five and me ↴ the umbrella academy

chapter two ↴ unknowing and lost

DALLAS, TEXAS

July 31st, 1962

god, if Kenzie didn't have bigger problems to cry about, she would be crying about the hideous dress on her body at the very moment.

as Richie explained how he'd found her face down in an alley way, Kenzie attempted to put her hair in a pony tail, but without a hair brush, her ponytail made her looked deceased.

she settled for a singular braid instead.

"erm, not to be rude, Josephine, but you can't really leave." Richie told her awkwardly. "you have to be discharged."

Kenzie sighed, turning her head to face him. "thank you, Captain Obvious, but i really don't have the luxury of time right now. i need to find my . . . friends quickly."

as she left him wandering who the hell Captain Obvious was, the green eyed girl shuffled through the bedside table for literally anything.

a large grin bloomed over her face when she found her old clothes in a rucksack, along with her docs and her sunglasses. at least she had something, she supposed.

"well Richie boy," Kenzie began with a sardonic grin. "i hope you're not afraid of heights."

now, if Five was with her, he wouldn't of hesitated to climb out the window with her. fuck, he probably would've suggested it first!

but Richie wasn't Five, and he bitched the entire time!

okay, maybe he had a right to bitch cause she forced him to climb out a two storey building, but hey, she was here because of him!

he could've left her face down in the alley way!

(yeah, that sounded stupid to her as well, but cut her some slack would ya?! she was fifty years in the past— and without her boyfriend!)

Kenzie rolled her eyes as Richie finally hit the pavement of the alley way, tapping her foot impatiently. "hurry up Romeo. they're gonna come back soon!"

Richie gulped, nodding meekly. "um, the alley way isn't far from here. but, um, my curfew is at eight
so—" "how old are you?" Kenzie wondered as they made it onto the street.

her eyes darted around, reality finally settling over her. holy fuck! she, Mackenzie May, was in the year 1962.

"i'm sixteen!" Richie defended, leading her across the street. "my mom's just protective! what about you?"

Kenzie raised a brow, but then decided hey, fair was fair. "i'm fifteen." Richie nodded at this information, as though it was any use to him.

"you're not from around here, are you?" he asked suddenly. she stopped, swallowing nervously. his cheeks immediately went red as he rushed to apologise. "sorry, it's just i figured because of the clothes you were wearing when I found you and—"

"dude, calm down." Kenzie cut off, raising her arms in the universal surrender sign. "no harm done. i was in a travelling circus but i ran away. must've fell and hit my head."

travelling circus?! really?! Kenzie thought in exasperation. that was the best she could come up with?

well, it didn't matter because Richie bought it.

fuck, she really was becoming a good liar. two points to Kenz!

"circus?" he repeated, eyes wide in wonder. she wondered if she was really speaking to a sixteen year old or a five year old in the body of a sixteen year old.

seriously! as they walked, the kid asked so many questions! it was kinda sweet, but also sort of irritating.

honestly, Kenzie needed to write down all the lies she made so she didn't forget them.

finally, after about thirty minutes of walking (and nonstop talking), Richie and Kenzie reached the alleyway where he'd found her.

Kenzie studied the place for five minutes in silence. dread pooled thickly at the bottom of her stomach, simmering in with the need to sob.

what in gods name was she supposed to do now?!

"um, if you don't have any family maybe my parents could help." Richie offered shyly, wringing his hands.

Kenzie, eyes already glossy, murmured, "thank you, Richie." he smiled sweetly at her. "it's alright! come on, my momma should be making chicken tonight!"

oh god, she thought wryly, he still calls his mom momma. he's a mommas boy.

the Forsworth family was apparently a 'nice, middle-class, white family in a good neighbourhood'. yeah, you heard that right.

momma Forsworth felt it necessary to state that they were a white family. they were racist. momma a little less then poppa, (who was extremely fucking racist. she wanted to punch his goddamn teeth out by the end of dinner) but racist nonetheless.

Richie didn't say anything against 'coloured folk', but he didn't defend them either. Kenzie supposed she could understand that. he didn't agree but didn't wanna go against them either.

yeah, this wasn't going to work.

don't get her wrong! Kenzie was extremely grateful this family had taken her in and given her a meal and a better dress and such a comfy bed, but their morals were complete opposites.

it felt wrong to stay there.

so, at three o'clock in the morning, when the moon hung high in the sky, Mackenzie May climbed out of the second window of the day.

her feet hit the grass, and she slung the rucksack over her back. the sweater she had taken was a little big, but it kept her warm.

"thank you for your kindness." Kenzie murmured quietly, doc martens hitting the pavement. "and i'm sorry."

with a small knife in her hand, Mackenzie May fled into the night of 1962, unknowing and lost.

(AUTHORS NOTE)

y'all, Kenzie is out that bitch.

If Kenzie seems bitchier to y'all, pls remember that she told some lady to fuck off in front of like 20 people 💀

This is honestly just her going into survival mode. She's scared and alone and I urge you to put yourself in her shoes.

Kenzie is in a whole different time period with literally nothing but her doc martens and her cute sunglasses.

Anyways, this is the beginning of her adventures in 1962!

Stay tuned y'all!

-B x