IGNIS : the umbrella academy [COMPLETE]

IV

     THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE ROOM HAD CHANGED COMPLETELY. It was thick and seemed to crush Carla with every second that passed.

     Anxiety bubbled up inside her, dread filling every bone in her body, and she looked at Five as though he were a stranger.

     "You were sick, I told you this," he said, but his eyes kept on darting away from her face, unable to hold her piercing gaze, "Something to do with bacteria."

     "Why are you lying to me?" Carla's voice was cold, "I know I wasn't sick, or that there wasn't an 'accident', so what the fuck happened to me?"

     Carla felt betrayal flowing through her. She thought Five was someone she could trust, but he was clearly hiding something from her: something he didn't want her to find out. 

     Five's mouth opened, but nothing came out, and he looked at her helplessly, before saying quietly, "Carla, I- you have to understand that it's been haunting me for decades now."

     Carla felt her pulse hammering through her viens, "Five, what did you do?"

     "I killed you."

     His voice was quiet, so quiet she strained to hear it, so quiet Carla could almost convince herself she hadn't heard it.

     But she had.

     Carla stood up abruptly, the stool's legs scraping against the tiled floor, "What?"

     "I killed you," he repeated, voice louder, although it shook with emotion, and Carla held a hand to her mouth as he hurriedly continued, "No, Carla, you have to understand... something happened. You know when I told you there was a time you almost killed me? That part was true. I woke up, and I- I saw you. You were levitating, and there were these winds that almost knocked me over, and your skin was glowing, and there was this bright- this bright halo around your body."

     Carla felt tears prick her vision.

     She wanted to run, but her feet felt frozen in place as though it were some sort of twisted nightmare.

     "I tried calling for you, but- but you couldn't hear me, and I couldn't get too close because of the heat," Five let out a shaky breath.

     He seemed to be on the verge of tears, but Carla felt no pity, only listening in a sort of horrific interest as he spoke again, "I- I thought I was going to die. That you were accidentally going to kill me. So I did what I thought I had to... I fired a bullet at you, but it just- it just disintegrated when it hit the halo."

He took in a shuddering breath, "Then you let out this scream, and there was a blast of power that knocked me backwards. When I opened my eyes, you were lying on the ground. Unconscious."

     Carla tried to stifle a sob. She knew what was going to come next, but she couldn't quite believe it, "Five... tell me you didn't."

     Her voice was pleading, almost begging, but for what she had no idea.

     A tear ran down Five's cheek, and his bottom lip quivered, squeezing his eyes shut before he spoke, "And then I... I slit your throat."

     She stumbled back a step, tears rolling down her cheeks. It all made sense: why he freaked out at Allison's slit throat, why he was so upset after the whole knife incident with her in his room.

     He reached for her, but froze, hand dropping back to his side, "Carla, please. You- You have to understand, I was scared. I- I thought it was either you or me and I had a family to get back to-"

     "So you killed me? Because I was less worthy or something?" Carla spat. She glared at him through her tears, taking in his broken expression, the face of someone she used to know.

     "No!" Five begged, pleading, "I- I didn't mean to-"

     "You didn't mean to?" Carla cried out, incredulous, letting out a bitter chuckle, "So, what? You just slipped and accidentally murdered me? Don't bullshit me, Five!"

     "I was scared-" Five cut himself off, "I'm sorry. Please, I'm so sorry."

     "Saying sorry isn't going to change what you did, Five!" Carla yelled, "You killed me. After knowing that I was clearly struggling with my powers- something you of all people should understand- you waited until I was unconscious before slitting my throat."

     Five let out a quiet sob, hanging his head and squeezing his eyes shut. He looked pathetic, weak, broken and completely unlike the Five Carla had grown to appreciate.

     "And then you lied," Carla said slowly, "You lied so many times to save your own fucking skin! And I thought I could trust you!"

     Five's eyes went wide, looking at Carla's hands, which had caught fire without her realising. She quickly extinguished her palms, letting out a shaky exhale.

     There was a silence, one that felt like decades, and Carla looked at him in disgust. Her turquoise eyes were shining, her cheeks glistening with tears.

     "You, Five Hargreeves," she said, voice low with venom, but trembling with raw emotion, "are a coward."

     Carla shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks, as she stared at Five with a look that made his heart shatter.

     It was a look of hatred, of betrayal, of pure contempt, and it was all because of him.

     Carla covered her mouth with her hand again, letting out another sob, before turning on her heel and fleeing the room.

     Five called after her, but it was too little too late; he heard the front door slam shut, leaving him alone by the bar with two Margaritas and a pair of bright pink rubber gloves.