𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 ~ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲

~ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 ~

In the living room, the Umbrellas and Sparrows grabbed glasses and all the bottles of champagne they could find in cabinets, popping the corks before pouring some for everyone. There was music blasting, all the nostalgic songs they listened to growing up. From Queen's Another Bites the Dust to WHAM's Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, everyone was having a blast! After a while, some of the Sparrows and Umbrellas even split off into their own conversations, but Dahlia just sat by her lonesome.

To the Icy Sparrow, joining in on the partying was awkward for her. And it wasn't because of the accident or an embarrassing encounter that stopped her. It was something far different... she didn't know how to dance. Even as a kid, she was always clumsy on her feet. And while Fei and Sloane could dance like graceful swans, Jayme and Dahlia were more like the ugly ducklings and avoided it.

If it ever came to attending an event, she acted like she was grooving to the beat on the outside, but on the inside, she was scared out of her mind people would find out her dirty little secret. Eventually, she stood up and walked out of the room, hoping that other people wouldn't notice her disappearance. She retreated up the stairs to the balcony, watching as the party continued below. She caught glimpse of Luther and Sloane spinning one another around and giggling, the heartfelt conversation between Dusk and Viktor, and the rest continuing to socialize.

Suddenly, Dahlia felt a vibration in her pocket, the translator speaking in a muffled tone. "What are you doing?" it spoke. The blonde turned around to see Christopher floating a few feet away. "Oh, nothing," Dahlia responded, looking down at her half-empty glass. The cube chattered a negative response, telling her he could tell she was lying. "You should be celebrating down there," the translator spoke.

"I know I should, but I just don't know how to fit in," She confided. Christopher floated a little closer, and speaking in one of the softest chatters he could muster. He told her she didn't have to be alone, that he would be there for her to hang out with. Dahlia slowly looked up, and without meaning to, the corners of her lips tilted upward in a genuine smile. A smile she hadn't shown in a long time.

"You'd really stay with me?" She questioned. "Of course." The translator spoke one last time, and with that, they walked back to join the rest of the party, the cube staying true to his word. Hours had passed, and after downing a few more glasses of champagne, Dahlia felt drunk, not enough to be stumbling and falling, but definitely enough to be buzzed. The Umbrellas had retired to the guest rooms for the night after Fei told them they could stay as a reward for saving the world.

But after hearing the last bedroom door shut, Ben gestured for the remaining Sparrows to join him near the fireplace. Fei and Dahlia sat in two of the three leather chairs, while Christopher floated at Ben's side. The Squid Boy ripped off the gold foil from a new bottle and offered another drink to the women. Dahlia shook her head, holding up her half-empty bottle of water before taking a sip, but Fei gladly accepted.

"I'm glad we made peace. It all worked out," Ben broke the silence. "Yeah. But we're definitely killing them in the morning, right?" Fei questioned. Dahlia looked at the sun-glassed girl, wondering what was going on in that mind of hers. It didn't make any sense, and Dahlia hoped that it was just her drunkenness making her hear the strange things.

Christopher chattered somewhat menacingly, claiming that he called dibs on Diego. But Ben shook his head, "No one is killing anyone," he answered. "Why not? We followed your plan, merged the families, and saved the world. We don't need them anymore," Fei scoffed. Ben glanced at the rim of his glass, explaining that he wasn't done yet. When Fei wondered what he meant by that, the Sparrow explained that was between him and dad.