The longer Astrid stared at that Sparrow uniform, all she could do was wonder if she had just imagined this and was still dreaming, tucked in her lover's arms. But as she pinched herself to make sure, sure enough this was all real. "I can't believe it, Ast! You're gonna be one of us!" Sloane gushed as they returned to her bedroom, Astrid still lost in her thoughts.

Sloane noticed the prolonged silence and crouched beside her. "What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy about this!" She wondered. "I guess I just didn't expect Ben to react this way. I thought he would've grabbed me by his tentacles and thrown me out or something," Astrid sighed. "It's a lot to take in all at once," Sloane nodded at her girlfriend's reply, gently stroking her arm. "Did Ben tell you about this happening?" Astrid questioned.

"No! That's why I was so surprised when he offered you a spot on the Sparrows!" Sloane answered. "Like I said before, Ast. Nowadays we barely talk unless it's about missions," The Shadow Girl reached into the box, finally pulling out the uniform. And as she smoothed out the creases in the leather, she brought the uniform up to her torso and walked towards the mirror. Even with the image of what she looked like in the Sparrow uniform burned into her mind, Astrid couldn't stop and wonder what her siblings would think. Especially Luther and Viktor. Being in love with a Sparrow was one thing, but becoming one of them was on another level.

Astrid was pulled out of her thoughts as Sloane rested her head on her shoulder, staring into the mirror with her. "Come on, let's try it on! I'll even put mine on!" Sloane offered. "Alright, why not?" Astrid sighed. Sloane giddily clapped her hands as she rushed to her closet, and as the Umbrella changed into the uniform, she had a hard time sliding into the leather pants. Hearing the sounds of quiet grunting, Sloane looked over her shoulder and went to help her.

"I know, sliding on the pants is a struggle even for me!" Sloane chuckled, zipping up the multiple zippers on her suit. Almost instantly, the suit formed to Astrid's body, accentuating her curves in all the right places. As Sloane stood in front of her, the Shadow Girl zipped up the rest of her girlfriend's suit, hearing her giggle as she reached the top. They returned to the mirror, and Astrid's hands ran down her body, feeling the leather material cling to her skin. Ben was right, she was just about Jayme's size.

"Does it feel a little more real?" Sloane asked, her arms wrapping around Astrid's waist. "Y-yeah. It does," Astrid smiled nervously. The girl standing in the mirror was not the Astrid she recognized. Every time she stared at herself, she would see the broken Astrid with mascara stains under her eyes or the Umbrella Astrid, who was usually quiet but fought for her family. This version of her was different. In a positive light, it made her feel a little more confident in herself like she could rise above all the chaos they were facing and be the mistress of shadows she was back in the glory days.

She closed her eyes, her black-gloved hands tightening as her palms ignited into black smoke, her shadows ready to do whatever she wanted. The gravity girl stared at her in amazement as Astrid's blonde hair blew wildly and the shadows flew around her from head to toe until they returned to her hands. Now it officially felt so real. This Astrid was powerful, the inner woman that had been screaming to come out of her shell for the longest time.

"Wow..." was all Sloane could say as Astrid turned to face her. She looked just as powerful as Sloane knew she'd was. She just needed to believe in herself to unlock her full potential. And while she knew the other Umbrellas would be surprised, if not a little upset by the switching sides, at least two of them knew Sloane had no ill intentions. "Comfortable, isn't it?" Fei questioned, startling the both of them.

"Fei, I didn't know you were watching!" Sloane sighed. "I have eyes everywhere, Slo. You should know that by now," Fei smirked before stepping into the room. She gestured for Astrid to slowly turn to see if anything was out of place. But after a second spin, Fei nodded her head approvingly. She said nothing further as she walked out of the room and back down the hall, which made a few shivers run down both of the women's spines.

As the day continued, Astrid and Sloane's not-so-secret romance carried on. No longer having to hide it, they were able to roam around freely. They spent most of their time either in the gym, working out on the treadmills, or spending some time in the Zen Garden taking care of the plants. "Ast! Come look at this!" Sloane gestured, her gaze mere inches away from a budding strawberry plant.

"What is it?" the Shadow Girl questioned, scanning the green leaves for anything eye-catching. Sloane gently pulled back some of them to reveal three light red strawberries the size of a ladybug hanging from the leaves. They stared at them in amazement, checking the other fruit plants for any signs of budding fruits. But next to the blooming raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, none of them compared to the beauty of the baby strawberries.

"Spring is coming, Astrid! And maybe once this kugelmess is over, we can watch them grow and pick them when they ripen!" Sloane smiled. They walked outside the greenhouse just as the sun was about to set over some of the smoking skyscrapers. They had never seen such a haze like this one. The sky looked a mixture of both friendly, but also "Don't come near me," as the smoke continued rising into the air. It wasn't powerful enough for them to start coughing and hacking yet, but enough to catch the smell once in a while.

They sat against one of the larger trees, bodies pressed together as they wrapped around each other's arms. Sloane's hand brushed through Astrid's hair as her girlfriend rested her head in the center of her chest. Astrid's hand wrapped around Sloane's side, resting against the small of her back. "Thank you," The gravity girl whispered, kissing her girlfriend's temple.

Astrid slightly lifted her head, confused by what she was being thanked for. Sloane rested a hand against her cheeks, a loving look in her eyes as she said. "For coming in and making my life better," The blonde turned pink in the face at the flattering comment, but she did her best to hide it. While Sloane said nothing about it, she could still see the glow in her lover's cheeks. But just before either of them decided to fill the space between them, a loud bang and whoosh of air blew past them, making them quickly stand up and look out into the city.

"That was a kugelwave, right?" Sloane questioned. "Yeah. One blew through the hotel last night," Astrid nodded, tightly grabbing her hand in case either of them were pulled apart by the wave. At least if it was the end for either of them, their last moments together would consist of holding hands. But as they tightly closed their eyes, feeling the wave return to the kugelblitz in the basement, they were relieved to still be alive.

But soon after, they could hear a car driving angrily down the street towards the Academy. Now that Kugelblitz had taken almost everyone in the city and most likely all over the world, Astrid had a feeling about who might be in that car. "Shit... it's Allison!" She gasped, catching a glimpse from the tinted windshield. As the vehicle pulled to a stop near the sidewalk, Sloane and Astrid dashed down the stairs to see what was going on. Fei, Christopher, and Ben also heard the angry screeching of tires and joined them outside the Academy.

As Allison exited the car, she went to the trunk and lifted the hood, ushering Ben and Fei forward. During their brief exchange, all Astrid could do was hide behind Sloane and hope that Allison wouldn't notice her. But with her Sparrow suit on, it made her stick out like a sore thumb. And while the Shadow Girl didn't notice at first, Reginald came out of his office to see what was going on as well. How Astrid didn't see him at least once after being caught sneaking around, she didn't know.

Sirens from empty police cars wailed all over the city, filling the streets with the blaring noise. "You got what you wanted. This is done," Allison said lowly. Astrid didn't need to look in the back of the car to know what was inside. Just the smell of decomp made her realize Harlan was dead. Now, the Sparrows and Umbrellas could finally work together and if they played their cards right, save the world. Ben turned to look at Reginald as he nodded before returning to his study, Astrid averting her gaze as he walked past.

As Fei and Ben grabbed Harlan's corpse, Allison brushed past them and walked up the steps to the Academy. But the second she saw Astrid wearing the Sparrow uniform and holding Sloane's hand. Her anger burned inside her again. Her plan failed, and in Allison's mind, her point was proven that Astrid was a traitor. "What are you looking at?" Astrid glared with a hint of unwelcomeness in her voice.

But Allison said nothing as she walked inside and made herself at home. Astrid kept a focused gaze on her as she walked towards the living room, noticing the brief look in her eyes that focused on getting more alcohol into her system. "Hey..." Sloane whispered, her voice pulling Astrid back to reality. "Don't worry about her. I'm here with you," The gravity girl assured.

"Let's just go back upstairs," The Shadow Girl shook her head, returning to reality. Just as they walked up the stairs, she began to develop a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. With Harlan dead, she had no doubt Viktor would be devastated when he found out. But the only question Astrid kept asking herself was, how was Allison able to get to him while he was holed up in a room with Viktor? Unless she... no, don't tell me! If Allison rumored any more of her siblings into doing her bidding, Astrid feared that her darkest shadows would unleash their wrath, in the name of protecting the ones close to her.

~~~~~~~

The following morning as Astrid, Allison, and the Sparrows sat in the kitchen, eating breakfast. All Astrid could think about was her rumoring sister was scheming and planning next. The entire time she ate, she had a blank stare. But just from across the table, Astrid could see the wheels in The Rumor's head turning. Allison soon felt the cold gaze and glared at her. This was not the Allison she recognized or grew up with. This Allison had been taken over by a dark force. Maybe it was by her own doing, or it was at the hand of another.

"I'm done," Allison pushed her empty plate to the center of the table and walked off, her boots clacking harshly as she walked downstairs. "I'm done too," Astrid sighed. But as she was about to walk in Allison's direction, she felt Sloane's hand on her shoulder. "Aren't we heading to the Hotel for the rest of your siblings?" Sloane asked. "Yeah, just give me a moment," The Shadow Girl nodded.

As she entered the hallway and walked down the few flights of stairs, she could smell cigarette smoke as she reached the second to last set. And sure enough, as she peered over the railing, she saw Allison in a daze, the smoking object resting between her pointer and middle finger. "Does Viktor know what you did to Harlan?" Astrid's voice echoed through the rest of the stairwell as she looked down on her sister.

"Not yet. But he'll find out soon enough," Allison scoffed. "I don't know how you did it. And frankly, I don't want to know. But know the more you take things into your own hands, the more of a risk you have at getting hurt," Astrid warned. Allison let out a puff of smoke, adjusting her posture as Astrid stood at the top of the last flight. "Is that a threat?" Allison questioned. "No. But all I'm saying is this should've been a family decision," The Shadow Girl folded her arms across her chest.

The Rumor stood up and walked three steps closer to her, her hand resting on the metal railing. "And what family are you referring to, Astrid? The one you constantly betray by sleeping with that girl? Nice uniform, by the way. You look like an un-popped zit," Allison spoke bitterly. Astrid shook her head at the comment, brushing it to the side. "You clearly need help, Allison. You can't keep hurting people, especially your family," Astrid stepped down, two black wooden steps separating them.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I think you're the one that needs help," Allison rolled her eyes. "Is 'fine' what you call you did to me at the hotel? You nearly ruined my one chance of happiness!" Number Eight tightly clenched her teeth. Her sister glared at her in a threatening way and took another step closer until they were nearly nose to nose. "Don't test me, Ast. You have no idea what I'm capable of," Allison's eyes started glowing yellow, an unfamiliar sight to Astrid. How did she...?

"Astrid?" Sloane poked out her head from the upper staircase, making the two sisters look up at her. "Yes?" The Shadow Girl asked. "Ben's calling a family meeting. We should go grab the others," The Gravity Girl answered. Taking one last look at Allison, Astrid agreed, and the couple walked the rest of the way downstairs, getting into the Hotel Oblivion car Allison arrived in. "What was that all about?" Sloane inquired.

"Nothing. Just a failed conversation with my so-called sister,"