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Klaus woke up with a ringing headache, blurred vision and a craving for a prairie oyster. All good signs left behind after a night spent erasing the horrors of another day at The Umbrella Academy. He raided the kitchen cupboards and found that they were short of almost all of the key ingredients. It was at this point that he considered giving up on his hangover cure before remembering that their father would be returning from his business trip later that day. He would need all the help he could get.
Klaus stumbled through the main doors of the Umbrella Academy and, blinking into the midday sun, turned right before heading in the direction of the closest grocery store that hadn’t banned him from entering. Now that he was outside, he breathed in deeply and surrendered to the warmth of the day. Summer looked good on the city. It was a pity that he and the others were never allowed to enjoy these days unless dad was away.
A handful of street vendors lined the road with their carts and stalls, offering their wares to passers-by in need of anything from toys to ice creams. Klaus made a mental note to grab some ice creams on the way back. It would be their last treat before martial law returned to the mansion.
He started to pat down his jacket in the hopes of finding something resembling legal tender in one of the pockets when he stopped in his tracks. A buzz crept beneath his skin like the tingle of static. It felt electrical and elemental and completely familiar. Klaus looked up and watched as a blue veil of light unfurled before him. Its centre flashed light and dark, pulling on the air around it to establish a foothold in reality.
A second later and a long-lost boy emerged. He was wearing an Umbrella Academy uniform and strode proudly onwards as the portal closed behind him. Klaus watched in pure astonishment as the brother who’d been missing for several years casually made his way along the sidewalk. The sight of his little brother took him back to the day Five disappeared. Like most of his siblings, Klaus had kept his head down while their brother argued with Sir Reginald. It would all blow over soon enough. Five would be disciplined and things would go back to normal. Or so they thought. Things never blew over and it never went back to normal. Five had run away and the dark cloud left by his absence only grew until it tainted everything it touched.
The boy had glanced back briefly, as if someone was following him, before determinedly increasing his pace. He’d looked so self-assured, so proud, so high on life. He’d achieved something remarkable, and his momentum was only building.
‘Five? Five!’ Klaus yelled, as he felt his body return to him and stumbled forward to try and reach his brother. Before he could say anything else, Five appeared to push forward with his hands, opening his next gateway, before vanishing into another pool of blue light.
Klaus ran to where his brother had disappeared and fell to the floor as the static dissipated. He stared at the spot where Five had left the world behind. He had been so close, and he’d let him slip through his fingers.
‘FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!’ Klaus screamed into void; his voice tearing at the universe to try and retrieve what had been lost. People on the street stared and gave him a wide berth as they passed. He stayed crouched on the floor for what felt like hours, just watching the point where Five had been, using every ounce of mental strength to draw his brother back. After some time, Klaus resigned himself to the reality of the situation. He dragged himself back to his knees and started rooting around in the pockets of his jacket. He found a half-finished cigarette and a lighter. As he attempted to light the end of the cigarette, he allowed his eyes to wander back to the last known sighting of Number Five Hargreeves.
‘Safe travels, brother. Safe travels.’