Chapter 4
A note: As someone very wisely pointed out…Madame Rouge is too old, so it should be her daughter Gemini a.k.a. Mara de Mille. Now that makes more sense. And Mara would have her mother's shape-shifting powers, am I right? sweat drops If I'm wrong about that too…please correct me.
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Jade took a deep breath to calm herself. Okay. Address the situation. What had just happened here? Wally West had just offered her a rose, after she had slapped him, in front of everybody. Total shock was the only word that could describe the state she was in.. Jade wore a dazed expression on her face, all traces of her confidence gone. Eventually she turned to stare blankly at him, the bachelor, why had he chosen her again?
Wally smirked. It had been perfectly executed on his part.
"So," he asked her, "is that a yes?"
Jade didn't know what to say, accepting roses had always been the cause of some sort of trouble with her. She had told herself that she wouldn't make that same mistake again, and this time wasn't any different. Right? She nodded to herself furiously. Right. (A/N: That, not my idea. Meiriona's.)
She frowned. Cyborg. He had betrayed her. He had gained her trust; he had stolen her heart, and then betrayed her. Victor Stone, she scoffed, part-time hero, part-time actor. While they had gone out, he had developed a crush on a fellow actress on the set, Sarah Sims, who had played a romantic lead with him as Sarasim, in a scene that occurred in ancient times. He had dumped her, and gone out with "Sarah" soon after. She sneered. That whole affair had started with roses too. Recalling this painful memory caused Jade's prime defense mechanism to flare up. Her rage.
Wally stepped back in surprise as Jade began trembling in anger. She had gotten over her initial shock now, and was ready to start a screaming match. Did he think she wouldn't guess that he did this to spite her? Just look at him smirk. Well guess what, she was going to refuse that rose, and get out of this show. Nothing would stop her.
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Rachel, Tara, and Kory were all sitting on the sofa, watching The Bachelor with a big bowl of popcorn on their laps.
Kory was starry-eyed. "He asked her! He asked her!" Tara on the other hand seemed the calmer of the two, quietly munching popcorn she stuffed in her mouth. Reading her mind, Rachel discovered that Tara was trying to figure out what made the bachelor pick Jade, dressed in a lab coat and surrounded by beakers.
Turning back to the television screen, Rachel saw Jade's expression and decided that a little interference was more than necessary. She went into the witch's mind and displayed the embarrassing photograph blown up to a gigantic size. That should be able to do it. Satisfied, Rachel watched to see how Jade would handle this.
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Wally noticed her trembling, and cringed, waiting for some kind of shrieking in his ear. Hearing nothing, he cautiously looked at Jade. Her hands were clenched, and her eyes seemed to be faintly glowing pink. He squinted; how weird.
He started in surprise when she snatched the rose out of his hand, and stalked out silently, a confetti of mysteriously shattered glass strewn about in her path. Hmm. He thought. So she had accepted.
He wiped his brow in mock relief. Now, that was over with. He turned around and was faced with a mob of angry women who he had cut. All of them being held back by some of his bodyguards and cameramen. Heh. Heh. He began to walk out of the room backwards, his hands up in defense. "I'm sorry ladies." he apologized weakly. He was bombarded with replies.
"I'll never forgive you Wally West! You'll regret this, for life!"
"I would have been much better for you than those other women!"
"You've emotionally scarred me for life! Do you hear me! Do. You. Hear. Me?"
"Good bye Wally!" he heard a sob, "I'll miss you!"
Wally escaped from the commotion quickly. Women these days! He slid to a stop spotting Jade holding a similar rose as the one she had received, the difference being, this one was burnt to a crisp. No longer was there a beautiful red rose, but an ashen gray plant with a faint scent of smoke.
"Whoa," he commented on the flower's appearance, "What happened there?" Jade spun around. It was him. She strode toward him, her footsteps seeming to bust holes in the carpet. She started prodding him in the chest.
"You. You. You." she spluttered. She stopped, no amount of words would be able to describe her anger. Wally grinned. Ha. Ha. He considered rubbing it in her face, but he sighed, patting his hair. He was too much of a gentleman.
"The other contestants are in that room over there," he pointed, "celebrating." Jade stared at him. In defeat she nodded glumly, and headed off toward the room he directed, but not before dropping the dead plant at his feet. She tossed her head and smirked, openly challenging him to another round.
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Jade stood in the fancily decorated room, arms crossed, and a scowl across her face. The other contestants were gossiping among themselves that she had been picked out of pity or some other stupid reason. Maybe they didn't realize that she could hear everything they were saying. Her scowl deepened.
She tapped her foot impatiently, and cast a sly glance at the contestants. She decided to analyze them. The first one who had received the rose, Jessica Philips. At the moment, a high-pitched giggle interrupted her thoughts. She rolled her eyes. Guess who. So Jessica was the typical blonde.
Next. Mara de Mille. French, maybe? Jade examined her over the top of her Coke can. She looked familiar, but from where…her mind drew a blank. That woman's eyes held jealously, and bitterness. She wasn't someone to be trusted. Jade decided it would be in her interest to not cross her. It wouldn't be smart.
She turned to the twins. Sharon and Shirley. Why they would both go on this show was something she could not comprehend. At any rate, they were very close. If the bachelor had any compassion he would cut them off the show next time. Otherwise, their sisterly bond might be ruined over a guy. Even over a guy like Wally West. She rolled her eyes.
Katherine, Annabelle, Lina, Clarissa. Typical girls. They were nice and pretty, but nothing too out of the ordinary. She would be surprised if one of them would win the bachelor's hand in marriage. Was that all? Jade recounted. Jessica, Mara, Sharon, Shirley, Katherine, Annabelle, Lina, Clarissa, and herself. Only nine. She was told all the bachelorettes had come.
A tap on her back made her whirl around in an automatic fighting stance. It was the tenth contestant, the Asian. She relaxed, quickly regaining composure. She stuck out a hand.
"Jade." She respected anybody who had the abilities to come up to her unnoticed. Not many.
"Ahn." The only Asian contestant accepted her handshake and added pressure. She had a good strong grip. Sensing a challenge, Jade slowly smiled, and squeezed the girl's hand tighter. In a minute, the two were staring eye to eye, noting any weakness in the other's grip. There were none. When both their knuckles had turned white from prolonged pressure, they released their hands simultaneously.
Seeing Ahn grin, Jade felt herself slowly smile. They had become instant friends. Shooting a glance at Ahn, Jade felt compelled to ask.
"How did you sneak up on me?" correcting herself, Jade continued, "It's been a while since anybody has been able to." Leaning in closer as to prevent the others from overhearing, Ahn simply stated.
"It's part of my job description to be able to move around unnoticed." Jade nodded. It made sense, but…she narrowed her eyes, Ahn wasn't telling her everything. Seeing Jade's unbelieving expression, Ahn lowered her voice. "You're right. I'm not telling the whole truth," She paused, "do you know who I am?" At Jade's bewildered glance, she smirked, "I guess reformed villains don't pick up on things as well, Jinx." Jade's eyes widened. For the second time today, she had found herself at a loss for words..
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A/N: So I introduced another person. Anyone guessed who she is?
