Chapter 3: Emotional Rollercoaster

An Underground Military Research Facility

A man walks up to the Colonel and salutes. "Sir, we have verified that the subject is ready to be tested. Should we proceed with the operation?"

Colonel Johnson turns his attention to the small man before him and nods in acknowledgement. His voice is deep as he addresses the men in the room. "Team One will be arranging the implementation of Alpha protocol. Be prepared for complications tonight, kill the target if necessary, but leave no trace." The squad salutes the man as he walks out of the room, a devious smirk planted on his lips. "Phase 1 commences tonight. Don't fuck it up."

Adriana

I try to avoid her violet gaze as I stand there. It's so much harder to talk if I look her in the eye, and I don't need that kind of difficulty added to the already horribly nerve wracking conversation. Her melodious monotone breaks through the silence, making me instinctively look up at her. "Were you telling the truth earlier, about liking me?" The doubt in her eyes shouldn't have been there, but it seems all too apparent that she doesn't seem to have any inkling how beautiful and magnetic she truly is.

I finally have the courage to speak, especially after the horridly damning bit of evidence she just handed me about her own self esteem. I step up to her and put my hand on her shoulder. "Is it so hard to believe that I could love you?"

She blinks a few times before shrugging my hand off and turning away from me. "I'm not going to fall into a pit of self pity here, but you couldn't possibly love me. You just met me today." There's a slight sneer to her voice, playing on her words and making them infinitely more harsh than they should have been, given her usual tone.

I give a humorless laugh at her reasoning. "I've admired you from afar for years, ever since you became a hero. This isn't some misplaced hero worship or something. I've seen the good in you, the good that you do, and I just want to really get to know the person behind the metaphorical mask because there's something there that I think that I might like, maybe even love." I take a deep breath and run my hand through my hair, near regretting the things that I just revealed, but, then, as Raven turns back toward me, the look on her face makes all of that disappear.

A small smile tugs at the edge of her lips, and it makes me grin. "As preposterous as that sounds, I actually believe you. What exactly am I supposed to do with this information?"

I tap my chin thoughtfully. "Well, you can go out with me?"

She snorts, and I have to say that that's one of the cutest sounds I've ever heard. "Go out, as in date?"

I nod enthusiastically. "Exactly! It's a great way to get to know each other and to see if this goes anywhere."

She quirks an eyebrow at my most likely too enthusiastic response. I have to keep that in check, I guess. "Have you even considered that I might not be into girls?"

My face falls. "Oh." I hum in thought. "No, that actually never crossed my mind. Are you?" Wow, am I stupid or what? I just pour my heart out, and never once thought that she might be completely straight or something. That's just a stupid stupid move, right? I mean, it makes everything immensely more complicated if she isn't.

She starts to rise off of the ground and looks down at me. "Meet me at the pier tomorrow evening at six." With that, she floats away at a faster speed than I could follow on foot. Then, what she said sinks in. I have a date. I have a date with Raven, THE Raven. A grin plasters itself across my face, and I jump into the air in glee. This is the best day of my life, even if it did start out so shitty.

I breathe in the fresh joy that was just brought to me and start to walk toward my home. It's like I'm floating on clouds. Every step is effortless, and I really don't even feel the ground beneath my feet as I run. I duck under a broken fence, looking around to make sure no one sees me. I jump to grab the ladder above me, pulling it down only a bit as I jump onto it. The fire escape is attached to a seemingly abandoned building that I renovated secretly to accommodate some of my hobbies. I duck into the window of the top floor and stand on the small platform that separates me from a, most likely, deadly fall.

I close the window and glide from platform to platform, each placed randomly around the room for maximum results. The top most platform, located on the other side of the room, holds my bedding. With one last look down at my makeshift training room filled to the brim with copious amounts of gymnastics bars and mats, as well as trampolines and an assortment of other equipment to keep me at the top of my game. Today was a glorious day, or at least the end was. With that last thought, I fall asleep with a smile on my face, hoping to dream of tomorrow.

A/N: Okay, this is progressing way slow. Sorry about that, but if I don't we'll miss something, and I really don't want that to happen. I'd love to thank Spangle Jenks for all of the support he's given. (I don't even think he reads the story on the site but oh well.) *sigh*

I do have a account. The link is on my profile. Any contribution would be much appreciated. :)

Feedback is precious, people! I'd love to have it! Follow, Favorite, Review! Especially Review!