Atlantis
~ Seafret

"'Cause in my heart and in my head
I'll never take back the things I said
So high above, I feel it coming down
She said, in my heart and in my head
Tell me why this has to end
Oh, no, oh, no

I can't save us, my Atlantis, we fall
We built this town on shaky ground
I can't save us, my Atlantis, oh, no
We built it up to pull it down"

CHAPTER 13: AND SO YOUR LIFE BEGINS

Nadine sat on the floor of her apartment with her legs tucked under her. She lit incense and spread her crystals in the correct pattern she would be cleansing them in. In front of her sat a cup of salt, a cup of water, and a lit candle as well.

The AC stopped working so her home was freezing. She had dragged on the brown zip up Five got her as soon as she got in.

The girl started the process, humming and chanting whenever needed. "What are you doing back home?" Nadine blinked at the sound of Wren's voice but continued what she was doing. "Hey! Why are you here cleansing your crystals instead of back there with your destiny?"

Nadine stopped in the middle of two crystals, looking up at Wren. "My destiny is complete. The apocalypse has been stopped." The girl then carried on doing what she had been doing, running crystal through the fire of the candle.

"Uh, no it's not. Also, stopping the apocalypse wasn't your destiny." Wren sat crisscrossed in front of Nadine. The girl looked up at the spirit, finally distracted from her ritual. "What do you mean? That's what the stars told you." Wren shook her head and grabbed the girls forearm, dragging her index finger straight down the inside of it.

"The apocalypse was never your destiny. That was just a package deal. He was your destiny."

        Nadine coughed loudly, her eyes growing large. "What do you mean he's my destiny?"

        Wren squinted at the air, putting her hands out. "I mean, he's kind of your destiny. As in, you guys are destined to be together. As in soulmate."

Nadine sucked in a large breath, her stomach twisting. "God, I feel like I'm gonna throw up."

        Wren smiled lightly at the girl, grabbing onto one of her hands. "If you don't want to ever see him again, that's fine. It's your decision. You can walk away and never speak about him again and live a short happy life for the little time you have left." Nadine raised an eyebrow at her words.

"But if you do want to see him again, I have something to show you."

The girl nodded, blowing some air out through puckered lips. Nadine didn't know what to feel. She had met the boy less than a week ago and he'd already become more than her best friend. She felt closer to him than she had felt towards anyone she had ever met.

Whenever they made eye contact, she couldn't breathe. Whenever she heard his voice, her nerves went insane. She could now name the feelings she'd always felt when she was around him.

Wren stood behind Nadine, placing her hands on either side of her head. She felt the pain in the middle of her forehead and then her head went back. Flashes of a life she hadn't lived yet. Happy. Warm. Children running around. A porch swing. The smell of coffee every morning. A little black cat curled up in his lap. This is what she wanted. She had made up her mind.

"Okay." Nadine spoke finally. Wren tilted her head, raising an eyebrow at her. "Okay?" Nadine stood up and smiled. "Okay, let's go back."

Wren watched as the girl jumped up and ran towards the door. "And so your life begins."

~~~~~

"What the fuck is going on!?" Wren screamed as Nadine ducked away from a piece of cement coming at her head. "I don't know!" The girl yelled back as she sprinted up a set of stairs. She looked around, trying to find any of the siblings. The house was crumbling down and shaking terribly.

A groan of pain caught her attention, bringing her eyes to the landing on the other side of her. She watched as Klaus tried to wake an unconscious Diego, staring at the ceiling that was collapsing over top of them.

Nadine ran, faster than she ever had before. She let her foot boost her over the bannister and felt her powers drain slowly as she floated to the other side. Once her feet touched ground again, she steadied herself before turning and sprinting once again. "Holy shit, Nads! That was awesome!" Wren yelled from behind the girl as the spirit used her power to make sure nothing hit her host's head.

"Klaus! Diego!" She screamed, getting the conscious boys attention. Just before she could put her hand out and speak, the two were dragged to safety by an unknown source. Nadine looked at Wren with a raised eyebrow, getting a shrug back in response.

She ran towards the two who stayed close to the ground, stepping overtop of the square of ceiling that had fallen in their place. "Oh thank god, it was just Ben." Wren smiled at the ghost, waving at him.

Nadine closed her eyes and let them roll behind her lids. When she opened them up, she was able to spot the black haired boy with raven colored clothing. The girl noticed the look shared between Ben and Wren, making her furrow her eyebrows. The spirits eyes widened as she flicked the middle of Nadine's forehead, successfully bringing her out of the ability to see him.

"Holy shit!" Klaus spoke with a surprised expression, trying to stand up. "Yeah, that was hot." Wren commented before disappearing. Nadine pretend gagged to Klaus as she rubbed the sore spot on her forehead.

"Come on. Come help, Nadie. Come on. Diego!" Klaus screamed as the two wrapped his arms around their necks, carrying him out as quickly as they could. Nadine felt another rumble, her feet tripping over cement chunks. "Where's Five!? Is he here!?" The girl screamed over Diego. "No, he's not!" She let out a sigh of relief.

They ran out of the building and down a fire escape staircase in the back. "You okay? You okay?" Klaus questioned once they got to safety, staring at the building as it fell. Diego grabbed his face, making the man look at him. "Hey, you just saved my life, man." He spoke with a grateful tone to his voice. Diego pulled his brother into a hug, laughing slightly.

Nadine smiled at the affection she never gets to see from the siblings. The softness. They looked up, noticing someone standing in a window. "Shit. Mom!" Diego screamed. "Mom! Get out of there now!" Klaus pleaded with her.

"I'm coming after you!" The man in black yelled, being held back by Klaus.

"No! Diego! No! No! No! Diego!"

Nadine held tightly to the man's arm, pulling him back. "Mom!" He screamed, trying to break free. The house crumbled over top of her, completely falling to the ground.

After the rumbling stopped and things settled, Diego sprinted out onto the broken remains of his childhood home. "Mom!" He dropped to the ground, trying to dig her up. "Klaus, come here. Help me search. Nadine, please."

Klaus reached down with a sad expression, grabbing onto his brothers arm. "Diego. Just stop it. Stop." Nadine put a hand over her mouth as her eyes started to burn, turning away from the scene. "No, what- what are you- let me go! What are you doing?" Diego freaked out, pushing the man away.

"Stop. Stop. She's gone. She's... She's gone, okay? She's..." Klaus shook his head, looking at his brother with sadness. "What do you wanna do? You wanna... you wanna walk away from this?" Diego asked, trying not to cry. Nadine felt the unsteady rock under her shift, moving closer to the men.

"No." Klaus responded. "What about Pogo?" Diego asked the two, looking between them. "He didn't make it." Nadine felt her eyes burn more as she turned to face Luther. "What?" Diego questioned. "Vanya killed him." The girl gasped, her eyebrows furrowing. "How the fuck..." She whispered.

"But Vanya wouldn't-" "No, I saw it. Just before we got out." Luther interrupted Diego's denial of the truth, but Nadine could tell. She could tell that even though Luther was a lot of things, he was not a liar. Pogo had taken care of her when she got hurt, and Luther had been so mean to him lately. I hope he knew how loved he was.

"Mom. Now Pogo." Diego sighed, sitting down on a cement block behind him. "Guys!" Nadine's pulse quickened as she turned and watched Five run towards them. He was alive. He was okay. She sprinted towards him, grabbing onto his upper arm and doing a quick look over just in case. He had been known for keeping injuries hidden.

"This is it. The apocalypse is still on. The world ends today." Five spoke, glancing at Nadine. His expression softened when his eyes met hers. Even though the world was about to end, she felt like hers had just started.

"I thought you said it was over." Luther questioned, breaking the staring contest between the two. "I was wrong, okay? This newspaper, I found it in the future the day I got stuck. The headline hasn't changed." Five defended his statement.

"No, that doesn't mean anything." Diego shook his head in denial. Nadine noticed the blood dripping from his forehead and hissed, walking back over to them. She pulled the sleeve of her zip up down a little and wiped the blood away from his eyes. "The time could've been altered since that newspaper came out this morning." Diego finished his statement, looking at Nadine with a thankful expression once she finished.

"You're not listening to me. When I found it, I assumed this place came down along with everything else. But here we are. The moon's still shining, the earth is in one piece, but not the Academy." Five explained, leaning slightly forward to omit urgency, as Nadine made her way back to him. Klaus took a few steps forward and snatched the newspaper out of his hand. "I'm confused."

"Then listen to me, you idiot!" The boy yelled, getting irritated. Nadine put a hand on his shoulder gently and felt him relax under her touch. "Vanya destroys the Academy before the apocalypse. I thought Harold Jenkins was the cause, but he was the fuse. Vanya is the bomb. Vanya causes the apocalypse." If they didn't believe him before, they sure believed him now. "We have to find her." Luther instructed.

Nadine closed her eyes and put her hand up, blocking the light from a helicopter that was flying over them. "We gotta go, now." Diego spoke with urgency. "Regroup at the Super Star. Go!"

Five grabbed onto Nadine's arm immediately, spinning her into his chest as he blinked them away.

~~~~~

"A bowling alley?" Nadine questioned humorously, taking a sip of the water she had snagged from the counter. "It's the first place I thought of." Diego shrugged from where he sat. "Look, I hate to be the one to say this, but everyone needs to prepare." Luther started.

"For what?" Diego asked him, his eyebrows coming together. "To do whatever it takes to stop Vanya." The bigger man continued. Allison smacked him as everyone looked at him incredulously. Is he talking about...?

"I- we may not have a choice, Allison." He defended himself. Nadine shook her head, rolling her eyes at the man. "Bullshit. There's always options." Diego denied.

"Yeah, weren't you the one that said there's always a choice?" Nadine squinted her eyes at the man as she spoke, remembering why she and him had argued so much the last time they chatted.

He glared at her, going to say something back but was interrupted. "Yeah, like what?" Five asked his brother. Nadine glanced over at the boy she sat beside before pulling her legs up against her chest. The bowling shoes she had on rubbed against each other, squeaking slightly. "I don't know." Diego answered.

"Look, whatever we decide, we need to find Vanya. And fast, okay? She could be anywhere." Luther stood up as he talked. "Or... here." Nadine looked over at Klaus who held open a newspaper, pointing towards a specific article. "Look at this." The siblings all moved over to see. She leaned against Fives shoulder to get a better look.

"That's right. Her concert is tonight." Diego remembered. "Hello. I hate to intrude, but my manager says if you're not gonna bowl, you gotta leave." The girl smiled at them after speaking before turning and walking away. "Whose turn is it?" Diego asked.

"Oh, for the love of..." Luther stood up and grabbed a ball, tossing it as he stared at the manger. Nadine put a hand over her mouth as she laughed, her eyes going wide as she realized he got a strike. Five glanced over at her slightly, some of his nerves resolving at the sound of her laugh. "We're the only ones capable of stopping this. We have a responsibility to dad." Luther spoke once he returned.

Diego scoffed, turning towards them. "To dad? No, I've heard enough about-" "He sacrificed everything to bring us back together." Luther defended. "I'm with Luther on this one." Five spoke in agreement. Nadine looked over at the boy with wide eyes, not expecting that.

"We can't give her a chance to fight back. There are billions of lives at stake. We're past trying to save just one." Five spoke with an incredibly serious tone. Even if Nadine didn't agree all the way, his voice was still nice to listen to. Oh god, what have I become?

"Hey, you know, guys, uh... maybe I could help." Klaus commented, putting his fingertips together. "Now is not the time." Nadine rolled her eyes at Luther's words, about to go off on him when Diego interrupted for her. "No, let him finish." When Luther looked at him in question, Diego gave him a serious expression. "He saved my life today."

"Is that true?" Luther asked with a perplexed expression. "Yeah, yeah, I did... take credit for it. In fact the real hero... was Ben." The siblings all stared at Klaus, trying to figure out if he was lying. "He's not lying, you guys." Nadine nodded towards the man who gave her a grateful expression.

"How would you know?" Luther asked the girl, fire in his eyes. Five put a hand on the girl's upper arm and she looked back at him before exhaling and rolling her eyes in response. "Today... listen. Today, he punched me in the face. And earlier at the house, he was the one who saved Diego's life, not me." Klaus explained. Nadine smiled at the man, proud of Ben for taking on a form in some way.

"You are unbelievable, Klaus." Nadine grit her teeth at Luther's words, looking towards Five to calm herself down. The boy gave her a lopsided smile when he noticed her eyes on him, immediately diminishing her anger by half.

"You want proof, is that it? All right, I'll give you proof. All right, it's showtime, baby." Klaus picked up and threw a bowling ball into the air next to Five. The boy backed slightly closer to Nadine just in case and they watched as it thudded onto the ground.

Klaus put his hands behind his head as his siblings stared at him in disbelief. "Is there any way to silence that voice in your head that screams out to be the center of attention?" Luther asked him. Nadine smacked the seat she was on and tried to stand up but Five grabbed her forearm, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"Don't be a fucking dick." She spat at Luther. "You know, I liked you a lot better before you got laid." Klaus tilted his head and smiled sarcastically at the man. "Which was a complete... it wasn't his fault, cause he was ridiculously high, right? And the girl, she thought he was a furry."

Nadine smacked her hand over her mouth as she barked out a laugh, holding onto Five's leg with her other hand. The boy looked at her in amusement. "Stop!" Luther yelled. "Allison, wait." Luther went after her as she walked away from the group quickly.

"Wait, are they..." Nadine looked over at Five who gave her a funny expression. "Didn't you know?" The girl made a sour face, shaking her head. "Oh god, gross."

"Excuse me!" A woman came up with a boy clutched under her arm, smiling at the group. "It's my son Kenny's birthday today, and, uh, wouldn't your son and daughter be happier playing with kids their own age?" Nadine's eyes widened. "Assuming it's okay with your two dads."

Nadine pressed her lips together to try not to laugh. She turned and hid her head behind Five's back while putting the sleeve of her zip up into her mouth, biting it. "Oh my god."

When she sat up, she kept the sleeve of her hoodie against her mouth. "I would rather chew off my own foot." Five spoke with venom, making it harder for Nadine to hold back her laughter.

"Let's go, Kenny." The woman grabbed her son and started to pull him away. "I'm sorry Kenny! Happy birthday!" The girl yelled to them, waving slightly. Nadine watched as Five lifted his head like he heard something. The boy stood up and ran towards the machine bowling balls shoot out of. He lifted something and pulled out a container.

"How the hell did she find me?" He whispered. Nadine stood and walked towards him. "How did who find you?" The boy didn't answer making her eyebrows come together. "Five, how did who find you?"

.