𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 ~ 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴

~ 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙬𝙤: 𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚 ~

Sloane. Hearing the name out loud sounded smoother than butter. It suits her perfectly. Something about this girl kept dragging her in. Astrid had no idea what, but it was like a siren's song to sailors. She wanted to know more about her, maybe she wasn't like the other Sparrows. And if their two households weren't in the middle of a brawl, they could've gone somewhere quiet and maybe have five minutes of a peaceful conversation.

But just as she finishing giving the Sparrow her name, Five, Luther, and Allison came running down the hall, screaming at her. "Ast, we're leaving! Come on!" Luther said hurriedly, grabbing her sleeve and pulling her off the floor. When they reached the end of the hallway, they heard the sounds of ravens screeching and wings flapping toward them. They looked back and saw seven or eight of the winged beasts, looking ready to pluck their eyes out of their skulls.

"Run!" Five shouted. With adrenaline pumping through them, they continued running down the hall, hoping to reach the back entrance. They were about halfway there when Five realized he forgot their key to fixing this mess... the briefcase. "Shit! I'll be right back!" he said before blinking back to the entrance hall. Allison, Luther, and Astrid ran as far as their legs would carry them. As the door was in their sights and the birds got closer and closer, they barricaded themselves in, hoping they were safe at last.

But before they could calm their beating hearts, squawking and the tearing of wood punctured the door. The three Hargreeves backed away after feeling some of the beaks pinching them and trying to grab at their clothes. "Does this never end?!" Allison groaned. The afternoon sunlight filled the dim room with light, and Astrid saw the window was big enough for them to crawl through and led right into the alleyway. "Come on!" Astrid pointed, opening it the rest of the way and watching as Allison ducked underneath it.

Astrid also made her escape, but when it came to Luther, he found himself halfway out the window, stuck due to his muscular torso. "Come on, big guy. Suck it in!" Number Eight strained as she and her sister pulled on Luther's arms.  The wooden door finally gave way, the squawking growing louder and louder. "Pull, Ast! PULL!" Allison shouted. With another sharp tug, the rest of Luther's body slipped through the window, and they fell onto the wet pavement.

Surprisingly, the birds hadn't followed them outside, but they were circling the room while Fei clenched her fists in anger. "We should go meet up with the others," Astrid suggested. Both siblings nodded, and they walked back to the front of the Academy, finding the rest sitting on the concrete. "You guys alright?" The blonde questioned, staring at the blood and bruises they sustained. 

"Does it look like we're okay? These guys beat us to a pulp!" Diego snarled. Okay, sorry I asked! "Listen, it's not safe for us to stay here. I say we go somewhere and catch our breath," Five said as he grimaced at the gash on his forehead. "I agree with Five. There's a park across the street, we can rest up there," Luther gestured to the streetlights and leafy green walls surrounding the park entrance. They limped and grunted as they walked down the gravel paths, keeping their eyes peeled for anywhere to sit.

Five minutes into their walk, they came across a white bridge that led to the other side of the small lake. Resting a foot or two away from the railings were picnic tables and benches, some in the shade while the rest were engulfed by the sun's light. Astrid plopped down next to Luther, trying to stretch the soreness out of her system. "Who would've thought some of these Sparrows could be so... brutal?" She muttered.