A/N: yes yes, I know. I couldn't stay away. I came to the realization that this platform is much more suited to a long, chronological, series and decided I'd reboot Lina's story on here as well as Tumblr.

I've uploaded the first 4 chapters, so that's what I'lol be pumping out today/tomorrow.

Just a little explanation. Italics are used a lot in this story. They help mark whether the Winds are talking, Lina's thoughts, or is something is being spoken in a different language (mostly French). It's pretty easy to tell which is which, but just thought I'd let you guys know.

I'm going to try to use the actual language itself from this chapter on out, but I won't be doing this with whole sentances.

Anywho, let's get started.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC. Young Justice and it's places, stories, and characters all belong to DC and the brilliant minds that created them.

With a sudden gasp of air, Lina's eyes snapped open.

Not that it did anything however, as she quickly became aware of the fact that everything around her was empty and pitch black. Not only that, but that she was floating through it. It was strange, like she was hovering just over the floor of a room that held no visible things save for pitch black walls she couldn't touch.

Moving her hand through the empty air, Lina was honestly a little surprised to find that her appendage did in fact move along with her brain's commands. Deciding to push her luck, she moved her whole arm and made a grabbing motion with her fingers. She failed to feel or grab anything, but the limbs moved accordingly. Next her other arms, her hand, her back, her neck, even her head: all moved as Lina's brain called for. The only peculiar thing she found was that, upon feeling with her hand, her hair floated and waved around as it pleased. Despite the fact that Lina could feel no wind.

"Where am I?" Lina thought to herself, but then realized the words had escaped her lips. The French words resonated in the air, a small echo that bounced off the out-of-reach walls. "What on Earth? Hello?" Not really to her surprise, her cry was not met with a response. This made her heart fall, as it meant she was alone in...wherever she was.

Looking down at her body, Lina realized she was wrapped in a simple white dress. The flowy skirt floating and waving in the same non-existent breeze as her hair, wide enough to block the girl's view of her feet. Suddenly, the sense of fear encased Lina's stomach. What if she didn't have any feet? What if she disappeared into the nothingness of the room after the skirt? Sure, she could feel her legs, and everything attached, but what if it all just wasn't there?

And so, not seeing any possible consequences to her actions, Lina took what to her body felt like a leg, and motioned to kick. As her foot swung forward however, an enormous wind suddenly came out of nowhere; hitting her full force. The wind caused her to spin uncontrollably like an infinite summersalt, and Lina let out a loud yelp in shock and fear as she stuck out her arms to try and balance herself to no real avail.

It was only a moment later that the voices came. Cold, loud, and crowded; as if there was an individual voice on every breeze, and each was yelling at the top of their lungs right into Lina's ears.

"Who are you?"

"Who am I?"

"Why are you here?"

"What is this feeling?"

"I don't like this!"

"Let us go!"

"Please!"

"Why are we here?"

"Please!"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Are you even in control right now?"

"Do you really think you deserve to be here?"

"Please!"

Lina clapped her hands over her ears and scrunched her legs up to her chest, trying to make herself as small as possible. It didn't help. The voices seeped into her ears and seemed to wrap around her like a python, strangling her. She couldn't breathe. She didn't stop spinning. The voices kept growing, not stopping. They carried questions that Lina could hardly make sense of over the noise. Tears began to escape her eyes and stream down her cheeks, and Lina thought she started screaming but she couldn't be sure over the noise.

"Shut up!" Lina screamed, her brain grasping at any way for the winds to quiet down as her body began to rack with sobs and shivers. "Just shut up! I want to go home! Please just shut up!"

And just as quickly as it had started, any trace of the screaming winds and their questions vanished. Everything returned to how it had been at the beginning, or that was what Lina thought before she opened her eyes.

"Lina." A sweet, familiar voice called out. The voice immediately caught the girl's attention, but out of shock she did not open her eyes. "Lina, mon coeur, please look at me."

Slowly, the young girl lifted her hands off of her ears and opened her eyes. Looking up at where the comforting voice was coming from, Lina was met with the sight of the all too familiar woman standing before her.

She was tall and slender, a perfect dancer's body, with a heart-warming, smiling face that's only sign of age were the nearly invisible smile lines that decorated her light hazel eyes. Long, sleek, light brown hair flowed behind her in the same way that her younger's did, along with a similar white dress that seemed to have an unworldly glow as if radiating into the black nothingness that surrounded them. She looked down at Lina, her plump lips pulled into a small smile, standing with her hands neatly folded in front of her.

"Mama..?"

The woman's eyes lit up slightly at the recognition, her smile widening to reveal perfectly white teeth behind her lips.

"Hello my little Butterfly." The soothingly sweet voice of Veronique Dubois seemed to glide through the air as gracefully as her acrobatic moves once had been.

"Mama, w-" Lina stuttered lightly, her body unmoving, "where are we?"

"That," the woman hesitated, tucking a strand of light brown hair behind her ear, "is a very hard question to answer, my Darling."

"What do you mean, Mama?" Lina asked, her voice quivering. "Mama, I'm scared. Where are we? What just happened with the air?"

"I'm very sorry, Lina." Veronique replied, her eyes filled with sympathy for her daughter. "But I cannot give you the answers you seek."

Lina said nothing in return, but her glassy eyes were quick to fill with tears as they looked hopelessly up at her mother. Veronique bit her lip as her eyebrows furrowed with a sort of frustrated sympathy. She lifted her hand slowly, as to reach out to her daughter, but paused. Squeezing her fist tightly for a moment, the older woman then dropped it.

"What's the last thing you remember, my little Butterfly?" The woman asked, pulling her hand to her chest and her eyes filling with determination.

"W-what?" Lina sniffled.

"Think back," Veronique said sternly, "what's the last thing you remember before you awoke here?"

Lina's eyes furrowed but looked down in thought as her mind raced to do as she was told. But it was unclear, like all her past memories were at the bottom of a swimming pool. She could just make out their shapes, but as the ripples and waves flowed the picture moved and warped. But then, just as a tear rolled down her cheek, a small breeze brushed against it. The small wind felt cool on the tear's trail, but not in an unkind way. Aside from the cold, the breeze felt like a cat's tail, moving against her cheek and then curling behind her and brushing her hair. But then it spoke…

"The flames."

The voice was quiet, hushed, like a whisper.

"What?" Lina asked, looking up at her mother even though she knew that the whisper had not come from her.

Veronique did not reply, only looked back at her daughter with the only visible emotion on her face being patience.

"The flames." The whisper repeated, this time blowing through Lina's hair and speaking into the opposite ear as before. "The flames."

"The flames…" Lina echoed.

And just then, Lina was hit.

As Lina flew through the warm summer air, her single fist held onto the smooth material of the aerial silks that she hung onto. Her body helped swing the fabric in a wide circle over the round audience stands as she closed her eyes, embracing the feeling of her flight and the smell of sweat, chalk, and cheap circus food.

Once her flight over the stands had finished, Lina opened her eyes as she swung her body up and twisted her leg in the fabric above her, nearly reaching the top where the hanging mechanism lowly creaked, and nimbly wrapped her torso up securely so she hung safely upside down.

She waited a moment, then released her leg and held her breath as her body began rolling straight down towards the ground at top speed.

Embracing in the amazing chaos that came with tumbling to the Earth at about 50 mph, Lina's legs moved with muscle memory to reattach to the fabric.

"Now!"

The sharp, whip-like command from her mother ordered Lina's leg to yank, and with that she stopped her body and ripped her torso up, which she caught by using her hands as support, just as her legs zipped apart with the aerial fabric, landing her in the splits with the supporting fabric wrapped firmly around Lina's pointed feet. To land the pose, Lina threw her hand up towards the sky.

As Lina panted for breath, drops of sweat made their way down the sides of her face. And after a moment, when the dull sound of white noise left her ears, the sound of a small but passionate applause entered them.

Turning, she saw a small crowd of six people watching her. Her parents, her brother Calvin, and the familiar faces of Ringmaster Cortez and Mateo Alfonsi, the strongman of Cortez circus; were the ones applauding.

"That was spectacular!" Markus Dubois said, smiling proudly at her daughter. "You're really getting good at your solo act, Evangelina."

"You like any help there, Little One?" Mateo asked in English coated in a thick Russian accent. Lina smiled and shrugged, and the mountain-like man smiled and walked over, strongly grasping the thirteen year old girl and-after she disentangled herself-placed her on his heavily broad shoulders and walked her over to her parents.

"It was a very impressive routine Lina." The old Ringmaster says, stroking his long white beard in thought. His bright green eyes, already framed with smile lines, squinted. "You looked almost as beautiful as your mother flying up there."

"Oh hush Mikael." Veronique tutted, lightly slapping the Ringmaster's arm. "You flatterer."

"He has a point, My Love." Markus smiled, sliding an arm around his wife's waist. "She so very much takes after her mother."

Veronique blushed, but kissed her husband's cheek with a smile.

"What do you think, Mikael?" Calvin said, grinning up at his boss/family friend. "Do you think Lina will be able to do a solo show soon? She's been practicing way more often than most of the solo artists, and we all saw how muc-" "Calvin, slow down." Veronique said sternly. However, her hard tone was offset by the small smile on her lips and her fingers carding through her son's blonde hair.

"Excuse my son Ringmaster. He's excited to have another family act to preform under." Markus apologized, a smile on his lips that matched his wife's.

"I do not blame the boy." Mikael said, slapping the eldest of the Dubois siblings on the back. "A brother/sister act involving Lina's acrobatics and Calvin's flames would be exciting to say the least." The old man's eyes lit up in thought. "Le Papillon et Le Pyrrhocore."

"The Butterfly and The Firebug?" Mateo asked, testing to see if he had gotten the correct translation.

"It's a metaphor, right?" Lina whispered to the man who held her. "I'm not really a butterfly." Mateo smiled and nodded.

"I like that name, and I bet Leo would be happy to help make the poster for it!" Calvin said, a large grin on his face. "What do you think Lina?"

Lina simply smiled and nodded.

"My little Butterfly," Veronique smiled at her daughter with love and pride, "a name most fitting."

"Well I imagine we'll have to do a lot of set up and even more rehearsing before we get you your own act, as it's even more dangerous than doing it with your mother…" Cortez said, "but I don't see any reason why we can't open up this act in, say, a few months once you turn 14."

Calvin cheered loudly. Lina smiled, and laughed quietly to her brother's emotions, but remained silent on top of the mountain that was Mateo. The strongman looked up at the girl, smiling, and she reciprocated it but still did not say anything.

"We need to tell Leo!" Calvin said, stepping towards the tent's entrance. "Lina, you coming?" Lina looked at her mother, and then shook her head.

"I have some stuff I need to do with your sister to prep for tonight's show, my Firebug." Veronique answered. Calvin shrugged and ran out of the tent anyways.

"I should follow him, make sure the boys stay out of trouble together." Markus said to his wife, tilting her chin up towards his as he gently kissed her. "Be gentle with her alright, don't work her too hard."

"I never do." She replied, and the married couple held each other's hands as Markus walked away, until they grew too far apart and had to detach.

"We should probably leave as well Mateo. We indeed have a show to get ready for after all, and I think the elephant-handlers could use your muscles and height to get them ready." Mikael said.

Mateo replied with a simple hum and turned to look up at Lina.

"Is it alright if I put you down now?" He asked, and Lina nodded in return.

"Thank you Mateo." Veronique said politely, smiling up at the man. "What do you say Lina?"

"Please Miss," Mateo interrupted, putting out a hand to motion his request, "no thanks is needed, not when it comes to Miss Lina."

Veronique sent her daughter a small wink, but then went back to smiling at Mateo as he looked down at the girl in from of him.

"It was truly a lovely routine, Little One. I look forward to seeing more of your dances."

"Thank you." Lina said, smiling up at the man, who nodded at her before walking out of the tent, followed by Mikael.

"Well my little Butterfly," Veronique grinned as she turned to her daughter, "Let's get started, shall we?"

It wasn't more than half an hour later that the mother/daughter duo was prepped and ready for the show. The equipment had been prepared and checked over thrice, two full runs of the routine had been successfully completed without a single hitch, sparkly makeup had been applied to both women's faces to make their features visible from the crowds far below, and both their matching costumes had been put on.

Although that didn't stop Veronique from "fixing" her daughter's outfit.

"You're getting so big, we're going to have to get new costumes soon." The mother said with a small smile.

"Yours fits fine, why don't we just get a bigger one for me and keep yours?" Lina asked with a raised eyebrow. Veronique's lips turned up into a mischievous smirk.

"Never give up an opportunity to get new clothes, my Darling."

"But Papa says-""Your father is brilliant at many things. Fashion and costumes do not fall under those categories."

Veronique let out a little giggle, but Lina was just confused.

"And you have your earplugs in, right?" Veronique asked, looking over to see the bits of squishy foam in her daughter's ears.

"They're uncomfortable." Lina admitted, scratching at the skin attached to her ear.

"I know my Darling, but you have to wear them for the show. You know how the loud music and the crowd's noises hurt you." The mother said, sternly but voice filled with kindness.

Reluctantly, Lina nodded.

The costume that clothed both females was tight, and mostly coloured white with gold, sparkly, swirled patterns that Lina liked to trace before she went on to ease nerves. This was the duo's primary colour scheme for all their costumes, what they'd been wearing ever since their first show. As their first routine of the evening was an aerial act, their costume was a full-bodied leotard, with a small elastic on the sleeve that was worn on the middle finger to keep the sleeves tight.

Veronique always said that although she loved aerial work, she much preferred ground acrobatics and dance routines-their second and third acts of the night's show respectively-because the costumes were so much prettier and "theatrical".

"There we go," Veronique said, finally standing and letting go of Lina's costume, finally suited to her liking, "so very beautiful."

Lina smiled, but the moment was cut off when the smell of smoke entered through the crack of the dressing room door, causing Lina to cough.

"What the…" Veronique stepped toward the door, reaching for the handle, only to pull her hand away as the hot metal burned her hand.

Not a moment after, the door crashed off its hinges to reveal Mateo enveloped in a cloud of thick smoke.

"Miss, we need to get out now!" The large man said, causing the older woman to step back and grasp the coughing Lina's hand.

"Mateo, what-""there's no time to explain!" The man roared, as he grabbed Veronique's hand and began to run out with both women in tow.

Between her coughing fits and the heavy black smoke that emitted from them, Lina was greeted with the sight of the circus tent coated in roaring flames. The painted canvas, the wooden beams, the stories-tall equipment, the ring's walls, the bleachers: everything was blazing within the flames' grasp. The agonizing heat all around them caused Lina to falter, managing to pull her hand out of her mother's grasp to cover her face. Veronique let out a sharp squeal before grabbing her daughter's hand again with all the strength she could and resumed pulling her along.

They were so close to the exit, Lina could feel the cool breeze from the outdoors contrasting with the fire's heat. But suddenly the sound of splitting wood came from up above, just above the entrance, and Veronique's head whipped up. Her gaze then snapped to the entrance, which was still a few meters away.

"Go!" She yelled. And they did. Working purely on adrenaline, the three circus performers began to sprint even faster towards the door. But both adults proved too fast for Lina's much smaller legs, and the younger girl tripped and fell. Just as she did, the wood over them let out one last deafening crack before the tumbling wood began to crash to the ground.

Right over Lina.

"Lina!" Veronique cried, let go of Mateo, and ran over to her daughter.

But she was too late.

The wood crashed onto her just as she leapt over her daughter.

And everything went black.

Lina starred in shock, her body frozen from the shock at her last memory.

"The wood…" Lina murmured, mostly to herself. "It hit us, it hit us…it hit you..." Her eyes slowly raised to her mother, who greeted her with a small, knowing smile. "Mama…"

"I'm sorry Lina." Veronique said for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"No," Lina breathed, but then she straightened her spine, her tears turning angry. "No! Neither of us can die! Not me, and especially not you! We're okay!"

"You are."

Veronique's soft voice caused Lina to freeze.

"W-what?"

"My body sheltered most of the debris flames from you when it hit, and thankfully Mateo was able to dig you out before you suffocated or any damage was too severe. Even if you did break your spine, several ribs, an arm, your hip, and your lungs were damaged, you also received a concussion that rendered you unconscious." Veronique explained. "It's a miracle you survived, even if you were put into a coma. Although I think you'll find that it was less of a miracle and more of a-" "But then you're…"

"Dead." Veronique finished. "Yes, I'm sorry."

"No, please!" Lina gasped, hurriedly scrambling through the air towards her mother, who flinched away. "Please, Mama, you can't be dead! Please!"

"Like I said, I'm sorry." Veronique said, smiling sadly at her daughter. "But my Love, you must learn to move on. Your life is about to change so drastically for, what I believe, is the better and you have to be ready."

"Change? Well of course my life is going to change! You're dead!" Lina shouted.

"I mean in other ways." Veronique explained. "Larger ways, ways bigger than you could even imagine. They're happening right now, as we speak."

"What? How?" Lina gasped. "Mama, you're not making any sense!"

Veronique simply smiled, and stepped towards her daughter as if there was a floor under her that Lina couldn't see or feel. Raising her hands, the older of the women gently cupped the younger's cheeks and stroked her cheekbones with her thumb, wiping the remaining tears away. As soon her hand made contact with her daughter's flesh however, Veronique's image slowly started to disappear; fading away into the empty blackness that surrounded the two of them.

"I love you Lina." Veronique spoke quietly. "So, so much."

"Wh-Mama?" Lina stuttered, watching helplessly as her mother's image began to dissipate. "What's happening? Where are you going? Don't leave me!"

"It's time to wake up, my little Butterfly."

As Veronique pressed a final kiss to her daughter's forehead, she fully vanished into the blackness, and as soon as Lina could no longer feel her presence, the voices came back.

Wake up

Are you sleeping?

Is that where we are?

It's time to wake up!

Are you sure this isn't death?

We can't die

But you can

Awaken!

Wake up!

Why aren't you awake yet?

Lina couldn't hear herself scream. Just like she couldn't feel the hot, angry tears leak out of her eyes yet again. But she knew she was screaming, and she knew she was crying. She slammed her hands back over her ears, trying to block out the noise. It didn't do much.

Wake up

Wake up

Wake up

Wake up

Wake up

Wake up

Wake up!

With a sudden gasp of air, Lina's eyes snapped open.