Little girl terrified
She'd leave her room
If only bruises
would heal
"Hey everybody!" Artemis walked into the living room of the cave.
"Hey Artemis! Wanna go shopping with me and Connor later?"
"Uh... no, I don't feel well."
"Aw, come on, Arty! I'll go if you do." Wally came up and patted her on the back, causing her to wince in pain. "Hey, you okay?"
"Um, yeah. Just a sore back... That's all." KF gave her a questioning look, but Megan brushed it off.
"Oh, well! That's too bad! Hope you feel better!" When she was gone, Wally followed her to the training room.
"Seriously, are you alright?" But he didn't get a response, because she had dissapeared.
A home is no place to hide
Her heart is
Breaking from the
Pain that she feels
"Mom! Are you alright?" Paula had fallen from her wheelchair and was laying on the livingroom floor.
"Calm down, Artemis! I just fell!" Artemis sighed in relief.
"I thought dad had made one of his visits..."
"And why would that be a bad thing?" She froze at the sound of his voice.
Every day's the same
She fights to
Find her way
She hurts,
She breaks,
She hides
And tries to pray
She wonders why
"Stupid- Hmf! Piece of- Eurg! NO!" She grabbed her knuckle. She had been wearing thin gloves while going at the punching bag, and now they were torn through. Pulling her hand away, she noticed they were bleeding. This just made her more angry. "Stupid... weaknesses..." Now she was punching the bag even harder, not to mention faster. It was being stained with smudges of red now, and it was getting worse the more she attacked. Tears were at the edges of her eyes when a hand seemed to appear out of nowhere and grab her aching fist.
"Artemis, that's enough!" He said, his red hair messy as ever. "You're going to hurt yourself even more!" His grip on her hand loosened slightly, but he didn't let go. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, and a sympathetic look crossed his face.
"I'm fine!" She said, ripping off the bloodied gloves and throwing them angrily to the ground, leaving the worried Wally alone.
Does anyone
Ever hear her
When she cries?
Today she's
Turning Sixteen
Everyone's singing but
She can't seem to smile
They never get
past arm's length
How could they act
Like everything's alright
"Happy Birthday to you!" Everyone finnished singing. Artemis tried to smile, but it was difficult to do so without causing herself pain. The team had asked how she got the bruise, and she told them she tripped down the stairs of her appartment.
"Well, well. So my sweetheart here's a big girl now, huh? Well, sixteen years, sixteen beatings. Let's see if you still can't stop me."
Wally was smiling at her when she opened up all her gifts. He had been happy for her all day, and had gotten her a new bow. "Wow, thanks Wally!"
"No problem, Arty. Hey," He bent down and whispered to her. "Did you really trip down the stairs?"
"Of course!" She could tell he still didn't believe her, but he dropped the topic.
Pulling down her long sleeves
To cover all the
Memories that
Scars leave
She says,
Maybe making me bleed
will be the answer that
could wash the slate
clean
"Ouch. That looks like it hurts." Robin stated, looking at Artemis' burned arm.
"Naw dip, Bird-Boy." Artemis clenched her teeth as she tried to clean the wound.
"Need help?" Kid Flash asked. Sighing, she handed him the wash-cloth. He gently began to wipe at her marred flesh. She wanted to scream in pain, but it went against everything her father taught her. KF seemed to notice, and since Robin had left, he slid his hand into hers. "Here." She grabbed it gratefully and sqeezed his hand, wincing. After a few minutes, he stopped. "There! Not as bad when it's clean, is it?" He asked.
"Thanks... " She blushed, releasing his hand. Wally put his hand on her shoulder.
"No problem."
Every day's the same
She fights to
Find her way
She hurts,
She breaks,
She hides
And tries to pray
She wonders why
Does anyone ever hear
her when she cries?
This is the
Dark before
The dawn
The storm
Before the
Peace
Don't be afraid
Cause seasons change
"Artemis!" KF burst in through the front door of the archer's appartment. Paula had called the team and Batman as soon as she came home to her ex husband beating Artemis to death for telling the JLA Shadow's secrets. He saw Paula lying on the floor next to her wheelchair, a cut on her forehead. Wally ran over and moved her to her chair. She shook her head.
"Not me... In her... Bedroom..." She managed to say. He didn't think twice before heading down the nearest hallway.
"Artemis?" He called, using his superspeed to open all the doors.
"Wally?" It sounded forced and scratched, but it was her voice. It came from the other hallway. There was only one door at the end and he ran straight to it, kicking the door open. Artemis was lying on the floor, clutching her stomach and coughing up blood. Standing over her was Sportsmaster.
"What?" He thought. "Paula said her father was attacking her... Unless-"
"Oh, so I guess the party's over. Well, bye sweetheart." He gave Artemis one last kick in the gut and leapt out the window. KF ran over and kneeled down beside her, placing his hands under her. Grabbing her shoulders, he helped her sit up and looked her in the eyes.
"Oh, God. Artemis, why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you tell me?" He asked. Now everything made sense. She tried to say something, but was cut off by a fit of coughing. When she was done, she looked at him with tears streaming down her face.
"I'm sorry..." She choked out. He sighed in relief and wrapped his arms tightly around her. She responded immediatly, hooking her arms around his waist and began to sob into his neck. That's how the rest of the team found them a few minutes later.
Every day it's the same
She fights to find her way
She hurts,
She breaks,
She hides
And tries to pray
She'll be just fine
Cause I know
he hears her
when she cries
A/N: Song- When She Cries
Artist- Britt Nicole
Okay, so I heard this song for the first time today, and immediately thought of Wally and Artemis! Check it out!