COPYCAT ✾ The Umbrella Academy

{ TWENTY-EIGHT }

"I think you can all guess which way I'll be voting." Allison starts. The Hargreeves family sits in the lobby on the stairs, about to start voting on whether or not they go into Oblivion. The majority wins, and I don't get a vote by request of dad, Viktor, Sloane, Luther, and surprisingly Five.

"We've all been through a lot." Aunt Allison continues. "We've all lost people.... Mannequins." She adds, looking at Five. "But their deaths have to mean something. Which is why I'll be voting to go with dad." Mom jumps down the steps, and looking directly at dad, she says, "What she said."

Mom walks over to Reginald's side, which already holds the votes of Ben, Allison, and now mom. "All right, well, since she said yes, I vote stay," Dad says, standing on the stairs with everybody who is voting to stay. Mom scoffs and dad gives her a half smile.

"It's his vote, Lila," Allison says before turning to Klaus. "Klaus?"  "I am with Father," Klaus says. Allison nods. "Okay, that's four to one. Viktor?" Viktor sighs. "Look, I wanna believe, okay? I really do." He says. "I just can't shake the feeling that we don't know what we're getting ourselves into."

Thunder booms in the distance as Allison says, "No, but we know what we've got if we don't." She looks around at everyone, but mainly at Viktor whom she at some point in time rekindled her relationship with. "We have to go into this together. Viktor. A family."

"You can't just keep throwing the word 'family,' around. It isn't enough." Viktor says. "I vote to stay." Allison sighs, turning to Luther. "Luther?" Luther glances down at Sloane, and Sloane glances up at Luther. She pats his hand reassuringly, ready to stand by any decision he makes.

"Um..." Luther starts. "Sloane and I talked, and, well, we're out." He looks around. "Look, we wanna spend whatever time we have left, together. Not fighting some guy with a sword and ringing bells and stuff. So..."

Allison looks down, looking ashamed of everyone who has voted to stay. "Well, dead even. Four in, four out." Viktor sighs. "That leaves you, Number Five," Reginald says, and everyone turns to look at Five, whose vote will be the tiebreaker and the one who decides if we stay or go.

Five is quiet for a long uncomfortable moment. "I saw the future," He finally says, "and it told me to sit this one out. I vote stay. It's time we accept our fate."

Everything goes silent, the only sound being that of the thunder rumbling outside. "You're all pathetic." Allison finally says, her voice breaking the silence before she marches away. Ben turns to his father. "Why can't we go in there, just the four of us?" He asks.

Reginald glances at him, saying, "That would mean certain failure. There must be seven." Reginald turns to all of us. "Children, I can't say I'm happy with this." He says. "But I see now the blame falls on me. I failed you when you were young, and I have failed you now. And in doing so, I have doomed the entire universe. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the courtyard... awaiting the end."

Wow.

This is one weird family.