☂︎︎ HOUSE OF SHADOWS ☂︎︎ - five hargreeves

* 𝙰 𝚂𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙰𝚗𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜 *

[028]
- ☾ '☂︎︎' ☽ -

October 23, 1999

          "Children, time for breakfast! Rise and shine!"

           Grace smiled cheerfully, knocking softly on each and every Hargreeve's door. Stopping once to anti-rust the hanging number eight on Cassidy's door which had been prone to rusting before she continued walking. There was a tiny gold bell in her delicate hand that was given a small rattle at programmed intervals.

           Five was the first to wake up. He did not know how he returned to his room, or the contents of the night prior. Which was curious in the fact that he liked to lay in bed at night and analyze the events of his evenings. But he didn't remember anything.

           For some reason his limbs were sore despite any sort of exercise. It felt like he'd run a marathon in the course of a few minutes. Sluggishly, and through muscle memory rather than actual desire, he changed into his uniform and made his way into the hallway and into his place behind Klaus, who stood behind Allison. Five could not see Diego due to Allison's growth spurt. The others quickly lined up behind him single file and began their military march to the dining room.

           The boy had a difficult time wrapping his head around what exactly had happened the evening before. He remembered waiting in his room for a long time, and getting progressively irritated at something or someone's absence. Perhaps he had been waiting for someone and fallen asleep in the process? But then how did he get into his pajamas? Grace powered off after nine o'clock.

           As he sat down at the large table he mindlessly traced the tiny chinks in the African blackwood. Much to Reginalds displeasure, his ornately decorated and highly expensive piece of furniture was subject to Diego's blades. Perhaps the loss of the familiar clunk of metal in wood accompanied by his father's scolding was what made Five look up at his brother.

           He had a large bandage around his head, covering a splotchy cloth over the right side of his face. Funny enough, Five couldn't remember how he'd gotten it.

           "What happened, Diego?" he asked, simply. Trying not to sound too suspicious.

           Diego wearily looked up from his bowl of oatmeal and was about to speak when their father interrupted him.

           "An act of sloppiness and carelessness is the cause of Number Two's wound," Reginald said, cracking an egg. "Let that be a lesson to you all, children. A lack of awareness can be even the mightiest man's downfall."

           Five watched Diego, who blinked as though he was confused but otherwise nodded and continued to eat.

           There was an alarm bell going off in Five's brain. Something wasn't clicking correctly. It was unlike Diego to be so polite, especially in the mornings. Klaus wasn't causing a ruckus as usual and seemed uncharacteristically put-out. And for some reason smelled heavily like smoke. Not the drug kind, it was more similar to the smell you get when lighting many things on fire at once.