Tempus Edax Rerum

Run Girl Run - 1

Shock filled eyes waited, desperate for the screen to flicker back on so they could find out more about this apocalypse that Five was talking about. 

The screen reopened to a vinyl record being gently placed on a player. As the needle lowered, a man's voice filled the room.

"During extreme weather conditions."

Collectively, the siblings let out a groan, "Please," Klaus moaned, slapping his hands over his ears, "Make it stop." 

It was the Umbrella Academy Mansion's dining room. 

"A climber must possess the wisdom to determine," the man droned on.

The dining table was carefully set with 8 meals. Grace, in a 60's housewife dress walked to the entrance and began ringing a bell.

"Oh,"  Lily leaned closer, curiously, "It's another flashback," it was quite fascinating and saddening seeing the childhood of the adults sitting a few feet away from her.

The minute she stopped, a horde of footsteps could be heard coming closer. The students clamored down the stairs.

She smiled softly at them as they walked past her. None of them sat but instead stood behind their respective chairs, with Vanya taking her place at the end of the table—alone. Grace smiled and lowered her head submissively as Sir Reginald marched past her, nodding briefly her way.

None of the Black siblings saw anything wrong with the scenario, it had been very similar back home. Sirius wouldn't have either, had he not seen firsthand how different dinner at the Potters' was—how they acted like a real family, rather than a group of strangers bound by the fear of saying or doing the wrong thing.

None of them dared to watch as their father marched to the head chair. He pulled it back, stepped in front of it, and surveyed them. His children avoided his eyes. "Sit," he ordered, finally taking his seat.

The camera shifted to an aerial view as the children hurriedly sat down The camera moved back down, showing the children eating. Luther smiled shyly at Allison who was sitting in front of him. She blushed, smiling back at him.

Allison and Luther shuffled awkwardly in their seats, the others side-eyeing the two. Allison cleared her throat, wrapping her arms around herself.

Diego, sitting next to Luther, was carving into the chair with a throwing knife. Next to Diego, Five placed down her utensils, staring past Diego. Across from Diego was Klaus who was rolling a joint under the table.

"You're like fourteen!" Lily exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. Klaus shrugged, "I'm twenty somewhere," he quipped. They all sent him confused glances, "That makes absolutely no sense," Lily shook her head. Klaus winked. 

Next to him Ben took a slow bite, his attention on his book. Vanya ate quietly, staring down at her plate. Five sat stiffly in her chair, her gaze locked on the head of the table. 

Sir Reginald eyed the tense girl and took a sip of his wine and went back to ignoring her. Five clicked her tongue, eyes narrowing into a glare. Vanya cast her a concerned look.

'CLANG!' 

Five stabbed the knife into the table, startling all of them.

They sat up straight, confusion etched on their faces. "That's the day she disappeared," Vanya whispered in realization. 

"What?" Cassiopeia asked stiffly. 

"After this, you apparently go to the future," Vanya explained, "Of course we didn't know that then." That meal was one she replayed over and over again in her head, it had been the last time she had seen her sister and she wondered if she could have done something, anything.