A/N - Somebody presented to me that I can't have Wally West as the Flash because Wally West is Kid Flash. And, I'm just going to go out on a limb here and assume that making Kid Flash Barry Allen's grandson Bart Allen won't go over very well... So, I'm making Flash Barry Allen, and Kid Flash Wally West so nobody throws cyber-bananas at me. So, here's the next chapter.
Raven started packing her meager amount of items into a black suitcase she had purchased earlier that day. The Azarathian girl had found it hard to believe that a week had gone by and that it was now Saturday. They were scheduled to go the Academy that was in space sometime on Sunday. Since Raven didn't want to rush with packing the next day, she was making sure that everything she could possibly need was in her luggage.
She walked over to the diminutive closet provided by the hotel. She pulled out four navy blue cloaks that she had made in the past few days. The hood reminded her of an actual bird's head. Next, she pulled out the black leotard that would help complete the costume, along with the blue boots. Raven stuffed the costumes in her suitcase, except for one. She was going to go to that school wearing a costume and with dignity.
Once she was satisfied that everything was packed, Raven began meditating, while hoping that tomorrow wouldn't be a disaster.
-The Next Day-
Raven woke up at six in the morning. She went in the shower, and let the hot water pour down her back for a while. Today was the day. Today was the day she discovered if she could really be a hero. After scrubbing her body clean of any residue of dirt, she shut the water off and slipped on her costume.
Raven went into the kitchen and poured some water into a kettle. She put the kettle on the stove, and let it boil. While the water in the kettle was being heated, Raven took out a cup and her box of chamomile tea bags. The Azarathian walked over to the kitchen table, and glanced at another ad she had found while walking out on the streets. This one contained more information. All valid applicants would be sent to one of the holding rooms at eight o'clock. There, they will wait for about thirty minutes or so to ensure that everybody has arrived safely and that everything is running according to plan. It also mentioned to leave your luggage behind and that if you were accepted into the school, it would appear in your dorm. Everybody will be led to the gymnasium, and will be called separately for their interview. Later that day, they will be informed on whether they were accepted into the academy. Raven looked up from the sheet of paper, and returned to the stove where she finished making her cup of tea.
After her cup was completely drained of chamomile tea, Raven meditated to pass the time. Forty more minutes. Thirty more minutes. Her knees started wobbling and she was grateful that she hadn't decided to levitate in the air. Twenty more minutes. A myriad of objects around her started flying around her, but she remained oblivious to it all. Fifteen more minutes until it was time. She ran through an interminable field in Nevermore, all of her emotions laughing and following her except for Timid. Ten more minutes. Intelligence was wishing Raven good luck, while her other emotions stared with wide eyes. Five more minutes. Raven bid her emotions goodbye and started walking towards the exit. Four more minutes. Three more minutes. Two more minutes... She was nearing the exit. Raven opened her eyes, gasping as she felt her body lurch forward. The hotel room started spinning, its features were blurry and indistinguishable. Before she knew it, the hotel room was completely gone.
Raven landed on all fours on a carpeted floor. She swore under her breath when she felt her ankle twist, but under further examination, she learned that it wasn't broken or sprained. She stood up, seeing a plethora of people getting up. Raven's eyes scanned the room, and they fell on a table with a drink machine, along with cups, straws, and napkins. Deciding that drinking another cup of tea would be a good idea, Raven made her way towards the table.
Two girls were standing by the table upon Raven's arrival at the table. One of the girls had long blonde hair that cascaded gracefully down her back. Her skin color was pallid, and her body was curvy and she was tall. She was wearing a tight black corset-like top that had many intricate gold and silver symbols on the front. A silver and black striped mini-skirt covered her legs, while her feet were clad in black boots. Upon closer examination, Raven learned that her eyes were a brilliant hazel that sparkled in the light. Also, Raven saw a long, jagged scar on her left cheek. However, it didn't seem to mar any of her beauty. The girl seemed confident and comfortable in her skin, which just added to the girl's overall beauty.
The girl's companion was considerably shorter and had a more petite body frame. Her black hair was short and layered, and her bangs were dyed red. Heavy black eyeliner framed her twinkling dark eyes. Her body was clad in a black and red dress that stopped mid-thigh. The girl's arms were covered with black gloves, and she was wearing boots that almost reached up to her knee. A choker was around her neck, and Raven was surprised that it wasn't choking the life out of the petite girl.
Both girls looked up at Raven's approach. The tall girl's cup almost overflowed with what looked like ginger ale, but she moved it before that could happen. The smaller girl smiled at Raven, revealing pearly white teeth.
The brunette held out her hand and said, "Hey! I'm Argent."
Raven reluctantly shook her hand, not wanting to appear rude. She felt Argent's emotions and knowledge wash over her. Raven learned that Argent's real name was Toni Monetti and has the ability to control bursts of silver plasma energy. Raven quickly retracted her hand, not wanting any more information to slowly trickle into her mind. However, it was way too long, in Raven's opinion. Raven decided that she would try her best to avoid any physical contact with people, even if it seemed rude.
The blonde nodded at Raven as a sign of greeting. After taking a sip from her beverage, she spoke. "My name's Astoria Lacroix. I'm an illusionist. I can make people see anything I wish them to see. I sense auras and excel at reading emotions. My role models are Zatanna and Gypsy."
"Astoria wears her heart on her sleeve, and yet she doesn't," Argent tried to explain. "She can be hard to read at times, but she always tells you her opinions and stuff. She also doesn't care about what people think of her."
"Long story short, if you do something to piss me off, expect to hear my thoughts."
Raven nodded slowly, digesting the information.
"So," Argent began, "what's your name?"
"Raven."
"Like the bird, eh?" Argent smiled. There used to be a lot of ravens near her house, and after you got used to their mystifying presence, they truly were beautiful and unique creatures.
Raven nodded meekly.
Astoria clapped her hands, setting down her cup on the table. "So, what kind of powers do you have?"
Raven answered vaguely. "I'm an empath."
Astoria raised a defined eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yeah... How did they determine which waiting room we would go to, exactly?" Raven had been wondering this for quite some time.
Argent answered, "I heard they did it according to sex."
Raven's eyes swiveled around the room. Everybody in the room was female. Except for a green boy who was trying, and failing, to flirt with a few girls.
"Then explain why he's here...?"
Astoria followed Raven's glance, and laughed. "You don't know what's down there. Besides, he doesn't even look very manly!" Argent burst out laughing, and Raven even cracked a slight smile.
After Argent's laughter had subsided, Raven asked the girls another question. "Do you know what test they will make us do after the interview?"
Argent opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a blonde walking by them who couldn't help but to overhear their conversation. Raven raised an eyebrow at her attire. She was wearing a short dress that if it was any shorter, it wouldn't cover her lower abdomen. The dress was black and was extremely tight. Her breasts were practically hanging out of the low-cut dress. It was probably a weak attempt to make herself look attractive since her facial features weren't exactly a pretty sight. Her eyebrows were dark, which obviously pinpointed to the fact that her hair was obviously dyed. The color of her eyes were a dark blue that glinted with superiority. She had an abnormally small nose, which just looked awkward on her face. Although her teeth were straight, her smile was crooked, as if she was trying too hard. Also, she was wearing a bright red lipstick that screamed "Look at me! I'm a whore!" In all, her appearance seemed to be too forced and utterly fake.
"I don't even know why we have to have an interview! Our submission forms should have been enough! I mean, they could have easily figured out that I'm by far the best person here!"
Astoria rolled her eyes, trying hard not to laugh. "Maybe they wanted to see who needed some serious therapy and a major wake-up call."
"What's that supposed to mean?" The girl demanded.
"I think what Astoria is trying to say is that a superhero needs to have a good attitude, or else they won't be a very good hero." Argent coughed.
The blonde's mouth formed an 'o'. She then patted Astoria's shoulder, and said her words in a very serious manner. "You probably won't get in. But, please don't cry all over me. I don't need your snot on my costume."
Astoria laughed bitterly. "Who the hell are you?"
"My name's Kitten."
Raven mumbled under her breath, "Does this kitten even come with claws?"
Apparently, Kitten didn't have the ears of a brick wall. After scoffing, she trudged away. Not before the heel of one her ridiculous boots snapped, causing the blonde to limp and almost trip.
"That little bitch needs to pull that twig out of her ass!" Astoria exclaimed, bewildered. She honestly never met somebody who annoyed her so much in that short a period of time. It was outrageous.
Raven nodded, agreeing with Astoria's opinion.
"Anyways," drawled Argent. "I heard that after our interview, they make us do some physical test or something. I'm not sure, though."
"We'll find out soon enough, though," Astoria clicked her tongue.
Raven moved over to the automatic drink machine. She tapped the screen, and more choices appeared on the screen. Raven selected the type of tea she wanted, and pushed the cup against the thing. She moved the cup away before it could overflow. The Azarathian tried a sip, and was satisfied with the way it tasted.
While Astoria and Argent were talking quietly to each other, Raven glanced at the clock. She was surprised to see that twenty minutes had already passed. She sipped more of her tea, and began paying attention to what the two girls had to say.
"Remember that one time in seventh grade when that girl Jennifer Faust blew up that laboratory? Do you think she's here?" Argent glanced at the taller girl.
"I'm not sure. Chances are that she completely changed her appearance. After all, she was on the news for months!" Astoria glanced at Raven's confused expression and explained what had happened. "We were working with chemicals in the science lab, and the teacher Mrs. Cordell started pairing us up. Jennifer used to be the most popular girl in sixth grade. However, in seventh grade, things changed. She started having bad luck. A lot of kids thought it was because of puberty, since it was obvious that she was maturing. Anyways, she got paired up with this jackass who decided that he was going to try to figure out what the hell happened to her. She couldn't handle it. Jennifer just snapped! Everyone watched in horror as things started flying around the room and all of the chemicals started spilling. Her eyes were literally glowing pink, so everyone knew it was her. We quickly evacuated the building, along with everyone else in the school since the fire alarm rang. Within five minutes, the building blew up. Nobody was injured except the boy who had decided to pick on Jennifer. He died. We couldn't find his body. That was also the last day we ever saw Jennifer Faust."
Raven was shocked. Although, she was secretly glad that she wasn't the only person in the world that had trouble with their powers. Nevertheless, the entire story was terrible and Raven felt guilty.
"Did either of you know about your powers?" Raven questioned the two girls.
Argent shook her head. "I discovered my powers the summer following that year."
"I knew about my powers, but the best I could have done was make everyone at the school forget that Jennifer was involved in the incident. However, attempting that feat probably would kill me since that is actually a lot of work and would mentally drain me. However, now I would be able to make more people forget since my powers were strengthened by meditation and practice. Back then, I had only just discovered my powers. At the end of the day, though, I feel so damn guilty about it all," Astoria solemnly told Raven.
There was another question that Raven wanted to ask the illusionist. "Why are you telling me all of this, exactly?"
Astoria looked into Raven's eyes with sincere and wise eyes. "I told you that I can sense auras. In fact, I can read them exceedingly well. Even though yours is shrouded in darkness, I can sense that there's a good persona underneath all the darkness. A persona that is struggling so damn hard to overpower the battle raging within yourself. You have many secrets, but who doesn't? At the end of the day, all that matters is your virtues and choices. Even though I can't tell what they are, I can tell that you have high values and that you make good choices. I understand if you don't want to tell me, but I want to be your friend, Raven. You seem like you would be a good person to have around, whether you believe it or not."
Astoria looked like she was going to say more, but an elderly lady entered the room, immediately grabbing everybody's attention. She cleared her throat, before her voice carried over like a trumpet call. "Welcome applicants to the very first academy for young superheroes! We are pleased to see so many enthusiastic young people ready to face any threat that comes their way to protect the world. I am Ms. Giardina and I am here to guide you to the gymnasium."
Everybody in the waiting room started walking towards the door in which Ms. Giardina was standing by. Once the woman was satisfied that everybody was gathered around, she turned around and began leading them through many winding hallways. Raven raised an eyebrow when Ms. Giardina sent a glare towards the green boy Raven had seen in the waiting room. Raven was also pretty sure that the old woman had flicked the boy off.
After what seemed like forever, they finally reached two huge wooden doors. Ms. Giardina looked every single person gathered around her with serious eyes, giving them a hidden warning: don't go in there thinking that you'll definitely get in because it's fair game and you may not. After that, she opened the doors, and everybody followed her inside the gigantic gymnasium.
She beckoned everyone by the bleachers, and gestured to them to sit down. Everybody obliged, and Ms. Giardina forced a tight smile upon her face. The elderly lady then pivoted around, and exited the gym.
The group that was sitting down on the bleachers weren't talking whatsoever. Everybody was too excited. They watched quietly as more people, notably males, entered the gym and sat down on the rows of bleachers. The silence was deafening, and was slightly bothering Raven. Minutes passed, and Raven sat up straighter when the seven original members of the Justice League seemed to appear out of nowhere in the middle of the gymnasium on the stage.
Superman walked right up to the microphone positioned on the front of the stage, and looked at every single person sitting in the stands right in the eye. "Welcome to the Justice League Academy! We are quite pleased to see so many bright faces apply for a place in this brand new school!
"Now, applicants will undergo an interview session held by Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Hawkgirl, Flash, Green Lantern, Zatanna, Black Canary, Aquaman, and myself. Afterwards, all applicants will have to partake in two tests to help determine which class they will be put in: Class Titan, Class Honorary, or Class Tenderfoot. Unfortunately, only thirty of you will be accepted into the school."
Batman took the microphone away from Superman. "Now, first things first, all rule breaking will be dealt with accordingly. All punishments will be seen fit to Hawkgirl. You should find all the rules posted in your dormitory. Also, all class work is expected to be turned in on time, which can also be a good indicator on your character."
Green Lantern spoke next, "Classes run from eight in the morning to three-fifteen. If you are accepted into the school, you should find your class schedule posted on the bulletin board in your dormitory. Each schedule will be different for each class, and only the last period will be same: Training. This class will have different teachers at times, and will be taught on either the training grounds near the gym or inside the gym itself."
Green Lantern handed the microphone to Hawkgirl. "If a crisis arises, and more than a couple members of the Justice League need to leave to stop the situation, the school will be on lock-down. Nobody will be able to get in or out. Sarah Simms, somebody who volunteered to help us with the school, will monitor the system. Once the situation has passed, the lock-down will end and everything will continue on as normal." Hawkgirl muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'hopefully'. The Thanagarian then gave the microphone to Flash.
"Students are only allowed to leave the school on weekends in areas that are being monitored by the Justice League. However, there are some areas that are monitored, but students won't be able to transport there. For example, nobody is allowed to transport into Gotham because Batman said, 'I don't want a bunch of hooligans running amuck in my city!' His words, not mine. Anyways, students can find a list of areas they can transport to in the transport tube, which contains a plethora of launching pods. Students need to arrive back to the school by curfew, which is ten o'clock. Launching pods also leave Earth at that time, also, so I suggest you don't miss it unless you want to be on the receiving end of some member's wrath. Remember, weekends only, or else you will be punished by Hawkgirl. The only time students will be able to use the launch pods during the weekday is if a member of the Justice League granted them a mission that needs to be done on Earth. Missions will be monitored intently in case students are unable to complete it and they need backup. With most cases, a whole class will go to complete a mission, with some exceptions. For more information, contact one of the founding members of the Justice League."
The microphone was handed to Wonder Woman. "Now, I'm sure that many of you are wondering why you couldn't have just used the launching pods instead of being transported directly here. It wasn't my idea, however, so I'm going to pass it to the man who came up with the idea." She fondly looked at Batman, and she tried not to shiver when their fingers brushed when she gave him the microphone. Luckily, she didn't.
Batman cleared his throat, before talking into the microphone, "The Justice League have a multitude of enemies, which I'm sure you're aware of. Our enemies knew that we would be opening the school up today, and if they knew we were going to use launching pods to transport the students, they would try to sabotage it. That would also put your lives at risk. So, I came up with the idea of doing some investigating and figure out where each applicant was currently staying at. Using some advanced technology, I bugged the place so it would be able to transport everybody here safely. Many of you probably see it as a violation of privacy, so I apologize. But, I assure you that it was in regard to your safety."
"Now," Superman started, "when you hear your name called on the speaker, follow the corridor to the right, and enter the second room on the right."
Martian Manhunter glanced at a clipboard that was in his hands, and looked at the list that was in no particular order. He called out the first name on the list, 'Starfire.' The Justice League then led a girl with fiery red hair into the corridor, and it was assumed that she was beginning her interview.
Raven glanced around the gymnasium, taking note of everybody sitting in the bleachers. There was a burly looking black boy who looked like he could easily strangle you without breaking a sweat. He was sitting up straight, silent. Raven saw a glint of silver, and saw that there was a giant ring on one of his fingers.
Raven looked to the boy's left and saw a boy with red hair. He was wearing a red costume that wasn't too garish. The Azarathian noted that he was wearing a yellow utility belt. From the side, a strap crossed over his torso. The strap led to a quiver of arrows, Raven saw. Raven also noted that he was wearing a mask that covered his eyes.
Beside him, was somebody Raven recognized. He was wearing green, red, and yellow. The walking traffic light. Robin. She swore under her breath and quickly averted her eyes. Just in time, since Raven could sense that his eyes were boring into her back.
Twenty minutes had passed when they called the next name. Cyborg. The tough black boy Raven had seen sitting near Robin stood up, and began walking towards the corridor. He looked nervous, and frankly, nobody could blame him. Also, the girl named Starfire didn't reenter the gym, Raven realized.
Raven was contemplating on meditating, but decided that she wouldn't be able to hear her name be called. After staring ahead of her for ten minutes, she swore and wished that she had brought a book with her.
Astoria looked at Raven with a concerned expression. "It's going to be okay, Raven. Don't get annoyed. That will probably make you choke during the interview and tests. You don't want that. Remain calm, okay?"
Raven nodded slowly, and took a few deep breaths. She immediately started feeling better.
"Lumina." That was the next name called. Astoria stood up, muttering something incomprehensible to Raven's ears. Within a minute, Astoria was gone and was beginning her interview.
Time passed slowly. The gymnasium was slowly being emptied out as names were being called one by one within twenty minute intervals. Argent had been called a while ago and Raven was now sitting alone. Raven quickly looked around the room, and noticed that there were about a dozen kids left to go. Including Robin.
Raven tapped her foot in rhythmically. It was strangely calming her down, even if the noise was incessant and quite annoying.
A couple more people left when they were called to go have their interview.
Then, finally, Raven's name was called. She slowly stood up and hoped that her legs weren't shaking. The Azarathian headed towards the door, and pushed it open. Raven then continued walking down the hallway, and entered the second door to the right.
The room was spacious and dimly lit. A giant table shaped like a horse shoe sat in the middle of the room. An empty chair was set in the curved part of the table. Aquaman, Flash, Black Canary, and Hawkgirl were respectively sitting at the end of each side of the table. Next to Black Canary was Zatanna. Beside Zatanna was Batman, who was sitting next to Wonder Woman. Sitting next to Flash was Green Lantern, who was next to Martian Manhunter. In the middle of the table sat Superman.
When Raven entered the room, Zatanna immediately stiffened. Batman glanced at her, wondering what was wrong. However, Zatanna gave him a weak smile and told him with her eyes that everything was fine.
Superman beckoned for her to sit down in the empty chair, and Raven obliged.
"Now, in your application form, you weren't too specific about your powers," Superman said. "Can you give us some more insight about the range of your powers?"
Raven hesitated for a few moments, before speaking. "I'm an empath. I can sense feelings and emotions to some degree. I have the ability of astral projection, meaning my soul can leave my body and act as my eyes and ears. Also, my soul-self, as I call it, can fight physically. I can teleport, as well as fly. I also use telepathy and telekinesis. Even though I never tried it, I might be able to manipulate time."
The ten members of the Justice League nodded their heads thoughtfully, taking in all the information. That was an impressive array of powers.
Batman asked the next question, "In your application, you checked 'yes' on the question that asked if you were bilingual. However, you didn't state which ones. What languages do you speak?"
Raven started counting them with her fingers. English, Cantonese, Russian, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, Latin... In the end, Raven shrugged her shoulders, and said, "There's too many to list."
Some girl named Kitten had tried to pull something like that earlier, and since Batman didn't believe it, he tested her by switching languages to see how they would respond. Batman did the same thing, starting off with Cantonese. Raven replied to the question he had asked flawlessly. They switched from language to language, and Raven countered to each statement perfectly. Finally, after a few minutes, Batman seemed satisfied and impressed. Everybody else did too.
"How advanced are your hand to hand combat skills?" Black Canary asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Even though Azarath is a peaceful dimension, there were warriors that were trained in case disaster were to befell on the land. I was trained by the best warrior in Azarath and his techniques were satisfactory. He also taught me how to use kunai knives, along with a few other weapons."
Flash raised his hands in a defensive-like stance. "Wait, so let me get this straight... You aren't from Earth or another planet? You're from another dimension?"
"That is correct."
"How did you hear about the academy, then?"
"I had just left Azarath for personal reasons. I went to the planet Earth, hoping to rid the world of some evil. There, I discovered the school and after some thinking, I decided that I would try to attend."
Zatanna's eyes darted around the room. Everybody seemed pleased with this applicant. She was definitely a step-up from an applicant by the name of Kitten. But, Zatanna wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't tell the other members the information she knew that the girl probably wouldn't tell them. With a sigh, she opened her mouth and spoke.
"I sense a demonic heritage within you."
So, Astoria Lacroix (Lumina) is an original character I made up. Hopefully, you guys are liking her and her personality. Also, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and maybe consider it a cliffhanger. Have a nice day!