𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 ~ 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴

~ 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣: 𝘿𝙤 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙈𝙚? ~

What kind of pretentious heroes give out tote bags? Astrid thought to herself, but smiled and quietly thanked her captors. "Hope you enjoyed your stay!" Ben said. The rest of the Sparrows stood alongside him, and they each gave the Umbrella a combination of a glare and a warning. But as Astrid caught sight of Sloane, she looked rather guilty. But not wanting to fall into another trap, the blonde shook her head and walked out the front door.

The distance sounds of police sirens were heard a mile or two away as she stepped onto the pavement, closing the front gate behind her. The night had grown cold, and if it weren't for the Sparrow jacket she obtained earlier, she would have felt the unforgiving temperature. Slowly walking down the sidewalk back to the Hotel Obsidian, she could hear another faint noise in the distance. It sounded like someone was trying to get her attention with a "Psst!"

Astrid looked around, wondering where in the world it was coming from. But as the sound continued, she looked towards the alleyway, and from the faint glow of light, Astrid saw Sloane leaning out of her bedroom window. "Astrid! Hey!" she waved. What does she want now? Before she could muster a thought, she suddenly felt like she was floating. The tips of her toes left the ground, and she slowly floated into the alley, watching as Sloane guided her with a glowing ball of white.

There were moments Astrid felt she could be dropped at any moment, but after seeing Sloane being careful enough not to bump her into any of the walls or lose her focus, she felt somewhat safer. But even this was not enough for her to trust her again. The moment she touched the concrete of the balcony, she didn't know what to say. It was one of the scariest yet exhilarating moments of her life. 

Sloane gestured her to enter, and with some assistance with her tote bag, Astrid climbed into the bedroom, watching as Sloane closed the dark pink curtains. "We have to be very quiet," She whispered, finally turning to the Shadow Girl. "What do you want from me, Sloane?" Astrid sighed, arms crossing over her chest. Sloane clasped her hands in front of her, glancing at the ground before locking her gaze back on the Umbrella.

"I wanted to apologize for earlier," She admitted. "Is this another one of your games? I made the mistake of falling for it earlier, and I won't do it again," Astrid questioned. Sloane shook her head, telling her she didn't understand what was really going on. "We were being watched, the only reason I stopped being... myself in front of you was because I couldn't risk putting you in even more danger. They're crazy," Sloane explained. "But I want you to know that I meant every word I said,"

Her excited chatter of traveling the world and being free echoed in Astrid's mind, and although it took a while to fully register that Sloane was being genuine from the get-go, a smile etched onto her face, making Sloane smile as well. She felt the Sparrow gently grab her hand and lightly squeeze. "Can I tell you another secret?" Sloane asked. "Of course," Astrid nodded. "All my life, I've dreamt of finding my true love. And... I never thought I would because I was different than most girls,"

"I know, your part of a crime-fighting family with incredible powers," Astrid responded, tucking a piece of Sloane's hair behind her ear. "No Ast, what I'm trying to say is... I'm bi too. Somehow, I've always known. I just didn't tell anyone because I was scared of being treated like how you were. To be dubbed a freak by the people who hate us," she opened up. The longer Astrid stared at the woman, the more she felt her heart pound as she admired everything about her. She was so beautiful both inside and out.