𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐩𝐬𝐞~ 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐇. 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐜

𝐒𝐞𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧

»»————>𝑩𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈<————««

𝐀𝐊𝐓 𝟏

☂︎

On the first day of October 1989, exactly at the twelfth hour, something strange happened: 43 women around the world gave birth to children, even though none of them had been pregnant that morning. Sir Reginald Hargreeves, an eccentric billionaire and adventurer, made it his mission to find and adopt as many of these extraordinary children as possible.

He got eight of them.

☂︎

Damn it. Writer's block again. I sighed and leaned back. I'm almost at the end of my book, but the words just won't flow. It's incredibly frustrating, but I force myself to push through and overcome this block. Suddenly, the ringing of my phone pulls me out of my thoughts. It's the hospital. A feeling of fear and nervousness rises in me as I hesitate to answer the call. Finally, I press the green button. "It's nice to hear your voice again, Rose. You need to come back to the academy." The familiar, old voice on the other end is unmistakable. "Pogo...," I whisper at first, but then I find my voice again. "Why should I return?" A heavy sigh comes through the line. "Your father is dead. He passed away last night. Please, Miss Rose, come back to the academy to organize the funeral." I froze. Still, I managed to force out a "Yes."

I hadn't been to the academy in four years, and I had my reasons. Each of us had our reasons for leaving.

After a moment of staring out the window, I get up and go to my closet to find something suitable to wear. I don't want to show up looking like a sleep-deprived mess. I put on a skirt and a shirt that I had swiped from the academy back in the day.

After changing and saving my work on my laptop, I pack my phone into my handbag and leave the house. As I walk towards the academy, memories return-of earlier times, of different emotions that flood my body and send a shiver down my spine. Being back at the academy after all these years feels strange, and the prospect of seeing my siblings again, even more so... at least some of them.

After a few minutes, I finally stand in front of the academy, a place that holds so many memories.

.・゜-: ✧ :- 17 years ago -: ✧ :-゜・．

"Klaus!" I shouted as I raced through the academy. Reginald was on a business trip, which meant we were alone with Pogo and Grace for two weeks. Luckily, they weren't as strict as Reginald and actually gave us some free time and privacy. Klaus had stolen my diary and was now running through the house with it. "Klaus, this isn't funny! Give it back!" My screams echoed through the halls, but Klaus just laughed and ran into the living room. There he stopped and began loudly reading from my diary. "Dear diary, today I was Five's partner during training again. Have I mentioned that he's incredibly...," he read aloud, but his imitation of my voice was abruptly interrupted when Five entered the room and snatched the diary from his hand. "Cut it out, you idiot," he warned coldly and dangerously. Klaus rolled his eyes and continued to mock me and Five. But Five ignored him and came straight to me. I could feel my cheeks turning red, and I looked away in embarrassment. The 13-year-old boy handed me my diary back, and I could only muster a quiet "Thank you." He smiled-a rare event.

.・゜-: ✧ :- Today -: ✧ :-゜・．

A smile played on my lips at the memory as I opened the door to the Umbrella Academy and stepped inside. No one was visible or could be heard. "Hello? Is anyone there?" I called through the building, when suddenly footsteps echoed. To my surprise, Diego stood before me. My eyes widened. "Diego!" I squealed and hugged him tightly. "Wait... Rose?!" He looked at me in astonishment. "Why do you still look like you're 15?" he asked in confusion. "Oh, that's a long story. I'll tell you later," I said. **What an excuse.** A voice in my head whispered sarcastically. But Diego let it go and hugged me again.