Yaay! Chapter number 10! This is a mile stone in my life guys... And I got a whole bunch of reviews last time! I really appreciated them! So please keep it up! It always helps to hear your feedback :) So in reward... another chapter! And how about this: If you review this time, I'll give you a Wally! Come on, who DOESN'T WANT A WALLY? Don't ask me where they come from, because I don't even have one myself, but somehow I'll get one to you if you review!

oOo

"Welcome back, everyone," Canary smiled at practice the next day. "I hope you all had a relaxing weekend." Barbara and Artemis looked at each other knowingly as their minds flashed back to the surprise attack at the farm. Artemis was still a little shaken from the onslaught, but her mind was more nervous about how Wally would act today. She didn't know why she was fretting about it; she never had before. But she had kind of... enjoyed his change of attitude and hoped that there was even a small possibility that what Barbara said was true. Did he actually have feelings for her? He had been really sensitive when bringing up Roy, not in his usual teasing manner.

"As you know," Artemis' attention was suddenly pulled towards their mentor. "We only have a few weeks left until we choose our team of heroes. Right now all of you have improved enough to make it on the team, but we need to keep up your workouts and progress if you want to stay in that position." She moved towards the center of the floor into the combat square, and everyone followed. "We're going to start off in pairs practicing combat, then we are going to try something new. The pairs will be Roy and Conner, Kaldur and Jasmine, Dick and Barbara, Zatanna and Megan, and Wally and Artemis."

Artemis' pulse quickened. This was it.

She anxiously waited for each pair to face off. No powers were to be used by any of teens. Conner and Roy were near evenly matched, but Roy managed to pin the clone first. Jasmine pinned Kaldur, and Dick beat Barbara, probably while taking it easy on her. Megan and Zatanna were evenly matched as well, but Megan had more strength, and eventually beat her.

Artemis gulped as she approached the square. Wally stood across from her. He turned to Black Canary. "This is way too unevenly matched, Canary. It'll only be a matter of seconds before I kick her butt." Artemis' stomach twisted. He just insulted her. Again. The way he always did.

She was stung by this, making it take a moment longer than usual for her to reply through gritted teeth, "If it's going to be so easy, you won't mind getting started." Wally shot her a glare and struck a fighting stance. Artemis threw herself towards him and drop kicked him. He fell backwards, but caught himself, and jumped up again only to be met with a punch in the face from his opponent. He stepped back and rubbed his jaw. "What's your problem today?" he asked incredulously. She responded by coming at him again. This time he blocked her attacks better, probably with the help of a little super speed, and tried to throw in a few of his own, which she dodged.

Artemis was on automatic pilot. She was using all she had practiced, but was fighting with her emotions as well. When Wally kicked her, she nearly fell forwards, but managed to stay on her feet. He came at her from behind, trying to pin her arms, but she flipped him over her shoulder on to the ground. He didn't move quickly enough, and the computer announced that Artemis had won.

Wally expected to be met with a mocking insult, and quickly quipped, "Next time I won't take it so easy on you." Artemis just brushed past him back to the group that was staring in some astonishment at the two.

"Impressive," Zatanna smiled and gave her a pat on the back. She grunted in reply, "He needed someone to put his foot in his mouth for him."

"Alright, that's everyone. Nice job," Canary commended. "Now we're going to work on something new. Everyone come over with me to the archery set." Artemis and Roy simultaneously glanced at each other and Roy smiled knowingly. "Now I want each one of you to try this out. Of course it's not for every one, but we are trying to test out each of your possible abilities in this camp. Roy, would you please start by shooting an arrow at the bullseye?"

"Will do," the red head replied and picked up a compound bow, carbon fiber arrow, and finger guard. Every one watched in awe as he expertly strung the arrow and plucked the bow, sending it straight into the bullseye. "See how he finds his anchor point?" Canary pointed out to the campers. "His anchor point is the place where he always draws his string back to. I want you all to test out different anchor points to find which one works best for you. Artemis, you try next."

The blonde smiled and picked up a simple deflex bow. Grabbing an arrow, she strung it into the bow and found her usual anchor point. Concentrating on the bullseye for a moment, she released the arrow and let it whiz across the room, finding its mark dead center.

"Artemis, awesome job! That was a perfect shot!" Canary applauded. "If Artemis can do it, it must be simple enough," Wally, still sore on losing the combat match, approached the archery set and picked up the same bow and an arrow. "Just remember," Artemis smirked. "The arrow is supposed to hit the target."

"Oh, it will."

Wally pulled the string back and was about to let go when Roy stopped him. "No no no, Wally. You need to pull back farther. Try closer to your chin." Wally gave an annoyed glanced but did as he was told. A second before he was going to release, Artemis called, "Actually, you should probably just use a blunt for this. We wouldn't want to hit any people with a sharp arrowhead." She handed him one as he replied heatedly, "I won't be hitting any one!" He prepared again.

"You know," Roy interrupted once more. You should probably use this bow instead; it has more flex in it. Easier for beginners."

"Will you guys stop interrupting me and just let me shoot the target!" The ginger exploded. The two smiled but remained quiet.

Wally, with a determined look on his face, pulled the arrow back to his chin, then let go. The arrow fell on the ground. A very embarrassed Wally picked it up and silently handed the bow off to Zatanna, who was next in line. The others struggled as well, even Jasmine, but eventually each managed to hit some place on the target.

After the practice was over, Artemis received several complements from the other teens on her talent in archery. "I've actually been practicing for a little while," she explained when Zatanna commended her for her graceful use of the bow. "That explains a lot," her friend smiled. "Is everything else going okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play clueless, Artemis. I can feel this vibe off you. You're upset about something."

"That's just freaky."

"Get used to it. Now tell me what's wrong."

Artemis sighed. She didn't want to tell any one else about the farm. It just sounded stupid now. "Maybe I'll tell you later, I just don't really want to talk about it now." Zatanna understood, but had the feeling she already knew what it was about. As for Artemis, she was still hurt, but she decided she would get over it.

o0o

The next couple weeks passed quickly. Artemis worked harder every week and was gaining strength and speed quickly. The obstacle course was becoming easier for her and the other campers, including Jasmine, who had the fastest completion time of all the kids.

After a tough workout on a Friday morning, Canary gathered the teens together. "You all have been giving the best effort you can in practice; I can tell. I want you all to take the night off and go hang out some where together. You only have a week left till school starts and we want you to be able to enjoy some of it." Artemis cringed. She wasn't ready for the school year to start. The summer had gone by quickly, and though she felt it was one of the best summers she had ever experienced, she couldn't help but wonder if it had all been for nothing. What if I don't even make it on the team? She wondered.

"We hanging out today?" Dick asked Barbara and Artemis as they walked towards the zeta tubes. "Sure, I guess," Artemis replied. "What do you want to do?"

"You could come over to my house and play video games!" Dick suggested enthusiastically. Babs and Artemis exchanged glances and shrugged. "What time?"

"How about right after dinner?"

The three agreed on it, then zetaed to Gotham. As they stepped out of the abandoned phone booth, they were immediately met with terrified screams coming from across the street. People were running every where, and a woman who passed the trio exclaimed, "Some one call the fire department!"

The apartment building across the street was completely aflame, smoke seeping out onto the street. Frantic cries called for help from within, and people watched from the sidewalk, some in horror for the people inside, some in tears for their burning home. "The firemen are on their way!" A man yelled to the people stuck inside the building.

Artemis paled. "Dick, the fire department will never get here on time, not in four o' clock traffic, at least."

Dick understood. "You think we should-"

"Let's go." Barbara said, and the three ran towards the fiery building.

They stared up at the five story apartment complex and knew they needed a plan. "Artemis!" Dick yelled over the commotion. "You run up the fire escape on the left side and cover levels three and five! Try to get as many people as you can through the windows; I'll run up the right side and cover two and four! Barbara, you go into the businesses next door and get as many fire extinguishers as you can just in case Artemis and I need them!" The red head nodded and ran off quickly.

Artemis and Dick looked at each other, then split up to cover each side. Artemis climbed as quickly as she could. "Artemis!" Barbara called when she had just reached the second floor. She tried to reach a fire extinguisher to her, tossing it up as lightly as she could. She also threw her a wet cloth to put over her face. Artemis caught it, ran up to the fifth floor, and sprayed the flames coming out of the window. She stepped inside and slid to the floor to get away from the fumes. She heard desperate cries coming from behind a door and turned the knob using the cloth.

She sprayed the flames in the room and reached out to a small child who was crying by the window. "Come on, everything's going to be alright, but you need to follow me." She took the tearful child in her arms and gave him the cloth. "Cover your mouth with this, okay? You are going to be just fine, you are going to be alright." From somewhere down the street she heard sirens coming towards them.

She sprayed more flames and finally reached the window. They stepped onto the fire escape. She set the boy down. "Can you climb down these stairs and onto the street?" she asked, and he nodded.

Artemis proceeded down the stairs to the third floor. Suddenly Dick called her name from below. "Every one is out of the building! You can come down now!" She started to walk down, when she heard a sound that struck terror to her heart. The building was starting to cave in. "Artemis! Get down!" Barbara screamed. Then she heard another sound. "Help! Someone help me! I can't get out!"

Oh fuck.

I've got to do this.

She climbed through the third floor window, ignoring the cries of the viewers below. She could hear the pleas for help coming from an apartment close to the window. A boy, about sixteen years old with blond hair was in the middle of the room, panic- stricken. Fire surrounded him and was growing closer. Artemis sprayed the flames and yelled "Follow me! We're getting out of here!" She handed him the cloth and he coughed into it.

They ran towards the window and climbed out. "There they are!" Dick yelled to some fire men and they quickly laid out a safety net below the stairs. "The building's going to collapse!" A fireman told the two. "You're going to have to jump!"

Artemis' companion gripped the railing. "I can't!" he yelled to her. "I'm scared!"

She could feel the stairs start to sway, and using sheer adrenaline, she picked the boy up and threw him over the side. He landed on the safety net and the fire fighters quickly pulled him off. "Artemis, jump!" Barbara yelled.

Artemis leapt from the fire escape as the building started to crumble, and landed safely on the net, only to be rushed away to the other side of the street.

The whole building had been demolished by the fire, and the firefighters were putting out the last of the flames. "Artemis!" Barbara ran towards her and wrapped her in a huge hug. Then she hit her.

"Why do you have to be so brave?" she asked, only half-joking. Dick was suddenly embracing Artemis as well. "You could have been killed."

"Another might have died when I could have done something."

"You did the right thing."

"Well, what do you say we go home, wind down a bit and then meet up later?" Barbara suggested. "Good idea," Dick agreed and in a moment Alfred, Dick's butler, was there to pick him up. Barbara was gone with her dad a minute later, and Artemis started walking to her apartment. However, she was suddenly stopped.

"Hey, I just wanted to thank you for saving my life from the fire." It was the blonde boy from the apartment. He had changed into different clothes.

"Any time," Artemis smiled. "Just make sure not to walk straight into a fire in the future."

"I was actually looking for my uncle, because he lived there," he explained. "but when I came onto his floor the fire trapped me."

"Well, I'm glad you're safe now. My name is Artemis, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Hunter, Hunter Zolomon. I'd like to show my appreciation some how. Would you mind if I took you to a late lunch?" The boy asked considerately.

Artemis was impressed. No guy had ever asked her to lunch, especially ones that she had just met. He seemed sweet and friendly enough, so she agreed. They walked to the sub shop down the street, engaging in lively conversation. She couldn't help thinking to herself, although Wally was far from her mind now, Who needs him, anyway?

Remember! Review and YOU GET A WALLY! I know you want one!