𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 ~ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲

~ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐨 ~

Turning off the faucet in the upstairs bathroom, Dahlia wrung out one of the white hand towels before placing it on top of her still bleeding head. Dabbing at the blood, the end of the brawl replayed in her mind over and over like a broken record. They were moments away from eliminating one of the intruders, but then they were suddenly thrown all over the living room like ragdolls.

A knock came from the bathroom door, and the blonde glanced over to see Sloane watching her. "What do you want?" She asked slightly irritated. "Marcus wanted me to tell you to meet us in the rec room," the light brunette answered, taking notice of the blood on Dahlia's towel. "You should probably go see Grace. That's a lot of blood," Dahlia scoffed and shook her head, claiming she'd be fine, and that she didn't need any help.

Sloane just nodded and closed the door, and after a few more minutes of washing up, the icy blonde tied her hair back into a fishbone braid and changed into her red workout uniform, meeting with her siblings in the rec room where they gathered on their treadmills. She took the empty one right in-between Fei and Sloane, starting up the machine and going at the same pace as them.

It was silent for a moment, but Dahlia was quick to speak up. "You gonna explain what this talk is about, Sparrow One?" she squinted. "Well obviously, it's about today's fight, Dahl. I think I gathered all we need to know about their powers," He responded. While still running on his treadmill, he grabbed a nearby remote and flicked on the Academy's security system, showing the other Sparrows the recordings of the brawl. 

"Big one is strong but slow, possibly stupid. Some sort of... simian hybrid," The Sparrows chuckled at his insult recounting their brawls. "Who took the little jumpy guy?" Sloane questioned, her ponytail bouncing up and down behind her. "Me! Just gave him a spanking and sent him to school," Jayme said smugly, giving Alphonso a fist bump. 

"Didn't you deal with Dragon Lady, D?" Ben inquired. "Yep, she thinks she's all big and bad with fire. Well guess what, sweetie? Ice is more powerful!" she taunted. "Well, if that were the case, you should've been able to kill her," Dahlia glared sharply in Ben's direction. If looks could kill, he might as well be six feet under by now. "The skinny junkie is their weak link," Fei noted.

"Unless hiding behind couches shouting, 'Where's my Daddy?' is his superpower," Ben tapped a button on his treadmill, causing it to slow down. "Enough post-gaming. They disrespected us, Marcus. We need to be out there finding these freaks and taking them out," Ben gritted his teeth. "Oh, you mean like this?" Marcus grabbed the remote once again, flipping the recording to the moment they were battered around by that energy wave.

Eventually, the other Sparrows powered off their machines, most of them thought they should've maintained their powers, and this wouldn't have happened. "Can someone explain to me how you got your asses handed to you in 30 seconds? Do you have any idea what would happen to our reputation if anyone had seen that?" The Sparrows remained silent, glancing around at each other as the silence lingered.

"We haven't faced decent enemies for years. This could be good for us, good for business. But only if we're smart with our next move," Marcus explained. "And... what's your suggestion for the next move, smart guy?" Dahlia smirked, folding her arms across her chest. Marcus sighed heavily, tempted to smack his hand over his face. He usually maintained patience when it came to her snarky temper, but at this point, she was testing him.

Before he could open his mouth to speak, someone cleared their throat, making them glance to see their father standing in the doorway. "You summoned, Number One?" he stated. "Sit down," Marcus instructed. The old man complied, nodding his head for him to continue. "You spent time with these people. What's your assessment?" The leader questioned. Reginald briefly glanced down at his lap, "Unimpressive. Neanderthals on a day pass, cried too much and showered too little. The only thing they lacked more than grit was any regard for one another,"

The Sparrows nodded, especially Ben, who thought they could use the lack of loyalty against them. "Good. Give a full report to Christopher," As the glowing cube chattered, Reginald stood up, looking like there was something else he needed to say. "Still, I wouldn't underestimate the Umbrella Academy. Yes, their skills are as lacking as their hygiene, yet somehow, they saved the world in 1963. Had they not, none of you would be standing here now. Perhaps, I misjudged them,"

Christopher started floating towards him, chattering for him to leave the room, Reginald stated he was going, shutting the door behind him. "Does he think we should bow down to them all because they saved the world? They're not superior. We run this town now," Jayme scoffed. "My thoughts exactly, Jay," Dahlia nodded. "Six and Eight..." Marcus said in a warning tone, making the Icy Sparrow roll her eyes.

"Let's get back on track, shall we?"

~~~~~~~

Later that day as the sun was inching towards setting, a few of the Sparrows sat in the living room, eating from their boxes of Thai food. The sounds of heavy and hurried footsteps came from the entrance hall and for the briefest moment, Dahlia could see Marcus dressed in street clothes, looking like he was in a rush to go somewhere. "Where you going?" She called out, standing up from her seat on the couch.

"Oh... um, for a run," Marcus stammered. "At sunset?" She queried. "Look, I have to take care of something. I'll be back in an hour or two," Sparrow Eight watched as her brother walked out the door, the sound of the metal gate opening and closing was also heard. "He's hiding something..." Ben crowed, setting his food down on the ground next to his chair. "If he wasn't, he'd be all relaxed but he seems in a hurry."

Ben turned to the rest of his siblings, scanning every one of them. From the bloated-bellied Alphonso to the icy cold stare of Dahlia. "Fei, send a raven,"