Just Great
Chapter 1: Cancer, Training, and Wally West
Artemis repeatedly swung at a red punching bag in the Mount Justice training room fighting back tears. She could stop criminals, she could save citizens. But she couldn't stop cancer or save her mom. Artemis had found out that her mother had brain cancer six months ago. There was now stopping it, the cancer was already too far ahead in its development. Or that's what the doctors say. Now her mom just sits around in a hospital bed in their tiny apartment on medication all day that they can barely afford. Money is extremely tight. They were poor before, but now they're screwed.
Artemis kept swinging at the bag, hitting her troubles away. School was awful too. So many exams, not to mention all the stuck up rich kids and the annoying uniform consisting of a skirt. On top of that there was a gang leader who lived in the slums neighborhood who wouldn't leave her alone. And that's not even brushing on her alter ego hero life.
Even after his failed attempt at Santa Prisca, and everything happened at the watchtower, Artemis' father was still trying to get her to spy on the League. And he could be pretty persuasive with a whip. Luckily she hadn't come in contact with him lately, or he would surely have beaten information out of her. He was probably after Jade's because of her betrayal before he got arrested. But the Shadows had freed him. And not only was all that Sportsmaster shit interfering with her life, but so was Wally. He had been so damn nosy lately. He thinks that just because Artemis revealed her family tree, he has an all access pass to her life when he barley knows her.
Bam! Artemis hits the bag hard as she thinks of the red headed menace. And as if on cue, guess who strolls into the training room.
"Whatcha doing there, Artemis?" Wally asked as he mugged in a banana.
"Go away, Baywatch." Artemis says coldly, continuing to hit the punching bag.
"Come on, Artemis. You've seemed depressed lately, I want to help. Is it your father?"
"No. Go away."
"Please tell me what wrong. " he said sincerely looking at her, trying to make eye contact, "I care, Artemis. I care about you."
Artemis stopped hitting the punching bag and slipped off her green boxing gloves and started to walk towards Wally while saying, "You care? You care? Do you know how many people have said they cared then tried to hurt or kill me? Do you know how many people said the cared then stabbed me in the back? Or ignored me the next day?"
Wally blushed when he realized his back was to the wall and Artemis was less than a foot in front of him wearing only a white tank top and light blue shorty shorts.
"No," he said coolly, "but I want to know." he grabbed her wrists, "I want to know everything about you."
"well my life isn't a fairy tale, it's a tragedy. Not a story worth telling." she said pulling away from him. She picked up her boxing glove, slung them over her shoulder and walked out the door as Wally watched longingly.
He wasn't going to give up.
When Artemis got home, she made dinner and gave her mom her medication. With her mom know asleep, she proceeded to do her homework when the phone rang.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Suit up. I need to talk to you. Meet me on the Iceburg's roof. If you don't, say bye, bye to one of your little friends." then the line went dead. Artemis immediately suited up and made her way for Iceburg's. Iceburg's was a club with incredibly loud music playing from six pm to one am every night. So nobody could hear her scream. It was ten. And she knew who summoned her. Sportsmaster. She recognized the voice over the phone. And she was scared.