"You walked us into a slaughter!" Fei growled as the four Sparrows burst through the front doors. Dahlia's rage towards Dusk had dissipated the further they got away from The Hotel Obsidian. Now her rage was once again on the man responsible. Not only did this mission nearly kill her again, but Sloane also hadn't returned with them, and she feared the worst. "You three were right there with me! This is as much your fault as mine," Ben scoffed.

"Excuse me? This never would've happened if you hadn't made a deal with them! Jayme, Alphonso, and Sloane are gone because of you!" Dahlia snapped, her eyes beginning to turn icy blue. Ben turned sharply on his heel, his eyes narrowing the more he looked at her. Fearing another intense argument, Fei and Christopher both looked at each other and stood by. "Why are you so upset? You never even liked them!" he questioned. "Wrong! I may have been irritated by Jay and Alp, but they were still family! And Sloane... she was the only sane one here!" Dahlia choked up.

Though nobody else noticed it, Fei could see Dahlia's hand twitching, an icicle forming from her palm. And she feared if she didn't intervene, there would be more deaths. "Alright, that's enough!" Fei spoke up. But neither Ben nor Dahlia took their gaze away from one another. "Every time you become Number One, you fuck things up! Guess it's not your lucky number..." Dahlia snarled, venom dripping from her words.

"How do I fuck things up, D? Huh?" She opened her mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was a frustrated sigh. The blonde retreated to her room, bumping his shoulder in the process. As the Squid Boy watched her storm off, he turned towards Fei.

"I never thought I'd say this, but she's smarter than you. Moody and cold, but smart," she sighed. "Don't you start," Ben warned. But despite his protests, Fei continued, claiming that he didn't know how to lead, that he didn't have what it took to be a leader. Ben's anger reached a boiling point as he smacked Fei's sunglasses off her face, sending them skittering across the floor.

To this, she started laughing at his petty move before her anger returned. "Marcus would've never let-" "He's gone! Do you know what our real problem is? You're a shit Number Two, Fei. In fact, this whole team is shit!" Ben interrupted. Christopher chattered an angry response, taking offense to that comment. "Besides you, Chris," Ben clarified before walking towards Reginald's office. Fei followed right behind, stopping to pick up her glasses.

"What have I missed? It sounds juicy!" Reginald inquired as Ben sat on the couch, resting his head against one of the cushions. "Dad, we lost Jayme, Alphonso, and Sloane," Ben explained, his tone blank and emotionless. The old man grabbed his monocle and wiped the lenses with a cloth. "Well, then we should be out looking for them. Fetch my jacket!" He replied, about to stand up from his seat. "No, Dad. He means they're dead," Fei clarified.

A look of surprise crossed over Reginald's face as he sat back in his seat. "Such a shame. What happened?" He inquired. "Those assholes from the Umbrella Academy. You were actually right about them," Ben explained. Fei jumped in, explaining how after Marcus disappeared, they struck a failed deal, and that resulted in the unfortunate outcome. "This would've worked, but they had a secret weapon. An old guy with powers on their side, which is totally cheating!" Ben interjected.

"So, what do you intend to do about it?" Reginald further asked. Ben looked in Fei's direction, but she gestured for him to go on, daring him to come up with another brilliant idea. One that would probably get them all killed. After the Squid Boy was unable to speak, Fei looked to her mentor. "We need to be ready if they come to finish us off. And they will unless we have a plan..." She looked back towards Ben, stepping towards the couch. "...So, what are we going to do, idea guy?"

The more Ben's silence lingered, the more agitated Fei became. Realizing this was all a waste of time, she stormed out of the room. Christopher the Cube looked towards the door before looking back at Ben. It seemed he knew exactly what the cube was thinking as he told him to leave. And with one last movement, Chris left as well.

~~~~~~~

Up in her bedroom, Dahlia sat at the windowsill, looking down at a framed photo of her and Sloane. The moments from the Hotel Obsidian flashed before her, along with the deadly yellow rays. She fought to keep back her tears, not wanting to look weak. But every time she saw her happy and bubbly face, the more her heart of ice began to melt. "Why you? Anyone else but you!" Dahlia whispered, her bottom lip quivering.

She hugged the frame tightly as waves of sadness crashed over her. Tears trickled down her cheeks, each one burning her skin. It all happened so fast, and if given the opportunity, she would've saved her. Dahlia would've tackled Sloane to the ground, shielding her sister with her life. Even if it meant she died and never came back, she still would've made the sacrifice.

As her grief continued, a gentle pat came from the bedroom door. Dahlia looked up and quickly wiped her tears as she went to answer the door. She prayed to whatever God out there that Ben was not on the other side. But as she looked through the crack, she saw it was Christopher. "Hey, what are you doing here?" She whispered.

He chirped softly, claiming that he wanted to check on her. Though Dahlia was surprised by this, she invited him in, watching him float over to her bed as she shut the door. Since Christopher's transformation, it was hard for Dahlia to talk with him. But after learning some frequencies and communications, she had a decent understanding of his new language. But still needed a device to translate some things.

"Are you okay?" The translator spoke as Dahlia turned it on, setting it on the comforter. She wanted to hide her feelings, but even as a cube, Chris could still tell when she was lying. "No, I'm not," she admitted. "Because of Sloane?" The Icy Sparrow looked towards the photo, her head slightly nodding. Christopher let out a series of chirps, saying how she was so sweet. And as the two Sparrows exchanged good things about the gravity girl, Dahlia felt a bit of solace in the situation.

"I know you and Alphonso were pretty close. How are you handling this?" Dahlia questioned. The translator beeped a few times as it translated Christopher's answer. "It's sad. I miss him..." The blonde scooted a little closer. "Why are we the unfortunate ones? It feels like everything that happens affects both of us in some way. First, the chemical accident and now this... Everyone must really hate us," she trailed off. Chris beeped in protest, telling her that wasn't true. "I don't hate you," 

The translator continued, "If you need anything, I'm here," Dahlia looked over at him with a half-smile. "Thanks, buddy. I'm here for you too," Dahlia reached over and lightly hugged the glowing block.