She's Leaving Home

It was a Wednesday morning when Vanya ran away. She carefully tacked her goodbye note to the kitchen table, made sure her pills were safely stowed away in her backpack, and tidily folded her city map to the airport in her pocket. Vanya allowed herself only one last look at the Umbrella Academy – the only home she had ever known – before quietly opening the house door and unlocking the gate.

I wonder whether anyone will even notice I'm gone – the thought circled endlessly in Vanya's mind. And as she closed the gate, a small part of her hoped that someone – anyone – would burst through the house to stop her. But the famous Umbrella Academy team were busy. Perhaps they were on a mission, maybe they were training – it didn't matter. Vanya could no longer be entirely sure what her siblings were up to on any given moment. Her father, Reginald Hargreeves, made certain of that.

The rain began to fall softly as Vanya took her first steps away from home. Manoeuvring her backpack down from her shoulder and taking out her pills, Vanya swallowed one and hoped it would suffice until she reached the airport. She didn't want her nerves to get the better of her, but Vanya also knew that sourcing more of the pills might be a problem sometime in the future. She had no idea where her father bought them.

But let that be tomorrow's problem, she thought. I'm sure when I arrive at the airport, I'll sort something out.

When Vanya first thought of running away, she knew that any pocket money Grace gave her would have to be saved and hidden away. Vanya's plan was to arrive at the airport and catch the next flight that would bring her the furthest away from the Academy. Of course, she knew that flights cost money; that's why she saved for the past two months. Though I still don't know how much a plane flight will cost exactly. All she could hope for was that she had enough to bring her somewhere, at least.

But before Vanya could catch a flight, the first thing she needed to do was hail a taxi. Sticking her hand out, Vanya tried to flag a taxi down. One taxi slowed but the driver, seeing the lonely figure of a thirteen-year-old girl dressed in uniform, decided to keep driving. Vanya kept walking, her hand waving at every taxi that zoomed by her on the road. Taxis passed by her after another, but none yet stopped.

Her anxiety was beginning to spiral. If she a taxi didn't stop soon, her father would surely figure that he was missing one of his seven adopted children. Vanya didn't want to imagine what punishment Reginald would dream of to discipline his runaway daughter. Some things were too terrible to even contemplate.

Vanya's pace quickened, each of her steps becoming more desperate as she furthered the distance between herself and the Academy. She now tried to flag down anything that was moving on the road. Not one stopped for her, but instead they gawked through their car windows at the strange teenage girl crying as she ran along the street. Until, finally, one car did stop.

The car was completely nondescript. As it slowed and pulled in, Vanya felt a surge of relief. At last.

Vanya approached the car as its window was rolling down. 'Sweetie, can I help you?' the driver asked. He was as nondescript as the car he drove, but somehow that reassured Vanya. He's as ordinary as I am.

'I need to get to the airport. Could you drive me?' Vanya asked, 'I'm sorry if it's any trouble, but I really need a lift.'

'Of course, sweetie. Get in.'

The car door clicked open and Vanya stepped in. The car wasn't anywhere near as fancy as the car her brothers and sister sometimes were chauffeured in. In fact, the car seemed devoid of any distinguishing feature. But Vanya thought it was best not to judge.

As the car sped through the city, the driver said nothing to Vanya. And Vanya, nervous of interrupting his concentration, kept equally silent. The car was driving on and the streets they passed were becoming entirely unfamiliar to Vanya. Too unfamiliar… Vanya thought. Rummaging through her pockets, she pulled out the map to the airport and consulted it. Her finger traced the route given on the map and as Vanya looked at where the car was bringing her, she knew it wasn't to the airport.

'Em, excuse me, but I think we missed the turn to the airport,' Vanya said, wishing she could sound braver.

'Don't worry, sweetie, I know a shortcut,' the driver replied with a smile. Any reassurance Vanya had felt about the driver suddenly dissipated. The driver's smile seemed closer to a leer and as he grinned over at her, Vanya remembered what genuine fear felt like.

'Please let me out. I… I need to get out.'

'Don't be like that sweetie, that's no fun,' the driver replied. There was no mistaking the danger that his voice carried.

'Please! Let me out!'

'If that's what you want.' The car swerved. Vanya thought the car would crash and frantically her arms moved to cover her head. But the car didn't crash. Instead, the car had stopped outside an old ruin of a building, where the walls were covered in graffiti and the windows broken. Her arms lowering, Vanya scanned around her. There was no clue or indication whatsoever of where she might be. But that didn't mean she wouldn't make a run for it.

Vanya whipped the car door open. Her body was ready to dash and run, but before she was completely out by the door, a pair of arms wrapped around her body. Vanya struggled. The driver had gotten out of the car before she had noticed and was now holding onto her. The rain was now pouring from the sky. As Vanya fought against her captor, he whispered into her ear all the things he had planned for the two of them. His words revolted her and she – shrieking, biting, kicking and hitting – fought harder than she ever had in her life.

As she fought, Vanya could not see the strange figure disappearing and reappearing with a flash of blue light, but her captor did.

'What the –' he began, but the driver's words were lost.

With a loud crack, Vanya could feel her captor's arms loosening and eventually dropping her. Vanya's heart hammered madly when she heard the thud of her captor's body hitting the ground. Her vision blurred with the tears she had been holding as she gulped for air. Her body weakened and Vanya found herself kneeling; the sudden pain from the impact of her fall barely registered.

A hand touched her shoulder. The touch was gentle and instinctively Vanya knew who it was. 'Five?'

'Yes, it's me – Vanya, it's okay, you're safe – I swear.'

Vanya couldn't bear to look at Five. Instead, her gaze fell on her captor, who was lying a few feet away and was utterly still.

'Is he – is he dead?'

Five inhaled sharply. 'No,' he answered shortly, 'just knocked out.'

'Thank goodness,' said Vanya. And she meant what she said. Despite everything her captor put her through, she didn't think he deserved to die. No one deserved that. But Five obviously disagreed. 'Thank goodness?' he repeated, while his face burned with rising colour. 'He could have killed you!'

'That doesn't matter –' Vanya began, but her sentence was cut short.

'For Christ-sake Vanya, of course it matters! You think that by running away – leaving everyone behind – that somehow it doesn't matter? You could have died today!'

Vanya had rarely seen Five storm like this. Normally he was the one of the seven Hargreeves children who could be relied upon for utter pragmaticism and a cocksure opinion when everything else was going to hell. Vanya finally allowed her gaze to meet Five's. Wiping away her tears, something clicked in her mind.

'You found my goodbye note,' Vanya said quietly.

It was now Five's turn to look away. 'Yes,' he answered slowly, 'I found it. There was no name on it, but I knew it was you. So, I came after you.'

'Why? Why would you follow me? And how did you find me?' Vanya said, as her heart once again began to beat rapidly.

Five sighed. 'Isn't it obvious?'

From a few feet away, Vanya's captor began to stir while taking a long, ragged breath. Five quickly offered his hand to help Vanya get back on her feet. 'Are you sure you're okay?' Five asked, as he looked Vanya over with concern. 'That bastard didn't hurt you?'

Vanya shook her head. 'Just shock – that's all.'

The driver moved again. 'Then we better go. Now.' Five said. 'Do you trust me?'

'I do.'

'Then here we go.' Five kept hold of her hand and with a light squeeze suddenly Vanya felt as though she were being thrown forward. She could feel a pressure all over her body as she hurtled through space. But all too soon it stopped. And Vanya realised she was only a few streets away from the Academy. 'You brought me back,' she whispered.

'I'm sorry.'

Vanya could hear the sincerity in Five's voice, but as a wave of raw emotion hit Vanya, all she could do was look away. 'It's okay.'

Five was still gripping Vanya's hand. 'It will get better,' he swore, solemnly. 'One day you – all of us – will leave.'

'But not today,' Vanya murmured in reply. 'I suppose we better go back.'

The two began to walk, neither of them minding the quietness that had fallen between them. Vanya's pace was slow, but Five never rushed her. Instead, he silently walked along beside her. Their hands were still intertwined. Five somehow sensed that if he were to let go, the girl beside him would simply vanish. That thought scared Five more than he cared to admit.

'Five?'

Vanya's voice jolted him out of his reverie. 'We're nearly back,' she said, 'but before we go in, I need to know – why? Why come for me?'

Racing thoughts rushed through Five's mind as he weighed his answer. For once he didn't know what the correct answer was. Is there even a right thing to say?

'You know how you said, "it doesn't matter"? Well, it does – to me, I mean. You matter to me.' The words sounded garbled as soon as he spoke them out loud. And a large part of Five still couldn't quite believe he had said them out loud. It came as a surprise, then, when he saw Vanya smile. 'How I found you,' Five quickly continued, 'that was easy. The old man taught us how to trace missing people, so I used what I learned.'

Five paused and wondered whether he had said too much.

But Vanya replied, saying softly, 'You matter to me too.'

They were now standing by the gate to the Umbrella Academy. Vanya looked up and noticed for the first time that the rain had stopped. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky.

Then, biting her lip, Vanya added, 'You know how you want to time travel? I –'

'Vanya, I'd come back.' Five said.

Vanya judged his words for a moment. 'Promise?'

'I promise.'

The Umbrella Academy gate gently swung open. Five gestured for Vanya to go in. And so, Vanya walked back into her home with Five following. They said nothing, and no more needed to be said.