𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 ~ 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴

~ 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙧: 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 ~

Reginald slowly stood from his chair, his eyes still locked on hers. Astrid feared this for so long, and knowing her father, he would say anything to force her back into doubting herself. So she tried to hold firm as best she could while fighting for herself. "If you looked at it closer, you would realize I'm attracted to both men and women. I'm bisexual, and no matter what you say, I will never stop being who I am,"

"I raised you better than this, Astrid Hargreeves. I raised you to put an end to corruption and save the world, not run around and act like someone you're not! I demand you snap out of this phase at once!" The monocle snarled. "It's not a phase! All my life, I've been searching for who I truly am! And although it took me a while to realize it, I'm happy that I get to love whoever I choose. This is why I never told you, because of how you're acting right now,"

The old man shook his head, his mentality of "I'm smart, you're dumb, I'm right, you're wrong," continued floating around in his head like a toxic parasite. His leathered hand clenched into a fist as he looked back at her with the same cold stare. "Very well, since you've decided to keep living in this delusion, I will no longer allow you to live here." Astrid's mouth dropped open, he couldn't seriously be kicking her out, could he?

"Father, I-" She stuttered, but Reginald interrupted. "I expect you to be out of this house by tomorrow morning," Though Astrid was still trying to maintain her composure, she could feel tears of anger form at the corners of her eyes. "Very well, I'll be gone. It's clear your pride is more important than the relationship with your children. After tomorrow, your existence will be wiped out of my mind completely. In other words, you're dead to me," With that, Astrid stormed out, not letting her tears fall until she locked herself in her bedroom.

✨✨✨

Even years later, the harshness of his words continued to haunt her. Every venomous word was like a knife repeatedly being plunged into her heart and expected her to keep living. She thought after Reginald died, she would be free from his cage of hate. But after seeing him again in the 60s and the Sparrow's timeline, all Astrid could do was continue to fight the demons. She gasped as she looked around the darkened hotel room. Impulsively, she wrapped her arms around herself, curling into a ball and trying to calm down.

Eventually, when her body relaxed, she laid back down, trying to fully bring herself back to reality. Being in that dark room only made her feel like she was still in that nightmare. If she were to escape, she needed to be out in the daylight. Without another thought, she brushed her hair and changed into a sage green workout outfit. Quietly shutting the door behind her, she took the elevator down to the main floor and stepped onto the sidewalk.

The April morning was a combination of foggy and sunny with the temperature dropping to a chill with every harsh blow of the wind. Astrid zipped up her jacket as she ran past the streetlights and passing citizens. As she returned to the park, she briefly caught glimpse of the giant fountain and flower beds, some flowers already open and popping with red, pink, and orange shades.

The longer she stayed outside, the more at ease she felt. The cold air froze what was left of her frightened state, and she could only hope the rest of the day would pass by with no further incident. She soon heard the cawing of birds around her, and as the sound continued, she looked up curiously, watching a few ravens perch on the lampposts. The first few didn't bother her, but the further she ran down the dirt path, the more she saw the unkind staring at her.

All at once, they came swooping down from their places and looked ready to peck her to death. Astrid ran as fast as she could but soon felt her legs begin to cramp up. There was only one other option, but it could risk catching the eyes of nearby citizens who might confuse her for one of the Sparrows. She quickly teleported, only twenty feet away from the ravens. She disappeared into a dark cloud for a second time, still a reasonable distance from her pursuers.

Before she could decide her next move, Astrid wasn't looking where she was going and ended up crashing into a nearby tree. The impact sent waves of pain through Astrid's face, making her fear she lost a few of her teeth. But to her relief, they all remained intact. "Hello stranger," A familiar sweet-sounding voice spoke. Astrid gasped and turned around, coming face to face with three of the Sparrows, Fei, Ben, and Sloane. Suddenly, Umbrella Eight found herself pinned against the tree, unable to free herself. And before she could protest her freedom, Fei stepped forward and punched Astrid into unconsciousness.