a mannequin and a boy • the umbrella academy ON HOLD

volume one, issue 7

Dolores shuffled in her seat, feeling kind of awkward there at the table. Luther had stormed out, and Five had gone wherever he went, leaving her with his two brothers and the butler.

She noticed that Five only introduced her to Klaus, the ghost whisperer, and not the one that sat in the seat beside Dolores with the cup of coffee. Five didn't even seem to acknowledge the brother when the two came in.

Dolores cleated her throat awkwardly, looking between Klaus and the brother. "Uh, excuse me for asking, but are you one of Five's brothers too?" She asked the Asian beside her.

The last response she was expecting to see out of him was fright. He seemed very intimidating too, with his black hood on and a distasteful expression. But the shock in his eyes led him to a different impression.

Klaus was even shocked too. "What is it?" Dolores asked the two, ever so innocent, as she didn't know how impossible that was. To be able to see the ghost of Number Six, aka Ben, but she didn't know anything about him yet.

"You can see him?" Klaus asked, adding, "You can see Ben?" Ah, so Ben was his name. Dolores simply nodded, giving a small and uncomfortable smile. Did I do something wrong? she wondered.

"Klaus, is that even possible?" Ben asked his brother quietly, furrowing his eyebrows as he turned his gaze from Dolores to Klaus. Klaus shrugged, struggling to think of words.

"Ah, I don't know, I'm just the sober guy in corner that's able to talk to ghosts!" Klaus hollered, kind of freaking out. Dolores blinked, not expecting that at all.

"What's wrong?" She asked again, also confused. Ben cleated his throat, blinking slowly as he stuttered his words out.

"I- uh- Klaus! You tell her, you're the sober guy in the corner who's able to talk to ghosts!" Ben exclaimed, standing up and taking a stance a bit behind Klaus.

Klaus licked his lips shuffling a bit closer to Dolores. He seemed scared of her. Oh yeah, like a seventy-two year old trapped in the body of a thirteen year old girl is so scary, Dolores thought, shaking her head. Or maybe he just thought she couldn't handle the news, whatever that was.

"So, uh, Benny Boo here..."

Ben scowled at Klaus, shaking his head. He was about to say something at the nickname but chose not to.

"...he isn't exactly, per se, real. I mean, at one point, he was real, tentacles and all-" Dolores had no idea where tentacles came into play, but she stayed quiet as well.

"-but now, he's kinda dead." Klaus didn't continue, only waiting for a reaction out of Dolores. She just shrugged, ushering him to continue. She could pretty much handle any kind of news, she's seen plenty.

"And I can see him, because I can see the dead. You shouldn't be able to see him, because he's dead," Klaus reasoned, trying to be as slow so Dolores could understand.

"Okay. Any explanation for why I can, then?"

"Are we sure she can see me? What if she's lying, and just felt my presence or something?" Ben asked, though Dolores didn't expect him to be a skeptic. You'd think he'd believe anything, if he was a ghost.

"You're Asian. Me too! Not that tall. Seem wannabe emo to me. Definitely not like me in that way. Anything else I need to describe?" Dolores asked, sounding a little annoyed. What was it with people doubting her all the time? Does a thirteen year old really look that scary these days?

"No, no, you're fine," Ben replied, pouting a bit.

"Okay, okay, shush, you two bicker like siblings," Klaus dismissed, groaning. He took a moment to think of all the possibilities as to why Dolores could see a ghost, of all things.