Mercy Me Chapter 1: Violet, an umbrella academy fanfic

Mercy Me

Chapter 1: Violet

"Wildly my Mind beats against you, but my soul obeys"

- "Wandering Child" by Andrew Lloyd Webber

She opened her eyes, welcoming the darkness surrounding her. The only other sound, aside from her shallow breaths, was her heartbeat thundering in her ears. Her breathing hitched as the sound of a lone violin chased away the eerie silence. An entire string section followed as the main violin continued with the haunting melody of The Phantom of the Opera. Spotlights slowly focused on her silhouette as the scenery around her brightened. She was on a stage with thousands of eyes were upon her, her feet posing elegantly in the fourth position, her heels lined up directly in front of the other, and with one arm raised slightly over her head and the other out to the side, as she prepared herself for the final performance for that evening's ballet show.

She was Violet Hargreeves and this was her moment.

As the rest of the orchestra followed, Violet ascended into a releve, standing straight up on her toes, and began her routine. Dressed in the dazzling, white tutu with thin, long white ribbons fluttering behind her as she leaped, she alone commanded on the stage. This rendition of the story deviated from the original showcasing Violet as Christine Daaé, reliving her life's events before her imminent passing.

The crowd stared in awe as Violet completed every part with relative ease. Months of practice from dawn to dusk, forcing herself to the brink of exhaustion and even abandoning sugar from her diet, were sacrifices for what she loved the most.

At the crescendo of the song, Violet felt the adrenaline coursing through her body. She was panting and her limbs felt like they were weights, but the excitement motivated her to push through.

One last move! Violet teetered on her toes, raising her arms elegantly to the ceiling. She looked up, feigning a pained expression, signaling Christine's final minutes, before she stopped right before the back of the stage. She closed her eyes and leaned back, allowing gravity to do its work. She heard the gasps and scattered screams from the audience believing she fell off the stage.

Got them! Violet landed back on an air cushion and took the brief moment to catch her breath. She listened for the first violin to conclude its solo, signaling the end of the performance. At the sound of the final note slowly, the theatre erupted into applause.

The stage crew appeared and helped Violet to her feet. She waddled awkwardly on her pointe shoes as she was lead around the makeshift drop and to the center of the stage. Violet gave her signature dimpled smile and graciously bowed down as the spotlights found her. Her fellow dancers followed in suit and linked their arms, forming a chair down the length of the stage. Tears welled up as Violet stifled back sobs. Although there were more shows following this, Violet was always emotional after her last routine. The feeling of all her hard work paying off, the burden of performing at a high caliber and the physical toll it took on her body was worth every last applause.

As soon as the curtain fell, Violet let out a long sigh. The ballet company would have a reprieve of over a month before traveling to another city to resume another month-long performance schedule. The first thing Violet wanted to do on this break was to reward herself with food she was restricted from before resuming her sugar-free diet. Several members of both the cast and crew congratulated her as she left the stage, Violet gave them warm smiles and thanked each of them in turn, while en route to her dressing room. She was fortunate that because she was one of the main roles, she was granted her own personal space.

"Violet!" A distinct voice called. She paused momentarily, craning her head to the side. Is that? There's no way she's here. Despite the incessant chatter around her, Violet recognized that voice. Her hands tightened and her face began to burn with anger.

There was no mistaking it, that voice belonged to Vanya Hargreeves, her sister.

She resumed walking, hoping Vanya would lose sight of her in the throng of people. "Violet. Please wait!" Violet picked up the pace. It had been almost a decade since they had last seen each other or even spoken personally, but Violet was in no mood for reconciliation or a conversation of any kind. Betrayal was still a betrayal, even if Vanya was family.

Vanya's petite figure sidestepped beside, slightly blocking Violet's path. "What do you want Vanya? Why are you even here?" She had to keep moving. If she stopped to entertain her sister, there was no telling what might happen, especially since she could already feel a sting from her fingertips. The faster she got away from her sister, the safer everyone would be.

Vanya looked downcast, unsure of what to say and Violet used the silence to fully examine her sister. Vanya had grown, possibly several inches or so since the last time she had seen her. Her once long, brown hair was cut just below her shoulders and parted in the middle; instead of the blunt bangs she was remembered for. She was dressed formally in black and white for performance.

Vanya continued to fidget with her fingers. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your performance. Our string section was asked to perform for the shows here in Hamilton, that's why I'm here. I didn't even know our companies would be working together for this and I have been wanting to talk to you for-"

Violet let out an exasperated huff, startling Vanya. She pushed her way past, as Vanya followed her like a lost puppy. "Leave now Vanya," Violet hissed, "I am in no mood for your silly little games."

"Please. Let me explain-"

Violet whirled around, her eyes wide with fury. "No, let me." She slammed her left palm on the wall beside them, blocking Vanya's path. "You ruined our family with your stupid autobiography. Did you not think about the consequences of your little ploy? How it would affect our lives?"

Vanya was silent, a guilty look plastered on her face as Violet continued on with her berate, leaning in closer until they were face to face. "How do you think I felt when the press hounded me for weeks after its publication? Asking me about my relationship instead of my career? The vulgar questions I was forced to hear as they quoted several sections of your book?" She scoffed, "My 'midnight escapades' they called it. I was humiliated, you almost ruined my career, nearly cost me this opportunity!" Sparks appeared from her fingertips and her eyes began to glow a violet hue.

Vanya looked up and met Violet's infuriated gaze. "But was I wrong?"

Violet gritted her teeth. "How dare you!" She slammed a fist on the wall, emitting a surge of electricity. "You had no right!"

"Is everything alright here?" Asked a stagehand, Violet blinked, looking behind Vanya. A small crowd had started to form, heads bobbing around as they tried to figure out what the commotion was about.

She cleared her throat and her eyes returned to her normal shade of brown. "Everything is fine. Just a slight misunderstanding with one of the help." She put on a mask of pure poise to divert the crowd's attention, but underneath it, Violet was fuming. This is exactly what I was trying to prevent!

"Miss Hargreeves?" called Violet's director, Solomon Flanagan as he approached the two young women.

Violet turned to look at Solomon and smiled, thankful for the momentary distraction. "Yes?" Answered Vanya. Violet turned to look in disbelief as her sister was beginning to recede, realizing she answered purely on instinct.

"Miss Violet Hargreeves," Solomon corrected, pointing to Violet and motioning her to follow him. "I just need a moment of your time," He moved aside and with an open hand, gestured to her dressing room. "If you may please, follow me."

Violet glanced over to Vanya before pushing past her again. "I have nothing else to say to you. Run along now, Vanya it's the only thing you've been best at." She muttered, making sure it was loud enough for only Vanya to hear. She followed Solomon down the corridor, leaving Vanya behind to pick up the pieces of yet another broken relationship.

Neither Violet nor Solomon said a word until they approached the door of Violet's dressing room. Solomon entered first, holding open the door as Violet stomped in. "Might I inquire about the young woman you were talking to?" He raised his eyebrows when she slammed the door behind her in response.

"No one special." Violet made her way to her vanity mirror and plopped down on her chair, sliding down in it as the adrenaline rush from the unwanted encounter began to leave her. She swiveled her chair around to face Solomon and crossed her arms. "What is it that you wanted to speak to me about? It must be important if you didn't want to talk in the open."

Solomon opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it, pausing for a second and wetting his lips. Violet noticed his eyes darted around and he rubbed his hands together. "Well, during the show, the company was continually bombarded with calls from the news stations regarding the main headline tonight."

Violet raised an eyebrow. "And? What does this have to do with me?"

Solomon remained stone-faced. "I have some unfortunate news." He hesitated for a moment, wondering how he could ease himself into the topic. "When was the last time you spoke to your family? Particularly your father?"

Violet remained in her dressing room long after Solomon left, leaning over her vanity table. She was exhausted from the roller coaster of emotions that day brought.

Turning to look to the clock, she mumbled, "There's no point rushing to get home." She flopped back in the chair and stared at the ceiling, letting out a loud sigh and closing her eyes.

There was no one waiting for her at her apartment; no one to greet her as she walked through the door and asked about how her performance was. There was no rush for her to be greeted by silence and the reality of her lonely life.

Solomon's advice kept replaying in her head. 'You should take the week off and visit your family. It might help.'

"He doesn't know how long it's been since I saw everyone." She reached over to her bag on the table. "And how we haven't kept in contact."

She shuffled through the papers and pulled out her wallet. She opened it to find the inset a picture of eight children with an attractive young woman, a distinguished gentleman, and humanoid primate posed in front of an impressive staircase. One particular face stood out. Out of the three girls, the individual appeared to be in the middle in terms of height. She had choppy bangs and long, yet wavy, chestnut hair that reached her waist. She was dressed in a red and navy blue Catholic uniform, complete with knee-high, black socks and matching colored loafers. She had her arms behind her and stood straight up, almost on the tips of her toes, hoping to appear taller than the other children surrounding her. She was beaming with joy. Violet chuckled at her younger self.

Seventeen years ago, Violet Hargreeves was a part of the Umbrella Academy.

She drifted off to a reverie of that day, still fresh in her mind as if it were yesterday. Luther, Klaus, Allison, and Vanya were on the third step as she, Diego, Five and Ben were situated on the second. Their father, Reginald stood to their right while their mother, Grace, was positioned on the left. Pogo, Reginald's primate assistant stood at Reginald's side.

'Look alive children! This is going on the paper tomorrow morning and you must look presentable to the world' and 'How are we going to prove to the world that you are the heroes the world is looking for if said heroes can't even listen to simple instructions' echoed in Violet's head as if Reginald was yelling beside her. She remembered how furious their father was that day because of their unwillingness to listen.

"Why should I even go?" She snapped out of her daydream as memories of her father's temper and continuous disappointment soured her mood. "He was a bitter old man who treated us like we were puppets in his stupid schemes." Violet clamped her wallet shut and slammed it excessively on the table. "He deserved this!"

The mirror rocked from side to side after one more throw. Violet stared deeply at her reflection, her delicate features hardening at the cruel reality of Reginald's intentions with her and her siblings. Her eyes glowed a brilliant violet hue, alternating with the natural brown eyes. She gripped on the edges of her table as small sparks emitted from her fingertips. Her attention was brought to her eyes, which had finally settled on the violet shade, glowing effortlessly.

"The color of your eyes is pretty when you use your powers." A musical voice echoed in her head, shattering Violet's concentration.

Violet gasped as she accidentally released a small surge of electricity throughout the room, shattering all the lightbulbs and submerging everything in darkness. Immediately. she extinguished her powers, ashamed that her renowned temper got the better of her. The sparks disappeared from her fingers and her eyes returned to their normal state. Tears welled up at the sudden realization of what she was doing and she balled up her hands into fists, bringing them up to her face to hid behind as she choked back from the sobs. If Reginald was there, she would never hear the end of it, losing control, letting your emotions rule you, wasn't something a Hargreeves did.

"Mom, what do you think of the name 'Violet'? I think it suits her." The memory continued to play in her head as her sobs regressed to light sniffles. She wiped her eyes and made no attempt to get up, giving herself up to the memory and its powerful hold over her.

"I think it's befitting, especially for someone as beautiful as her. Number 8, I will call you Violet. It's perfect, just like you."

The feelings she had long pushed to the far reaches of her mind were slowly resurfacing; feelings of longing and a faint glimmer of young, tender love. That was the day he had given her her name; an identity in a family where numbers defined who and what they were. The day where she, Number 8, became Violet Hargreeves.

Ever since she could remember, Reginald had always referred to her as Number 8, never once entertaining the idea of Grace's names for her and her siblings. Violet began to think that's all she was to the family: a young girl whose number spoke for her. But, it was because of that person that Violet finally had an identity.

But it was also because of him that Violet had walled up her heart, endlessly avoiding the intense feelings she'd suffered from after she'd left the Academy. Her mind was set on turning that love into hate for leaving without so much as a goodbye, any form of contact, or even confirmation of where they stood. As if that night didn't mean anything to him like it did to her.

But her heart and soul pleaded otherwise.

Violet felt as if she was walking a tightrope and she was barely maintaining her balance. Giving to her endless longing or walking away from what they had, either way, leaning to one side would lead to her fall. Was there even an option of doing both. The better question was, could she even go through with it?

Violet scoffed. Only he was capable of doing this to her and, as twisted as it was, she didn't mind it.

It was the next morning when Violet pulled up to the side of the Hargreeves Mansion. After driving close to eight hours from New York, she was ready to sleep, even though it was barely eight in the morning. She left roughly around midnight, after tidying her dressing room and quickly packing her essentials, with no plans for an extended stay. It was enough she was going to attend the funeral, greet Pogo and her mom, somewhat catch up with the others, and return home by nightfall. Although she was given a week off from the ballet company, Violet was hoping to spend the majority of her time indulging on the food she normally wouldn't eat during her performances. She stumbled out of the car and made her way to her trunk. Her stomach grumbled and Violet wasted no time retrieving her luggage. She was crossing her fingers that her mom would make her favorite chocolate chip pancakes or her fudge brownies. Sweets were the one thing Violet could never say no to.

As Violet slammed the trunk shut, a cold breeze blew past and she let out a yelp. She rubbed her arms for warmth, shivering as she felt goosebumps prickle on her skin. Since she had left in the middle of the night, there was no need for her to dress up. Violet was clothed in a black thermal long sleeve top under a simple black, oversized sweatshirt and a pair of sweats with penguin faces scattered all over them. Her attire provided warmth, but it never stood a chance against the Ontario weather. Today, her hair was wrapped up in a messy bun, the wind blowing her bangs. She hid her sleep-deprived eyes behind a pair of sunglasses and her face was makeup free. Violet wasn't too keen on spending another second outside and hurried down the sidewalk to the entrance.

In the decade that had past since she was last at the mansion, Violet was surprised to see that the neighborhood was relatively the same, minus the screaming children playing on the sidewalk. As she approached the front gates of the mansion, she peered at the windows overlooking the street. She remembered the times she spent looking outside, wishing she could join the other kids in playing hopscotch or the occasional friendly game of tag. Although she was just separated by glass, she felt she was worlds apart from the other children. She envied them for growing up normal, growing up without the burden of the world's safety on their shoulders.

Stopping right before the gates, Violet looked up and examined the mansion. She'd never realized the sheer size of her childhood home. The mansion encompassed an entire city block, creatively hidden behind abandoned storefronts to keep out curious onlookers. Walls were broken down inside in order to connect the buildings together, creating a home where she and the rest of her family lived away from the rest of the world. The only time they ever interacted with society was when there were missions or when their presence was requested at events.

She pushed the gates open, wincing at the whining sound of the old metal. As she approached the door, she rummaged through her bag for her key. Each of her siblings was given a personal key with their assigned number on the days they left the Academy, in case they were interested in periodical visits, as her father had put it. Violet marveled at the '8' that was intricately engraved on the brass handle before sliding it into the lock. She heard the gears turn and unlock the door.

"Welcome home," She whispered to herself, and she pushed open the double doors with trembling hands.

As Violet crossed the threshold, she was returning to a world she thought she left behind. A life she thought she would never return to. Violet closed the doors behind her, sealing herself from the world outside.

Song Inspiration: Phantom of the Opera Medley - Lindsey Stirling

Author's Note: This story was the result of my binging the season in one night and coming up with Violet by the end of the first episode. I do not regret anything D:|

Throughout the course of the story, I will do occasional flashbacks to their childhood because they will play a pivotal role in things to come. I promise the upcoming chapters won't be as long!

Above will indicate the song inspiration for the quote and the chapter. Yes, there are hidden meanings that will tie the quote and songs to the chapter/story! Can you guess what they will be? They also serve as songs that are similar to what is played during the series.

A huge thank you to Cath for looking over this in the middle of our daily chats. You're seriously the best and words can't fathom how much I appreciate you. I always look forward to the randomness that our roleplaying will bring. Maddie, this is also for you because you're my constant inspiration and your encouragement helped me when I had doubts about certain topics. You two are freakishly awesome and I am so happy to call you my friends :)

Thanks for clicking on this story and making it here to the bottom. Reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated. See you guys in the next chapter!

Check out my tumblrs: atomicgracy (For fanfiction) and itsjustgracy (For anything in general). I have several Umbrella Academy and Violet Hargreeves posts up, so please come over! I'm always up for a chat too!