Sacrifices

The Power of a Memory

***

"Astrid, what are you doing?!" Oakley scowled as the blonde tackled her to the ground. 

"Saving your life!" She bit back. "I'm not gonna let you sacrifice yourself."

"Astrid, I don't have a choice," Oakley explained. "I can't kill him. This is the only way to stop him." 

"No..." Astrid disagreed. "It's not."

"Astrid, what-" The brunette was cut off by a bolt of lightning, shattering the piece of wall they were hiding behind. Oakley spun towards the source of the shock, gripping Astrid's hand. The walls and floors were soon covered in vines that snaked around the male figure. Oakley quickly pulled Astrid back to the closet where Heather and Lotus were still sitting. 

"Earth," Heather noted. "That's your advantage."

"It's the only element that isn't a conductor for electricity," Oakley confirmed. "I could never get it to work before."

"Maybe that the key to-"

"What? Kill him? Heather, I told you I'm not doing that. He's not a bad guy." Oakley explained. "If it wasn't for him, his father would've killed me a decade ago."

"Wait, he saved you?" Astrid wondered. Oakley nodded.

"I owe him." She said.

"Oakley, he saved your life for a reason," Lotus explained. "You really think he'll forgive you for bringing him back to find you dead?"

"WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO, OKAY?!" Oakley snapped. "I have tried everything!" She cried. "But those vines won't hold him for long. So if someone has another idea, then I am all ears!" 

"Oak, they're your powers."

"Yes, Astrid. I am actually aware of that." Oakley rolled her eyes sarcastically as she took some bandages from Ms. Hofferson's medical bag and started wrapping up as many of her wounds as she could. 

"You said they chose evil because it was the only thing that they knew, right?"

"Astrid, what are you getting at?" She wondered.

"Oakley, you are not evil."

"Astrid, we are not going over this again." Oakley sighed.

"No, you're gonna listen to me!" Astrid hissed. "You are not evil!"

"Astrid, how can you say that? Look around you!" Oakley cried. "The school is destroyed, you got electrocuted and if your mom doesn't get to a hospital soon she could lose her leg! I set Snotlout on fire, I hit Eric with a locker, I got my mother killed and turned an innocent kid into a lightning shooting psychopath!"

"Oak, you have to stop!" Astrid insisted. "None of this is your fault. You didn't ask to be taken. You didn't give Rumble your powers."

"What about Snotlout and Eric?" Oakley thought. "That was all me."

"It's not like you did it intentionally," Heather stated.

"Yes, I did."

"What do you mean?" Astrid wondered.

"Eric was hurting you." She sighed. "I couldn't stand it." She explained. "And Snotlout was more of the same."

"So, it was all to protect me," Astrid muttered.

"That's it!" Heather gasped. "Oak, since the moment you met Astrid, all you've done is protect her. Eric, the storm, the tree, Snotlout, and now Rumble. Oak, you're about to get yourself killed to make sure that she doesn't get hurt. Everything you do is for her. To keep her safe. If you were evil, would you be willing to risk your life for her?"

"Well, no but-"

"No. You wouldn't." Astrid agreed. 

"But how much do you think it would hurt her if you gave yourself up?" Heather thought.

"She's the strongest person I know. She would find a way to move on."

"No, Oak. She's right." Astrid took the locket out of her pocket and handed it to Oakley. "I don't want to move on. I don't want someone to watch movies with me. I want someone who'll fall asleep on my shoulder before the movie's over. I want someone who will tickle me to get her way. Who cheats at pillow fights and then passes out in a pile of feathers. Who creates a snowstorm an hour before a school dance." Oakley opened the locket to find that same picture of her and Astrid at the drive-in movies with their tongues stained from their colorful icee drinks. "That's the girl that I fell in love with." She smiled, cupping Oakley's cheek with her hand and wiping away her tears. Oakley's head snapped up. "And I may not be able to make it rain rose petals, but I promise I will find a way to prove it to you."

"You-?" She sniffled, a little lost for words. She jumped back to reality as she heard Rumble struggling against his restraints. "I'm not evil?"

"You're not evil." She nodded. "Oak, those powers are still tied to you." She explained. "Your five-year-old self is letting out her frustrations, that's why he's attacking you."

"Because five-year-old me thinks that I'm the problem. She resents me for what happened to mom." Oakley finished. 

"And I think a part of you still does," Astrid stated.

"Wow, Rumble was right. Maybe love really is the way I'm gonna stop him." Oakley realized. They all jumped at the sound of snapping vines. "But there's no way I can get close enough." She worried.

"Oak..." Astrid grasped her wrist, pulling something from her pocket and placing it in Oakley's palm. "All you have to do is remember." She smiled and nodded in reassurance. 

The brunette glanced down to see a single feather. She couldn't help but smile. Without warning, Astrid leaped off the ground and raced into the open. 

"Astrid!" The women all shrieked.

"Over here!" The blonde called to the male amongst them. 

"She's using herself as a distraction!" Oakley realized.

"That's right. Fearless Astrid Hofferson." She smirked, dodging a lightning strike. "Come and get me, if you dare!"

***