"Enough! Vic, take Stanley and wait for me outside," the Umbrella ordered, not taking her gaze off the Sparrow. "No, I'm helping you beat this bitch up!" Victoria protested. Dahlia chuckled at the statement, popping her knuckles as her eyes turned ice blue. "Let's end this, shall we?"

The raven's eyes turned blood red, and the corners of her eyes ignited into flames while Victoria pulled out her black bo staff, twirling it in her hands for a brief second. As they rushed towards one another, Dahlia raised her fists, attempting to punch the Umbrella. But she was too quick as she grabbed the blonde's arm, twisting it enough for it to hurt but not enough to break it. A gasp and slight groan escaped Dahlia's lips, but very quickly she found a way to escape the painful grasp, she wrapped her hand around Dusk's forearm, a handprint of ice burning at her skin.

Her plan to freeze the Umbrellas hand was soon interrupted by the ginger kicking and shoving her. But throughout years of training, Dahlia had learned to take a few unphased blows to the gut. That was until a roundhouse kick caused her grip to loosen, making her slide across the floor. Just as she was about to run into the path of another aisle, the rubber soles of her shoes squeaked to a stop. As Dahlia regained her stance, she looked up to see the raven rushing toward her, tackling her like an NFL football player and pushing her against the store shelves.

The raven and ice queen struggled as they attempted to throw each other off. But the tight grip of Dusk prevented her from doing so. The longer they gripped onto another, Dahlia could feel her opponent's body becoming hotter and hotter as the flames in her eyes grew brighter and brighter. Though they hadn't broken their focus, an audience had gathered in one of the other aisles, watching as they brawled. Dahlia attempted free herself, but the burning anger inside of Dusk quickly melted the ice that touched her skin.

In her last-ditch effort, Dahlia mustered a smirk, one of deception. Though she did her best not to laugh, she could tell that look was irritating the Dragon Lady. "What are you smirking about?" she growled, the tone of her voice low enough to become demonic. With a sudden burst of energy, Dahlia finally threw her off, watching as she crashed into a few soda-containing refrigerators, shattering the glass and making it rain down on her. 

Trying to regain her balance, the raven groaned in pain as the broken glass caused not only her arm to bleed but created a few gashes on her face and back of her head. Dahlia slowly approached her, her hands turning an icy blue. If she hadn't succeeded in freezing her back at the Academy, she was certain that this time she would. And after that, she would take her back to the others and they would display her frozen corpse as an ice sculpture at their next party.

"Say goodnight, Dragon Lady." As she thrust out her hands, the blonde felt a sharp yank on her hair. With another sharp tug, she caught glimpse of the ginger. "Nobody hurts my friend, ice shit!" she growled before throwing Dahlia onto the ground, smashing her face into the dirty floor.

Sparrow 8 tried to fight back, but every time she would raise a fist or attempt to summon an icicle, the redhead would unleash a combined flurry of slaps and punches. "Are you done, Icy?" the raven crossed her arms in front of her. Hearing those words made Dahlia arch her back to get a better look, her eyes squinting as she snarled, "NEVER!" She pried herself from Victoria's grasp. This was the last straw, and she was ready to end the girl once and for all. 

In the presence of all who continued to watch, the battle of ice and fire had reached its climax. She threw everything she had in the Umbrella's direction. At the same time, she unleashed her fire, their powers colliding and fighting for dominance. It was a sight to behold, two supernatural's with opposing powers, wanting to make the other suffer for reasons unknown to most. 

But very quickly, Dahlia was beginning to lose her strength, feeling the power of fire eat away every icicle, shrapnel, and snowflake she had. Her body gasped for a release, begging her to give up. But she couldn't. She wouldn't until she saw her opponent dead on the ground. Using the last bit of strength and energy she possessed, the Icy Sparrow fought back. And before she knew it, Dahlia's ice was eating at the fire. They say that ice can beat fire, after today everyone will know it's true.

For a moment, Dahlia looked up to see the raven struggling, and although she was trying to hide it, the look on her face made it obvious that her fire was waning. Suddenly she regained her composure, yelling as another burst of fire spurt out making the opposing elements level with one another. They tried to fight harder, but the ice and fire eventually died out, making the two fall to the ground in an exhausted heap.

Dahlia's heart raced in her chest, almost as if she came back from a thousand-mile run. The longer it continued to pound, she feared she'd have a heart attack or pass out from exhaustion. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as the redhead helped her friend up, and they along with the little boy walked out, the friend shooting her a death glare. "Are you alright, miss?" a female bystander asked, crouching next to her. 

"Yeah... I'm okay," the blonde nodded, sitting up and resting against the bare wall. "Do you need anything? Snack? Water?" Dahlia shook her head, claiming she only needed a few minutes and that she'd be on her way. They may have gotten away this time, but next time they won't be so lucky.

~~~~~~~

Earlier that Morning...

Back at The Sparrow Academy, Ben was once again outside on the balcony with Fei, watching as her crows patrolled the courtyard and the rest of the property. Right as he woke up that morning, he developed a sudden feeling, an urge that he couldn't shake away. He felt it had something to do with the Umbrellas and Marcus. His words from the previous night kept repeating themselves inside his head. 

 If they bring Marcus back, so be it. And if they don't, then we have some decisions to make.

"I see something," Fei spoke, catching his attention. "Two of the Umbrellas," Ben's eyes widened as he adjusted his posture. "Which ones?" He questioned. Fei responded claiming it was the "rumor girl" and the "little one with the big powers." Why are they coming here? Are they asking to get their asses handed to them again? Or perhaps this is about us taking their Number One. Ben speculated as they made their way to the courtyard where the two rivals were waiting for them.

"Where's the rest of your pathetic family?" Fei sneered. "Aww, is that the best you can do?" the girl smirked. Fei slightly arched her back, a few ravens flying out from her back. "Last warning," Sparrow Three warned. "You don't get to warn me about shit, Flock of She-Gulls," That comment made a laugh escape Ben's mouth. But Fei sharply turned her head towards him, glaring behind her sunglasses. When the Squid Boy took notice, he cleared his throat, getting back to the topic at hand.

"Where the fuck is Marcus?" he spoke sharply. The Umbrella Boy looked towards his sister, stuttering over his words. The longer it took for him to come up with an explanation, the clearer it became to both Fei and Ben that they had their brother. "Marcus is safe for now. But that'll change real quick if you don't do exactly as we say," the girl spoke up.

"I knew you guys had him! Marcus insisted we had to hear what you had to say, guess this is what happens when he doesn't listen!" Ben growled. "He wasn't wrong. We want to make things right with you--" "By kidnapping our brother?" Ben interrupted. The siblings briefly talked over one another before the sister gave him a side-eyed look as the boy took in a breath. "There's a lot more going on here. The world is in trouble, and we need to work together. One of my brothers could explain it a lot better than me, but... it's a time traveling-problem,"

He claimed they started a paradox that was slowly eating away the world, taking cows and lobsters, as well as people. The sister seemed to grow tired of the dragged-on explanation, as she glared at them and said, "Give us the briefcase, and we'll give you Marcus," "What briefcase?" Fei inquired. "The one we left in your house. Sorry, our house," 

"Deal. The briefcase for our brother," Ben caved in, knowing if he hadn't said anything, Fei would've pecked their eyes out. He didn't want that, not yet at least. "Hotel Obsidian, four o clock sharp. Or we'll send him back to you in pieces,"