Can't I just get one date where none of my siblings try to interfere and ruin the moment? I love them, but I swear to god! Dusk internally spoke, slamming the door of her hotel room rather harshly. If she had it her way, the moments of flirtation between her and her boyfriend would last a lifetime. He and Victoria were the only people in her life that could keep her sane. As she changed into more comfortable clothes and laid on the couch, she reflected on their moment.

Her cheeks turned pink as she recalled the twinkle in his eyes. If she stared into them long enough, she could've mistaken them for the night sky. Everything about him she loved, his giggle, the random jokes he would let rip, and of course, how sweet he was. Everyone in her life she met when she left the academy were never as sweet as him. Not even close. Dusk buried herself into the white blanket that felt like fur, and feeling her eyelids grow heavier and heavier.

Right as she was on the brink of dozing off, Viktor and Allison entered the room, seemingly discussing something about the Sparrows. "Because of this whole... grandfather whatever it's called, those Sparrows think we took their Number One. We'll never get the briefcase back," Allison grimaced. "What if we told them the truth? Marcus is gone, and maybe we're partially responsible," Viktor suggested.

Allison could only scoff. "Are you insane? Telling them the truth will only make them hate us even more," "Alli, listen. Marcus was ready to give back the briefcase. If the rest of his family are even half as open-minded, maybe we can come to some agreement and get it back," Number Three took a moment to think about the plan, and part of her was screaming that they had to at least try. Maybe things didn't have to get violent a second time.

"Alright, we'll try that. But I'm coming with you this time," Allison caved in. Viktor slightly smiled and nodded. "Dusk, do you want to..." he stopped short when he saw his other sister deep in sleep, muttering unintelligibly. "Oh, she's... well, I guess it's just the two of us then,"

~~~~~~~

The following morning, Klaus walked into the hotel lobby, wearing a gray latex wet suit, an orange coat made out of a similar material was also draped over him, along with goggles and a snorkel. "Chet, hold my calls," He called out to the man, who sat in his chair watching the latest news report. The junkie pushed his way through the hotel's revolving door, making his journey down the sidewalk as he headed back to the Academy.

All through the night, Diego's words implying their father was behind his birth mother's death clouded his mind. And as much as he tried to block out the possibility, it kept coming back to haunt him. Eventually, he realized if he wanted the thought to quit eating at him, he needed to get the truth, although their father could be a hard person to get a straight answer from. Within half an hour, he reached the back of the massive house.

He glanced around the property, his eyes eventually landed on a small metal grate with steam exiting it. Jackpot! He lifted it, revealing a space that was big enough for him to fit and swim through. Throwing off the orange jacket, Klaus pulled the googles and snorkel over his face, taking in a deep breath before diving down.

He nearly gagged when he saw how black and hard it was to see through the water, but he kept going as the need for the truth was becoming insatiable. Soon, he reached a ladder that led to the basement through a small circle. He slid right on through, his nose immediately scrunching at the awful smell. "Ah, thank god," He muttered, pulling off the smelly latex suit, revealing a more skin-tight outfit that barely covered his torso.

 He quietly crept through the academy as he made his way to Reginald's office. As he poked his head into the room, the monocle took notice of the foul odor and he was stunned to see the intruder, grabbing a nearby mounted sword. "Have at you!" He shouted, startling the junkie. Klaus quickly grabbed a fireplace poker and pointed it at his father. "Did you do it?" he barely whispered. "How did you get in here?!" Reginald demanded.

"Did you kill our moms?" Klaus almost shouted, but quickly covered his mouth so the other occupants would hopefully not take notice. Reginald slightly lowered his weapon, confused by his words. "What in the world are you talking about?" he questioned. Klaus practically got on his knees, begging for an answer with the promise he would leave right after. 

"I don't care enough about you to lie. Do I look fit to murder anyone?" Reginald sighed, setting down his weapon. "Maybe not now, but..." Klaus trailed off. "On your feet, boy. You're the drunk one, aren't you?" Klaus laid down the fireplace poker and stood up. Before he could clarify himself, a knock from the door caught their attention. Panicking, Klaus hid in the corner of the room, hearing the voices of two Sparrows, Jayme and Alphonso.

"Reg, you know the drill. Pills, bills, and num-nums," Jayme said in an annoyed tone. "I'm not hungry," Reginald tried to dismiss them. But they were not having it. "Come on. I'm really not in the mood for your bullshit today," Sparrow Six handed him a few pills, and Jayme and Alphonso watched him reluctantly swallow them. Alphonso placed a few sheets of paper on the coffee table, handing Reginald a pen and instructing him to sign.

"What is this?" the old man inquired. "Doesn't concern you, old man. We say sign, you sign, don't make me get Christopher," Alphonso threatened. Klaus couldn't believe the things he was hearing. How could dad tolerate them speaking to him like that? If we tried to even raise our voice, he'd yell and give us severe punishments! 

The junkie slightly peeked through the corner, watching as his father signed the important documents, and just as the Sparrows were about to walk off, Alphonso caught a whiff of the lingering odor from Klaus. "Jesus, Reggie. You stink, I'm telling the robot to give you a bath," As soon as the office door closed and the footsteps receded down the hall, Klaus came out of his hiding spot, still in shock by the elder abuse.

"My god, Dad. What happened to you?"

~~~~~~~

Back at the hotel, Dusk polished off the last of her breakfast mini muffins, the same kind she and Klaus ate on their little date the previous night. As she placed her dish on top of the other dirty plates, she caught glimpse of Victoria towards the entrance, going back and forth with Diego, holding onto Stanley's hand. "How could you try to send him across the city all by himself? What kind of parent does that?" Victoria growled.

"The hotel's not safe for him right now. And besides, I need him out of my hair," Diego attempted to reason. Dusk walked towards the conversation, poking her head out from one of the lit blue pillars. "Well, like or not dude, you did the deed with my sister, and now you have to take care of your kid! And sending him off by himself is not good parenting," Victoria caught glimpse of her best friend, signaling that she would be over in a second. As she was about to walk away, Diego muttered an insult, one that triggered Victoria immensely. "Crazy ginger,"

"What did you just say?" she snarled. The look of anger in both her eyes and face frightened Diego, and he quickly backtracked, claiming he didn't say anything. "That's what I thought," Victoria stormed off towards Dusk and they briefly embraced at the pillar. "Diego being an ignorant parent again?" Dusk questioned. "Mhmm, you'd think with all the trauma you guys went through, he'd try to be a better parent than what's-his-name. But clearly not,"

Dusk glanced back at her brother as Stanley berated him with questions surrounding Molotov cocktails. "He's a cute kid. And he's pretty lucky to have an aunt like you," Dusk side smiled. "He really is. I love that little rascal," the redhead grinned. The two just awkwardly stared at each other for a moment before Vic finally worked up the courage to say something. "Hey, I need to head out and grab some things, would you maybe want to come along?"

"Sure, why not?" Dusk shrugged. "Cool, I'm bringing Stanley too. Cause frankly, I don't trust Diego. Had a bad feeling about him the moment we got here," Dusk nodded understandingly, knowing how much a pain in the ass he could be. "I know from personal experience. I think he was the one person I couldn't stand growing up," Victoria whistled for Stanley and he rushed over to the redhead's side, and the three of them headed out, getting into a taxi that took them to the nearby grocery.

"Aunt Vic, can I please get a Slim Jim and slushie?" Stanley's eyes lit up when he stumbled across a counter with a large machine near the front of the store. "Okay, but after we get what we need," Victoria responded. While the redhead grabbed a tiny bag of dog food, as well as a few other odds and ends, Dusk stared at the random things on the shelves, hoping to find anything that could catch her eye.

She stumbled across a few scented candles and picked one up, instantly greeted by the smell of baked apples. She grabbed a few more, and took more sniffs, not caring about the massive headache she'd get later. Out of the corner of her left eye, she caught glimpse of blonde hair, along with the sound of angry mutters.

"Why couldn't Jayme and Alphonso grab their own snacks? I'm not their little errand girl," she muttered, walking towards the snack aisle. From that faint glimpse, Dusk could already tell it was one of the Sparrows, particularly the ice girl. "Hey, you wanna grab some snacks?" Victoria tapped Dusk's shoulder. Dusk's eyes widened at the thought of encountering that girl again. Not because she was scared, but because she felt she didn't have the energy to fight her.

"What's wrong?" the redhead asked. "Oh nothing," Dusk brushed it off. "Hey, I grabbed that first!" Stanley's protests came from the snacks aisle, along with the familiar voice. "It's mine now," Victoria and Dusk dashed over to the aisle, where Stanley tried to pull the Slim Jim away from her. "Trying to take snacks from a child now, Icy?" Dusk spoke up.

The blonde Sparrow looked up, seriousness and rage etched her face. "Dragon Lady. Did you follow me here?" She squinted. "First off, I'm a phoenix. And second, I don't think that's any of your concern," Dusk folded her arms across her chest. Victoria's gaze shifted back and forth from the Sparrow to her friend. "You've got a lot of nerve showing your face around here. Once my family hears you and those freaks are still in town, you're going down."

"Hey! You mess with my friend, you mess with me too..." Victoria growled, catching the Sparrow's attention. "Please, you're not even worth my time, ginger," At that point, Victoria was about ready to lunge at her throat. "Enough! Vic, take Stanley and wait for me outside," Dusk ordered, not taking her gaze off the enemy. "No, I'm helping you beat this bitch up!" Victoria protested.

Dahlia chuckled, popping her knuckles as her eyes turned ice blue. "Let's end this, shall we?"