Chloe's POV:
I sighed and buried my face in my hands. First that, now this? What am I, a magnet for bad luck? I thought, sighing again. I took a deep breath, stood up, and wandered on the sidewalk. As I strolled along the familiar sidewalk, my mind clouded with the day's frustrations, I collided with a hurried figure, momentarily disoriented by the sudden impact. Before I could steady myself, a flurry of movement caught my attention, and I felt a sharp tug on my pouch. Adrenaline surged through me as I watched the thief snatch my belongings and vanish into the busy crowd, leaving me seething with shock and anger.
With determination, I bolted after the culprit, my senses heightened and my focus honed solely on reclaiming what was rightfully mine. The din of the bustling street faded into a blur as I navigated through the sea of people, my heart pounding in my chest. Ignoring the puzzled glances of onlookers, I zeroed in on the fleeting figure and relentlessly pursued them through the labyrinth of bustling streets and alleys.
After a breathless pursuit, I finally cornered the thief in an alleyway, my pulse racing as I faced them down and they darted from my eyes to the exit and back. I gave them a death stare and almost growled, but that would be too weird, even for me.
His eyes darted back to the hallway that would lead to freedom on the left of me, where my side was more to the right by a few centimetres. Before I could sigh in disappointment, he ran at full speed and I scoffed before almost jogging and tackling him to the concrete as he let out a groan. I stood up, collecting my things. His mask slipped off, revealing a face no older than 17, my frustration waned, replaced by a sense of empathy. I realized that beneath the facade of a thief, he was just a vulnerable kid navigating the harsh streets. My anger melted away, and I extended my hand to help him up. "Come on, let's get you some money, yeah?" I said softly. The young boy's eyes widened in disbelief, and I knew that at that moment, I had chosen to offer compassion instead of judgment.
He looked at me in surprise but took my hand and I rummaged through my bag before passing him $100. He glanced at me as if to ask 'Are you sure?' and I nodded before he gave me a huge smile and ran off. I smiled quietly to myself.
Suddenly a wave of tiredness crashed over me and I stumbled into a passing person's hands."Woah, you okay, love?" They asked as their hands held me up. I blinked in and out of consciousness and my head seemed to burn in pain.
"Shit!" The guy I think was holding me up said as my eyes rolled to the back of my head.
*time skip*
My head hurt. like someone was lighting my head on fire and stabbing it with needles at the same time. I squeezed my stomach as I clenched my fists in pain. My nails dug into my skin but I could barely feel it because of an overwhelming buzz that seemed like it was coming from inside my skull. I cried out in distress and curled myself up into a ball.
Everything hurt.
Just then all my memories came back to me and tears spilled down my cheeks. I was a murderer. A killer. Of all those innocent people. I deserved to die...
Diego's Pov:
I was walking through the streets sporting a woman getting robbed by someone who looked only 18-ish. I followed to make sure she wasn't in trouble and saw the boy on the ground, I saw the woman sigh and say something to him before offering him a hand and passing him a dollar bill. I passed by, intrigued by how she had gone from wanting to kill him to offering him money and letting him go. As I passed, it looked like she had gotten hit by a brick or something. She stumbled backwards, almost directly into my arms. I caught her, asking her, "Are you okay, love?" Before I could stop myself, the word flew from my mouth. She seemed like she was barely conscious and I cursed before fumbling with my phone, trying to get it out of my tight suit. Managing to get a hold of my phone, I called the first number on my contacts.
"Director Patch, who is this?" A familiar voice asked. Shit. "Uh...It's Diego." I said, crossing my fingers for her not to end the call right then and there. "What do you want this time?" She asked sighing and I could see the girl in my hands could only fight the tiredness for so long. "So...A girl fell unconscious in my arms and...shit!" I grasped onto her with both hands as my phone tumbled to the ground. I let out a strand of curses as I put the girl down and fetched my phone. I picked back up the girl in bridal style and took in her look. Strands of brown hair were in her face as a bone-white streak was tossed to the side. Her eyes were fluttering and I thought I caught some electric blue orbs under those eyelids of hers. "Diego?" A voice came from my phone as I snapped back to reality. "Yeah?" I asked. "What happened to her? Is she good?" Patch's voice came from the newly cracked phone. I hummed in response and passed by a TV broadcasting the news. "Breaking news!" The reporter said, "The eccentric billionaire by the name of Reginald Hargreeves died of a heart attack today!" He continued to talk but I focused on the picture of my father up on the TV. "Fuck." I said, the girl letting out a whimper as I remembered what I was supposed to do. I didn't want to bring the girl into a sweaty gym with wrestlers while she was unconscious to go to my apartment. And I guess bringing her to the hospital would be embarrassing so I decided she could take Five's or Ben's room at the Umbrella Academy. I did have to be there for the stupid funeral anyway. Sighing I raised my hand for a taxi, getting the excuse she was my girlfriend and that she had fallen asleep. The driver didn't question it and asked where we would be going. I gave him the address to the house that ruined my childhood forever. He nodded and we drove there in silence.
*little time skip*
The driver stopped in front of the building and I lifted the unconscious girl and exited the taxi. Her face looked peaceful as I held her in my arms. I shook the thought away. I didn't even know her.
You can't fall in love with someone you just met.
I kicked the door open and carried the girl inside as childhood memories came to life. I heard Vanya and Allison talking close by and walked into the room, wanting to get to the stairs. Vanya turned to me and I shook my head.
"You shouldn't be here," I said and they turned to me.
"Oh, and you should?" Allison said.
"At least I didn't sell the family secrets!" I yelled.
"Please, you're dressed like a two-year-old thinking he's Batman."
"And how's that husband of yours going?" Her smiles faltered.
"At least I'm dressed for a funeral," I muttered and walked up the stairs, almost forgetting about the girl in my arms. Quickly, I put her in my bed and l let her curl into a loose ball. Her eyes flashed open. She whimpered and cried out in distress as I noticed she clenched her fists. She curled herself into a ball, her body seeming to get smaller. Tears flowed down her face and she whispered words to herself. I got closer, trying to hear her voice.
"I'm a murderer..." she whispered, "I killed him..."
YOU ARE READING
Just a Number
AçãoChloe had a lot to deal with already. Now she just found out the person who raised her all her life was not her mom, that she had these powers, didn't really look a day older than 13 (and actually like 25), and her "father" (she didn't really know h...
