Time's on Fire

Nove

☂︎ THIRD PERSON POV ☂︎

After turning on the radio, Grace rang a small bell, the sound calling all the Hargreeves siblings to breakfast. They raced to their seats, awaiting the arrival of their father.

Reginald strode into the room. He gripped the sides of his chair, staring at the children in front of him. "Sit."

As the rest of his siblings pulled out their chairs, Five pulled out Serafina's, waiting until she was seated before sitting down in his own beside her.

Luther and Allison exchanged fleeting glances from across the table.

Diego carved whatever his heart desired into his chair's armrest while Klaus, who sat opposite of him, rolled a blunt beneath the table's edge.

Ben was both reading and eating.

Vanya ate her food, smiling to herself as she watched Serafina occasionally pick at her own meal with her fork.

Five stabbed his knife into the table's wooden surface.

"Number Five?" Reginald called.

"I have a question."

"Knowledge is an admirable goal, but you know the rules. No talking during mealtimes. You are interrupting Herr Carlson." Reginald told Five.

His utensils clattered against his plate as he set them down. "I want to time travel."

"No."

"But I'm ready. I've been practicing my spatial jumps, just like you said." Five argued, standing up as he blinked from one end of the table to the other.

"See?"

"A spatial jump is trivial when compared with the unknowns of time travel. One is like sliding along the ice, the other is akin to descending blindly into the depths of the freezing water and reappearing as an acorn." Reginald explained, sipping his drink.

"Well, I don't get it."

"Hence the reason you're not ready."

Five glanced at Serafina and Vanya.

Vanya shook her head 'no' while Serafina simply shrugged. Time traveling wasn't her ability, so it felt useless to give her opinion on a matter she knew nothing about. However, if it meant going against their father...

"I'm not afraid." Five told Reginald.

"Fear isn't the issue." He countered, cutting into his meal. "The effects it might have on your body, even on your mind, are far too unpredictable."

He dropped his utensils.

"Now, I forbid you to talk about this anymore."

After a minute of silence, Five left.

"Number Five!" Reginald yelled after him. "You haven't been excused! Come back here!"

The Hargreeves siblings watched as Five stormed out of the academy, the building's double doors slamming behind him. Vanya and Serafina exchanged a glance. Setting her fork down, Serafina got up from her seat, hurrying after Five.