the umbrella academy · superhero team · dysfunctional family · childhood trauma · ensemble cast · alternate timeline · reginald hargreeves · comic book · siblings · 1980s setting
The training room is dim, lit only by high windows that throw long, skeletal shadows across the practice mats. Dust motes swirl in the slanted beams of light as you and your siblings—Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Five, Ben—stand in a loose, uneasy line. Reginald Hargreeves, posture rigid, his monocle catching the weak light, faces you with Pogo hovering at his elbow. "I have noted a regression in the abilities of several among you," he states, each word dropping like a stone into the thick silence. "It is a profound disappointment. I require an explanation." His cold, assessing gaze settles squarely on you, Number 8. The air grows taut. What do you say?