Lost in Time ~ Five Hargreeves

Chapter 26

"You know, I can do this myself," Five said as Riley checked the scratches on his neck.

The black-haired teenager sat at the kitchen table and always shrugged away when Riley tried to clean the scratches.

"I know," Riley assured. "But– hold still –it's always better if someone else– stop moving –looks at it and– I said hold still–"

Riley put their hand on Five's head and carefully pushed it back so they could stick the plaster on the scratches.

"Do you think Diego will be okay?", Rhea wanted to know.

Lila asked her to wait in the kitchen while she checked on Diego's stab wound, which upon second glance looked pretty bad.

"Of course," Riley assured, looking at the girl on the kitchen counter. "Diego is tough. Don't worry."

Riley put away the small first aid kit while Five got up and left the kitchen.

"Oh. He isn't dead," Five commented as he saw his brother lying unconscious on the couch.

"Disappointed?" Lila asked.

"Oh, to see you? Always."

"So much hostility in such a tiny package", said Lila and then pointed to the plaster. "Did you cut yourself shaving? I could teach you to shave like a big boy."

"No, I just ran into an old family friend," Five explained.

Riley scoffed and entered the room too.

Then they nodded to Elliott, who was still tied to the chair and now sleeping peacefully.

"You didn't untie him?"

"Wait, we were supposed to untie him?", the adults heard Rhea call from the kitchen.

~~~~

By now they untied Elliott and were waiting for one of his devices to sound the alarm.

Meanwhile, Lila, Rhea, and Riley were playing a game of cards while Five paced around the room.

Riley placed their last card on the table.

"I won", said the teenager happily.

"No way–"

"How? That's not–" Rhea yawned. "–fair"

"Someone's tired," Lila commented.

Her little sister shook her head and assured her she wasn't tired.

Rhea yawned again.

"Okay, maybe I'm a little tired," the child admitted.

"Thought so", said Lila.

The black-haired girl rubbed her eyes, stood up and shuffled into the bathroom.

"Thank god," Lila murmured. "She barely slept the last couple of days."

"Of course. It's probably too exciting to sleep," said Riley. "You know, breaking out of a mental clinic."

Lila nodded and started shuffling the cards.

"Hey, one of those machines you asked for is going crazy," Elliott called from the other room before Riley and Lila could play another game.

"Which one?" asked Five, standing next to Elliott.

“It’s the atmospheric radar,” Elliott replied.

"Good."

"I don't get it. What are you tracking? A hurricane? A storm front?"