05 | chapter five

                                    

                                          
For as long as she could remember, books had been Sabrina Hargreeve's reprieve from reality. She devoured fairytales after fairytale, absolutely enthralled by the endless adventures and developing a deep longing for something outside of the routines established by the Sparrow Academy. Though every time she read the words 'happily ever after', her nose would crinkle and the book would slam shut - no such thing existed, and it was pitiful that people spent their entire lives chasing after it. So, as she grew older, she found herself drawn to more realistic pieces of literature, abandoning tales of princesses and wicked witches in favour of histories, sciences, and philosophies.
This held true as she stood in the Hotel Oblivion, flicking through pages in front of a dusty, old bookshelf. She tried her best to ignore the endless bickering in the background to no avail, so the girl sighed irritatedly, snapping the book shut.
"He's cramping my style! How am I meant to react to danger on a moments notice?" her captor, whom they had called Diego when he dragged her through the doors and into the foyer, complained. "How am I meant to do that when I'm playing wet nurse to some twelve year old?"
Sabrina slid the book back into the bookshelf, nearly inhaling the dust that filled the air, and spun around to face the dysfunctional family.
Three of the siblings - Diego, Allison and Viktor - were sitting around a booth. Viktor was slumped slightly in his seat, watching as Diego rambled on and on about the child that had watched as he dragged her out of the grocery store like a corpse. Sabrina crossed her arms in front of her chest, leaning on the bookshelf as she watched them. 
"You're his dad," Viktor argued back. "That's kind of what dads do." The Sparrow Number Seven scoffed at that. Their dad certainly didn't do that kind of shit.
"Alleged dad," Diego corrected, pointing towards Viktor for dramatic effect.
Allison, who had been drowning herself in booze while her siblings conversed, placed another empty glass on the table. "Well, at least you have a kid." Sabrina tilted her head at the woman, who seemed utterly disinterested in anyone's problems but her own. Allison then stood from the booth, the clicking of her heels audible as she neared the bar.
Viktor crossed his arms, his expression neutral but laced with tension. "For someone who doesn't want to be babysitting, you sure keep your hands full," he said, glancing toward Sabrina, who was standing stiffly on the other side of the room, her arms folded tightly across her chest.
Sabrina's eyes flashed with irritation, but she kept her voice steady. "I don't need babysitting," she muttered under her breath, though the others seemed to dismiss her.
"She's leverage," Diego cut in, his tone matter-of-fact as he emphasized the word. "If we want to take the Sparrows down, we've got to be making moves!"
Sabrina's lip curled into a sneer. "You've already made plenty of moves, asshole," she snapped, her voice cutting through the room like a whip.
Diego raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance. "And what's that supposed to mean, princess?"
Sabrina took a step forward, her posture rigid and challenging. "I don't know if you're actually oblivious or just entirely stupid, but you lot have already taken Marcus from right under our noses. And don't think for a second that my family's going to let two kidnappings slide." Her voice was sharp, like glass about to shatter. There was something raw behind her eyes—a mixture of anger and concern.
Viktor's expression shifted, confusion clouding his features. "What are you talking about?" He glanced at Diego. "We don't have Marcus."
Sabrina blinked, taken aback for a split second before her brow furrowed in disbelief. "What do you mean you don't have Marcus? Where is he then?" Her voice wavered slightly, betraying the growing doubt that something far worse was at play.