Chapter Thirty Three:

Klaus almost stumbled over his feet as the doors to the elevator opened painfully slow. He raced out, calling for someone, anyone to help.

He felt sick, flashes of his lost love glossing over his eyes. He shook his head, he wasn't losing Lotus either.

Over the past few weeks, he'd grown fond of Lotus. He saw her as a younger sister, though he knew she was the same age as him. Klaus actually cared for the girl, maybe even loved her like a sister. She had stuck with him in the most weirdest times, and only her presence seemed to drastically change his moods.

"Pogo!" He screamed, giving up on trying to act civilized in his own house, besides, when was it ever in him to act such a way. He looked down at Lotus, her chest was still rising which gave him a shimmer of hope. Her eyes stayed open for long periods of time, to a point where he wondered if she had given up, but then they'd flutter in a blink and he'd be able to take another breath again.

"Klaus, why are you yelling?"

Five came into view, his brother stopped in his tracks, eyes landing on Lotus. His face dropped, the mask that he wore fell as he threw himself towards them.

"What the hell happened?" He demanded, "Give her to me, go find Mom!"

Klaus hesitated but gently lowered Lotus to the floor where Five wrapped his own arms around the girl and pulled her close.

Five watched as Klaus escaped the kitchen, searching for help. Blood soaked her front, staining the yellow of her sundress. Five took a shaky breath, turning her over slightly so he could see where the bullet had entered. He let her drop back into his arms, her eyes giving a weak blink. They were wet with tears, her green eyes terribly dull, something that he'd never wanted to see before.

"Hey, Lotus." His voice cracked, he hated how venerable he felt. He had just given up Delores, and now he was watching the light in Lotus' eyes fade. "I'm here— you're gonna be ok."

"Hey." Her voice was weak, and he was surprised she was even still here. "Am I going to die?"

He shook his head widely, "No, no. Mom will come and patch you back up."

"Five." She mumbled, "I-I'm scared."

He let a sob escaped his lips. His Lotus could not be scared, not when she was always so strong. He had seen her weep, had seen her when she was angry, sad and when she was happy but never had he seen her so truly frightened. Five closed his eyes, holding her as close as he could. Why wasn't Klaus back yet with help?

He opened his eyes, them widening as Lotus suddenly felt limp in his arms. Her eyes were open, staring aimlessly at him.

"No." He mumbled, slowly raising his voice. "No, no, no!

He cupped her face with his hands, shaking with every movement. She was gone, his Lotus was gone. He hadn't known her for long, but it felt like an entirety.

Five sobbed again, pulling her tightly against him, as if he'd feel her own arms wrap around his. "No." He mumbled, holding onto her for dear life.

He felt the ground slip beneath him, but he didn't care. He wasn't letting go of her, not when she had needed him most.

When the ground felt hard beneath his feet again, he heard gunshots. He also felt movement in his arms, causing him to choose between the impending doom revealing itself in front of him or the fact that someone who was had just died was moving against him.

"Lotus?" He whispered, seeing her squirm between his grasp. She looked up at him, her green eyes as bright as ever.

"Where are we?" She yanked free of her grasp and stood up, flinched at another round of gunshots. Five looked around, remembering where he had been before rushing back to the Academy much earlier than expected. "I thought—" She raised a hand to her chest and frowned, "But, Luther—"

Five let his blooded hands drop to his sides, "What?"

She shook her head, "That's not important. I'd like to get out of here before I get shot again, please."

Five agreed, grabbing her hand as he pulled her from the bird lovers motel. He wondered if the Handler had heard them, or if she had, if she would follow.

Lotus' hand was warm in his, and when they got outside he finally took a deep breath. Why hadn't he thought of jumping back earlier, and save her from the pain and thoughts she must've been thinking about now. They raced down the street, not stopping for two or three blocks until he came to a halt and stared at her.

Her hair was a mess, but it still managed to look nice, even the knotted ends that fell below her elbows. The reflection of the sun turned some strands gold, making her eyes pop. But the blood staining her dress masked the bright yellow of it—

"Five?"

He blinked, "Do you remember?"

"Yes." She paused, "But I thought when you jumped everything goes back to the way it was before. So, why am I still covered in blood? Why do I remember?"

He didn't know, nor did he really care at the moment. "Did Luther really shoot you?"

The girl pursed her lips, "Yes."

Five's hands turned into fists at his side, when he got back he was going to make him hurt just as much as he made Lotus hurt.

"I went to go get Vanya out. Allison had asked me to, but I was going to go regardless. I shifted into her so if I were caught— I don't know. Vanya knew it was me, and apparently so did Luther because he shot what looked like Allison with no hesitation."

"How are you feeling?"

"Alive."

His jaw clenched, "He never knew what crossing the line looked liked. And now he's hurt you—"

"I am fine." She snapped, glancing at his stained hands and clothing. Apparently the top half of his blazer and dress shirt were not blood proof. They both looked like messes, and what people would see looked suspicious. Two 'teenagers' running from a motel, both covered in blood. "But your sister is still locked up in that cage and Luther still won't let anybody near it. We need to get back and get her out."

Five nodded slowly, "I'll jump back to the donut shop, we'll run from there."

Lotus nodded, something catching her eye. She walked over to newspaper stand and pulled one out, scanning over the ink.

"Three people murdered." She read, but Five wasn't reading that. What he was reading was the date and other headlines, the same one he found when he got stuck in the future. His heart dropped, his mind connected the dots.

"We didn't win."

"What?"

He shook his head, "We never stopped the apocalypse. It's still happening, and it's happening today."

Lotus pursed her lips, eyes meeting his. "But Vanya killed—" Her eyes widened, "Harold Jenkins was never the bomb. Vanya is."

Five nodded, "And Luther has her locked up in a cage."

Lotus cursed, grabbing ahold of his hand. He stared down for mere moments before she snapped her fingers of her other hand, snapping him out of his little daze.

"What are you waiting for?" She questioned, giving him a small reassuring smile, letting him know that she was in fact here, breathing and alive. "We need to save the world."