𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 ~ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲

~ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 ~

Come on you idiot, think! Think of something good! The Squid Boy stared into the burning fireplace, desperate to come up with an idea. But with every idea, he began to second guess himself on it. Soon his mind kept going back to the Hotel. The moments leading up to the annihilation of the Umbrellas would've gone according to plan. But the old man with yellow rays stood in the way at the last second, taking the lives of his siblings.

Things were much quieter in the Academy now that Jayme and Alphonso were gone. Normally, he could hear them watching movies in the screen room or Alphonso laughing at the most random of things. Though the feeling didn't immediately sink in, Ben did start to feel a tad bit remorseful. But as he felt a heavy wave crash over his body, he shook his head, reentering his focused state.

Alright, the Umbrellas may not have directly killed them. But someone still needs to pay. If they wanted a so-called truce, we'll give them a truce. Ben stood up from his seat and sped walked to his room, grabbing some Sparrow parchment and pen. He sat at his former drawing desk, briefly staring at the dozens of drawings that were either taped or stapled to the walls. Next to the drawings were some portraits of him in his Sparrow uniform, along with the rest of the team.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ben saw one photo in particular. It was a photo Alphonso had taken of him and Dahlia trolling Ben as he slept on the couch. He rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness before going back to writing his note. When the last bit of black ink touched the paper, Ben waved the piece of paper in the air as the ink dried before going to Fei's room, seeing her sitting on one of the perches.

"What do you want now?" She questioned, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Ben held up the folded letter for her to see. "I need you to send a raven," He responded. Fei climbed to the main floor, still glaring behind those thick sunglasses. "What's even in that note?" she inquired. "You'll find out soon enough. Now, send a raven to the Hotel," Exhaling a quiet breath, Fei snatched the note from him and placed it in the raven's beak. She then opened one of her windows and watched as the bird flew through the orange sunset-filled sky.

~~~~~~~

The hours seemed to be flying by the more Dahlia and Christopher talked. Their conversations usually lasted about a minute or two. But the more they talked, they seemed to know more and more about each other even though they lived under the same roof for nearly 30 years. "Chris, I must ask. Do you ever miss the person you once were?" Dahlia asked. It took a second for the cube to process his sister's question, and as the silence continued to linger, He slightly nodded, the translator saying. "I miss being able to be an actual brother to you all,"

Dahlia's hand slowly went to her chest, not expecting the words to hit her heart. She recalled the years they all grew up together. Though Reginald had been continuously training them for missions since they could walk and talk, they were all somewhat close. Christopher was the kind of kid who would crack everybody up, just like Alphonso. And he was always there for his family, lending a listening ear if anyone was upset about something. And as the years passed and they grew older, they all kept their distance tolerating one another.

"I miss you too, buddy. But cube or no cube, you'll always be my brother," Dahlia whispered. Before Christopher could reply, a knock came from the door. Biting back a groan, Dahlia opened the door, noticing Ben and Fei staring at her. The Icy Sparrow turned towards Fei, asking her what they wanted now. But the Squid Boy jumped in, telling her they were heading to the docks for important business.

"And does this business involve the remainder of us?" Dahlia questioned, her eyes narrowing. "Yes... Now, let's get going, shall we? Chris, you're coming too!" Ben peered over her shoulder at the cube. The four walked to the driveway and piled into a black Jeep, Ben and Fei at the front, Chris and Dahlia in the back. The vehicle slightly shifted as Sparrow Two put the car into reverse and pulled onto the main road. Watching the bright streetlights pass her, Dahlia had a feeling that whatever business Ben had to deal with, it was probably involved the Umbrellas.

The day had already been bad enough with her friend's demise, so even though she still hated the Dragon Lady, she was not in the mood to fight her. Unless of course, someone poked the bear. Fifteen minutes had passed, and the Jeep turned onto one of the empty docks. Metal containers with supplies and goods had been stacked all over, some ships had been docked and abandoned for the night.

As she stepped out of the vehicle, she saw Umbrellas Seven and One standing under one of the bright lights. And as she stepped closer, her jaw dropped in shock when she saw Sloane was alive! She looked sad and scared, but still alive. "Did you bring them?" Ben asked. "Yes, we did," Viktor nodded before going into the back of their vehicle. And with Luther's assistance, the Sparrows watched as they carried the body bags containing Alphonso and Jayme, loading them into the back of the Jeep.

When the Umbrellas walked back to their side of the dock, Sloane ran over to her family, embracing Dahlia and Fei with all the strength she possessed. "I was so worried, Slo..." The blonde whispered into her ear. "It's okay. I'm still here," the gravity girl responded. "Well, this is it. This puts an end to it," Viktor spoke up. Ben shook his head, making both Umbrella men look at one another confused.

"But you said to bring your sibling's bodies here and that this would be the end!" Luther insisted. "That's not all we want. We want the old man too," Ben explained with a slight smirk. "What are you doing?" Fei hissed. "You wanted a plan, so here it is." Dahlia could only look back and forth between him, her sisters, and Chris. What conversation did I miss out on? Fei noticed her questioning look, telling her that she would explain later. "He may not have been part of the plan then, but he is now," Ben said coldly. 

"They aren't working with him. He had nothing to do with the attacks!" Sloane insisted. "Then they won't mind finding him and handing him over. It's very simple. Bring us the man who killed our siblings, and this will all be over. If not..." Ben lowly chuckled as he walked back to the driver's seat, Christopher and Fei in tow. "He really had nothing to do with this!" Sloane whispered to Dahlia. But instead of responding, Dahlia grabbed her hand, and they piled into the backseat, driving back to the Academy.