Hey guys! :) So... this is my first Young Justice story, well, actually, I've been trying to write this story for about... a year and a half. I started and restarted so many times, but now I've finally gotten into it! Enjoy!
"Earthquake! This is not a drill, under your desks!" Ms. Williams instructs. Chaos erupts. My classmates scramble to find safety, as we could feel the very ground beneath us quiver. I push my backpack out of the way and crawl under, seating myself on the blue tile floor, and my coal black hair is just barely trailing on the ground, though it usually rests on the small of my back. I tuck my head down because I see the ancient gum stuck from over the years and I close my eyes because it's really claustrophobic. I can hear some test tubes shatter as they hit the floor and textbooks rocking onto the floor. The climax of the quake throws the double doors to our science room open and I hold the leg of my desk down so it won't topple over. I grip my jean jacket and rub the fibers fiercely. It's like how people grind their teeth or wring their thumbs when they're nervous. I can hear the girl who sits across from me whimper in fear. It's over. My teacher does the protocol, "Is everyone alright? Everyone safe?" General murmurs of agreement are pass over the class, so my teacher continues, "Alright, follow me so we can take a headcount at the front of the school. Single file, and walk calmly!" The rest of my class follows suit but I just sit there. We're on the bottom floor of a three story school. Campoa Bay High School isn't cheaply made, but a single fault in the foundation and my entire science class would've been crushed. I would've been crushed, "Violet, get in line."
"I- uh, yeah." I crawl out and grab my backpack, even though we're advised not to bring anything along, and join the line as we troop down the hall. The first in line pushed the doors and the rest of us follow him outside, where it's abnormally sunny and warm for a March Wednesday. About four or five of the other classes are already neatly arranged and our class sets up camp on one end. I'm in the back, and since our school is on the hill, I can see the whole town up until the docks and the bay. Places I've never even been. My mother runs I tight ship. I think either she's afraid of me being badly influenced or me seeking out my dad. I don't even care about him. After fourteen years of him not trying to contact me, why should I? But mom cares enough for the both of them, plus every other parent on earth, and then some. I've never been to a bonfire, I've never been to a slumber party, and I've never been to a school dance. I think we live in Campoa Bay because it's made up of city and beach, a mixture of what I love, at least from a distance, but Mom can still make her visits to Gotham city, since it's only an hour away.
Just thinking about it gets me pissed. I'm fourteen years old, for God's sakes. I think it's about time I had my first kiss. Going over all of these passed up chances makes me so angry I just want to…
And I'm doing it. Everyone is so distracted by the natural disaster that it's the perfect time to slip out of the crowd and head downtown. I keep my head down and brush through a few social groups and start making my way through an alley. It seems odd that the teachers could be so completely occupied, but I won't question my stroke of good luck. The bricks are slick since it rained last weekend and I drag my feet through a shallow puddle, slightly muddying my studded black Converse. I reach the edge of where the actual city part begins. I don't think I've ever been anywhere unaccompanied. It's liberating. Where should I got first? I don't even know where to start.
I pull out my hamburger wallet from my black skinny jean pocket and thumb through its' contents. Crappy ID photo, library card, crumpled phone number from that guy in Spanish, and… eight dollars. Time to go crazy. Well, it'll be crazy for me no matter what I do.
Exiting the alley, I view the array of shops and restaurants in my reach. Maybe I'll finally try sushi, or… or go to Lulu's Clothing, or go to the beach, or the art gallery, or- I'm getting way ahead of myself.
I really didn't think this through. If Mom finds out or suspects anything, I'll be crushed under the severity of the punishment… or she might even pull me out of school. That's how serious she is about keeping me… safe, I suppose is how she would phrase it.
But this is what I need. Some time to myself, some time to be a normal teenage girl. Mom may think she's helping me, but I'm not happy. I need to do this. I need to try.
After rationalizing my rebelliousness, I make my way down the street. My stomach is twisting in nerves and excitement, and I can't help but smile. I can do anything today!
My day was, summed up in a word, awesome. And not that middle school "awesome" that's used so frequently, the awesome as in I was in awe. I had my first window-shopping experience, went to In-n-Out, which I had heard so much about, and now I'm sitting on the beach with my shoes and jacket off, with my pant legs rolled up and my white lace shirt speckled with sand. I'm propped up by my elbows, making pictures out of the clouds and smelling the ocean. I pull my phone out and check the time. Oh, hell. It's fifteen minutes past the time I was supposed to be home! I throw my shoes and jacket into my backpack and whip it onto my shoulder, spraying sand onto the couple adjacent to me. They look pissed but I don't have time to apologize. Mom usually calls twenty minutes after I get home, to make sure I'm there, and then gets home twenty minutes later. I could either run back to the apartment or take the bus. If I take the bus, I have to pay. So I start to sprint. I sprint through the boardwalk, my feet burning on the concrete, wincing every step. Why should I have to race home? I should just let her discover my absence, let her believe the worst. But I don't, because I'm spineless.
It takes me twenty-five minutes to reach my block because I hit the "after school rush," getting stuck behind some couple who were sucking each other's faces. I decide to climb into my room the back way, because maybe if Mom's home I can pretend I'm asleep. There's an iron ladder in the alley behind my apartment, but it's up way higher than I can reach on the ground. I get a running head start and launch myself into the air, barely reaching the end bar. The ladder pulls down roughly, making a groaning noise as it does. I let go when it finishes and wipe the rust on my pants. Once I climb to the top I realize that my window is still locked, my fear escalates to pure panic.
So I force my elbow through the glass window.
I can feel the shards pierce my flesh, but at this point I don't even care. I wrap my jacket around my hand and brush away the leftover pieces and climb through. My room is sky blue with all white furniture, too bright for my taste, but I don't think too much about it right now. I open my door tentatively, listening for sounds of life. Nothing. I throw myself onto my twin bed in relief. Smiling, I go to sleep. Even the glass wedged into my elbow can't distract me from the bliss I felt today. Selena Kyle can't keep me locked up anymore.
Tada! Surprising heritage, eh? Guess who the father is. Guess. You can see chibi pictures of Violet, (under the file Sage) Kid Flash, and Artemis on my DeviantArt page. :3 My account name is ChattyKat, or you can get a link from my profile page. Thanks for reading, and please leave a review! See you in a couple days for the next chapter in Break Point. P.S. I own Violet Kyle and Campoa Bay.