𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 ~ 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴

~ 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙞𝙫𝙚: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬 ~

Sloane released her grip on Astrid's unconscious body, she and her siblings watching as Astrid slumped onto the ground, her chest slightly rising and falling. Fei bent down and punched the girl one more time to ensure she was unconscious, and the Umbrella didn't flinch. "Let's get her back to the Academy," Ben instructed, motioning for his other sister to grab her. Wrapping her arms around the young woman's waist, Sloane flung Astrid over her shoulder, briefly struggling to stand with the extra weight.

That morning, the Sparrow Academy woke up to the realization that Marcus wasn't there. The last time they saw him was right after dinner. He seemed pretty eager to meet with somebody. And anytime the siblings questioned him on his strange behavior, all Marcus said was that he was okay and had to head somewhere. Suspicions quickly rose, as Sparrow One was never fidgety or anxious to go anywhere, especially late at night. Now with him missing, the Sparrows had no doubt their new enemy was behind it.

"So, what do we do with her once she wakes up?" Fei questioned. "You'll see. With enough persuasion, she'll spill Marcus's location," Ben smirked. When they returned to the Academy, they were immediately greeted by the rest of the waiting Sparrows. Christopher the cube chattered, asking if they found Marcus yet. "No, he's still missing. But we found someone who might know," Ben explained, gesturing to the still-unconscious Shadow Girl.

Jayme and Alphonso looked at each other with twin menacing smirks, looking ready to violently torture their captive into waking up. "Patience, Jay, Alp. You'll have your fun. But for now, we'll all play nice," Ben insisted. "Have Grace take her to the medical room. We'll all meet in the rec room for breakfast," Ben looked over to Sloane. But the brunette didn't need to go far to get her message across, as Grace had been listening in for quite some time. "I've got her. She's in good hands," Grace held her arms out, and Sloane passed Astrid over to her. "Thanks, Mom," Sloane whispered.

While everybody in the house referred to her as 'Grace' or 'The Robot,' Sloane was the only one of the Sparrows to recognize her as a maternal figure. And although she may not have been a living, breathing human, she treated Grace with the respect a child should have for their parent. Well, at least a positive one. The medical room was just a curtain away from the rec room, so any noise the Sparrows made could be heard from inside the echoed space.

As Grace laid the young woman on the cot, she tended to the girl's wounds, wiping away the running blood from her right cheek and the dirt and splinters from her crashing into the tree. Half an hour after being knocked out, Astrid heard soft humming. And as she opened her eyes, she grimaced at the bright light hanging over her head. "Ugh..." She groaned. She felt a wet but gentle cloth touch her face and she looked over to see Grace smiling at her.

"Mom?" Astrid questioned. "Why do people keep calling me that?" The caretaker smiled. "Never mind, where am I?" the blonde inquired. "The Academy, silly. Everybody's waiting for you," Grace gestured to the closed black curtain. As Astrid sat up, she could hear muffled chatter and laughter, along with the sound of a whirring machine. With partial fear running through her veins, she grabbed the closest weapon she could find, a mop. It may not have been her favorite weapon of choice, but considering she didn't have enough energy to teleport her way out, she had to make use of what she had.

Slowly, she approached the curtain and flung it back, stepping into the rec room. "Ah, there she is! Finally awake, huh?" Alphonso looked at her. The whirring of the blender stopped as Sloane looked over and smiled at Astrid. Surprised by what was happening, Astrid started to think maybe she let her fears get the best of her, but was still eager to fight her way if she needed to. "Please, join us," Fei gestured to an empty chair at the long white table.