𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 ~ 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴

~ 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣: 𝘿𝙤 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙈𝙚? ~

"Ast, I wasn't-" Astrid could hear Sloane calling her name as she left the greenhouse, her shoulder bumping against Fei's before walking down the graveled path. Muttering only loud enough for herself to hear, Astrid criticized herself for falling into a trap of deception. She hated to admit it, but Sloane played the part of a sympathizing Sparrow very well. She locked herself in the bathroom, staring at the sink as she tried to calm her ragged breathing.

But as the time the two women spent together replayed in her mind, she felt more and more hurt. The moment I put down my protective walls, the person I think I can trust stabs me in the back. Astrid slowly looked up at the mirror, watching as her pupils grew wider and darker, almost like there was no life in them. But the more she stared at herself, the more she could hear voices taunting her. Not only were they echoes of the old man, but also her own voice.

Her hands gripped the counter, the cold marble edge digging into her palms, whispering for them to stop. But as they grew louder and louder, her grip on the surface became stronger than ever. "SILENCE!" She yelled through gritted teeth. Just as they appeared, the voices stopped their taunting, and Astrid's eyes finally returned to olive green. The sun was getting closer and closer to setting, and it seemed unlikely that her siblings were coming to save her. They probably didn't even notice I'm gone. Not surprised.

Astrid walked downstairs to the entrance hall and stepped into the living room where the siblings had gathered, and she could hear Jayme and Alphonso talking about their latest brawl. "You were basically screaming for help," Jayme teased. "I wasn't screaming, I was kicking his ass!" Alphonso defended. Sparrow Six smirked as she recalled more of the events, mentioning how he was curled up on the ground, unable to breathe. "He's lucky I was there. Otherwise, he would've passed out!" Jayme said, popping a few sour patch kids in her mouth.

Sloane sat on one of the couches, a few feet away from where Astrid was standing. She glanced at her, hoping to catch her attention and perhaps telepathically convince her to talk privately. But Astrid glared back in response before returning her gaze to the rest of the Sparrows. "Doesn't look like your family is coming anytime soon," Fei said, adjusting her sunglasses. "I'm sure they're just working out the final details. Takes them a while to do anything nowadays," Astrid replied with a fake smile.

Ben slowly stood up from his seat near the fireplace and walked towards the Umbrella. He seemed unusually happy as a grin formed across his usually grumpy face. The way the floorboards creaked under his footsteps sent a few shivers down Astrid's spine. With a hand behind her back, she prepared to teleport to another part of the Academy in case he was planning to do something to her.

"Relax, you're free to go," The Squid Boy finally calmed the awkward tension. But even then, Astrid still had her doubts. "And why are you doing that?" She questioned. "Gesture of goodwill. But I want you to pass along an important message to your family." Ben explained. Astrid slowly nodded, assuring him she would tell them. Part of her knew what the message was, but the other half was oblivious to what was about to be said. "Let Marcus go. And if any of you hurt one hair on him, we'll come for you. And I promise we won't be so hospitable next time,"

"You could've left out the threatening part, Ben. I don't take those very lightly," Astrid smirked. Fei stood from her chair, squinting behind her thick sunglasses. "You'll do as we say, or else..." She arched her back, releasing a few ravens and having them swarm above Astrid. "I know, birds in my brain," the Shadow Girl rolled her eyes. "Don't forget your tote bag!" Ben snapped his fingers, and Alphonso placed a dark gray and red bag on Astrid's right arm.