Scarlett walked down a dim corridor ablaze with flickering flames, a disorienting scene that left her questioning how she had got there. As she ventured past each room, a distant voice echoed her name, drawing her into a room that mirrored her childhood bedroom.

That's when she realized she was inside the academy, yet it remained frozen in time since the sparrows gotten control.

"Who's there?" Scarlett's asked. In a corner, a figure stood, unaffected by the flames that raged around them. "You shouldn't be here. It's not safe," she warned, her mind swirling with unanswered questions about the blaze consuming the academy and the whereabouts of her loved ones.

Her heart skipped a beat as the figure turned, revealing the face of Ryder, a sight she never thought she'd see again. "Ryder?" Scarlett's voice faltered, disbelief mingling with hope.

"It's time, Scarlett," he declared, walking toward her. "What do you mean?" she asked, seeking answers.

"It's time for you to discover your true self," Ryder's cryptic words hung in the air.

Suddenly, Scarlett found herself jolting awake in her bed within the Obsidian, gasping for air as Valerie comforted her. She was drenched in sweat, bewildered by the events that she just witnessed. "Are you alright? What happened?" Valerie asked, concern etched in her voice.

"I...I don't know," Scarlett stammered. "Run me through the nightmare," Valerie requested.

"It wasn't exactly a nightmare. It felt more like a message, I think," Scarlett explained, finally catching her breath and locking eyes with Valerie. "I saw Ryder."

__

"Is that little delinquent your son?" Valerie asked, her surprise evident in her voice.

"Allegedly my son," Diego corrected.

"That's hilarious!" Klaus chuckled, joining Valerie in laughter.

The next morning during breakfast, Diego dropped the bombshell that he supposedly had a son, turning it into quite an eventful morning. Scarlett, still thinking about the events of the previous night, found herself wrestling with the true meaning of her dream. Why was Ryder there, and why did it feel so vividly real?

Interrupting Scarlett's thoughts, Five slid into a chair beside her. "What's on your mind?" he asked, noticing her tired expression.

"You look like you haven't slept," Diego observed, concern evident in his voice.

"Because she hasn't," Valerie chimed in.

Scarlett sighed. "It's not a big deal," she said though she knew it was anything but.

"She had a dream and saw Ryder," Valerie revealed, drawing everyone's attention.

"You dreamt about your dead lover," Klaus shrugged nonchalantly. "Happens to me all the time."

"It didn't feel like a dream," Scarlett insisted. "It felt real. He told me it was time for me to learn who I truly am."

"Maybe it means something," Five suggested, his tone thoughtful.

"Yeah, sis, I wouldn't ignore this," Diego agreed.

Scarlett knew she couldn't ignore it; this dream held significance, she could feel it. Determined to uncover its meaning, she pushed aside her worries about seeing Ryder again. After all, it was just a dream, and Ryder wasn't real. But it had felt too real to be dismissed so easily.

"Wait, who's...who's the mother?" Scarlett's gaze fell on Diego, curious.

"Lila," Diego stated bluntly. "Excuse me?" Klaus's disbelief was evident.

"Woah, Lila's here?" Five's surprise matched Klaus's. "Was," Diego corrected. "She dropped him off in my lap last night then bolted," he explained.

"I don't much care for that one," Klaus muttered. "Well, technically, she's family," Scarlett pointed out.

"She was trying to murder us, like, yesterday," Klaus countered.

"Like I said, 'family'," Scarlett repeated.

"Diego, is she coming back?" Five interjected, his concern evident.

"Well, she goddamn better be because we've got more important things to deal with right now!" Diego's frustration was directed towards his son, who sat across the room in a booth.

"Calm down," Klaus advised.

"Does this make me an aunt?" Scarlett asked Diego with a smirk. "I charge fifteen bucks an hour for babysitting," she declared.

"That's highway robbery," Five exclaimed.

Suddenly, Vanya walked over to the group, but she looked different. Her hair was cut short, and she was wearing men's attire.

"Where's Luther?" she asked, her voice carrying a sense of urgency.

"Who cares? Probably out for...a run," Diego remarked, taking note of her altered appearance. The rest of the group couldn't help but notice the change as well.

"Love the haircut," Klaus complimented, breaking the silence with a grin.

Vanya returned his smile gratefully. "So, I talked to Marcus last night," she disclosed.

"Wait, what? You talked to the enemy? Alone?" Scarlett's surprise was evident.

"Somebody had to do something," Vanya countered. "Yeah, and who elected you, Vanya?" Diego challenged.

After a brief moment of silence, Vanya spoke up again. "It's...uh, Viktor."

Confusion rippled through the family as they looked at the person standing before them. "Who's Viktor?" Valerie asked, voicing the collective bewilderment.

"I am. It's who I've always been," Viktor declared. The siblings exchanged confused glances until realization dawned upon them.

"Is that an issue for anyone?" Viktor asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Nah, I'm good with it," Diego affirmed with a nod. "Yeah, me too. Cool," Klaus chimed in.

"No matter who you are, you'll always be a part of this family," Scarlett assured him, her smile genuine as Valerie nodded in agreement.

"Truly happy for you, Viktor," Five added warmly. "But last time I checked, you don't speak for this family," he retorted calmly.

"Okay, well, it's fine, okay?" Viktor took a seat at the table. "Marcus totally gets it. He doesn't want a war any more than we do," he insisted.

"What are you talking about? He tried to kill us!" Diego protested.

"So did Lila, and you had a kid with her," Scarlett countered. "That's not the point!" Diego insisted.

"We made a deal," Viktor revealed. "He's going to give back Five's briefcase, then we're going to get out of this timeline. We're meeting later today for the handover," he explained.

"That's a rookie move. The dude is playing you," Diego warned. "Oh, really?" Viktor challenged.

"Yeah, but maybe we can use this. We turn it back on them and then we wipe them the hell out," Diego proposed.

"Diego, stop, please. And you're going to do something today," Viktor declared.

"Except bond with your spawn," Scarlett teased playfully. "Hey, that rhymed," Klaus exclaimed, sharing a laugh with Scarlett as they exchanged a high-five.

"Alleged spawn," Diego corrected with a smirk.

"I will get the briefcase, and then we will all go back and fix the timeline," Viktor insisted.

"Hey, we're not going anywhere! This is a perfectly acceptable timeline," Five interjected.

"Yeah, why don't you tell that to Allison, who's grieving her daughter, who doesn't even exist here?" Viktor retorted. "Not to mention, we've been replaced by a bunch of cubes and birds and shit," Diego added.

"Newsflash, geniuses! It's not about us!" Five emphasized. "Take a look around. If you hadn't noticed, there's no doomsday. There's no apocalypse. The sun is shining."

"Five isn't wearing that hideous uniform anymore," Scarlett remarked.

"Exactly! We're done messing with time," Five announced. "And I'm officially retired," he exclaimed before leaving.

As Five began to depart, Scarlett suddenly caught a whiff of his scent. "Is he wearing aftershave?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

__

"Ah, there he is," Alphonso remarked as Luther walked into the kitchen, holding a mop. The sparrows had taken Luther, a member of the Umbrella Academy, believing they were responsible for the disappearance of their brother Marcus.

"Please, join us," Fei extended a welcoming gesture, despite the sparrows' recent aggression towards Luther.

"It's okay, nobody's going to hurt you," Jasmine reassured him, offering a seat at the table adorned with breakfast dishes.

"You must be starving," Fei remarked. "Oh, uh, no, I...I probably shouldn't," Luther hesitated before spotting the many breakfasts foods on the table.

"Is that cashew butter?" he asked. "Cashew butter, almond butter, sunflower butter, tahini, Brazil nut," Solane listed.

"Wow. You know what? Now that you mention it, I am feeling a little bit peckish, actually," Luther chuckled nervously. "Help yourself," Alphonso invited.

As Luther began to eat, the sparrows watched him closely. Jasmine noticed her sister, Sloane, taking an interest in Luther. While Jasmine wasn't particularly close with her other siblings, she shared a unique bond with Sloane, one that set them apart from the rest. They were deeply connected, sharing almost everything-a connection that confused their other siblings.

So when Sloane looked at Luther a certain way, Jasmine knew exactly what was going through her mind, so she shot her a look. Sloane caught her gaze and shook her head, but Jasmine narrowed her eyebrows.

"So, we know you're number one," Ben began speaking, turning the girls' attention back to the real matter. "But we haven't been formally introduced yet. I'm Ben, number two," he introduced himself, but Luther just grinned at him.

"It's so good to see you again, buddy," Luther chuckled. "Why does everyone keep looking at me like that?" Ben asked, his frustration evident.

"'Cause you've been dead for fifteen years," Luther revealed, causing the siblings to turn to the two boys, confused. "Dead?" Ben asked, genuinely confused. "What do you mean, dead?"

"Kind of a long story," Luther chuckled.

"Anyway, I'm Fei, number three," she announced.

"Alphonso, cuatro," he announced in Spanish.

"Sloane, five. Hey," she smiled and waved at Luther. She wasn't fooling anyone, Jasmine thought, as she playfully rolled her eyes.

"I'm Jayme, six," she announced.

"That's Christopher, of course, number seven," Ben introduced him.

"And I'm Jasmine, eight," she turned to Luther, introducing herself.

Luther nodded, acknowledging all seven of them. He then noticed a sibling was missing. "What about number one?" he asked. "What about him?" Fei asked.

"Where is he?" Luther asked. Suddenly, Ben stabbed the table with a butter knife, looking up at Luther. "That's what we'd like to know," Luther looked at Ben, confused.

The siblings all turned to Luther, waiting for him to speak. "Are we playing a game?" Luther asked, confused.

"Whatever game the Umbrellas are playing, you're gonna lose!" Ben declared. "You took our number one, so we took you," he grinned.

"Wait, we took Marcus?" Luther asked, genuinely confused. "Why would we do that?" he chuckled.

"Act of war? Death wish?" Jayme suggested. "Last time we saw him, he was with your sister," Sloane revealed.

"Which one?" Luther asked.

"The little one with big powers," Fei replied.

"Vanya? Huh. Well, I gotta say, it does not sound like Vanya to kidnap anybody. You know, having said that, I am usually the last to know about these kinds of things," Luther said.

"You're their number one. Shouldn't you know everything?" Ben asked.

"We don't do numbers anymore. We got sick of always competing with each other," Luther began, shrugging. "In fact, if anyone over there is our leader, it's probably Scarlett," he said, surprising himself with his words. "Woah, I didn't think I'd ever say that, but it's true."

"Scarlett?" Jasmine asked, getting everyone's attention. "The one with fire powers?" Luther nodded.

"Yeah! You've met?" he asked.

Jasmine sighed. "Sort of," she said, sinking into her seat. Of course, Scarlett was seen as a leader over there. She looked like a leader. It made Jasmine feel even more insecure, especially because Scarlett was their number eight.

"So listen, this sounds like an easy fix. I'll head back. I mean, my family's probably worried sick about me, to be honest. And if they have your guy, I'll send him back without a scratch, all right? No harm, no foul play," Luther proposed. "How's that sound?" he asked, looking at the siblings.

"Great," he tried to stand up, but Jasmine's vines quickly pulled him back down in his seat. "What's the rush?" she asked.

"Yeah, stick around till Marcus is back," Ben added.

"My family will come for me," Luther said.

"Wonderful. In the meantime, make yourself at home," Ben said, then stood up, cleaning up his dishes. Jasmine stood up after him. "And it'll be easy since you know...you think this is your fucking house," she said.

Luther turned to Jasmine and chuckled. "You remind me a lot of Scarlett," he said, making Jasmine slam her plate back on the table and throwing pollen in his face, making him cough before she walked away frustrated.

Her siblings watched her walk away in surprise. She wasn't usually this frustrated over things. She usually just brushed stuff off. She was the calm one. It was in her nature. Her powers made her calm. This wasn't like her. Scarlett was changing how she acted, and she didn't like that one bit.

__

Meanwhile, Scarlett found herself in her hotel room, trying to sleep. The yearning to dive back into the depths of her dreams, to unravel the mysteries awaiting her, was evident. Yet, interwoven with that desire was the longing to reunite with Ryder once more. Despite her insistence, she couldn't get to sleep.

"It won't come if you try to force it," Valerie's voice, a gentle interruption, broke through the quiet room as she appeared in the doorway. Scarlett sat up to meet her gaze.

"What if it never comes again?" she pondered aloud, her voice tinged with frustration. Valerie settled beside her, a comforting presence in the dimly lit room.

"It will come. You just have let it to find you," she reassured. Yet, Scarlett couldn't shake the gnawing sense of incompleteness. "What do you think these dreams are trying to say?" Valerie asked softly.

"I don't know, but I think it's a connection to my powers," Scarlett confessed, her mind clouding with uncertainty. "Maybe if you redirect your thoughts onto your powers, it might make the process go faster," Valerie suggested with a gentle tone.

"You're right," Scarlett said, contemplating the idea. "Well, I think I should hit the hay then," she began to recline, but Valerie stopped her.

"Not yet," she chuckled softly. "Patience, Scar. You can't rush this; it will come to you in its own time."

"Okay," Scarlett sighed, standing up. "Let's join the others downstairs," Valerie suggested, a smile gracing her lips as they walked towards the lobby, where Diego, Viktor, and Allison awaited their company in a cozy booth.

"I mean, who does that? Who does that?" Diego's murmurs reached Scarlett's ears as she and Valerie approached them.

"What's are you muttering about now?" Scarlett asked.

"Lila," Diego responded as the girls settled into the booth. "Dumping Stan on me after all these years. I mean, that's just not right," his frustration palpable.

Valerie chuckled. "Hey, man, if you did the deed, don't blame her for the consequences," she remarked.

"That's not the point," Diego countered. "Oh, then what is?" Valerie asked.

"He's cramping my style. I need to be able to react to danger at a moment's notice," Diego explained, punctuating his words with a snap of his fingers. "How am I supposed to do that when I'm playing wet nurse with a twelve-year-old?"

"You're his dad!" Scarlett interjected firmly.

"Alleged dad," Diego corrected.

"Well, at least you have a kid," Allison interjected, downing the rest of her drink before heading to the bar. Scarlett couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for her sister's loss, knowing there was little she could do.

"Okay, gather round, everyone," Five announced, accompanied by Klaus as they approached the group. "Where have you two been?" Viktor asked.

"Learning some very valuable information," Five replied. "Where's Luther?" he continued, noting his absence.

"I haven't seen him since he went for that walk," Scarlett answered.

"Whatever, we have bigger problems to worry about right now," Five declared, holding a book in his hand. The others gathered around, eager to hear what he had to share.

"Like what?" Allison asked.

"Look at this," Five announced, flipping open the book to reveal newspaper clippings featuring eight different women.

"Who are they?" Viktor asked, drawing the group's collective attention.

"These are our mothers," Five revealed, his words hanging heavy in the air.

"What?" Scarlett exclaimed, taken aback.

"That one's mine," Klaus interjected, pointing to an Amish woman in the photograph.

"You could've been Amish?" Scarlett asked, a hint of confusion coloring her tone. Klaus simply nodded in confirmation.

Scarlett's gaze lingered on a woman who had a striking resemblance to herself. It was the first time she had ever laid eyes on her mother, and she couldn't help but find her undeniably beautiful.

"They're all dead," Five announced grimly, causing Scarlett to look up at him with horror in her eyes.

"They all died on the exact same day, October 1st, 1989," he revealed. "That's our birthday," Scarlett realized, a chill creeping down her spine.

"Not anymore it isn't," Five declared. "They all died before we were even born."

"That's crazy. If we weren't born, how can we exist?" Diego questioned incredulously.

"Exactly," Five replied, his tone grave. "What I'm saying is, when we jumped here, we created a time paradox. And not just any paradox-this is the grandfather paradox."

"What the hell is a grandfather paradox?" Scarlett asked, confused.

As she observed the expression on Five's face, a sinking realization dawned upon her. They hadn't escaped anything; instead, they had unwittingly unleashed something far greater than the apocalypse.

END OF CHAPTER