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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN cheating the system
⋆*✧･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:
IN ALL OF THE TIME that Nadine had been with the Umbrella Academy—whether an official part of the team or still on the sidelines—she'd never once had everyone stand against her. Oh, sure, she'd gotten into frequent squabbles with Diego, Five, or Luther, but there had never been a moment in which she was on one side of a line and everyone else was on the other. She'd always had at least a few people to stand against the others with. She'd always known that, no matter how controversial her opinions were, there would always be a few people at the family meetings who took the same stance as her.
Which was why it came as such a shock when everyone faced her in opposition over Harlan's fate. Klaus, who beside Viktor was one of Nadine's closest friends, hadn't even looked her in the eyes during the meeting. Luther's face had been twisted with reluctance, but he'd stood firm. Diego hadn't even entertained her argument for a minute, and Five, Commission born and bred, had waved her off as soft.
The only other person who had believed that Harlan shouldn't be handed over to the Sparrows, gift-wrapped and marked with a bow, was Viktor. And, yes, it was nice to have at least one person who agreed with Nadine, but as the two of them faced the other five, it hadn't been nearly enough. For once, the vote wasn't fairly divided, an even split. The scales were weighed against Nadine, and there was nothing she could say to turn things back in her favour.
Harlan was going to die. They were going to give him up, and the Sparrows would kill him, and they'd just be expected to work with them after that. As if it was a fair price to pay.
A life for an alliance. Even the Swedes had been more equitable, and they'd murdered Elliott.
But Nadine knew that she was outnumbered. She could beg all she wanted for a new plan, but the fact remained that the Umbrella Academy was a democracy. The majority had voted, and the first plan would proceed on schedule. There was nothing Nadine could do.
Betrayed and bitter, still thinking about trolley problems and lambs dressed up to be slaughtered and the blinking, blaring light of the Infinite Switchboard, Nadine found herself in one of the lobby's sofas, watching everyone leave. Viktor claimed he was going to fetch Harlan, Diego and Lila were likely off having sex, Five declared that he wanted a nap, and Luther went to check on Allison.
She sat there in the nearly empty space, arms crossed, trying not to cry. This whole situation was royally, royally fucked up. The end of the universe, worse than the end of the world. The fact that she wasn't supposed to exist. The way everyone had so easily decided that the only path to success was murder.
After drinking all of the shots at the bar, Nadine switched to a glass of water as she glared around the lobby that had become unfortunately familiar. There were the same chandeliers, blue and gray pillars, and check-in counter that had been there since she'd first arrived. There were the same sofas and couches and bubbling fish tanks and the sweet, sweet smell of lemongrass and green tea. Even so, though, there was an eeriness to the air that hadn't been there before. Not only was the lemongrass and green tea chased with smoke from the fire Stan had started, but the eccentric characters that had so populated the area were gone. Chased away by the inferno or gobbled up by the kugelblitz.
