Number Eight

The White Violin

I'm sitting in my room reading a book when the house starts to shake.

It's show time.

"Yo," Diego says, "what the hell is going on?"

"Are those explosions coming from-"

"Viktor," Pogo confirms, "we need to get to safety outside the academy."

"Are we just going to leave him here?" Klaus asks. 

"I don't think that's going to be a problem," I shoot back.

The sound of glass shattering and the force of the shakes getting more intense has everyone panicking. Klaus Diego and I make a run for the hall. 

"Don't forget mom!" Luther calls.

We sprint across the house into mom's spot. "Mom," Diego calls. When she's not there he sighs, "where is she?"

Above us the roof starts to crumble and fall. The boys make it across the bridge and onto the other side just as pieces of roof come down and hit them in the head. 

Diego's knocked out and Klaus continues laying there, "YOU'VE GOT TO GET HIM OUT OF THERE!" I scream.

As the roof continues crumbling, I try again, "KLAUS!"

Just as it comes crashing down, someone pulls them both out. I stand there for a moment wide eyed as Ben gives me a small smile. I blink and he's gone leaving me wondering whether I made it up out of panic.

Klaus helps Diego up, "come on." 

I make my way down the steps to them, "we've gotta get out now or else we're dead."

Once we're outside Diego looks around the rubble frantic. "MOM!" he screams, "MOM!"

I look up into one of the windows, both Klaus and Diego follow my gaze. Mom stands at the top looking down at us showing the first real emotion I've seen on her.

Sadness.

"NO!"

"PLEASE MOM!"

"DIEGO HELP HER!"

The house comes crashing down taking her with it. Once everything's collapsed, Diego tries again. "Klaus, Ivy, help me look."

"Diego," Klaus says softly. 

When he looks up, I finish, "she's gone."

"You wanna- wanna walk away from this? What about Pogo?"

I sit off to the side as the tears slowly trail down my cheeks. "He didn't make it," Luther adds walking up with Allison. "What?"

"Viktor killed him."

Then it hits me. I stand up and look around frantic. "Where's Five?"

"Ivy-"

"HAS ANYONE SEEN FIVE?"

Klaus holds me as the tears keep coming. "Guys-"

I look up to see him walking toward us, newspaper in hand.

Oh, thank fuck.

"This is it," he continues, "the apocalypse is still on. The world ends today."

"I thought you said it was over?"

"I was wrong, okay? This newspaper, I found it in the future the day I got stuck. The headline hasn't changed."

"No," Diego says shaking his head, "that doesn't mean anything. The time could have been altered since that newspaper came out this morning."

"You're not listening to me. When I found it , I assumed this place came down along with everything else," a pause, "but here we are. The moon is still shining, the earth is in one piece, but not the academy."