Dakota
~ Stereophonics

"You make me feel like the one
Make me feel like the one
The one

I don't know where we are goin' now
I don't know where we are goin' now

Wake up call coffee and juice
Rememberin' you
What happened to you?
I wonder if we'll meet again
Talk about life since then
Talk about why did it end"

CHAPTER 12: SHE WALKED AWAY

        Five jumped out of the drivers seat, pulling a silent and wide eyed Nadine along with him. "Come on! Let's go!" The boy yelled back at his siblings as he rushed her up the stairs and pulled open the door. "I don't think she's breathing." Luther commented, fear laced through his voice.

        Nadine held her expression while Five pushed her into the house. "If we don't get her upstairs, she's gonna die." Klaus spoke to the group as he helped Luther carry Allison. Five let the group rush her in and watched as they pulled her up the stairs to Grace.

        He looked to his right, noticing Nadine still standing in the center of the room. He walked over to her and put a hand on each of her shoulders, trying to get her attention. She blinked, still not meeting his eyes. He squinted, his eyes traveling across her face without thinking.

        "She's going to be okay. Come on." Before he could get a response he grabbed Nadine's hand, pulling her after him and up the stairs. When they got to the room, he pulled her to the side of Allison, pushing her behind him so she didn't have to see. "She suffered a severe laceration to her larynx. One of you will need to give blood." Grace spoke with authority. What's my blood type again?

        "I will." All the brothers spoke at the same time, warming Nadine's frozen heart for a second. How they were so willing to give everything for their sister. It was admirable. The warmth went away as fast as it came.

        "I'm doing it." Luther commanded, pulling up a sleeve. "I'm afraid that's not possible, dear boy. Your blood is more compatible with mine." Pogo commented as he walked in. If Nadine's eyes could grow wider, they would've. If she could laugh, if she had any humor or light left in her body at the moment, this would be the time she would release it. But she felt nothing. She felt hollow.

        "Hey, don't sweat it. I got this, big guy. I love needles." Nadine squinted, willing herself to laugh at Klaus' words. To chuckle. Anything.

        "Master Klaus. Your blood is — how shall I say this? Too polluted." Pogo spoke with sincerity. Where is Wren? She's never around anymore. She'd remember my blood type.

        "Move." Diego pressed through the group of men. "I'll do it." He looked down at Allison with a face Nadine couldn't quite place. Like he was pushing back the softness. She noticed that all the siblings were emotionally stunted to some degree. What did that evil man do to them?

        Grace pulled out a needle and Diego made a weird noise before his eyes shut, falling down. Nadine gasped, finally coming out of her state of shock. "Stick him." Pogo commanded. Grace nodded and began preparing the rest of her quick surgery on Allison.

        Five looked back at Nadine, who's eyes stayed trained onto Allison's face. Her lip quivered and after a second her eyes shut tightly. The boy sighed and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the room and blinking them to his bedroom. He looked down the hall both ways and shut the door.

        She blinked, looking around his bedroom and wrapping her arms around her waist. The boy furrowed his eyebrow in worry, taking her shoulders and pushing her to sit on the bed. "What's going on?" He asked, standing in front of her with his hands in his pockets.

        She opened her mouth to say something but shut it shortly after, pursing her lips to try not to cry. Five grunted and scratched the back of his head. He looked down at her and exhaled. "You can tell me." He spoke with a softer voice.

        The tone made her look up, their eyes finally meeting again after what felt like hours of not being together. "I should've been there with her." She whispered. "What?" The boy asked, taking a step closer to her and bending down slightly. "I should've been there!" She ran her hands through her hair, pulling at the roots.

        He took a breath, shaking his head. "No." He denied. Nadine nodded, tears threatening to spill. "They asked me if I wanted to go. I told them I was going to stay with you. I could've been there. I could've helped." Five shook his head again, taking a step closer. "No, because then you might be in the same position as her." The boy took her face into his hands, making her look him in the eyes again. "You're safe because you stayed with me. That's a good thing. I know Allison is happy you didn't go."

        Nadine sniffed, rubbing the tears from her eyes. "Maybe I could've helped." She muttered, her voice cracking.

        Five tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, letting his hands rest on her cheeks. "You don't know that. Maybe you'd be dead. I, for one, am glad you stayed." She tilted her cheek into his hand slightly and closed her eyes, taking a shakey breath.

        Nadine nodded, standing up and wiping the rest of the tears off her face. "Okay, are you back to normal now?" She snorted. "As normal as you can be when you're a teenage witch."

Five rolled his eyes. "Don't get all dead on me, we still have a movie date to catch."

Nadine smirked at the boy, squinting her eyes teasingly. "Date?"

Five rolled his eyes again and left the room without responding.

        "Hey! You're just gonna leave me hanging like that?" She ran after him, sadness completely gone. Five had a way of making everything feel right to her. He made her feel safe, normal. Wren's random absences had left a gaping hole in her life that slowly, but surely, the boy was helping fill.

~~~~~

        "The bastard that nearly killed our sister's still out there, with Vanya." Diego spoke as he paced around the main room. "We need to go after her."

Five limped over to the couch, Nadine following him closely behind. "Vanya is not important." He said with no regard.

        Nadine rolled her eyes and leaned a little closer to his ear to whisper. "Hey, think about your phrasing. Think, speak, repeat." Five rolled his eyes at the girls words, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Hey, that's your sister. A little heartless even for you, Five." Diego defended, making Nadine smile lightly.

        "I'm not saying I don't care about her, but if the apocalypse happens today, she dies along with the other seven billion of us." Five explained his words, sneering at his brother. Nadine leaned close to his ear again with a thumbs up. "Good job. That's better." The boy turned slightly and glared at her before continuing. "Harold Jenkins is our first priority.

        "I agree. Let's go." Diego spoke before starting to leave. "You guys count me out. I mean, you know, no offense or whatever. It's just... I kinda feel like this is a whole lot of pressure for newly-sober me, so..." Klaus interrupted their exit. Nadine tilted her head to the side and squinted at the man as he spoke.

        "You're coming." Diego commanded. "No, no, no. I mean, I think we can all agree that my power's... I mean, it's pretty much useless. I'd just be holding you guys back." The brother explained with his knees to his chest. "Klaus, get up." Five demanded, staring daggers into his brothers face.

        "You can't make me." Klaus defied them. Nadine let out a breath, knowing this wasn't going to end well. Diego took out a knife quickly and threw it, making it lodge directly below Klaus' crotch in the sofa.

        The girl chuckled as Klaus sighed with his hands up. "Oh, then again, a little exercise couldn't hurt." The man spoke with a hint of sarcasm as he stood up.

Nadine was scared. She knew this was her destiny, however it should end, but that didn't give her a lot of stuff to hold on to. She just hoped she wouldn't die.

~~~~~

        There Nadine stood again, wide eyed, mouth open, staring at another dead body. This one, someone she had only seen once. A man who was abused and then killed his abuser. A boy who didn't feel special enough. Harold Jenkins. Leonard Peabody. She shrugged, pursing her lips.

        "It's not exactly what I was expecting." Klaus commented as he leaned on his knees, staring at the body. Harold had been stabbed with what looked like every single sharp tool or utensil someone could find. Nadine snorted at the man's words, nodding. "You can say that again."

        "The understatement of the year." Five spoke from a little bit in front of Nadine. Klaus looked around a little. "No sign of Vanya."

        "Let's get out of here, before the cops come." Nadine nodded and started to walk out when her shoulder was grabbed, making her stop in her tracks. "In a minute." Five let go of her and walked over to the side of the man, crouching down next to him.

        Five took out the eyeball that he had been so obsessed with when they first met. The one that brought them together into the end of the world. The one that got them started. "Come on, Five, what are you..." He ripped off the bandage from Harold's eye and pushed the eyeball into his head. The girl bent over him to get a look at what he was doing.

        "Ew, wow." Klaus bent over, watching the boy. Nadine turned to look at the wall slightly, putting her hand over her mouth in disgust. "Same eye color, same pupil size. Guys this is it. The eye I've been carrying around for decades, it- it's found it's rightful home."

Nadine held back a gag. "That's beautiful, Five. Now can we please leave." She spoke sarcastically, leaning to his side to look him in the face.

        "We got the guy we needed to kill to stop the apocalypse." Diego stated as Five pulled the eyeball back out. Nadine covered her mouth again, closing her eyes. "God, please. Sanitize that later. You don't know what his blood has."

        "Yay! Let's go." Klaus went to leave but Diego grabbed onto the back of his vest, pulling him to a stop.

"No, no. Wait, wait. It can't be this easy. Look, this is the note that I got from the Commission. The one that says, Protect Harold Jenkins, aka Leonard Peabody." Five stood up and walked in between his brothers. Diego nodded. "Yeah."

        "But who killed him? Who did this?" Five questioned incredulously. Nadine nodded in agreement. This all felt weird. The hair on her arms had been standing slightly since she saw what happened. Her instincts were telling her that it wasn't over.

        "I have a crazy idea. Crazy, but why don't we find Vanya and ask her what happened?" Klaus continued to speak as Five grabbed onto Nadine's shoulders and leaned down close to her ear. "Heads up." He whispered before pushing her through one of his portals.

        "God, I don't know if a warning is enough to ready me for that." The girl sunk to the ground immediately, tucking her legs under her. "Come on, we have to look for Vanya." The boy looked at her with a full lipped smile before grabbing one of her hands and helping her up.

~~~~~

        "No sign of Vanya." Five spoke as him and Nadine walked up to his brothers. "She's not in any of the rooms." Diego crossed his arms over his chest. Nadine jumped to sit up on the bannister, holding onto one of Five's shoulders for support. "She's not downstairs, either." Klaus reported to the two.

        "Well, I'm out." Diego patted his brother's shoulder as he started walking away. Nadine's eyes widened at the sudden change of events. "Wait. Wait..." Five pulled Nadine off the bannister so that he could walk forward without worrying she was going to fall back. "Where are you going?" Five questioned the man. "Vanya's still out there and so are Hazel and Cha-Cha." He reminded them.

        "I know. I'm gonna get my things and then I'm outta here. I got some unfinished business with those fools." Diego spoke seriously before turning around and leaving. "Okay. Just don't get yourself killed, Rambo!" Nadine yelled after him, leaning over the bannister. Five grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled lightly to make sure she wouldn't fall, rolling his eyes.

        "Hey, did dad say anything about the apocalypse when you spoke to him? Any clues as to how it happened?" Five asked Klaus while Nadine stood up straight, dusting herself off. "No. No clues. Truly terrific shave. But no clues." He answered.

        Five stared at him for a second before looking over at Nadine, who was obliviously pulling on a string at the bottom of the shirt. "Jeez." He sighed before grabbing her arm and walking them away.

       "You know, come to think of it, he did mention something about my potential and how I've barely even scratched the surface of my-" Klaus followed them down as Five slid from holding her upper arm to gripping her forearm. "How did he know about the apocalypse?" The boy questioned.

        "I don't know, but listen. This whole jumping through time thing of yours, how did you... how did you know how to do that?" Klaus asked once they got to the bottom of the stairs. Five looked at the man in irritation, gritting his teeth. "I didn't. You'd realize that if you were actually sober."

        Five gripped Nadine's shoulder and pushed her towards the main area of the academy. "Hey, I am sober! I've been sober for two- almost two days now!" Nadine's eyes widened. "Has it been two days?"

        "Yeah, two days." Five agreed, putting his free hand in his pocket. "It feels like 45 years." Klaus spoke darkly while staring at the ground. "Who are you kidding, Klaus? I've seen you fidgeting all day." The boy reprimanded. Nadine smacked his shoulder lightly, earning a small glare.

        "Well, I guess we're both fighting our addictions, then." Klaus accused as he walked over to them. Nadine furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm not an addict." Five shook his head, confused by the man's statement. "Yeah, you are. You're addicted to a drug called the apocalypse." Klaus continued.

        "You're wrong." The boy denied.

"First sign. Denial." Klaus commented, turning around.

Five let go of Nadine and blinked to be in front of his brother. "You and I, we're not the same." He pointed into his brothers chest. Nadine rushed to Five's side and pulled on the back of his blazer, making the boy take a step back and a breath. "Stop it, Klaus."

        The man chuckled, leaning over his brother. "I've seen that look in the eye of someone who doesn't know who they are without their high anymore. Trust me. You gotta just let it go." Five shrugged Nadine's hand off and threw the porcelain eyeball onto the ground before rushing off. "Figuratively, but yeah, that works, too."

        Nadine huffed and stared up at the man with squinted eyes. "Thanks for that. Now I have to go do clean up." She gave him a tight lipped, sarcastic smile.

        Klaus' eyes widened. "You've been spending far too much time with him." He commented as she went after the boy.

        Nadine pulled down her hair from its ponytail when she walked into the room Five was in. He was sat at the bar with Delores to the side, pouring a green liquid into three cups. "Think we actually stopped the apocalypse?" The boy questioned the mannequin as he poured the third glass.

        "Five, what're you doing?" Nadine asked him, sitting on the stool next to him.

The boy looked over with a goofy smile. "Celebrating. Woohoo!" He pushed the drink in front of her and she scrunched her nose up.

        "Sorry, I don't drink."

        Five smiled at her again. "No apologies necessary. That just means more for me." The boy spoke while grabbing the glass he had made for her, pulling it back to sit in front of him.

Nadine leaned against the bar, rubbing the toes of her shoes together. They had holes and dirt caked into them. I have to get new ones soon. "Hey Five?"

        The boy hummed, turning his head to face her. "What do we do now?" He tilted his head, squinting slightly at the girl. "What do you mean?"

        She sighed, looking down from his eyes and to her hands. "I mean, if the apocalypse is truly stopped, then our destiny is fulfilled."

        The boy nodded slowly, studying the side of her face. "I don't know. Do you have to be somewhere?" He asked. The girl scratched the back of her head and bit her lip. "I mean, now would be the time that Wren would make me go home and take on a new assignment. She's probably waiting for me there. Waiting to see if I'll be able to give this all up."

        He pursed his lips. "What do you mean, give this up?"

Nadine swallowed before looking back at Five. "It's always hard to move on after an assignment, at least for me. This time especially. I've gotten really close with you- all of you guys." Nadine moved a small amount towards him unconsciously.

        Five nodded, inching forward a small amount as well. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Our destiny together has passed." A knock at the door halted their serious conversation. Nadine cleared her throat, noticing how close they had gotten to each other.

        "I'll get it." Five stood from his seat, scratching the back of his head. Nadine stood and rushed to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She turned on the faucet and splashed some water in her face. What's going on? I'm never like this. She took a deep breath and dragged her hands down her face. "What's wrong with me?"

        The girl stared at her reflection for a bit, trying to untangle the wires in her brain. She'd never felt like this before. She didn't know what to call it but it made her panic. She can't have feelings for a mission. She doesn't know how much longer she'll be alive with the stuff she has to do and she can't put someone through the pain of losing her. She can't put him through that.

         Nadine looked at herself in the mirror once more before standing up straight and walking back to Five. She glanced up and sitting beside him was Hazel. The girl sucked in a breath as she stared at him, looking towards the boy after. He caught eye contact with her from above the margarita, setting it down and walking up to her.

        He put his hands on her shoulders and got her attention off Hazel. "Hey, it's okay. You're safe." He rubbed her upper arms gently. Nadine cleared her throat and glanced over at the man briefly before returning to Five. His eyes.

        She smiled at him sadly, brushing some of the hair off his forehead before sighing and taking a step back. He frowned, tilting his head. "I got new orders, I have to leave." Nadine lied, looking away from his face.

        "Oh." Five spoke in surprise. "Okay, yeah. Let me walk you out." Nadine smiled sadly again, shaking her head. "No, it's alright. I've got it." She crossed her arms over her chest, closing herself off to him. Building her walls back up.

        Five looked at her curiously before clearing his throat. "Will I at least be able to see you at some point?" Nadine grinned at him, wanting to say yes. Wanting to agree and let what happens happen. Wanting to be happy. But that's not what she said.

        Her grin dropped and she looked at the ground. "Yeah, I hope so." She lied, looking back up at him. Five nodded, giving her a small smile with the corner of his lips. Nadine's eyes flickered over his face, as if she were memorizing every inch of it. "Okay. Well, get home safe." The girl nodded at him before turning around and walking out of the building.

        She stopped in front of it, looking up at it. She wanted to run back inside. She wanted to go back to him. She felt weird, naked, without standing beside him. Like something was missing. She wanted to go back.

        But instead, she walked away.

.