Wonder • Five Hargreeves

35

The Day that Wasn't

Winnie fucking loved the movies.

She liked sitting in the cushy seats, eating a barrel of popcorn dripping with butter, and sneaking the slightly melted candy bars out of her pockets because you could never catch her paying theater prices for a Mars bar. She loved it.

It was likely on her list of top 10 favorite things. Well maybe top 15. Her actual top 10 list was already pretty filled up with her lovely family. And also she really had a thing for art galleries and Indian restaurants.

But thats beside the point! The point was; Winnie adored movie theaters and was apt to suggest it as her outing recommendation whenever the Hargreeves children wanted to stretch their legs.

That day, on a boiling summer evening in august, Winnies suggestion was shot down by the 6/7 Hargreeves children remaining (Five had been missing for a year at that point.) It didnt matter her argument, or even that she explained it was a top 15 thing for her. 

"Whyyyyy." Winnie whined.

The Hargreeves teens all gathered in the main living room. Their Mother was recharging upstairs while their Father and Pogo were on a business trip. They were all sprawled across the couches, clumped together in odd positions and conversing loudly with one another in the warm air.

"Because, Winnie the Pooh," Klaus chimed from his position along her legs, "Thats just so boring."

Winnie tutted and pulled a little harder at his hair. She was braiding little beads and ribbons into his long scraggly locks, which he had actually demanded she do after flopping onto the length of her legs. She had faithfully done what he asked, but not without a few tugs to annoy him. At the last pull, Klaus cried out in dramatized pain.

"Is not!" Winnie pouted, ignoring Klaus. She wanted to say Five would've gone with her, but she bit her tongue and kept that to herself.

"Is too. We should be doing something exciting! We're young and it's a Friday night." Allison slapped at Winnies feet, as that was the only thing she could reach from her star fish position on the floor.

"Ow! And movies are exciting! They have a marathon for star wars going right now."

"I still want to go to the library." Ben ate twizzlers on the back of the couch, opposite of Winnie and Klaus, with his feet up rebelliously on the cushion. Besides his feet, Luther sat trying to sneak his hand into Bens jar of twizzlers. Ben slapped his hand away with a tentacle.

"Nobody listen to Ben!" Klaus declared with a nasty glare at his brother. Ben made a face at him.

"Hey listen now- we all have to agree on something." Diego scolded with a lazy tone. He was strolling back to the group after raiding the kitchen. In one hand, he was tossing a kitchen knife he snagged off the counter, and the other he carried an ice cold lemonade.

He jumped the couch Winnie and Klaus were laying on and threw a heavy arm over Winnies shoulder. She quickly moved her hair out of the way and stole the lemonade for a sip. Klaus reached up for it too, but Diego snatched it back before he could.

"I- I think-" Vanya had started saying. She was in her own bubble closer to the windows and had been working up the courage to say something before being interrupted.