𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 ~ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲

~ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞 ~

The rest of that night, Dahlia couldn't stop wondering what conversation took place between Fei and Ben. Had they conspired together about a new plan? One that could potentially cause more death and chaos? The blonde tossed and turned in her bed, as she kept asking herself why Fei kept listening to Ben and his ridiculous plans. If she knows they're so bad, why does she follow orders anyway? I get he's Number One, but he's not MY Number One.

Her questions continued the next morning, as they still swirled in her head and refused to let her sleep. As she groggily climbed out of bed and walked towards the mirror, she saw dark bags underneath her eyes. Great. She reached into her makeup bag and attempted to conceal the dark spots with foundation. Not enough to stand out, but just enough to minimize the damage. A door from the hall opened, and the sound of footsteps and conversation caught the Icy Sparrow's attention.

She pressed an ear against the door, hearing the faint whispers of Fei and Ben talking about his impulsive deal the other night. Sparrow Three had promised to tell her about what was going on, but it seemed she had forgotten all about it as they took the time to give Jayme and Alphonso a proper burial and made sure the Umbrellas brought no harm to Sloane.

Determined to learn more, Dahlia quickly but quietly entered the hallway, following at least ten feet away from the pair. "They handed over the bodies, we got what we wanted. Why do we need this old guy?" Fei questioned the Squid Boy. "Bodies? You mean Jayme and Alphonso, our siblings. Or have you already forgotten about them?" Ben scoffed. Fei glanced over at him irritably before climbing the last flight of stairs. "You know what I meant,"

"We need to punish their killer. Don't you want to see him dead?" Sparrow One questioned. "There's not a part of me that doesn't want him to suffer. But revenge can wait," Fei reasoned. They walked into the living room, and Dahlia slid down the railing, not wanting the creaky wood to give away her position. She pressed her back against the wall while slightly peering into the room to eavesdrop.

"Fine, how long will we have to wait?" Ben sighed. "Until we deal with that thing in the basement. It's getting stronger every day. People from all over the world are disappearing now. We need to work with the Umbrellas," Fei responded. Dahlia's eyes widened to the size of saucers. What thing in the basement? Maybe there was a lot more she wasn't aware of. Had she been so naive that she didn't realize there was more than a feud between two houses taking place? Maybe she spent so much time in her little bubble of frost that she blocked out everything that was happening.

Suddenly, a wave of warmth crossed over her, making sweat form at the top of her forehead. It felt like she had a fever, but in actuality, it was one of her more intense panic attacks. Though she desperately tried to hide it, Fei and Ben looked to the entrance after hearing the sounds of quiet wheezing. "Who's there? Come out!" Ben commanded. Realizing she had been caught, Dahlia wiped away the sweat and stepped into their view.

"Oh, it's just you, Dahlia," Fei said, a raven perching on top of her right shoulder. "What the hell is going on in the basement?" she spoke slowly. Nothing but silence fell upon the room as Ben furrowed his brow, realizing they had yet to explain the situation to her and Sloane. "We'll show you later. But Fei, the man who killed our siblings is neither a Sparrow nor Umbrella. He needs to be dealt with before we can merge the families," Ben brushed it off.

"What if they refuse? What are you gonna do then?" Dahlia reinserted herself into the conversation, feeling like they were ignoring her involvement. Ben opened his mouth to speak, but he had no idea what to say. He shifted his gaze from Dahlia to Fei, who looked at him expectantly. "I... We'll..." He stammered but came up short. He returned his gaze to Dahlia, saying, "You want to see what's in the basement? Then, come with me,"

~~~~~~~

The three walked down the narrow staircase into the dark and bricked basement. Stepping over knocked-over boxes and empty suitcases, an orange light soon caught the blonde's attention. When she walked past one of the brick pillars, she was shocked to see a bright orange ball of swirls floating above the ground, humming softly. "Wha-what is that?!" She gaped.

"That's what we're still trying to figure out," Fei responded. "It's also another reason why we need the Umbrella's assistance," Her last sentence was directed towards Ben, who rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Yes, thank you for making that obvious," he spoke sarcastically. Dahlia continued to stare at the orange ball. At certain angles, it looked like a ball being slightly squeezed. Staring at it almost became hypnotizing, and she wanted to reach out and touch it.

But as she reached out a hand, Ben grabbed her arm and pulled it away. "That thing ate Marcus! Are you asking for a death wish?" he scolded. "Sorry if it looks squishy..." Dahlia whispered to herself. He let go of her and turned back to Sparrow Three, telling her to get Grace and bring her to the basement. "How do you think Grace is gonna help with this? She worships this like it's the second coming of Jesus,"

"If we can't try to see what's inside the kugelblitz, then maybe Grace has something that can..." Ben answered, focusing on their newest threat. Clacking heels came down the stairs, and Grace stood between the two, Fei and Christopher right behind her. "Why have you brought me before my God?" Grace inquired. "Your right eye, give it to me," Ben held his hand out. Fei tried to stop him, asking what he was doing. But from the look Dahlia gave her and then the floating ball, Fei quickly connected the dots.

Grace reached into her right eye socket, pulling out her eyeball that was connected to a glowing blue electrical wire. "It's time to see what's on the other side," Ben said as he took the eye and slowly guided it toward the ball of light. The moment it made contact, a bright blue wave escaped it and tried to pull Grace in. Quick as bunnies, Fei, Ben, and Dahlia grabbed her arms and tried to drag her back. But the ball wouldn't loosen its grip.

"Come on, Ben!" Fei grunted, pulling with all her might. "Just hold on!" Ben strained. The Icy Sparrow then went behind the caretaker, and wrapping her arms around her stomach, continued pulling. After a few minutes that felt like hours, the orange ball finally let go, swallowing Grace's eye. "God has a million eyes, each falling into themselves," she said eerily. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ben squinted. 

Christopher chattered, claiming that she was referring to black holes. Ben looked skeptical, claiming that they were morons. Before he could go on an irritated tangent, Fei claimed that maybe Chris was right. "What if Grace is describing a black hole collapsing in on itself?" she explained. "We're wasting precious time. This is bigger than us, we need the help,"

"Harlan first, then we can kill whatever the hell this is."