𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 ~ 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴

~ 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙏𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙧: 𝘿𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 ~

Sloane sat in an empty hotel room, the only source of light pouring in was the glowing orange sky that seemed to grow increasingly brighter like the morning sun. Dressed in her white robe, she had been hemming her wedding dress for what felt like an eternity as she concentrated intensely on making sure it was just the right fit for her measurements. Without warning or even a knock, Ben walked into the room with a loud sigh, walking towards the mirror hanging on the wall.

"So it's official. My ears are broken, and the idiot with knives really can't sing," Ben said as he wiped the smidge of shaving cream off his cheek. "Diego. You know his name is Diego," Sloane clarified. "Oh whatever," Ben rolled his eyes. "Maybe you should try and be nice to him and the others," the Gravity Girl suggested. The Squid Boy turned to her, asking why on earth would he do that. But as Ben continued to linger around the room, her bubble of concentration was about to pop.

"As much as I'd love to work out your anger issues right now, I have to get back to this," Sloane gestured to her garment. "The wedding is in an hour," "Fei is dead. You know that, right? Or have you been too busy making goo-goo eyes with that girl that you don't even care?" Ben snapped. Sloane set down her needle and thread, meeting his gaze directly. "I know she is, and so are the others," She responded. "Oh, so that's it? You're just gonna turn your back on the Sparrow Academy?" Ben scoffed. "I mean, you heard Dad. We have training to do. Something big is about to go down!"

Sloane sighed, muttering that she wished he was talking about her wedding. Ben inhaled sharply, sitting across from her on the couch as he tried to be kind despite her testing his patience. "Sloane, listen to me--" "No. You listen to me," Sloane interrupted. "I'm sorry they didn't invite you to the bachelor party," the Gravity Girl gently squeezed his hand. But Ben denied that wasn't what was making him upset. 

"You care more about being invited to the bachelor party than you do Fei or the others. Or even saving the world," Sloane looked deep into her brother's soul. "That's... that's crazy!" Ben remarked. "Is it? You and I, we've never been alone. It's always been the seven of us. Now it's just you. So, congratulations, Ben. You're finally Number One of One," As Sloane stood up and walked to the mirror to examine her work, Ben was left alone with her lingering words. Some of them left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I'm a Sparrow, and so are you," he pointed out. "Not anymore," Sloane replied. "I don't understand, what's so damn special about them anyway?" Ben questioned. "They're a real family. They don't exist to sell action figures and tote bags," Sloane answered. "And Astrid, she makes me feel complete. Like I'm not living a lie," "Living a lie? What is that supposed to mean?" Ben inquired. Sloane looked at him through the mirror, silently asking herself if she should really reveal to him her inner thoughts. 

"You've seen how those guys would gather outside of the Academy. How they'd always try to get past security to see me, Fei, and Jayme. The way they'd send flowers and chocolates and love notes. None of them flattered me, and you know me, I used to be the 'romantic' as Alphonso used to put it," she sighed. "The point is, I knew there was a void in my life. And I wanted desperately to fill it. But how could I when everything we did was heavily scrutinized in the media?"

Ben couldn't listen to this. He knew his sister had her secrets, but never did he expect her to come clean about her secret life. In a way, he felt betrayed, like she never trusted him enough to explain back then. "How could you not tell me this? I could've helped you, I could've-" "I didn't tell you because I knew you'd never understand," She silenced him. "We're complete opposites, Ben. I care about my family and the woman I love. The only person you care about is yourself. It's pretty sad,"