a mannequin and a boy • the umbrella academy ON HOLD

volume two, issue 7

Dolores trudged through the empty and ominous streets of Dallas at midnight, a foreign look on her face. Perhaps it was shock that caused her to be so melancholy, or the idea that she just betrayed the one man that stayed by her side.

For the past three years, Five was gone, without a trace and even if it wasn't his fault, Dolores couldn't help but harbor some leftover anger for trapping her in this time period. Klaus and Ben made her time enjoyable, sure, but she'd rather be with Five.

She could've escaped with him, right there and then. Did he even know that she was a traitor? Was he looking for her as desperately as she looked for him? A pang of guilt struck her heart at the thought, and suddenly all her anger shifted to Reginald Hargreaves.

If he hadn't come out of the blue with his threats to expose her, she wouldn't have been stuck doing his dirty work. If she had just stayed with Klaus, though he annoyed her, she wouldn't have witnessed Diego bleed out on the floor. If she had been a better girl, she could help people.

Dolores didn't know what to do. She didn't have anywhere to go, or anyone to turn to.

Would Ben and Klaus still take her along, for the rest of their years? Did she still have to fend for herself and steal food?

Dolores rested her feet for a moment, stopping to admire a sparrow. What she would give to just live the simple life of a sparrow, being able to fly away from your problems.

She didn't even notice how far she had gone, but she was now at a field, one with plants taller than her.

However, she wasn't alone.

Dolores caught sight of a few cars in the distance, and suddenly gunshots rang out, rapid and all aimed at one woman.

Dolores ran into the forest of plants, drowning the noise out as she chased the woman. Something told her to protect her, even if she didn't know her.

Eventually, Dolores colluded with a body, but it wasn't a feminine one and it wasn't unarmed. With the little light there was, Dolores couldn't tell who he was, but he certainly held a deadly expression and an even deadlier weapon.

"Oh, hey, I'm Dol- no, okay!" Dolores cut herself off when he started shooting through her. She could run, sure, but her body already made her go all ghostly once there was danger. She ran through all the plants, continually searching for the woman.

Finally, she saw her in the distance, and Dolores immediately recognized her as Vanya Hargreaves, the ticking time bomb that caused the apocalypse. At first, Dolores was a little mad at Vanya, but then she put the blame on Luther, Five, herself, etc., until she realized that you can't blame the end of the world on one sole person.

It could be Reginald's fault, for constantly pushing Vanya to the side. It could be Five's fault, for searching for Harold instead of Vanya. It could be Luther's fault for repeating the same mistake his dad made. No matter where you placed the blame, the end of the world still happened, and Dolores wouldn't let her emotions block her from focusing on the tasks at hand.

She didn't even know that the end of the world would happen again, in a few short days.

"Vanya!" Dolores risked making herself vulnerable so she could get to Vanya. The woman finally looked back, grinning with relief when she finally saw Dolores.

But Dolores couldn't grin back but only gasp in horror as she felt blood trickling down her forehead and to her red-stained lips, joining the blood that was spat out her mouth. She fell to the ground, one of the men standing over her body with a victorious grin.

"Dolores! Dolores!" Vanya shouted, tears running down her face. Dolores looked over at her, a faint smile on her face as an attempt to comfort her as her eyes fluttered closed, her vision becoming black and her breathing shallow.

authors note
sorry, sorry, I'm an awful person, I know. "lilac! we had to wait, like, four days for THIS?? it's short! and Dolores is dead!" or is she?? anyways, I'm sorry for keeping y'all waiting but I start school in a day so I was just working on summer hw the whole time.

Question of the chapter: have you ever had surgery?

My answer: no, but I know I will within the next few years.

hope you enjoyed! next chapter will come very soon, I promise 😼

thank you!