Astrid's P.O.V.

"Why don't you want to meet your mom?!" I ask Toothpick in shock.

"Because what if she thinks I'm a disappointment?! I've changed since she left! What if I'm not her cute little boy anymore?!" he asked in a panic.

"Well of course you're not going to be her cute little boy, you're a teenager. You can be her...handsome young man," I said, not controlling my voice. "And she's not going to think you're a disappointment, you've gone most of your life following a string of strict rules, never breaking a one. You only started breaking them when..." I trailed off, not really wanting to finish.

"When what?" he asks, face shocked. Probably because of my first comment.

"When you started hanging out with me..." I said.

"We haven't been hanging out that much, you can't seriously blame yourself," he argues.

"I can blame myself if I want to, Toothpick. Okay? It's my fault my dad's six feet under, it's my fault my mother picked up drinking, it's my fault my brother doesn't care what happens, it's my fault my friends think I'm on my period, it's my fault you don't want to be reunited with your mother because you think she'll be disappointed! Everything's my fault, alright? Just say it's my fault! It's even because of me that we made out at my stupid party--" he cut me off.

"Astrid, I did that," he says, making me pause, "I made out with you; your father was selfish; your mother is unstable; your brother is in grief; your friends are causing you stress; and I'm worried about being a disappointment because that's what I am to my father. Can you honestly tell me that any of that is because of something you've done?" I paused in thought.

"I threw the party...if I hadn't, your friends wouldn't have dragged you there and you wouldn't have acted like you did. I made you start to defy your rules," I say.

"I didn't have to follow you into the trees," he countered.

"Toothpick. Just humor me. Please? Just tell me, it's my fault," I say. He shakes his head slowly.

"No...I might have had a hatred for you since 7th grade...but I'm not going to blame you for something you had nothing to do with."

"Okay, fine. I won't make you say it, if you suck up your gut, march right up to your mother when you see her, and give her a proper welcome home," I say. He extends his hand.

"Deal," he says and I snap my hand around his before shaking it. 

After school

I walked out of the building and jumped into the bed of the truck before Ruffnut hit the roof. "Take me home, please," I order through the window.

"You're not turning into the Toothpick are you?" Heather asks.

"No, I'm not. I'm just not feeling very good," I say.

"Oh, well then maybe we should come and take a swim in the pool," Dagger suggested before everyone started cheering.

"Guys, I'm not sure about that," I say.

"Why not? Your mom's never home, your dad's always busy, and your brother's out," Eret says.

"Whatever," I sigh. After a few minutes of driving, Eret pulled up to the gate.

"Astrid! What's the code?" Eret asked. I climbed out of the bed and walked toward the keypad. "Wha--just tell me," he says.

"I'm not about to say it out loud," I say before punching in my father's name and having the barred doors unlock. Eret was about to ram the doors open, but I stepped in front of the truck and opened them by hand. "If these things get dented, I won't be far behind them," I say as I wave him through, grabbing the mail from the box. They all look at me in shock as Eret drove by and up the drive way.

"You are turning into Toothpick," Ruffnut said as I grabbed the back of the slow moving truck and jumped onto the back bumper.

"Because I don't want to face my mom's wrath?" I ask. Eret parked the car and everyone got out before kicking off their shoes and running for the pool.

"Come on, Astrid!" Heather called as she resurfaced from her dive.

"No thanks, you guys. Not in the mood for the pool," I say, walking to the door. "Just make sure the gate's locked when you leave, will you?" I call as I walk inside and close the door behind me. 

I look through the envelopes before seeing one addressed to me. I take everything up stairs and go to my room before sitting at my desk. I opened my laptop and started playing Ol' Red as I opened the first envelope addressed to my mother. Great. She was running up tabs in bars all over Berk. She owed over $2,000 to the Dragon Cave alone. My Thor, the electric bill was less than what she owed to the watering holes. 

Then again, I was the only one that came here regularly and I rarely had the lights on. I liked to live by candle light more than electric. And whenever Alex came home, he never used the lights...at all. He's scared that if the girl sees him in normal lighting, she'll run out screaming. I put the bills down and throw anything addressed to Alex in the trash. He wasn't going to collage. After that, I move onto the envelop with my name on it. I ripped the paper open and took out the letter to see it ransom note style.

"Watch your back. We'll be striking in the next three weeks."

That's all it said. Who will be striking what in the next three weeks?! How did they know where I live?! Where would they be striking?! Why would they be striking?! ...Would they have weapons? There was no return address or postage on the envelope. Just my name. I stopped playing Ol' Red and closed my laptop before going to my father's old den. I slid down the railing and jumped off at the bottom of the stairs before slowly walking to the room off of the living room. Everything was exactly the way it was the night he died. His papers were scattered on his desk, his computer had sticky notes on the edges, his glasses were on his keyboard, and his favorite gun was disassembled on his desk top and there was a rag near the barrel. He'd been cleaning it before he snapped. I looked around the gun-filled cases that covered the walls until my eyes landed on a pistol. I grabbed his keys from the hook on his desk and unlocked the glass door before grabbing the weapon and a box of bullets. I load the gun and put the rest of the box back in the case before relocking it and returning the keys. I then take my phone as I moved to the window, dialing 911.

(O=Operator, A=Astrid)

O: 911, what's your emergency?

A: Uh, it's not an immediate emergency, but I wasn't sure who else to call. Um, my name is Astrid Hofferson. I received a letter in my daily mail that said to watch my back, someone would be striking in the next three weeks. I don't know what to do.

O: Okay, stay calm and an officer will be there shortly to check it out. I need your address please?

A: Uh, 719 Nadder st.

O: Alright, they'll be there soon.

A: Thank you.

I hang up and lock the front door before watching my friends in the pool. After about 10 minutes, a patrol car pulled through the gate, making my friends pause in confusion as the police officers climbed out. The men stopped at the pool and Eret pointed to the house before they nodded, walking to the door. I tucked the gun into my waistband and slowly opened the door as they knocked.

"Ms. Hofferson? I'm Officer Myle, this is my partner, Officer Crain. We received a 911 call about an ominous letter you got in the mail?" the man with black hair asked.

"Uh, y-yes, won't you come in?" I ask and they nod before walking into the foyer as I stepped to the side.

"Can we maybe get a look at this letter?" the red head asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll go get it," I say before jogging up stairs and to my room. I grab the paper from my desk and slide down the railing before handing it to Officer Myle. The two read it before exchanging a glance.

"Is there anyone else in the house, Ms. Hofferson? Anyone who might have a bad past with someone else?" Crain asked.

"Um, there are other people living here, but this letter was addressed to me alone, and my family might not be the best but I don't think they have any skeletons in the attic," I say.

"Are you sure?" Myle asked, making me pause.

"N-No..." I say nervously.

"Do you have anyone who might want you to suffer for any reason?" Myle asks.

"None that I can think of," I say with a shake of my head. 

"What's your relation to the people outside?" Crain asks.

"They're my friends. They came over after school to get out of the heat," I answer.

"They swim in their clothes?" he asks. I shrug.

"I don't understand them any more than their mothers do," I say.