Only about a week ago, I recieved a strange message from the amazing LifeandSushi, and my curiosity was instantly sparked. Little did I know that after responding to that one message, I would end up finding my twin, and write an amazing collaboration with her. To sum it all up, this story is a mesh of both of ours together with some changes. Think of it as an alternate universe for both of our stories, with all the same characters. It just...deviates from our original plots. Don't fret, readers who know me from Take the Shot, there will be plenty more in store for that, and I plan to split the time 50/50 between both these things.
I may as well give you a SPOILER WARNING now, because if you want to be surprised come the next few chapters of my own story, then you probably don't want to read this. Just saying.
As always, read and review as much as you can, lovelies. Every last one is taken into careful account and motivates us both to write more! Tell us what you think!
Disclaimer: Neither LifeandSushi or I own any of the normal YJ characters, unfortunately, and I won't bore you with listing what we do. :)
GOTHAM CITY
OCTOBER 2, 9:15 PST
"Can you believe we made nationals?" an obnoxious voice squealed loudly in Tess's ear, and she barely inclined her head towards the girl who had been sitting next to her on the horribly long bus ride from the airport to Gotham Academy. They were now walking through the halls of Gotham Academy, which Jennifer (the girl) had been thoroughly amazed by. "I'm so excited! I think I'm going to win! This place is so huge, and so clean, too! Why isn't our school this clean? I think we should do something about that...maybe we should write a letter to –"
"That's nice, Jennifer," Tess cut in, rubbing her temples. The last time she was in this school was when she was getting her ass kicked by a robot. Not too many fond memories. "You stay here with the rest of the group. I'm going to go have a look around."
"Okay, but don't forget to be back by –"
"Ten o'clock, I know, I've got it." She rounded a corner, glad to finally have some breathing room. "This is going to be a long day..."
"Dick," a red haired girl deadpanned from behind a raven haired boy.
"Babs!" Dick exclaimed, his smile growing, "what are you doing here? School is cancelled because of the week long Choir Competition."
"I know. But I thought I'd come over and wish you luck," she held out a bag, "I also brought lunch for you and… your partner." She gritted the last part out.
"Gee Babs, Lilith already packed a lunch," he smirked as he took the bag, "but thanks all the same; Wally's coming."
Delicate red eyebrows rose up, "Wally West, from Central City," she dropped her voice, "as in Kid Flash?"
Dick's dark blue orbs dashed across the dressing room, scanning it twice before nodding once. Barbara leaned back and sighed. "You better keep that then."
"Feeling regretful that you didn't join choir now, huh?" the underclassman teased, as a silver eyed girl pulled the door open.
Barbara snorted, "yeah, real jealous that I didn't join. You look almost as ridiculous as some of the other people here. Pretty sure I saw a Wicked Witch of the West while walking down here. Lilith looks nice though." She gestured at the short haired girl awkwardly.
"So Lilith gets a compliment, but I get an insult. Really feeling the love here, Batgirl," Dick poked the red head under the ribs.
"Retired Batgirl."
"Whatever," shrugged the Boy Wonder as he turned back to smooth out his gold vest and starched tie.
"I have your crown, Dick." interrupted the small girl who slipped through the door and was showing only one big, grey eye.
"I… better get going, non-competitors aren't allowed back here," Barbara trailed off and made a hasty escape around the Bat-family's newest ally.
Dick's façade of lightheartedness faded away as Barbara exited from the room. His brows tightened together. "Lilith, are you alright from yesterday? You healed all of us after—"
"I'm fine," it was the last the Lilith was willing to speak of it; instead her fingers tightened on the plastic crown. "Um… how do I look?" she finally looked up, twisting slightly to display the entire lacy costume.
"It looks great," Dick hesitantly replied. It did look really good, but… there was just something so familiar about the black taffeta and yellow cotton.
"The whole team is going to be here tonight; you must be on constant guard," Lilith warned.
"Don't worry about it," the raven headed boy cocked a confident smile, "nothing is going to happen."
Tess messed with the ends of her skirt as she walked, trying not to let the nerves get to her. Plus, she looked slightly ridiculous in her witch costume. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice that she wasn't alone in the hallway until she was hit head on by the red mass. "Ow! What the—watch where you're going, stupid!"
"Why don't you watch where I'm going?" the mass bit back, rolling off of her. He stood up, brushing his suit off and shaking his head of bright red hair.
"Wally?" Tessa gasped, slightly amused at seeing her friend in a monkey suit. "You got roped into performing, too?"
"Do I know you?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her. She rolled her eyes and pulled off her thick framed glasses, giving him a pointed look. "Tess?"
"Yeah, you moron, of course it's me!"
"Well my bad; I didn't recognize you behind the 80s librarian glasses or the Wicked Witch of the West gettup," he snorted, speeding out of the way to avoid a well-aimed kick to his side. "Hey! Easy, easy! My mom will kill me if I ruin this suit!"
"Then I suggest you keep your mouth shut about my outfit," she warned, waving a black-painted fingernail at him.
"Whatever," he rolled his eyes, and grabbed onto her arm, tugging her in an unknown –to her, anyways—direction. "C'mon, I know where Miss M and Supey are."
"Ugh, fine."
"Come on Dick, I just saw Megan and Conner over there," Lilith tugged on the stiff velvet coat. "Let's go, your majesty, why are we waiting here anyways?" she whined.
"Thanks for waiting." A redhead flatly stated behind her, and the girl swung around, lips shaped in a little 'o'.
Her raven haired partner smirked as he bumped fists with the much older archer. "I told Roy to come as well. He's here for some 'official business', but honestly, he's just here to enjoy our singing." He winked back at Lilith, who suddenly realized her partner's plan.
"Why don't you take a look around first, Roy?" Lilith hinted, pointed at a corridor where they saw Wally walking down, just minutes before. "I'm sure you'll find a few others here. We're off to meet with Megan and Conner; isn't that right, Dick?" She shot a sharp look at her partner.
The other sidekick finally resigned. "Fine," he sighed, "anything else, my twin?" he smiled, knowing that she would get the reference.
Lilith playfully smacked the boy's elbow. "You're the prince and I am only the maid; Destinies divided between us sorrowful twins; In order to protect you is for what I was made; I would become evil for you." The ebony haired girl closed her eyes and allowed the words to flow off in a gentle, sweet soprano.
"Ahahaha, now bow down to me," Dick joked back, in a singsong voice.
Roy cussed under his breath and sulked down the hallway that Lilith had pointed to. "Those stupid, annoying little choir brats…"
"You're lost," Tess accused, trailing slightly behind Wally as they passed the trophy case for the third time. "I swear if I have to look at that Grayson kid's face again I'm going to jump out that window."
"I am not lost," he protested weakly, spinning in circles with his hand covering his eyes. "Let's go...this way." They began walking again, this time with a much quicker pace, until they arrived once again in front of the trophy case. "Okay, I'm lost."
She threw her arms up in the air, exasperated. "Thank you! Maybe we can actually help now."
"Please, everybody's probably at the show, it starts in," he held up his arm, glancing at his watch. "Two minutes."
"Don't you have super speed?"
"I have super speed, not super location skills."
"Well...maybe you should get some!" she hissed, grasping at her hair, which had long since fallen out of her pointed hat. "If we don't get back in time, then Mrs. Ingle will kill me, and then Justin will be mad, and then I'll be kicked out of choir and..."
"I think I might be able to help," a voice said, and they both whipped around to see Roy standing there, looking sheepish.
"Roy?" Tess gasped, confused, at the same time as Wally, who didn't hesitate in throwing himself at the older redhead.
"Uh, Wally...Elphaba," he joked nervously.
"What are you doing here?"
Roy stared down at Wally, amused, before he gently peeled his friend off of his midsection and set him to the side. "What? Can't a guy go see his favorite girl perform?"
Her eyes narrowed. "No, not when he wasn't invited. Actually, I'm pretty sure I didn't even tell you about this...how exactly did you find out?"
"Uh..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck."Kaldur brought me along, but it was really all Rob's idea."
"That little...I'm too mad to think up a word right now!" she growled. "Wait, you said you could help us get back."
"Uh, that I did."
"Then what are we doing standing here? C'mon!" Grasping his hand, she began to pull him in the direction he came, making Wally jog to keep up with their pace. Roy sighed, shaking his head at her, and then tugged her to the right, weaving through hallways until they arrived at the entrance of the auditorium. "Oh thank god."
Wally, after a moment, glanced down at their still conjoined hands, before slowly backing up toward the direction of the choir room, "I'm just gonna leave you to do...whatever. See you after the show, Roy."
"Yeah...see you."
Tessa took one look at their hands, and quickly removed hers, placing it in the pocket of her dress. She ducked her head to avoid his piercing gaze, finding a smudge on the floor and fixating her gaze on it. "I...missed you, you know."
He opened his mouth to say something, but the words died in his throat, and he simply decided to wrap his arms around her shoulders. She smiled slightly and curled up into his chest, her arms wrapping around his stomach. "I missed you too, Blondie."
"Tessa! Tessa Flynn!" A sharp voice interrupted them, and they broke apart to see Mrs. Ingle – a shrill, elderly lady who had surely been working at the school longer than her fair share. "Where have you been? Roy Harper? What in god's name are you doing here?"
"We, uh, got lost, Mrs. Ingle," Tess admitted, placing her hands behind her back. "And he's here to see me perform."
"Well, he won't see you perform if you don't get your butt back in the auditorium!" she replied, and turned around. "Come along then."
"See you after the show?" Tess smiled, hugging him again.
He kissed the top of her head before gently pushing her in the direction the choir teacher left in. "Break a leg, Blondie."
"Welcome to the 104th North Eastern Mixed Choir Competition," Philip Wilcox's baritone voice announced through the microphone. "It pleases me greatly to have so many talented young singers and schools here with us today; you could say it drives me a bit out of tune."
Nervous giggles echoed through the room.
Lilith nudged the boy who was peacefully nodding off beside her. "Dick," she harshly whispered, "where's Tessa and Wally? The duet section is going to be announced first, and Wally still has to sign for a partner."
Her partner opened one eye, and smirked, "Don't worry, I have it covered."
"But Dick, you don't understand!"
"Of course I do; don't you remember who's been my partner for the last 4 years?"
"That doesn't matter right now!" her voice rose above a polite whisper, "Tess is probably lost! This school is huge! What if she misses the listings? She won't be able to compete if that happens!"
Dick kept smiling as he passed her his phone. "They're fine, look…"
The yellow clad girl's eyes widened. It was a direct broadcasting between Tess, Wally and… Roy? "Where is this?"
"My trophy has a camera embedded," the boy shrugged, nonchalantly. His silver eyed partner sighed as she turned her attention back to the Dean; the choir director had tapped her several times, and was currently scribbling away on his notepad.
"Thanks for getting me a demerit, Dick," complained Lilith, scowling as she took the sheet of notebook paper covered with the teacher's chicken scratch.
"You're welcome," the Boy Wonder said, re-crossed his legs and arms to get ready for another quick nap; "it's practically an initiation process in and onto itself."
"What is it, Mrs. Ingles?" the Wilcox asked as an older lady started hand gestures on the side of the stage. "There are participants that were locked out? Well, it seems that they may be competitors after all if they can't find the key and doesn't know when to come in."
Another round of laughter.
"Right on time," the Boy Wonder snickered as a red faced boy was lugged in first.
"What's your name, Boy?" the man interrogated the redhead.
"Wallace West," the speedster mumbled, suddenly not feeling that hungry—and that never happens.
"Tell me Wallace, what do you sing?"
"Baritone."
"Well then, Mr. West, can you tell me how many Baritones it take to screw in a light bulb?"
Wally stammered around for a little bit before resigning. "No sir."
"None! They can't get up that high!" Another peal of laughter.
Dick leaned over, "here goes another year of bad jokes." He grimaced, "it's almost as bad as Homecoming and the Winter Formal."
"Shh! Here's Tessa," Lilith shot her hand out to the center of the column, prepared to drag her teammate back in.
"You can go now, Mr. West," the older man smiled, "and now, being all teenagers, I'm sure that you are all eager to attend lunch with your friends, team directors, and maybe even competitors. Too bad for you, we're not going to start lunch until later. Onwards to the real opening ceremony," the older man cheerfully announced above the groans of the kids.
"Tessa," Lilith hissed, squirming in her seat, after spotting the Blonde… the other blonde at least, Artemis was sitting in the front row. "Tessa," she hissed again.
Tess's eyes roamed about the room, but finding no one she knew, resumed her position leaning against a column off to the side. "Tessa! Tessa Flynn!"
"What?" she finally shouted, turning wildly toward the direction she heard the voice from. Her eyes widened as she saw the tell-tale face of Lilith glaring back at her, her black bangs hanging over one eye. "Lilith?"
"Sit down!" her friend commanded, gesturing to an open seat next to her. "Where have you been?"
"Uh, you know...just exploring."
"Right," someone snorted from next to Lilith, and Tess leaned around her to fix the boy with a glare.
"Do I know you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Lilith blanched, fearing her friend had accidentally discovered something she shouldn't have. But apparently, Dick wasn't nearly as concerned.
"Nah, I don't think so," he replied smoothly, leaning back in the chair again. "'Sides, I would've remembered a beautiful face like yours, should I have seen it before." Lilith's head snapped to glare at him, and he shrugged his shoulders, mouthing 'appearances' to her. She wasn't happy.
"That's cute, but aren't you like, ten?"
Lilith smiled a little at his appalled look. Serves him right. "I'm thirteen, thankyouverymuch!"
"Hmf." She scoffed, crossing her arms and settling into the seat. "Could've fooled me."
"As I was saying, to close our ceremonies, we have a performance from Gotham Academy's very own ballet and dance group!" Wilcox announced, and gestured to the stage behind him as the curtain lifted.
Tess and Lilith both shared an exasperated look, before slumping down in their seats. This may take a while.
Lilith sighed wistfully as the Prima Ballerina flitted across the stage.
"I was supposed to have that role, but they didn't want my performance to 'influence the judges'," the grey eyed girl pouted slightly. "It's one of my favourite roles too."
"Lighten up, Hawthorne," the boy pinched her under the rib, getting a surprised gasp out of her. He took her hand in his, "relax; you're still the best dancer of all of them; not to mention the director was devastated that you couldn't perform."
The girl gently tightened their hands together, and sighed again, "I know, it's just so disappointing that I couldn't dance, y'know? I love singing and it's one of my favourite activities, but dancing—ballet in particular—is in my blood." Her eyes trailed longingly at the lace lined tutu.
"So…" the boy trailed off, turning to address Tessa, "any other extracurriculars for you? Math, science, basketball?"
"Dick," Lilith reprimanded, "don't ask such personal questions before being introduced!"
Tessa covered up her snicker. Dick, now that was a good one.
"Fine, Miss. Hawthorne," the boy, Dick, shot a daggering look at Tess, letting her know that he heard her, "would you like to make the introductions?"
"Of course," the raven haired girl tilted her nose slightly upwards, her voice rising to a slight British accent, "the niece of Alfred Pennyworth will accept no less on the matter." Then she broke into a grin, "Dick Grayson, meet Tessa Flynn; Tessa, meet my duet partner—and possibly the best tenor in the entire North East—Dick Grayson." Then she slumped back, and let her two friends do the talking.
"Your name is Dick?" Tessa laughed, bemused.
"If you're going to make a joke," he warned. "I've probably heard every one ever invented." She continued to laugh, clutching her stomach as Lilith watched Dick's face get redder and redder.
"Oh, well that just took the fun right out of it."
"Good, I'm glad," he replied. "Now, back to my previous question; any extracurriculars?"
"You mean other than being a soprano in the choir?" He nodded. "I'm on the gymnastics team, and I do a little Martial Arts on the side."
"Really?" Leaning forward, he feigned a look of shock and awe. "How long have you been doing that?"
"Long enough for me to be able to kill you with only my thumb whilst wearing a blindfold," she said, as seriously as she could. "What about you?"
"I'm on the Mathletes' team," he stated proudly, and tried to ignore her snort of laughter. "And I know a little bit of martial arts...
"Maybe we'll have to combat sometime."
A sly grin crossed his face, making Tess confused, "Sooner than you might think." Lilith shot him another look, warning him not to drop any more hints. Of course Tess wasn't exactly the brightest light bulb in the box when it came to making conclusions; but with enough hints, something might just connect. The last thing anyone wanted was an angry Batman...or an angry Tess, for that matter. Yeah, she was quite scary when she was mad.
"What is it, Mrs Ingle?" Wilcox muttered, turning towards edge of the stage, where she was waving her arms and gesturing to her watch. "What? Oh, oh! All students are dismissed for lunch. The schedule for performances will be posted at 1:30. Go on, get out of here!"
Lilith the first one that popped out of her chair, yanked the poor pair sitting at her side, and made a mad dash for the doors.
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," she cheerfully sang as she dragged the others out the door. "I already texted the others and told them to meet us at Dick and my usual table. I made sure to pack a big, big, big lunch… courtesy of Wally, of course."
Tessa looked over to the boy that Lilith was dragging with her right hand, "is she usually…"
"This hyper? Nah. She's just excited that all her other friends are coming today," he smiled as he scurried behind the raven haired girl.
"There they are!" Lilith finally shuffled to a halt, breaking her grip on Tessa to smooth out her bangs. "Go meet up with the others, I'll go pick up our lunch."
Tessa looked after the grey eyed girl as she slid through the large crowd of people, disappearing into the jungle of human bodies, most of which are in ridiculous costumes.
"What? You gotta be kidding me!" Tessa turned to be greeted with the Speedster's exasperated groan. "I signed up for the solo competition! What am I supposed to do? I need a partner!"
"At least you don't need a costume," Artemis deadpanned beside him. "You certainly look ridiculous enough, even without the monkey suit." Wally shot daggers out of his darkening green eyes towards the younger blonde.
Meanwhile, Megan and Conner led a very confused Kaldur to the table. Kaldur's tall collar hid his gills well, but you could see it wasn't comfortable.
"Where were you guys earlier?" Conner frowned at the team.
"Yeah, we were waiting for you!" Megan grinned at her team, white teeth flashing.
Wally looked like he was going to hit on the Martian, but the screech of a microphone cut him off.
"Wallace West, please send down your partner." The poor speedster groaned again as he smashed his forehead on the table.
"Lighten up, Rudolph," Dick said as he slapped his bro on the back. "We'll work something out for you." With that, he shot a cheeky wink at Roy, who replied with a scowl. Oh yeah, he's in on the game.
"You're not planning the partnership that I think you are," Roy seriously questioned the raven haired boy, "are you…" he shot a nervous look around, "Dick?" he finished awkwardly.
"Please, everyone," Kaldur opened his mouth to speak, only to have a small bundle bump into him from behind.
"So sorry Kaldur," Lilith nervously apologized as she continued to back up… with a catering cart. "It was really hard to get this cart here. Please, everyone, take a seat," she smiled at the team as she gestured around the table.
"You're not a maid until the actual song," Dick pointed out, as he grabbed her smaller hand.
"But I am the niece of Alfred Pennyworth, and I refuse to sit until all of you have been served." The girl bit back, pulling her hand free, to pull the cart around. "Darjeerling?" She asked, rotating clockwise. "It's an Indian Black Tea; there's also lemonade, juice, coffee, and water," Lilith smiled, presenting the variety with pride. "I'll come back in a moment." Her eyes twinkled as she left the team pondering on a simple drink.
Instead, she set out to provide each seat with balsamic tossed baby arugula salad, fried crepe chips with a light dip, and a sample of each of the hors d'oeuvres: miniature cheese soufflé, summer vegetable quiche, tarte flambé, even a single serving of cheese fondue. Tess was sure everyone's mouth was watering… except for Dick, maybe, he's probably a snob that's use to this.
"Eat sparingly," the youngest boy warned his friends—excluding Wally of course—while waving his salad fork at them, "Lilith's probably got another 7 courses planned out."
Lilith flushed a pale pink, "o-only another six!" she protested.
"Like that's any better," Conner muttered as Megan pondered on which knife to use for the salad.
"So…" trailed Lilith standing before Tess, "ready to choose your drink yet?"
"You're insane," Tess replied pointedly, raising her eyebrows at her younger friend. "...But I'll have lemonade, thanks."
"Tess! There you are!" the sound of boots hitting the linoleum made them all jump as a boy thundered into the room and sidled up next to the girl in question, pushing Wally over without a second thought. "I was so worried," he continued, completely oblivious to their audience. Tess's face reddened, and she slumped down into her seat as she wished she could do nothing more than completely disappear from Roy's accusing gaze. "I thought we would have to forfeit!"
"Because that would be the worst thing ever," she muttered, low enough for only Conner to hear. He snorted slightly, before continuing to eat the abundance of food Lilith placed before them.
"Tess, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" he prodded, nudging her with his elbow. She winced, and sent him a vicious glare when he wasn't looking.
"Fine," she replied through clenched teeth. "These are my friends, Lilith Hawthorne, Dick Grayson, Wally West, Megan Morse, Artemis Crock, Conner Kent, Kaldur'am, and Roy Harper. Guys, this is Justin Michaelson, my partner for today."
Everybody gave various greetings, except for Roy, who was staring him down like a wolf would his prey. "Nice to meet you," he said, obviously not meaning it at all whatsoever. Justin took one look at him, swallowed thickly, and quickly stood up.
"Well, I'm just gonna go, uh," he coughed and readjusted his neckline after his voice raised a few octaves. "...check the list."
"Dude, I think you made him pee his pants," Wally gasped in awe, turning to face Roy. "Teach me your ways, oh great one."
"Get up," Roy groaned; picking him up by his collar from the bow he had dropped in to. "Tess, what's up with that guy? He was all over you."
"Somebody's jealous," Dick sang, and laughed when both Tess and Roy glared at him. "Well you are!"
"He's been following her around ever since he found out they were partners," Artemis answered for Tess, smirking slightly as she stuffed salad in her mouth. "Kid's obsessed."
Roy glowered, stabbing his food angrily. "Well he needs to stop it, before I knock his teeth in… or yours, Grayson."
"Dick, Roy, be nice," Lilith scolded playfully beside them, filling up a glass with fresh lemonade and setting it before her tall blonde friend.
"Don't kill the messenger," the young teen boy winked, as he sliced off a piece of the croc monsieur. "Just telling the truth here."
The girl smiled, "I think it's really sweet how much they care about each other." The she perked up, suddenly remembering something. "By the way Wally, your problem is solved."
"Huh?" Wally managed through his mouthful of food.
"I went and talked to Mr. Wilcox, and we managed to get you a partner for the duet!" Lilith grinned at the table, and Dick suddenly burst out laughing.
"You had this all worked out, didn't you?" Dick choked out, amused.
"Wait… what?" Wally dropped his fork.
"One of our novices will sing with you," the grey eyed girl explained, "in fact…." She cut herself off there, peeking nervously at Artemis.
"Oh, no," the younger blonde glared, "no; I will not sing with him," and she jabbed a finger in Wally's chest.
"It's already been done," Dick shrugged at his schoolmate, pulling Lilith down into a chair, and forcing a fork in her hand as he doused her salad with vinaigrette. "It's can't be that bad," Dick tried, only to be replied with an unladylike snort from the archer.
"Yeah, you obviously wouldn't know."
"Everyone, please…" Kaldur began again.
"This is really good," Megan moaned as she broke off a piece of the quiche. "Can I have the recipe? It's exactly what I imagined for episode 38 of… never mind." The Martian laughed nervously at the end of her sentence.
The Atlantean opened his mouth again, only to be cut off with the next round of questioning that Lilith set forth. Tessa chuckled at the poor leader, "it's not your day is it, Kal?"
The Atlantian shook his head no, and dug into the bowl of Bouillabaisse.
Dick however frowned at the sight of Lilith serving him again. He tightened his grip on her wrist this time, "you barely touched your salad, and you didn't eat breakfast" the raven haired boy hissed at the girl he kept locked by him. "What's wrong with you? Do I have to tell Bruce and Alfred again? I though you said you were fine!"
Tessa zoned in on their conversation, probably along with the rest of the team.
"I'm fine," Lilith protested again, yanking her hand away, "I'm just not hungry."
His eyes narrowed, a disbelieving look crossing his face. "I don't believe you."
"Maybe," Tess cut in before Lilith would have to defend herself again. "She's just nervous about performing, Dick." He paused, mouth open to say something, before shaking his head and turning to his food, shoulders hunched.
"Thank you," Lilith whispered, leaning closer so not even Superboy would hear them.
"Don't thank me; you're not out of the woods yet," she warned in return. "You and I are both going to have a chat when this is all over." Lilith gulped nervously, watching as her friend dug in to her food while ignoring her completely. She knew that she wasn't going to get off easy, she could manipulate Dick well enough, but Tess...well, Tessa was another story.
"So, Wally," Megan began, trying to cover up the tension in the air with a bright smile. "What song are you and Artemis going to sing?"
"We're not singing together!" the table snickered into their hands as they replied in unison.
"Unfortunately, you are," Lilith blew gently on her cup of heavily sweetened tea. "If you don't perform in the pairs that were listed, you will be automatically disqualified from the whole competition. I'm not sure about Central City, but here, it's automatic prohibition for any extracurriculars for the rest of the year." She looked seriously at Artemis, "as you know, we scholarship students need to keep all our records perfect."
"You're not a scholarship student." Artemis frowned, suddenly realizing how behind she was.
"Not in name, but in character. I live in the dorms, and I am also supported by Mr. Wayne," the grey eyed girl looked up from the edge of the china cup. "I am one in situation, so I know how serious it is."
Artemis chewed on her bottom lip. She had to stay in the school; it was something that her mother would have killed for. "Alright, I'll do it. But I'll need a song"
"What?" the shorter redhead protested, only to double over after a sharp kick on the shin from Dick.
"That's great!" Megan jumped out, and practically floated over to where the blonde was sitting. The rest of the girls followed, each popping out their phones to show off great music videos.
Lilith whipped out her tiny HP Veer phone to scroll down her playlist. "What about 'Just a Kiss'? That was our original song…"
Her eyes dashed over, and when she made a contact with Dick, she flushed a pale pink and looked down. Dick was not much more composed; he was receiving prodding by every one of the guys around him. "Maybe something else," growled the raven haired boy as he flushed darker.
"No thanks. I'm sure it holds some…" Artemis's eyes narrowed at the youngest girl, then at Wally, "interesting memories. I'd rather not interrupt on 'your song'."
Dick burst out laughing. "Our song? Pssh, no. Lilith thinks that our song is 'Don't go breaking my heart', which had also happened to be the first song we ever sang together."
Huge grey eyes grew even bigger. "How did you…" the girl gasped, "you hacked into my online diary, didn't you?" Lilith accused the still pink boy.
Her partner snorted, "No, you forgot to log off your account on my phone. It was the last post there." He smirked as he held up his phone as proof. Lilith's big grey eyes grew glassy and teary from embarrassment as she tried to hide from her teammates behind her silver serving tray.
"Well," Tess began, standing up. "This conversation is going downhill fast. Excuse me." Without another word from the group, she stalked off and pushed her way through the double doors leading out of the lunch room. Once she was in the hall, she stuffed her hands into her dress pockets and began to walk at a slower pace, taking in her surroundings. She wasn't paying much attention to where exactly she was headed; she just wanted to get away from the cafeteria and all the drama it seemed to hold. That was why she ended up accidentally bumping into two people on her way down there.
"Sorry," she muttered, finally lifting her eyes from her pointed witch's boots to glance up at the pair. Neither of them she recognized. One was a tall, lanky curly haired brunette boy with a pointed face, and the other was a slightly shorter female who wore dark glasses similar to Rob's, and her hair pulled up in a large hat. She was wearing a classic 70s dress and he was wearing an all-white suit.
"It's no problem, really," the boy laughed, flashing her a grin that would make other girls go weak in the knees...Tess was just too unfocused to notice. "I'm Evan Wings, by the way, and this is Cassidy Stone."
"Tessa Flynn," she replied, and the two shared a look at this information. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Cassidy continued in her low and melodic voice, her cherry red lips curving into a smirk. "I saw your name up on the board. Performing "As Long as Your Mine" with that strange Justin kid."
"Yeah...that's me. And you two are doing a duet together?"
Evan nodded pleasantly. "'Ain't No Mountain High Enough.'"
"Well, good luck," Tess said awkwardly, backing up as they continued to stare at her with rapt attention – at least, Evan was, she couldn't tell where Cassidy was looking. "I'll see you guys after the show?"
They both laughed, waving as they turned around and called back, "You can count on it!"
"Well," she muttered to herself, scuffing her toe against the floor. "That was certainly interesting."
"Lilith," Dick's hand gently brushed the girl's fingers, "look, I'm sorry about what happened; but regarding your eating disorder, Bruce is not going to be happy when he finds out about it." The two of them were in the math hallway, on the other side of the school. Dick leaned on the wall with his arm leveled with his forehead, his body shielding the grey eyed girl from the world.
"I'm fine. Listen, Dick," she turned her big grey eyes on him, "I'm not use to people telling me what to do, what to eat or anything. It's just unfamiliar; I took care of myself since forever, and I'm being smuggled under all this attention." The girl's bangs brushed his shoulder as she leaned her head forward. "Dick… it's just so hard... I don't know what's what anymore. The team is my family, but my mother… she was a god in my eyes;" a harsh, sarcastic laugh got squeezed from her throat, "the fact that she infused herself with the essence of Hera might have influenced me as well."
Dick looked down at his newest friend with pity. Lilith told him that she was a form of lab rat, but he did not know too much of the details.
"You pity me," Lilith stated, her right hand tightening in his left. "I can feel it. I bounded you with my life, and I can feel you inside of me… in my spirit, psyche." The ebony head tilted itself up and pushed her way out, "I'm going to tidy up, and I'll meet you at our listed room."
"Lilith Athena Hawt-" the raven headed boy did not get a chance to finish this time. The girl was already gliding down the hallways, yellow cotton and black taffeta flowing behind her. Dick spun around and punched the wall, cursing. "You idiot," he growled at himself.
"Are you alright?" Dick spun around to see a girl hiding behind her sunglasses. She had a thick head of unnatural green locks that resembled… snakes? Her cherry red lips pursed as she looked after where Lilith had run off. "She was a moody little brat, even when I knew her."
"You knew her before she came to Gotham Academy?" the Boy Wonder was intrigued, he was not aware that Lilith had any… contact before her missions to find Robin and Batman.
"She did." Another reedy voice came up behind him. 'I must be getting slack,' Dick swore in his mind, 'that's twice that I didn't hear someone getting up on me.'
"Evan Wings," the lanky boy held out his hand, "this is my partner, Cassidy Stone. We're in your room for the first round of competition. Hopefully we'll both advance."
"So," his partner grinned, flashing shining white teeth and a forked tongue, "Twins of Evil?"
Dick nodded shyly, but Robin narrowed his eyes. 'Something wasn't right.' "M-my partner chose it out for us," offered the ebony haired boy. "E-excuse me," and with that he purposely bumped into the girl, knocking off her sunglasses.
"Insolent fool!" Cassidy boomed, "You'll pay for that."
"S-so s-sorry," Dick stammered as he dashed down the hall. He could have sworn he saw slithering snakes in the iris of the girl's left eye. Lilith has a lot of explaining to do. But he didn't expect another interruption down the hallway.
"Whoa there," Tess began, sticking out her arm to stop Dick from running any farther. "Just where do you think you're going?"
"I need to talk to –" he began, only to be silenced by the hand she stuck in his face.
"Lilith, yeah, I know. But don't you think that maybe she doesn't want to talk to you?
"She keeps leaving when I try to talk to her!" he protested, crossing his arms indignantly. "We need to talk seriously about...things and she's running away from it."
"Can't you just leave her be?" she hissed back, eyes flashing behind her glasses in a way he hadn't seen happen before, even as Robin when she was Echo. "She'll explain everything to you when she's ready, not a minute before, so leave. her. alone." She poked his chest with each word, and he felt what felt like a shock on the last one. What was that?
Her eyes widened a fraction of an inch—not enough for it to be visible to anyone without an extremely trained eye. Pursing her lips, she spun on her heel and stalked off briskly down the hallway, where Lilith had just disappeared. She wasn't, however, going after the younger girl. No, she was feeling the oncoming panic attack, and was trying to get to the empty gymnasium as fast as she could. The skin on her arms was tingling, and it wasn't long before she could visibly see sparks. Throwing caution to the wind, she took off in a full sprint and burst through the doors, skidding across the floor as they hid the wall with a loud 'BANG!'
She was cursing under her breath and spun in circles, trying to find something rubber to...basketball! Without much strength to hold in left, she aimed both of her hands at the ball before a loud crack similar to lighting echoed throughout the room. Breathing heavily, she dropped to her knees and sat on the cold floor, examining her hands - which stung badly and were beginning to turn a blistering red. "Dammit," she hissed at the shock of burning pain after touching one as gently as possible. It was a good thing she had gloves to wear, but that didn't solve the fact that it would be nearly impossible to do anything without proper bandages.
"Let me help," Roy said from the doorway, walking toward her with a bundle of bandages in his hand. He had done this before, and he had seen the interaction with her and Dick that had undoubtedly left her pissed off and ready to blow. Kneeling down beside her, he motioned for her to hold out her hand and began to wrap it with the gauze. She winced a couple times throughout the process, but was otherwise silent as she watched him finish the right one and begin to work on the left. Once he was done, he glanced up at her nervous face and kissed her forehead, not letting go of her hands. "You gonna be alright?"
"I'll be fine." He didn't believe her, obviously, but didn't say anything. Instead, he looped his arms around her shoulders in a loose hug and rested his chin on top of her head. She leaned in close, savoring the comfort, before he pulled away, glancing at his watch. "C'mon, Blondie, you've got a competition to win."
Injuries momentarily forgotten, she offered him a smile and followed him out, completely unaware of the pair of eyes watching them from the shadows before they disappeared. It was, of course, almost show time.
"Dick?" the girl beside him repeated again, his name becoming her mantra.
"Just leave me alone." The ebony headed boy grumbled. This was not his day.
"Dick," she tried again, only this time, she bit herself off. They were in room 1254, and they were next to go in. By some miracle, each of the pairs involving a member of the Team was in their different rooms at the exact same time. That miracle was probably Bruce Wayne; then again, Oliver Queen might have something to do with it as well.
"Dick Grayson and Lilith Hawthorne?" A slightly robotic voice came from the last of the judges. "Performing 'Twins of evil'," the only male judge looked over his thick spectacle to confirm from the pair.
Both nodded as they were greeted with the fast melody of their song. Lilith nervously brushed out her skirt as Dick took a breath in. They made eye contact one last time before dancing off to their respective positions. As Lilith posed in the shadows, her ebony haired partner sat squarely into an intricate throne.
"Once upon a time in another time and place
Was a ruler that was so mean
No person dared to face
The little prince that was only fourteen!" His crisp tenor rang out; yes, the act has finally begun.
"Expectations were expected since we were born.
Sounds of bells of church blessed us to the world
For selfish adults' own reasons were we torn,
Our future was ripped in two." Lilith continued in a sweet soprano.
"So much wealth had littered his abode You are the prince and I'm only the maid
Libertine was what his horse was named Destinies divided between us sorrowful twins
His loyal servant had a likeliness that showed In order to protect you is for what I was made
Beneath all riches that he had claimed. I would become evil for you" The two voices danced together in perfect unison.
"Money is short, but that's no fearful thing
And those who disagree can just fall down
Just tax it from those dangled on the string,
Those who disagree can simply just drown." Dick continued, starting his act, tugging off his tie and throwing it down, and walked down, smirking with pride.
Lilith started her act as well, but instead, she gracefully danced across the floor, allowing her natural rhythm to drive her light and flowing steps.
"You are the prince and I'm only the maid Destinies divided between us sorrowful twins
In order to protect you is for what I was made
I would become evil for you" Black hair toppled over as she sank into another smooth bow.
"The prince fell in love with a girl of green, When I had visited the neighbouring land
A girl who's eyes had shone like a pearl. I happened to have seen a boy
She did not love the Prince at her age of sixteen, With his kind and gentle helping hand
Instead she became his rival's favourite girl. It was the first time I have felt such joy.
And in a soft voice as to not to be heard If the prince has wishes for that man to be destroyed,
The young prince commanded filled with rage, I will not stop until his wish has been fulfilled.
"Make sure our neighbours are badly stirred." Why do I feel like there is still a void?
He told the ministers locked in his cage How come all my tears continue to build?"
Lilith's voice faded off, while Dick's warm tenor grew more and more powerful,
"Houses of the people were burned to the ground
The people had to suffer through so much pain
So many voices can no longer make a sound
Yet there's no pity from the one who had slain.
To defeat the prince was not an easy task
Like a flock they were led by a shining knight,
The people no longer wore their mask
A bloody mercenary into the night."
Lilith slipped her hand into her partners, a sudden chill prickling at her skin. To her delight, Dick squeezed back, and she took a deep breath in.
"Very soon the people will succeed against us
Maybe I deserved this for all the lives I had took
Still I cannot leave you to their ruthlessness,
Here're my clothes, please change you look,
It is fine, we are twins, no one will ever tell us apart
Even if all the world becomes you enemy,
I will always be beside you in your heart,
Please, stay alive and well for me." Her voice vibrated with soft, delicate emotion as it reached higher and higher.
"The servant ran away as time was short
The little prince was captured in the night
The gentlemen had all abandoned the court,
The young prince, no, princess did not even pose a fight." The pair sang, leaning towards each other to allow their voices to echo off.
"You are now the princess and I'm a runaway, I am now the princess and you're a runaway,
Destinies divided between us sorrowful twins Destinies divided between us sorrowful twins
In order to protect me is for what you were made In order to protect you is for what I was made
I would've stopped it all for you I would become evil for you" The two voices rang off in perfect harmony, telling the story in their own point of view.
"If I could ever be reborn
Can I play with you again?" They finished, voices mingling together, pressing next to one another; they didn't realize that their fingers were still interlocked.
"Thank-you Mr. Grayson, Miss. Hawthorne," the older woman judge sniffled before blowing her nose loudly on a handkerchief. The older male judge gave them a small smile over his spectacles. "Very good job." His slight British accent could barely be heard.
Lilith gave the old man a grin before bowing once with her partner. "Have a good day," she bid them.
"Yes, thank-you," he partner grinned beside her.
"Good job Dick," Lilith smiled beside the ebony haired boy as they exited the room.
"You weren't so bad yourself, Hawthorne," the Boy Wonder joked beside her as they ran face first into the study chest—or rather waist—of Roy Harper.
"Roy?" Dick asked, surprised. "What are you doing back here?"
"I need to talk to Lilith," he replied, barely paying him any attention at all, much to his chagrin. They both waited patiently, before he quickly added, "Alone."
Lilith gave Dick an apologetic look, before grabbing Roy's arm and pulling him out into the hallway. "What is it?"
"You can heal people, right?" At her nod, he continued. "And you know about Tess's...familial issues, right?" Another nod. "And the traits she inherited from said family?"
She smiled, giggling slightly, "If you're referring to the fact that she's a human electrical socket, then yes, I know."
He breathed a sigh of relief, shoulders hunching a little, "Good, otherwise this would've caused a lot more problems than it would've helped. Tess...blew up on Dick, I guess, and I'm sure she's told you how she can't control her powers. She went into the gym and..."
"Literally blew up?" she supplied.
"She's got 2nd degree burns on both her hands and can't hold a microphone without tearing up." He sighed, running his fingers through his spiked hair. "Think you can help?"
"Lead the way."
He smiled thankfully, and began to walk down the hall towards a classroom that was usually used for English, but instead was filled with choir students and Mrs. Ingle, who was desperately trying to get their attention but failing. Tess was sitting closest to the door on top of a desk, Justin in the actual chair itself. They were both in full costume by now, and Tess was now also wearing a black wig and green make up - channeling her inner Elphaba, she called it. "Tess," Lilith hissed, poking her head in the doorway. "Psst!"
She turned around and, seeing her friend, took one look at Mrs. Ingle before slowly sliding out into the hall. "How'd the performance go?" she smiled, looking genuinely interested in what had happened.
"We did well, thanks for asking," she paused. "But I'm not here about that. Roy told me about the...accident you had."
Her mouth dropped open, and she swiveled on her feet, hands on her hips, to glare at the redhead. "You promised you wouldn't tell!" she hissed, pointing at him, before wincing and cradling her hand. "Goddammit."
"Let me see it," Lilith persisted, snatching her hand before she could turn away.
"Thank-god they're only second degree burns," Lilith sighed. "Let's go to the little girl's room. I can't heal you with all these people here." With that, she lugged Tessa away and made a series of turns in the labyrinth of a school. When they stepped into a shiny, first class restroom, Lilith turned to lock the door shut. "You know the consequences of me healing you, right?"
"Yeah," Tessa shrugged. It really didn't seem like it was too bad of a deal.
"Good," the girl stroked back her black bangs, and tucked it behind her ear. She slowly opened her thickly lashed lids to reveal the mystical pattern of the iris. "Relax Tessa," she breathed, "It's a lot easier on me if you just calm all the way down."
Tessa closed her eyes, breathing in and out slowly. She could feel how she was now in sync with the younger girl.
Lilith took her teammate's hands in her own, and closed her eyes as well. She could feel the silvery strands of life pulling away from her in delicate wisps, and flowing into burns. Slowly she opened her eyes, the right one slightly foggy, but the left one clear and shining. Darker streams of charred life flowed back towards her, building into her, and she felt all the pain that Tessa must have felt before. The raven haired girl gritted her teeth. "Just a little more," but it could not be said whether it was for herself or for Tess.
The younger girl dropped her friend's hands like they were red coals when she saw that they were healed. Her breaths were ragged, and she cradled her own hands, despite the fact that there looked no different than before. "We're good," she managed a pained smile. "Let's get you back so you can kick some serious vocal butt."
"Let's go then," but Tessa could see that there was something else that was wrong.
This time, Lilith led them back slowly, making rounder turns and kept her hands a safe distance from any and everything. "Here we are," she waved a hand back at Room number 1249, Tess's stop. "I'll text you our next meeting spot, okay?" With that, she dashed into the hallways, leaving Tess alone to deal with Mrs. Ingles.
"Go, go, go!" Mrs. Ingle ushered Tess and Justin out onto the stage behind the curtain while Mr. Wilcox introduced them. They both took their places on the floor, sitting on their knees in front of each other and waiting impatiently for their performance to begin. Mrs. Ingle gestured with her fingers a number that Tess couldn't make out in the dark, and the maroon red curtains began to rise to the polite applause from the audience. The music began to play to the tune of "As Long as Your Mine," and Tess took a deep breath as her part began.
"Kiss me too fiercely
Hold me too tight
I need help believing
You're with me tonight
My wildest dreamings
Could not foresee
Lying beside you
With you wanting me," she, as calmly as she could while feeling like she was going to heave her lunch, touched Justin's face in a way that would look romantic to the audience. He grasped her hand and held it in place, offering a reassuring smile while she continued.
"And just for this moment
As long as you're mine
I've lost all resistance
And crossed some borderline
And if it turns out
It's over too fast
I'll make ev'ry last moment last
As long as you're mine."
"Maybe I'm brainless
Maybe I'm wise
But you've got me seeing
Through different eyes
Somehow I've fallen
Under your spell," he made a motion with his hands, smiling slightly as he pulled her to her feet.
"And somehow I'm feeling
It's "up" that I fell."
They linked hands and walked towards the audience, holding their arms out as they sang in perfect unison,
"Every moment
As long as you're mine
I'll wake up my body
And make up for lost time."
Justin spun Tess around, before gently catching her by her waist and holding her in place. "Say there's no future,
For us as a pair."
"And though I may know
I don't care!" the music sped from its slower tempo as he twirled her again and again while they both sang. "Just for this moment
As long as you're mine
Come be how you want to
And see how bright we shine." He reeled her back in, and she pressed herself up against his chest, breathing heavily. The pair got closer and closer until, on the last line, their foreheads were pressed up against each other's.
"Borrow the moonlight
Until it is through
And know I'll be here holding you
As long as you're mine!"
They finished, chests heaving and panting heavily under the hot stage lights, before slowly turning to face the judges. The woman smiled congenially at them, pressing her hands together under her chin. "Very good," she praised.
"Well done," the British man added. The two gave them their thanks, before quickly hurrying off stage.
Lilith's hand shook as she ran down to the catering tray to wrap her hand around the jug of icy cold lemonade.
"He asked you to heal Tessa, didn't he," Dick's face was stern, and he looked more like Bruce than ever.
"It's was no big deal," the girl blew off, filling a glass to the top with ice, tipping in a bit of lemonade to prevent anyone from noticing, and cupped it between her hands.
"Roy really owes you one for this."
Lilith shrugged, her hands still wrapped around the glass that was now foggy with condensation. "I think there're more important things to worry about. You had something to ask me—beyond the eating disorder—and I want to know what it is. It's serious, I know that much."
"I met a pair today that claimed that they knew you," the ebony headed boy murmured under his breath as he led her down the hall towards the dorms. He unlocked her room for her, and went and took out an ice pack. "Stay still," he grunted as he saw her struggling in his grasp.
Delicate black brows furrowed together, "I don't remember a pair when I was with my mother. Are you sure they meant me?"
"They couldn't have meant anyone but you! They knew something that I don't know, something that the team doesn't know; something I'm sure not even Batman knows." Dick's tongue grew sharp with anger, "so spill it Hawthorne."
"I'm telling the truth, Dick. I don't know any pairs!" She struggled as his grip got tighter and tighter. "You still don't trust me, do you?" Her right eye became steely. "Even after everything, you still don't trust me."
"You admitted to stalking me for nearly a year," icy blue eyes looked down at her, "and you still keep secrets from us that we don't know about."
"Everyone has secrets, Dick; you of all people should know that."
"But not like yours. Not like hers."
A spark of realization hit her. "What about her?"
"Her left eye," the ebony headed boy shivered, "they had snakes in them; wiggling, crawling, slithering snakes. They were like yours; living, beyond the natural." He stopped as he saw the girl blanching. "What's wrong?"
"W-w-was she… did she have green hair? Forked tongue?" Lilith choked out, pupils constricting. Dick nodded once, then twice when she made no response.
He saw her swallow. "Was her name Cassidy Stone?" but she already knew the answer, for at that moment, she fell into state of shock, her mind slipping off to the realm of the Gods.
"Lilith? Lilith?" Dick shook the unconscious girl. He sighed when he realized that he can't get her to stir. "Guess I just have to wait. Great." He padded her skirt for her phone, and pushed the tiny phone up to reveal the miniscule keyboard. "Let's text the others so they won't get suspicious that the 'Math Dork' has their number." He grimaced as his fingers continuously missed the tiny keys. "This might take a while."
Lilith stormed down the smooth marble road, wincing when she accidently stubbed her bare foot on one of the stones. She bit back a curse, "Damned Hera," she whispered beneath her breath; yet the demigods and nymphs shot her dirty looks beside her.
The cool gold bands pressed loosely against her midriff as she climbed up the rocky hill… to the Temple of the Fates. She did this countless times before; twice she did this for a price. Now, she merely wanted answers.
Giggling woodsprites twisted when they saw her, and ran down to the forest. They knew her, and they knew what she was. Her fingers gently brushed the cold marble columns, and the heavy gold doors glided open gracefully. They knew she was coming; they knew everything, after all.
"How could you have allowed her to sign that contract?" Lilith hissed as she stormed through the door, the white dress flowing around her legs. "You know what is going to happen because of your choices?"
"Silence," a trio of voices commanded as she drew closer. Lilith bit her lips, and sank down upon one knee and bowed her head. Her body shook with tension; this cannot be happening.
"What do you think you are doing," a crinkled old hag spat at her. The Sister of the Past hated Lilith with a passion; it was appropriate considering what Owlette had done before.
"I'm here to interrogate you on why you would be so stupid to let Cassidy sign that contract!" the girl's chin jutted out, her jaw set for impact. The Sister of the Present grabbed the hag's hand before she could slap the grey eyed girl.
"Lilith, no, Akesa-Athena," the middle aged woman sighed before her, "you know we can't stop a contract from forming if one was willing to sign for the powers." The motherly lady came close to the ebony haired girl, pulling the blue and white flowers from her hair, allowing a cascade of black curls to tumble down. "You look thin, too thin; let's go get you something to eat."
Instead Lilith brushed the woman's hand away, and snatched back the flowers and pearls. "I don't need it. What I need is a way to stop Medusa. I'm willing to sign anything if it means defeating her."
"No." a young girl's voice rang out from the third pedestal. Unlike the other sisters, who revealed their faces to the people, the Sister of the Future kept her youthful face behind a translucent veil. "You cannot sign another contract. Your body will not allow it. Do you remember what happened when you signed the Owl Contract?"
Lilith gritted her teeth together. "Yes, but I don't have a choice right now."
A ghost of a smile could be seen from behind the sister's veil. "There is always a choice. You are our… favourite daughter, after all." Beside her, Past hacked up, and spat next to Lilith again. Future ignored it, and continued, "there is another cure. Present, if you would please?"
The motherly woman smiled, and held out a small package of thin red potions, and another, larger pack of pink nectar. "The red is the prevention nectar, the pink is the antidote. Make sure your friends take the red ones before they are turned, and the pink ones are given to the victims. You should be immune because of your left eyes."
"Just know this," Past sneered before her, "if a statue is broken, then we just snip their lives off." She made a gesture with her bronze scissors. "So you'll want to hurry up, Akesa-Athena."
The three sisters nodded in unison, and gestured at the grand doors, which swooped open again. "Go," they commanded in unison.
The grey eyed girl bowed again, this time her raven curls danced with new hope. And as she glided out the door, she slipped back into her world.
The girl with the short cropped hair awoke with a heavy gasp for air, he hands still gripping onto the twin packs of nectar. She groaned as she registered pain in her head, and it took more than a few moments for her to realize that she smashed into Dick's skull again.
"Dick," the girl panicked. Suddenly aware of what she had to do. She started attaching each of the vials to her costume, making it look like shards of ruby and quarts were now hanging off.
At the same time her phone vibrated with a dreadful omen. The ebony headed girl swallowed thickly; it was a text from Cassidy Stone.
The King of Gods is pulling the strings of Fate; be prepared for a storm!