Against the odds . Five Hargreeves fanfic

Chapter thirty one

I woke up with a dull ache in my chest, the remnants of last night's turmoil still gnawing at me. I couldn't believe I'd gone back to Five's room after everything that had happened. I'd told him—hell, I'd told myself—that I needed space, that I needed to keep some distance to figure out where my head was at. And yet, like a goddamn moth to a flame, I'd crawled back into his bed at the first sign of a nightmare.

"Stupid," I muttered under my breath as I threw on a t-shirt and some leggings. The more I thought about it, the more pissed off I got. Not at Five—though he was a part of it—but mostly at myself. What the hell was I doing? Why was I letting him get under my skin like this? I should've been stronger. I should've stuck to my guns.

The thought of facing him made my stomach turn. I wasn't sure I could handle the inevitable look on his face—the one that said he knew I couldn't stay away, that he had some kind of power over me. I couldn't deal with that, not today. So, I decided to avoid him. It was the only way I could get through the day without losing my mind.

After forcing myself to eat a quick breakfast, I ducked out of the dining room before anyone could start a conversation. I spent most of the morning finding little tasks to keep myself busy—cleaning, organizing, anything that would keep me out of sight. Every time I heard footsteps in the hall, my heart would leap into my throat, but I managed to keep away from Five. At least for now.

By midday, I was mentally exhausted from all the running and hiding. I knew I couldn't keep this up forever, but I needed more time to sort through everything in my head.

Just as I was about to head outside for some air, Diego found me in the living room. He looked unusually relaxed, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"Hey," he greeted me, plopping down on the couch. "We've been talking, and we figured we could all use a break."

"A break?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, you know, take a couple of days to chill. We've been on edge for a while, and things are calm for now, so... why not?"

I felt a flicker of relief at the idea. A break sounded good—great, even. But the moment of peace didn't last long. The tension in my chest flared up again, the gnawing worry that I couldn't seem to shake. There was something off about this calm, something that made me anxious, like the world was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Still, I forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah, sure. A break sounds nice."

Diego seemed pleased with that, and I left him to whatever plans he was making for our so-called break. But even as I tried to relax, the unease wouldn't let me go. It was like a weight on my shoulders, pressing down harder with every passing hour.

By the time evening rolled around, I was on edge. Every little sound made me jump, and I was beginning to feel like I was coming apart at the seams. I tried to shake it off, but the anxiety was relentless, gnawing at me until it was all I could think about.

Then it happened.

One minute I was standing in the hallway, and the next, everything went dark. There was no warning, no time to brace myself. Just a sudden, overwhelming sensation of the world tilting beneath me, and then nothing.

When I came to, I was on the floor, a dull ache in my head and the taste of copper in my mouth. Blinking against the harsh lights above me, I slowly became aware of the voices around me—panicked, urgent voices.

"Evangeline!"

It was Five's voice, sharp with panic. I tried to focus on his face, but my vision was swimming, and my head felt like it was stuffed with cotton.