Chapter Two:

"Forty-Three children were born on October 1st, 1989." The boy, or Five as he said his name was, told her as they walked between buildings, making sure they remained in the shadows. Lotus had no idea where they were going but was listening intently to his stories.

"And that's weird because?" She asked. Nothing was odd about Forty-Three kids being born on that day, in fact she was sure more were.

"Because none of the women were pregnant when the day began."

She pursed her lips, "Ok, yeah. That's a little weird."

They turned another corner, walking on Main Street now. Lotus looked around, not as familiar with this area of the city as she probably should've been. "How do you know all this?" She asked, "And if you're really born in 1989, why do you look like a kid?"

He glared at her, "I could ask you the same."

Lotus shrugged, remembering the day she had seemingly stopped ageing. Her mother called it a blessing but than two weeks later she was found dead and Lotus was forced to live on the streets.

"I stopped ageing on my sixteenth birthday." She explained, wondering if he even cared. "Don't know why or how because my gift didn't show up until my twenty fifth."

He nodded as if he understood, "I travelled into the future and got stuck. I grew old there, all alone. But my calculations were off and when I finally came back, I came back in the body I left in."

"At least it's a good body."

"What?" His brows furrowed glancing at her. She only chuckled, enjoying having real company.

"The minds of elderly." She shook her head, "Never clue in to good conversation."

He shook his head as they crossed another intersection, coming to a stop in front of a nice looking building. He pushed open a gate and walked up to the double doors, a black umbrella in a circle etched beautifully onto the glass. He let himself in, motioning for her to follow. And she did, jaw dropping as the doors shut behind her.

"My god." She mumbled looking around, the grand space stretching out in front of her. She went to the right and ran a hand along the wall of bookcases, not helping a smile grow on her lips. "Is this your home?"

"Yes."

Her hand fell away as the wall ended, an archway turning into a new room. She took a few steps in, eyes instantly falling to a portrait that had been hung overtop a fireplace.

"Did you put that there?"

"Of course not." He walked up beside her, hands still in his pockets. "I went missing, and when I was stuck in the future my father must've made that and hung it up."

"Five?"

The two turned around and Lotus's eyes widened, staring down at them was a rather large man. "This is Lotus." He told the man, "She's like us."

And with that Five walked off, straight towards the front doors.

"Where are you going?" The man called out, but got no reply as the door slammed shut. The man turned and gave her an odd look, something that seemed popular among Five and whoever these people were.

"I'm Luther." He finally said, giving a shrug of his rather large shoulders. "I'm Five's brother."

"I'm Lotus Ingrid." She smiled, sticking her hand out. The man took it and shook it twice before she dropped her own hand, turning back around to admire the large rooms. She walked fully into the one she had been examining first, a hand gracing a couch as she walked towards the fireplace.

"You have a power?" Luther's voice floated in after her, she was surprised she couldn't hear his heavy footsteps on the old hardwood floors.

"I'd like to call it a gift." She told him, "But yes."

She could hear him shift on his feet though, and the way his breaths came out heavy. "Do you?" She finally asked when the silence grew to long, Lotus hated silence but enjoyed it all the same. Her personality was definitely odd, changing like a mood.

"I do." He told her softly, and in that moment she forget she still looked sixteen. "Strength."

"I suppose you want me to tell you mine?"

He pursed his lips, "I guess."

Lotus grinned taking a step forward, she raised her hand and slowly inched towards the bare skin of his hand. She grabbed ahold of a finger and closed her eyes, feeling the shiver return once again. But this time it was odd, she could actually feel things change. She could feel her height sprout up, her shoulders expanding and her feet growing. When it was done, she gasped opening her eyes.

"What the hell.." Luther mumbled staring at himself, she took a few steps back trying not to fall with all this new weight.

"Luther?"

Lotus looked to see a women in the archway, eyeing both the matching figures.

"Allison." Luther gave her a nod, "Hey."

"What the hell is going on here?" The women asked, her heels clicking on the ground.

"Nothing." Lotus's feminine voice seemed to surprise the women as it left what looked like Luther's mouth. She circled back in on herself, picturing her face and her body, before she felt the ground sink below her and she stumbled down onto the floor. "Hi." She gave the woman named Allison a nod, "I'm Lotus."

"And you can change your form....?"

The young girl nodded, but another voice answered.

"She's a Shapeshifter."

Lotus turned to see another man peering down at them from above, his hands gripped the railing as he leaned over.

The same man disappeared and rushed down onto the main floor, joining the group. "The real question should be, how did Dad never find her?"

"Are you going to interrogate her now, Diego?" Luther asked, his giant form quite intimating from the viewpoint of a 4'9 teenage looking girl. Lotus' mind was spinning as she took a good look at each individual before the large room added onto the big ass pile of information that was forming in her mind.

"Do you all have powers to?" She asked, breaking the small argument about to erupt. "Are you all siblings as well?"

They all looked at her as if she was stupid, it was the man named Diego who spoke first. "You've never heard of us?"

She shook her head, "No. But Five said something about being in some sort of group?"

"How have you never heard of The Umbrella Academy?" Allison asked, another person giving her an odd look.

Lotus frowned, "My only family died when I was sixteen, I lived on the streets until I discovered my gift. I had no time to focus on what others were doing."

"I'm sorry." The other women sighed, "Um, how'd you end up here?"

"He said his name was Number Five?"

"Of course it was him." Diego huffed, "He shows up after years and now starts screwing with things—"

"It's fine." Lotus said making her way back towards the front door, "I can leave, it's ok. I should actually go, I don't really belong here anyways."

Her hand touched the door knob as yet another voice echoed through the large house, "Miss Lotus Ingrid."

She turned to see a walking chimpanzee with glasses and a walking stick, he stood rather tall as he stared over at her.

"There is no need for you to leave."

"Pogo." Luther's giant frame came into view, "If she wants to leave it isn't our place to stop her."

Pogo, what an odd but glorious name for a talking chimpanzee, she thought.

"Miss Lotus' name was been discussed plenty of times by your father, but no matter how hard he tried he could never find her." Pogo walked towards her, his cane hitting the ground with a thud. "She belongs here just as you do, she is one of you after all. You should treat her as such."

"You were born on October First in 1989?" Allison asked, "Just like us?"

Lotus nodded slowly, "Yes."

"She's family now." Pogo declared, "Now, will one of you show her to a guest room. You all should get some sleep, it's been a long night."

Lotus didn't want to stay, but nor did she want to leave. So when Allison, the only other woman around walked up to her and kindly led her up flights of stairs to an empty white room, leaving her there alone, she couldn't deny sleeping on a comfy bed. So she shut the big door behind her and walked over to the white covered bed and tucked herself in, thinking back to how the day began and not even being able to imagine that it would end like this.