyes off of the peculiar flower. "Whit's, whit's happening?" I glanced up to the little girl and she smiled.

"I'm afraid you died."

"Oh." I looked back down to the rose and brushed my fingers lightly across it's smooth, perfect petals. I had so many thoughts rapidly running through my mind that it seemed to have overloaded and went blank.

"For now." She giggled.

"Wait. Whit?" My head shot back up to the smirking girl. Then the events of that night flooded over me and my eyes went wide.

"Congratulations... You cheated death."

"Sae, the auldjin wis richt. Sir Hargreeves knew whit he wis talking aboot after all." I emitted a closed-mouth laugh to myself. I was dead. No need to hide my accent anymore. She cheerfully smiled at me again then rode her bicycle away. "Wait—" She rung her bell in response. I sighed and looked around. "How dae Ah git back home?" I furrowed my brows then tilted my head to the side a hair when I saw a bright red door appear beside me. I inched my way to it and slowly turned the handle.

"Mum?" She opened her arms and I sprinted to her. "A've missed ye sae muckle." My feelings glossed over my eyes. She took my hand and chuckled a smile.

The rhythmic pitter-patter of the rain fell down around us. The heavy droplets blurred the line between the ocean and the sky. It was beautiful. She was beautiful. We walked together along the ocean with our black umbrella keeping us dry, lightly swinging our arms as we went. I felt the cold, wet sand between my toes. This moment was so incredibly perfect.

"Ye hae dane amazing oot thare... A'm sae happy watching ye bide yer life. Sae, sae proud." She brightly smiled in a chuckle while she stroked my hair. I couldn't wipe the smile from my face as I pulled her into a side hug while we walked. "Sae, tell me aboot it." My mum softly grinned.

I sighed. "It sure wis something." I smiled in remembrance. "Ah found loue, a family that accepts me after workin' all o' those years at a commission we're noo fightin'. Saving th' world from an impending apocalypse." I faintly scoffed. "Nothing is ever simple, is it?"

She stroked her worn hand on my cheek. "Ye wouldn't hae it ony ither wey." She chortled.

"Ah really needed tae blether tae ye. All o' this craziness." I held her arm and rested my head on her shoulder. "Whit if... whit if Ah didnae go back? Whit if Ah stayed 'ere wit ye?" I diverted my eyes back to our footprints we made as we strolled along the ocean bank. I wasn't sure what I wanted to hear.

She smiled and lightly turned my head towards her so that I was looking in her eyes. "Mah time haes come, bit ye still hae sae muckle tae bide fur. Family, friendship, 'n loue. We'll see each ither again bit nae juist yit, mah rose." I tried not to break out into a cry. A mix of happiness and sadness burned my throat and blurred my vision.

My mum held out the rose to me. "Noo go save th' world." She caressed my face and I leaned into her soft but tough touch then pulled her into one last tight hug.

"Thank ye... fur everything." I let go and glanced at her perfection one last time. I sighed then reluctantly touched the rose.

My eyes slowly opened to see that I was back. The moon and stars had been replaced by the sun creeping over the trees. I patted a hand on my previously impaled chest. All that remained was my drying blood and probably a mean scar to show for what just happened, to prove that I wasn't insane, well, at least not completely. I was on the ground now. I felt the wet grass in brush between my fingers and tickle my face. Nae more sand...