Till Time Do Us Part || TUA

9||

HARMONY ||

Her steps echoed through the hallway as she searched for her sister, a task that was proving to be anything but easy. Suddenly, Five blinked into existence right behind her.

She spun around, eyes wide with surprise, just as a large man appeared behind Five, his face full of confusion. He turned, fear overtaking him as he realized what was happening. "Oh, shit," he muttered, backing up quickly. Five's hand instinctively shot up, moving to shield Harmony from any potential harm.

The man swung at Five, landing a punch square on his face. Five stumbled back as the man unleashed a flurry of blows. Harmony stood frozen behind them, searching for a way to get past without being caught in the chaos. Deciding to take the risk, she moved forward, but to her surprise, the man seemed uninterested in her, allowing her to pass. Without hesitation, she jumped behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck in an attempt to pull him back. The man shrugged her off with surprising gentleness, careful not to harm her too much. She fell to the ground, scrambling to get up.

Just then, she noticed Diego at the top of the stairs. Her eyes widened as she tried to warn him, "Behind you!" Her shout echoed back to her as another man appeared, wrapping a belt around Diego's neck and choking him. Harmony's heart raced as a third man emerged, brandishing a brass knuckle and delivering brutal punches to Diego's stomach.

Harmony's eyes flickered between glowing and normal, frustration building inside her. She cursed under her breath, swinging at the man attacking Diego, only to be lightly pushed back into her sister. Diego locked eyes with her, a look of helplessness in his gaze. Lila quickly pulled a knife from the wall, giving Diego an apologetic look before rushing to help Five. Harmony realized Lila's intention and immediately moved to aid Diego.

Harmony manages to focus her powers, inducing sleep in one of the men who was attacking Diego, while she tackled the other who was still choking him. "I told you to be careful..." she whispered fiercely into Diego's ear as she threw punches at the man. The man retaliated by throwing her to the floor. Harmony removed her heels, breaking one and using the jagged edge to jab into the man's upper thigh.

She glanced up just in time to see Five throw the man out the window. Lila lay on the floor, and Harmony huffed in frustration, realizing she had almost blown her cover. She got up quickly, just as Diego delivered a powerful punch, knocking out the remaining attacker before he could recover. Harmony's gaze followed Five, who had blinked outside, leaving her staring at the empty space where he had been.

Lila stared out the window, a wave of realization hitting Harmony—why would their mother want to protect Five? She sighed heavily, running down the stairs and slowing her pace as she reached the bottom. She quickly followed Five outside.

"Was that him?" she asked softly.

Five nodded, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Yeah."

Diego and Lila caught up, watching as the car disappeared into the distance.