The fire had already subsided by the time Five walked back to where he started. He watched silently as the sirens danced darkly around the walls of the foyer and the broken glass of the chandelier.

Five exhaled deeply through his nose. His floor was useless. No bodies. No leads. Not even a stray bullet.

It was too clean for his taste. Too quiet.

Luther had already taken the liberty of bringing the unconscious Sparrow out of the building to get some clean air into his lungs, so he was left alone to sleuth.

But as quick as it came, two figures came into mind. One whose complex challenged anyone and the other whose scent and locks floated in his head, and he remembered he wasn't the only one in the building.

He warped beyond the chandelier, landing feet flat on the stairs. His feet wasted no time in climbing up the flights. A body greeted him at the top, stopping him on his tracks. Upon closer inspection, he found bleedings similar to the ones Ben left on his victims and released a breath when the body didn't resemble any of the two.

Five peeked through the corner. More bodies lined up the hardwood floor in blood trails with the same punctures. A light shone at the end of the corridor and he could feel his stomach churn at the thought of what he might see at the end.

A shuffle to his right grabbed his attention and his head turned immediately.

This side was darker compared to the other, further degrading his anxiety, but he shoved it down his throat and treaded forward anyway.

As Five walked on, the trail of bodies seemed to be lessening. He passed by several empty rooms with no trace Diego and Mara or any of the Sparrows and wondered for a moment if anyone was even home to begin with.

At last, he reached the end of the corridor to a bedroom that used to be his. The door was cracked open and he could hear wind rushing in. Five expected someone to jump at him the moment he pushed open the door, but nothing came. He couldn't even find any sign of struggle or anything out of place.

The curtains ruffled gracefully with the wind, and he found himself drawing closer towards it. He poked his head out the window, feeling the cool air hit his face. Below him was the familiar alleyway near the back of the building that he used to escape to from conversing with his siblings or anyone for that matter.

A particular mop of red hair stood out in the middle of this dark alley. The figure was walking away from the Academy with his back turned towards a black van in a saunter. The man turned and locked eyes with Five, giving him the same shit eating grin that hovered over Mara. He cast one last wave and opened the car door.

"Shit." Five swore harshly under his breath. His legs scrambled to climb over the ledge and into the metal railing before he jumped off completely, warping midair to where the man last stood. But the car had already sped backwards and out into the open road by the time his feet touched the ground.

"Dammit!" Running a hand through his hair, he kicked the nearby garbage disposal. Its loud noise sent a wave through his body, further increasing his frustration. If he had gotten here sooner he would've finally have a lead or something to go from, but now he's back to zero.

"Five?"

The boy spun around, ready to lunge at anyone, but stopped when he came face to face with Mara. He stared directly over her face, and knew at once something must have happened in between the time they were apart.

Mara's firm attitude and cool composure disappeared entirely with her shoulders dropped and and arms hanging limp at her side. Her gaze felt distant as if staring through him rather than at him. Even her voice was soft and far, making Five think for a moment he was just asleep and dreaming back in her apartment.

Patches of blood adorned one cheek, and her hands were completely drenched in it as well as the lower half of her torso. The fabric stuck to her skin, revealing the outline of her bandage and at least assuring Five that it did not tear off from her all her running.

"We should get back to Luther." Diego called from behind, "We're too open here."

Ben stood beside him, tension evident between the two as his body was stiff and unmoving while the vigilante had a palm resting over the handle of the knife in his hip.

Five nodded back at him and returned his gaze to Mara. He wanted to say something. His lips were already open for anything to come out, but he just couldn't seem to find the words.

So Mara walked away, leaving Five to follow behind wordlessly.

His brother had led them away from the spectators and officials idling in the front of the house through a narrow passage further into the rear of the house. The street that they came out to brought them into a much quieter neighborhood with its lazy lights and the soft humming of the wind.

With each block they passed, Five was slowly starting to recognize the buildings and stores around him. They walked past the library where he drank himself away as well as the backstreet that he was carried in the arms of Luther. Hell, even the department store where he found Delores was still intact.

"Where are we going exactly?" Ben asked, finally breaking the silence.

"There's a place we can stay for the night." Diego replied. "Luther knows about it, so hopefully we'll see the rest of the group there and reevaluate."

"What place? We literally just got here yesterday." Five tore his eyes away from the pavement towards his brother, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Remember that night you passed out drunk?"

Mara's head rose and raised an eyebrow at him, the only gesture that showed she wasn't detached from reality ever since they left the Academy.

"In my defense, I thought we were all gonna die from the apocalypse in two days." Five protested, more so towards her he realized after for the sake of his dignity.

"Apocalypse?" Ben echoed.

"I'll tell you later." Mara looked at him tiredly and he complied, letting the rustle of the air swallow them again.

Their brisk walk finally ended when Diego stopped them in front of a closed bar. A notice explaining the absence of service was stapled on the tinted front doors that he was now lockpicking.

Five knew the place instantly.

"This was the boxing area you used to stay in."

"Yeah. The same owner still owns this place and conveniently just went out for a little vacation." Diego stood straight and cracked open the door. "Hate to see it become a club though, but at least its still here."

Inside, the interior was a mix of traditional and modern. Metal stools stood neatly in front of the wooden bar counter with rows of alcoholic bottles filling the shelf. A jukebox marked the start of booths covering the wall across the counter. Dim neon lights lined the ceiling, giving it a soft glow.

A shuffle of movement echoed within the restricted area at the back of the bar, and the group turned their heads.

"Diego?" Klaus rushed out of the maintenance door with a relieved smile plastered on his face, but everything dropped when he locked eyes with the newcomer. "Ben."

Five looked between the two as the aforementioned tensed. He shifted in his place, switching his weight from one foot to the other, while his brother just looked absolutely torn. He stood frozen in his spot with pursed lips and heavy eyes, not quite knowing what to do or even feel. His expression would be something the boy would never forget and hoped he would never have to see again.

"Hey, no hard feelings about the first time we met." Klaus tried to return his smile and raised a hand for him to shake, but it shook horribly and retracted it instead.

Ben only nodded his head and looked elsewhere.

"Where's Jesper?" Mara quietly stepped forward, breaking the ice between the two.

"Back here." Klaus coughed before he looked down and led them through the door he came from.

"Aren't there cameras?" Five asked.

"Wiped it." the vigilante replied coolly just as they passed the open door of the security room.

Five caught a knife sticking out of a wrecked server, causing sparks flying out. He made an 'O' shape with his mouth in realization.

The group entered the small room, and Five knew it was where he had his first good sleep ever since he time jumped back to his family. Jesper lay peacefully by the same corner in a makeshift cot with a large bag of sugar supported his head. The cuts on his face were already treated and he seemed to be breathing normally.

Allison, Luther, and Vanya were also present in the room. The three siblings shot up from their seats at the sight of them, and just like Klaus, their muscles just stopped the moment their eyes landed on Ben.

Vanya was the first to break out of her thoughts as she approached them carefully with the whispered words of "Let me help you." and the two Sparrows gave in, followed her inside and collapsed by the side of their unconscious sibling. They kept their eyes trained on his sleeping form as Vanya began to tend to Ben's wounds.

Five recognized the tired looks on their faces. It was an expression mixed with guilt, anger, and anxiety, and one he knew all too well.

"C'mon." Five gestured to his siblings out the door. He wanted to at least give them a moment for themselves to breathe easy, especially Ben.

He got caught in the crossfire too early with no knowledge as to what and why it was even happening. He has every right to be confused and angry or even doubt the loyalties of his only sister.

"I've got a lot of explaining to do."

_________________________

A/N:

Hey y'all.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: I just want to clarify that Five is biologically a little bit older here so that it won't go over the line.

Anyways I'm so sorry for the delay. It was finals week and projects were due, so basically I pulled a Five and lived on coffee for the past two weeks.

At this point where I have to start applying for colleges, I don't think I can commit to finishing a chapter every week anymore. I end up editing it anyway and I think it may be starting to annoy you guys or even letting you down. So I've decided I would spend a bit more time with it before publishing it.

I really hope you guys understand. I'll still try to hit the one week mark, but I won't guarantee it anymore.

Honestly, thank you for still being here. I know my writing is still a bit wack and sometimes not even consistent. I'll probably take a little break and edit once I reach chapter 20.

Stay safe loves.

K out.