July 4th
Townsville, Arizona
4 years ago…
Princess Morbucks was known for throwing the most extravagant parties. Her birthday, Labor Day, Halloween, New Years, etc. All were incredible, detail-oriented and flamboyant ways to show off her father's wealth.
The Fourth of July was no exception. Taking place on Lake Canem Loquentes, each year grew more and more in it's extensiveness. Three years ago, she held jet ski races for the entire town. A year ago, she had a top-selling artist put on a private concert for only the citizens of Townsville.
And while this year, the townsfolk had no idea what Princess had up her sleeve for the day, they all were ecstatic to see.
All except for Robin Snyder, whose parents neglected to remember their own daughter's existence when leaving for the day's festivities at the lake.
Lacking a driver's license due to only being fifteen and with everyone already at the lake by this time in the day, Robin knew she would not be able to attend. She would be the only one in town not going.
Instead, the brunette was left with the solitude of her room, like most days of her life. Her eyes warm and bloodshot from never being relevant to anyone, even to her parents. Parents who should care more for their only child but acted more like a couple who chose a childless marriage.
Robin should be used to it. The idea of being invisible to them. She never knew why they did not notice her or why it seemed to happen everywhere else she went. At school, no one spoke to her. Classmates would overtake tables in the cafeteria where she sat without any acknowledgement to her. Shoulders bumped into her at a record amount of times without an utterances of an apology. Teachers forgot to call out her name during attendance; and when they did remember to say her name, she would be penciled in as absent despite raising her hand to say the exact opposite.
No one would notice her, she realized at the age of nine. She was a forgettable and unremarkable person. A terrible, awful, unhealthy and sad thought to have but Robin wanted to be honest with herself.
Her only friends were F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, and William Shakespeare. They were the only ones who would speak to her, even if their conversations were always one-sided. Literature has become the singular thing to comfort her and her undesirable solitude.
As she glanced out the window of her room, rubbing gently at her eyelids, Robin knew that even if her parents did not forget about her, no one would have cared if she showed up. That she would have spent the entire time sitting on a rock with her nose deep into another literary classic. Her tears were meaning less, in retrospect, just as she felt she was to others.
October 17th
Townsville, Arizona
Present Day...
Walking around town has become a particular habit of Robin's since she has discovered her ability of becoming invisible. She would wander around, watching and listening to those around her, who were unaware of the uninvited presence involved in their conversations. Since no one else wanted to inform her on the transpiring events in Townsville, Robin knew she had to go out and learn about them herself.
Just like before.
The only difference this time around was, she did not have to sneak around and cower behind walls and corners. No more blending into crowds. Or feeling like a phantom among the living when those who could have spotted her, did not.
She was truly invisible, not figuratively; and somehow, it made Robin feel better about herself. There were no longer any questions as to why no one noticed her.
On these days in which she eavesdropped on the fellow natives of Townsville, Robin liked starting out at Otto's in morning. She would share a booth with whoever she found to be the most interesting. The ones who Robin felt had the most secrets for her to discover.
This morning, it happened to be Brick and Blossom.
The two redheads sat in the back booth of diner, away from everyone else, sitting opposite of each other. A quiet conversation was going on between them while they waited for their food.
Robin grinned proudly to herself, going unnoticed as she slid in beside Blossom.
"I still don't think it's a good idea," Brick worried. His hands had a tight grip on the coffee mug in front of him. Steam drifted up from the cup, still freshly hot from being poured.
Or from other things, Robin reminded herself.
"How come?" Blossom questioned. Her chin was laying in the palm of her hand. A glass of orange juice sat next to her elbow.
"It's not safe—"
"Please tell me Boomer has not gotten to you."
Robin felt her stomach rapidly drop from the mention of Boomer's name.
"No. This is my own grievance."
"Okay," Blossom nodded with a caring smile. "Then what is so unsafe about it?"
Brick glanced out the window nervously. "I, um… I don't know how to swim," he said under his breath. His words were almost incoherent to Robin and Blossom as the redhead seemed to have to lean forward a little into the table to hear him.
She went back into the worn out leather-back of the booth. Her eyebrow raised at him, "You can't?"
"Nope."
"I think you're lying," she challenged him with a grin.
Robin could tell Blossom did not truly think Brick was being dishonest with her. Instead the redhead was attempting to get a little rise out of him for the fun of it.
"Yeah, because between the water moccasin and alligator infested waters of Louisiana, and the lack of normal bodies of water in Arizona, I definitely had time to learn."
"I'm just teasing you."
"Uh huh, sure."
"Come on, Brick," Blossom appeased. Her hand moved across the table. Robin's focus went along with it, finding her hand to be resting alone in the middle of the table before being met with Brick's own hand. Their fingers entwining with each other in a private moment between them.
A not so private, private moment between them.
He watched her intensely. A glance over of her face before settling on her eyes. The slow display of a small, crooked smile on his lips.
Red, in Robin's opinion, was a powerful color. The hue of fiery passion and sin. Of murder and blood. Hatred and anger. A warning to danger. A shade that could be so harsh to one's eye.
Yet, as she looked into Brick's ruby-colored eyes, Robin could only find a softness within them. No longer did they strike fear in her or unsettled her. The power of the color was at full mercy to Blossom. Adoration was the true item conveyed from the seemingly rich hue.
Robin has only read about moments like these. Moments of nothing but genuine feelings of love between two people. The type to make any reader melt from paragraphs about a simple glance or touch between lovers.
A moment, in which, Robin wished she could experience herself.
"I just feel like there are other things we could do on Halloween," Brick explained quietly.
Blossom pursed her lips for a moment, "What about instead of you coming, you stay—"
"Absolutely not. I'm not letting you go without me."
"The others will be with me."
"But what if—"
Before Brick could finish, their server had arrived with two plates of food—waffles with whipped cream and strawberries for Blossom; over-easy eggs, bacon, and dry toast for Brick—interrupting their conversation. The two redheads seemed to have telepathically decided to table their discuss for later because they changed the subject, talking about Brick's latest material for studying instead.
Robin narrowed her eyes at them, frustrated by the sudden drop in conversation. They must not want anyone listening, and with the waitress' slight brush of overhearing them, it must have prompted the two to change their discussion material.
Which left Robin wondering what was the big deal about Halloween?
November 18th
Townsville, Arizona
3 years ago…
Robin huffed to herself, navigating the busy hallways of North Townsville High. Knowing no one would bother to make way for her, the brunette had to swerve between her oblivious classmates. She passed by the punks and Princess, who were deep in a conversation about sneaking out to Citiesville for the weekend.
There was Blossom and Bubbles opening their respective lockers, discussing their latest geometry exam and how they differ in feelings about it—Bubbles felt she had failed while Blossom wished it was more challenging. Buttercup was speaking to a curly-haired blonde beside the pair in heavy flirtation, while Butch pretended not to notice from down the hall by his locker.
Robin rolled her eyes at this as she dodged a classmate. She has known about Butch's crush on Buttercup since the seventh grade after she had overheard a conversation between him and Boomer about it. Three years of knowing the green-eyed male's secret yet he has not done anything about it. Instead he wanted to live in agony about his feelings for his supposive best friend.
As she glanced over to Butch one more time before making a sharp turn down the science hallway of her high school, Robin clipped her shoulder into a firm body, knocking the books and notebook in her arms to the ground.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry."
"It's fine," she sighed tiredly, squatting down to pick up her books. Robin did not bother to look up at the person since this was a regular occurrence for her. It was better to get out of her other classmate's way than to have an exchange of words with someone who did not care about her.
She was, however, pleasantly surprised by receiving an apologize. Those were rare to come by. In fact, Robin could only recall getting one from bumping into Blossom one afternoon during their freshman year.
"Here, let me help," the person replied. A hand stretched out to hand over her physics textbook, a tight grip displaying the fine definition of their hand muscles. Robin, taken back by their kind gesture, led her eyes up from the ground to them, taking in the Nike sneakers, black jeans and soft navy tee-shirt before meeting their ocean blue eyes and moppy blond hair.
"You don't have to, Boomer. It's fine," Robin answered, taking the book from his hand. Her fingertips brushed up lightly against his. A small smile crept up on the corner of her mouth as a slight simmer of heat arose in her cheeks. She was not used to making physical contact with someone in such a manner. Unexpected, harsh bumps in the shoulders were what she was more accustomed to; not soft touches of hands. "I got this."
"Hey, I bumped into you. This is the least I can do," He responded, gazing down at the next item he picked up from the floor. His blue eyes shined brightly at the object. "Hold on." Boomer flashed the bright booklet to her. Vibrant colors of the cover helped her recognize it immediately, resulting in her to grow a complete shade of tomato red. "You read The Justice Friends?"
"Um… yeah," she said sheepishly, unable to meet his eyes at her embarrassing admission. Her love of comic books were a guilty pleasure of her's. One that she liked to keep secret. Robin double-checked the tiled flooring of her school's hallway for anymore of her belongings, rising back up when confirming to have everything.
"This is my favorite comic book series," Boomer grinned, following her actions of standing up. He then flipped through the pages of the comic book before glancing over the cover again. "I love this issue too. When Major Glory sacrifices himself so that Valhallen and The Infraggable Krunk can live, I swear I was an emotional wreck for the next two weeks."
"Which is about the time he was resurrected," Robin snorted. Her baby blue eyes widened afterward, growing self-conscious for mocking Boomer's love for the storyline. She watched as he began to chuckle, shaking his head. A sight, in which, calmed her down. The redness of her face returned to the singular location of her cheeks now.
"Yeah. They never let anyone's death stay permanent in comics nowadays. I mean, Jason Todd, Bucky Barnes," he listed with a grin. "They were supposed to be the standard of meaningful deaths in comic books, but nowadays they're the most popular characters in comics it seems."
"At least Uncle Ben is still dead," she pointed out.
Boomer wagged his finger at her, nodding, "You're not wrong. And don't forget all the significant others who died in vain of the main heroes storyline."
"Who are usually woman," Robin added on, her eyebrow arched.
"Hey, Steve Trevor died."
"Yeah, like twenty different times for shock value. But he's always brought back to life."
"Yeah, you do have a point... I guess DC Comics cannot let the poor guy Rest In Peace." Boomer scratched at the back of his head, grinning at Robin. He gave off a look she was not used to. An expression of acknowledgment. Of acceptance. Of noticing her and seeing her as a person just as he was. Of her being the one person at the moment in which had captured his full and undivided attention.
For this reason, Robin felt weak in her knees. Her breathing becoming shallower from nervousness as her heart grew heavier in her chest. The palms of her hands produced enough sweat to match the amount she had experienced during the previous summer. If Boomer were to brush up against her once more, Robin knew her body would melt into a puddle of newly developed emotions.
"Or they don't want to invest in a new love interest for Wonder Woman. I would totally love to see her with a long-lasting girl—"
"Yo Boom, are you coming to class?"
The separate pairs of different hues of blue stared down the hallway, finding Butch and Bubbles waiting for their friend. Robin glanced back at him, watching as his focus fixated on the blonde girl. Her eyes narrowed at this action, finding it similar to how Butch behaved around Buttercup.
She took a step back from the blond, realizing what it meant immediately.
Boomer was into Bubbles.
Of course he was, Robin grumbled to herself. Bubbles was the sweetest person in Townsville. There was no way anyone could dislike her or even be neutral towards her. Hell, Bubbles was one of the few people who would attempt to speak to Robin on a regular basis.
It should not be surprising to her nor should she even care after having a brief conversation with him, but those facts did not help stop the truth from hurting her.
Boomer glanced back to her while making his way to his friends. "I'll see you around, Robin."
Robin gave him a meek smile in response. A smile in which disappeared the second he turned his back to her.
It was about the same time she faded back into the background of the hallways of her high school, no longer holding any more importance to engross someone's attention again.
June 7th
Townsville, Arizona
2 years ago...
It was her first day working at White Kitty's. Needing a summer job to help finance her ever-growing book collection, Robin was pleasantly surprised to find out the pet store was hiring. She has held a love for animals since a young age but could not have a pet due to the long list of allergies her father has. Getting the job at White Kitty's was killing two birds with one stone for her.
In what she thought would be an excellent solution for her, turned out to not be so grand.
As a tradition, newly hired staff at White Kitty's were in charge of cleaning kennels for waste. Within any hour, Robin had already re-cleaned five crates and was sure she smelt like it. Not to mention, the owner, Gustavo, was incredibly odd. He spent most of the day talking to an elder cockatoo, named Pearl, in his office.
Furthermore, Robin was not sure on how she was even going to get paid when a single customer had not walked through the doors all day.
By the time her shift came to an end, it was no surprise the thought of quitting on her first day was a frequent idea of her's. She lingered by Gustavo's office, practicing a speech to give him for why she was quitting. Her blue eyes focused on the pure white feathers on Pearl's body.
"Hey, Robin."
Robin felt her chest tighten up. Eyes widened to the fullest capacity. Her cheeks raised in heat. She glanced back, finding Boomer beside her. His ocean blue eyes boundless as she remembered. They were waters she would love to chart and navigate.
As unbelievable as it may sound, Robin had developed feelings for the blond. His brief moment of kindness towards her, had long-lasting effects on her. It was easy for her to foolish fall for him due to her infrequent interactions with anyone else—especially those of the male population.
In her mind, she craved for Boomer to be it. The love interest in her story. He was the boy she shared a, somewhat, meet-cute with, and now was hopefully on the path to something much more.
All of the romance novels she has read over the years engrossed her with the want and need to experience such emotions detailed in them. Emotions she pictured sharing with Boomer.
"Oh, um. Hi, Boomer," she greeted nervously, fiddling with a strand of her chestnut brown hair.
His eyebrow arched slightly as he stared down at her—he had about five inches on her. "You work here now?"
"Well, I…" Robin glanced over to Gustavo again. He was feeding Pearl a piece of a cracker. Before she knew it, Robin was nodding along to confirm his question. Thoughts of quitting no longer existed in her mind. "Yup. I started today, actually."
"Really? That's awesome."
"It is?" She asked. Robin mentally cringed at how stupid she felt the question was afterward.
"Yeah. We've been understaffed for months now." She watched as Boomer scratched the back of his neck, a sheepish smile spread across his lips. "And it also means I don't have to clean up shit anymore. So…"
Robin placed her hands on her hips, furrowing her eyebrows, "Oh? That's why you're happy I got hired?"
"Can you blame me?"
"No," she sighed dejectedly, rolling her eyes. "After today, I totally understand."
Boomer let out a small chuckle as he moved closer to Robin. His eyes focused in her direction. Robin felt her knees buckle, her body became paralyzed by the lack of space between them.
"So um…" Boomer pursed his lips for a moment in thought. "I'm sorry but could you move over? I need to clock in…"
Robin blinked at him as a response, escaping the daze she was under. The false idea of this being one of those unexpected romantic moments she read about and craved for. She glanced over her shoulder, finding the time clock right behind her.
She moved out of his way immediately, feeling the embarrassment and the redness of her face that came with it. Without saying anything more, Robin left the shop before Boomer could notice the state she was in.
Her mind ridiculed her for getting swept up in such a fruitless moment but Robin did not want to hear it. Instead, she tried to focus on the good of the situation as she started her car.
To focus on the sudden realization that Boomer was her co-worker. That she would be seeing more of him now and perhaps would be sharing shifts with him. The idea of getting to know him more, excited her out of embarrassment.
To finally have the chance to connect with him like she fantasized of doing so.
October 31st
Townsville, Arizona
1 years ago…
Punch bowls were the usual safe zone for her during parties. Too far away from the dance floor to feel pressured to join in, it provided a solid excuse as to why she did not want to drink any alcohol, and was the general spot to overheard the best bits of conversations.
Robin took a sip of the artificially-dyed bright green punch in her hand, noting the taste of pineapple and kiwi on her tongue, as she observed the party-goers around her.
Princess' theme this year was Disney fairy tales. Her house was transformed into a scene straight out of a Grimm Brothers' story. The mansion appeared as if they were in a cottage in the woods; green mossy decor and fairy lights stringing along to add to the atmosphere. Gingerbread cookies dressed like the Gingerbread Man, tea sandwiches, and biscuits covered in grey stuff—the dessert was a nod to Beauty and the Beast—lined the table with the punch in a elegant and whimsical spread.
Robin felt she had been transported into a storybook—well, except for the raunchy actions transpiring between her classmates on the dance floor in front of her and the explicitly-laced rap song pounding out of the sound system.
She sighed begrudging, feeling the development of a headache coming soon. Robin would go home by now but she was awfully proud of her costume and wanted at least three compliments before leaving.
So far, no one has noticed her.
It shocked her slightly. She was wearing an authentic, homemade yellow ball gown, minus a hoop skirt, matching Belle from Beauty and the Beast—her favorite fairy tale character since they shared an extensive love for literature. Robin swore it would be hard for anyone to not notice her. Furthermore, Belle, from her research, was one of the most popular princesses.
Yet, here she was, standing alone by the punch bowl without a single glance made her way.
She watched the party go on around her, spotting the punks in a corner, laughing about something between them.
Brat was dressed in a knee-length, form-fitting salmon-colored satin nightgown. A matching sleeping mask shaped like a crown, stating Beauty Sleep in bedazzled turquoise rhinestones, was wore on her head like a headband. A pair of turquoise slippers adorned her feet. Her long golden blonde hair was styled into loose curls and her face was painted with the appropriate amount of blush to give her the appearance of her cheeks being a natural rosy hue.
Robin figured she must be a modern interpretation of Sleeping Beauty. A sexy interpretation she must add as she took notice to how low cut the nightgown Brat wore was.
From the long blonde braid interwoven with brightly colored flowers that reminded Robin of spring, the brunette instantly knew Brute was dressed as Rapunzel. The purple dress and pink eyeshadow simply added more to the costume.
Then there was Berserk who had chosen to wear a dark-colored wig in the style of a chin length bob for the evening. Her face dramatically transformed with a heavy smokey eyeshadow and black lipstick. A menacing look in which her gifted facial structure could only pull off, in Robin's opinion. She wore a short, royal blue dress with black fishnet stockings and tall red stiletto heels. A gold crown sat on her head, while she held onto a ruby encrusted clutch shaped like an apple.
Robin chuckled to herself, noting that Berserk would be the only one to chose to dress as a villain for the night. Her interpretation of the Evil Queen was an interesting choice, and would not have worked with anyone else; but for Berserk, it was a flawless attempt.
The brunette kept her eye on them for a little, admiring their costumes from a far when Berserk seemed to have received a text message and excused herself from the two. With an eyebrow raised, Robin found herself to be intrigued by this. It was well-known by the entire school that Berserk only kept the company of the other punks and Princess. With the redhead carrying on her hosting duties, Robin could conclude Berserk was keeping a secret from her friends.
She quietly followed Berserk to the outdoor section of the party. Pastel paper lanterns flowed in the large Morbucks swimming pool, illuminating the patio while party-goers around her conversed with each other. A photo booth created to look like the mirror in Snow White laid under a tree covered in string lights while a table similar to the one inside full of treats sat near it—except, this table was full of various types and flavors of boozes.
Robin noted how Berserk paused near the corner of the house in which led to the rose garden of Morbucks manor. The orange-haired girl began to tap her foot, obviously appearing to be waiting for someone. Robin merged herself within the crowd by the photo booth but kept a steady eye on Berserk, wanting to discover her secret.
In under two minutes, Robin was shook to her core when a brown leather vested and boot cladded Butch appeared. She watched as the plastic battle ax strapped to his back moved along as he spoke to Berserk. Robin wondered what he was supposed to be while never taking her eyes off of them.
They seemed to be having a normal, friendly conversation. Although, Robin did get a little startled by the bashful smile painted in an onyx hue as Berserk gazed at Butch with an unreadable intensity.
Robin took a small step back, her mind whirling.
Were they...
No, no, no, Robin dismissed. Butch was still in love with Buttercup, the last time she checked. In fact, she suspected something had occurred between the two dark-haired individuals as Robin picked up on Buttercup's clear attempts to gain his attention lately.
Blue eyes continued to watch them, taking in the slight changes made to their body language. She noticed how Butch kept inching closer to Berserk. How her hot pink eyes would repeatedly look over his shoulder for any watchers. The way her hand slowly made its way up his arm, stroking against the moss green thermal wore under his vest. The muddled colors of brown and green seemed to give him a woodsy appearance.
The Huntsman, Robin exclaimed to herself. He was dressed as the Huntsman from Snow White.
She was the Evil Queen and he was the Huntsman. A subtle decision probably made by the two. It was a sneaky idea to get away with a couples costume, the brunette concluded; and from what she had witness, it was obvious there was something romantic between the two.
A forbidden romance, it seemed. One she would have never expected but Robin has always been a fan of the genre.
They continued to communicate until Butch parted away from her, heading for the gates of Morbucks manor. Berserk went back inside and came out again in a record time, as Robin figured she must have informed her friends of her decision to leave, before going in the same direction Butch had disappeared to.
Robin gasped silently to herself. Butch and Berserk were a plot twist she was not expecting nor did she expect anyone to have foreseen it either. Her mind went to his friend group and if they knew about his relations with the resident ice queen of Townsville.
Probably not if they were sneaking off to meet each other.
She glanced around the party, wondering if anyone else saw what she witnessed but everyone was too preoccupied with themselves.
Near the table of boozes, Robin spotted Buttercup—who wore a green tunic, brown tights, and hat adorned with a orange feather alongside a quiver of plastic toy arrows on her back; taking on the image of Robin Hood—chatting with a dark-skinned Prince Charming.
With another gaze around, Robin found herself not interested in anyone and their lives. She headed back into the home of Princess Morbucks and to the expanding crowd of partiers.
Over the speakers, Princess spoke to her guests on a stage crafted for only tonight, informing them of the upcoming costume contest. Her red curls straightened for the night, almost covering the purple seashell shaped bra she wore with the extra length of her hair. The long, green sequined mermaid tail skirt she had on dazzled in the stage lighting, making her appear as the perfect Little Mermaid.
Knowing she would not have a single chance in the costume contest since it was mainly based on popularity and who had the least amount of clothing on, Robin made her way upstairs where a game room was set up.
The atmosphere in this area of the party was much calmer. No more scandalous song lyrics or overcrowded elbow pushing. Furthermore, no more having to see her classmates grind on each other and then pretend it did not happen come Monday morning.
She quickly spotted Bubbles talking to a few of her friends who Robin recognized from the art class they shared. A light blue tea length dress, blue headband in hair, and transparent shoes portrayed a simplistic version of Cinderella. The light of the room cascaded against the body glitter she seemed to have dusted her arms with.
Robin thought about joining them in discussion but decided they probably would not want her to interrupt them. She, instead, found a vacant seat in a bean bag chair, wishing she had brought a book with her.
She continued her entertainment of people watching when her ears grew attracted to the conversation behind her.
"Have you applied yet?"
"No, but I've taken a glance at plenty of applications. I'm pretty much focused on finishing my essays first and then I'll fill them out."
"I don't think you'll have to worry so much about impressing them. Once they see your test scores and grade point average, you'll be accepted without any questions."
"I'm not sure about that…"
"Oh, don't be so modest, Blossom. Whether you apply to MIT, Vanderbilt, or even fucking Harvard, you're going to be accepted in. Probably on full scholarship too."
Robin threw a look over her shoulder, watching as Blossom withdrew herself into a shell from her friend Julie's comment.
She was dressed as Alice from Wonderland, with a black bow replacing her signature red one. A baby blue dress matched with a white apron on top and stockings.
Robin found it ironic on how Blossom was Alice, considering her situation. She was traveling down a rabbit hole in which would lead to betrayal in her friends' eye if she did decide on a school outside of Townsville—the brunette was well-aware of their pact since Bubbles had briefly mentioned it one day when studying at Otto's. Surely the redhead was lost and could not figure out the correct decision for herself in the zany world of being a teenager about to embark on the journey of adulthood. Wonderland could be a dangerous place to land in, as Blossom seemed to be figuring out.
The conversation between Julie and Blossom ended soon after, with the redhead seeming flustered by the impending choice she would have to make. A settlement in which Robin could only predict would create ripples of trouble for Blossom and her friend group.
Robin perched up from the bean bag chair she sat in, reminding herself that she has seen everyone in Blossom's group tonight. Everyone except for Boomer.
The brunette went to her feet, making her way around the party in search for the blond male. If all his friends were scattered around, it could mean Boomer was alone, which meant Robin could have a moment with him again.
She could feel like a person again.
It took her awhile to find him as he was not anywhere near the crowded areas of the party. Instead, Boomer was hiding out on a balcony adjacent to the second floor bathroom. His shaggy blond hair caught in the dry wind of the final October night of the year. His costume was similar to Buttercup's; a tunic, tights and hat, except he was two shades of green and had a belt wrapped around his waist.
He was Peter Pan.
Robin wondered if there was any figurative meaning to his costume choice. If was a lost boy like Peter was. She watched him through the glass separating her from the balcony, unsure if she should disturb him or not. Her eyes read his body language, picking up on the white-knuckle grip he had on the railing. His back arched with the heavy breaths he was taking in. She was not sure if her vision was impaired or if she saw his legs shaking for a moment.
Her heart began to pick up in pace, distressed over her witnessing him on the verge of, what it seemed to be, a panic attack of some sorts. Robin knew she was not equipped to handle in him in this state. She was not what he needed to talk him down.
Robin turned on her heel, making a dash for the game room again, knowing exactly who could soothe Boomer.
Reaching out to her shoulder, Robin's hand became covered in an iridescent body glitter. Bubbles greeted her with a friendly smile. Light blue eyes took in her costume before meeting her eyes.
"Oh my! Robin, you look amazing!" Bubbles grinned excitedly with approval.
Robin did not match her expression, ignoring the compliment she had sought for at the beginning of the party as she spoke in a quick and hush tone to her blonde friend. "I think Boomer is having a panic attack out on the balcony."
Any amount of joy and laughter in which fulfilled Bubbles, had immediately disappeared, replaced with the sense of urgency to assist her close friend.
"Thank you for telling me," Bubbles whispered to her before running off in the direction Robin had came from, leaving Robin to fade back into irrelevance.
The most remarkable thing she had done at this party was helping Boomer. Something only Bubbles would remember.
Not one of her finest nights, she must admit, but perhaps this was the turning point in her story. The rising action in which would lead to better days.
Robin could only hope that was what her story was on the verge of.
October 18th
Townsville, Arizona
Present Day…
It was official. After the holiday season, White Kitty's would be another relic to Townsville. Months of non-existent customers and the constant need of upkeep for the animals has resulted in the store's demise.
With the impending closure, Robin was in charge of figuring out the new homes for pets who have not found one yet. She has spent most of her days calling various pet stores or no kill shelters in the region. So far, in a matter of weeks, all of the animals would be taken under new supervision.
It was a bittersweet reality as Robin was more than willing to start a new chapter in her life—one that does not include cleaning up animal poop—but she would miss the animals in which she has bonded with.
Professionally, they were not allowed to name any of the animals due to not wanting to create confusion if one was renamed by any buyers. However, Robin had a few nicknames for some of her favorites.
There was Pharaoh, a bengal cat who preferred to eat chicken but loathed any type of fish. Gatsby, a golden retriever, named after her favorite novel. Velveteen the rabbit who had the most menacing red eyes. A bearded dragon named Reptar, in which was actually nicknamed by Boomer—she had overheard him say it once and it simply stayed with her.
One positive of the store closing, was the lowered amount of frequency Robin would have to be in contact with the blue-eyed blond. She had gotten over her one-sided and misguided crush almost a year ago. Something within her had to accept the fact he was more suited for someone else. Someone more like Bubbles.
That her life was not going to play out like a romance novel after all. And that she was delusional for thinking anything more would come out of a small bonding moment between her and Boomer.
Being around Boomer now was simply awkward and uncomfortable for her.
Which made the current shift she was participating in, more than less enjoyable as her and Boomer were stuck working alone together for another hour.
Thankfully, he had to man the cash register while she was able to move freely around the shop to feed the animals.
Opening Pharaoh's gate, Robin reached in, stroking her hand along his silky fur. He head-butted her arm, snuggling and purring against her skin. The brunette smiled, placing a bowl full of white chicken meat for him before closing the gate to his cage to allow Pharaoh to eat in peace.
"I'm going to miss this place," Boomer mumbled. His chin rested in the palm of his hand as he tossed his eyes around the store with a bored gaze.
Robin raised an eyebrow at him, caught off guard by his comment. She had her reasons for why they did not speak much during their shared shifts together but it was already a rare occasion for when Boomer did try speaking to her—even before when Robin stopped hoping for a conversation with him. The blond was more lost in the world inside of his head or sketching doodles in a notebook he brought with him on some days, to engage in conversation.
"Me too," she replied, avoiding further eye contact with him by preoccupying herself with feeding the other cats.
"Being here…" His eyes traced around the room once again. "It truly helped me with my anxiety during high school…"
"Oh," Robin breathed, looking up from the last cat cage. She attempted to sound surprised as she spoke to him. "You have anxiety?"
"Big time anxiety," he nodded. "Diagnosed with generalized and panic disorder. Luckily, I haven't had a full blown panic attack for about two years now."
"And the animals help?" She questioned, opening Gatsby's cage and letting the puppy walk around freely as they spoke. Robin took a seat on the ground, petting Gatsby whenever he walked by her.
"Oh yeah. When I was younger and my dads were together, they got me a therapy dog since my medication was not helping me that much, but that didn't last long since my dads broke up and one of them took the dog with him without saying a word," Boomer revealed. His eyes grew darker at the memory for a moment.
"That's seriously messed up."
"Tell me about it," he huffed out in frustration. "For a while, I was a jumbled mess—well, more of a mess than I usually am."
"How did you get better?"
"Comic books, actually," Boomer said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced away from Robin as Gatsby rubbed up against his legs. The blond smiled broadly at the dog, picking him up from the ground and taking him over to where Robin sat. Boomer silently sat across from her, freeing Gatsby from his hold and allowing the puppy to go back and forth between them. "It would take my mind off of things. Stop me from obsessively worrying about every aspect of my life."
"I can relate," Robin sighed.
"How so?"
Robin glanced up at the ceiling tile of the store, "Comic books were how I first fell in love with reading. I don't read them as much now as I did growing up, but they helped me deal with a lot as I found out reading is my own personal coping device with the reality of… Of how lonely I am," she whispered.
Her eyes widened from realizing how open she was being with Boomer. This went against what she told herself. To keep a distance away from him so she would not misjudge any interaction with him for something else again.
From getting the wrong idea it could mean something more.
But as Robin met Boomer's ocean blue eyes, she was reminded of why she held a certain amount of expectations towards the blond. When he did engage with her, she knew he was fully there. That he did enjoy talking to her. He cared for what she had to say, and may be one of the few people who ever truly have.
"Yeah. I've… I've noticed," Boomer muttered. "I'm sorry—"
"Don't apologize."
"But I feel awful. I'm your co-worker. We've spent so much time together, yet this is the most we spoken to each other. And that's been my fault."
"I wouldn't say it's entirely your fault," she murmured as Gatsby licked her cheek. Robin ruffled the hair on the crown of his head, continuing, "I was intimidated by you."
Boomer furrowed his eyebrows, "By me?"
"Yeah. I mean, you're Boomer Hardly. You've been one of the most popular kids in our age group since elementary school. You've always had a solid friend group and never needed to make yourself seen. Everyone already did…"
"I… I don't know about that…" he hesitated.
"You're also incredibly modest and kind."
Boomer shook his head, "No. That's not it…" He lifted his chin up, tilting it to a degree to the side. His ocean blue eyes stared directly into Robin's. "I've never felt important enough to be seen. My friends, yeah. They're all either charismatic, meant for something greater than all of this, or at least have an idea of what to do with their life. But me… I've always felt as if I was in the middle. There's nothing significant about me. I'm not destined to be anything important. I'm unremarkable compared to them. And the worst thing is, I'm… I'm stuck with myself."
"Boomer," Robin breathed, as the rest of her words got stuck in her throat.
There was not much she could think of that could be said back to him after such a confession. One that she could not have predicted despite having a close eye on him and his friends for years.
"It's fine," he mumbled. "I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, no. I'm… I'm glad that you did," she smiled gently.
Boomer gave her a single nod. A flash of a weak smile on his lips before he diverted his attention to Gatsby.
Robin took note to how his hands seemed to shake as he reached out for the puppy. How his shoulders were perched up from tension but became at ease when making contact with the golden fur of Gatsby's back.
She could feel the conversation between them beginning to slip away. Robin should let it go. Accept this as the last time she could be someone to him but Robin could not let it be.
"Do you know what you're going to do after all of this?"
"After what?"
Robin glanced around the store, "White Kitty's closing."
"Oh," he remarked. His fingers combed through Gatsby's fur. Ocean blue eyes analyzed each thin strand at a time. "No. Not at all… I could look for a new job or enroll at the community college but…"
"It's not what you want to do?"
"Yeah…"
"Then what do you want to do?"
"It's stupid," he dismissed.
Robin arched an eyebrow, a soft smile tweaking at the corner of her mouth. "I'll be the judge of that."
Boomer glanced into her eyes, sighing. His shoulders slumped down as he removed his hand from Gatsby and used it to comb through his own long blond hair.
"Reading comic books helped me a lot with my anxiety but it also opened up my imagination. I wanted to escape to Metropolis, Asgard, or to the Justice Friends' apartment. So I began drawing my own comics that included me. Drawing helped calm me down but it also become a passion of mine."
Robin glanced over to the dark blue notebook that sat on the counter by the cash register, finally understanding the purpose of the book.
"You want to be a comic book artist," she realized, meeting his eyes once again.
"Yeah. I do," he said softly with not much conviction in his voice. "But I'm pretty sure that wouldn't happen."
"How come? If you're passionate, it doesn't seem so far-fetch to me."
"Because I'm not motivated enough to do anything about it. I mean, this is the first time I've told anyone about it and that's because I just feel like it will never be notable compared to what my friends are up to," Boomer confessed. "And if I was motivated, I would only doubt my abilities like usual. I rather not start having serious panic attacks again because of a risky idea like that… Besides, there's too much pressure on me right now to even attempt to get in the right head space for anything."
Robin furrowed her eyebrows, "What's pressuring you?"
"I think you know already."
"No, I don't.
"Come on, Robin," he pressed. "You were there."
"Boomer, I'm not sure—"
"The night at the lake. All of the mysterious things happening," he answered for her. His gaze grew intense. "Haven't you noticed?"
"No. I haven't."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I am," she nodded cautiously. Her eyes narrowed at him and his pestering questions.
"Robin," Boomer said gently. "You know you can trust me…"
The brunette blinked at him. Her head nodded slowly, realizing what this truly was.
Boomer was never truly interested in having a genuine conversation. He was not opening up to her for the hell of it. No, he was attempting to forge a connection in order to get information.
He was trying to use her. The entire time, he had an ulterior motive and Robin almost fell for it. For all she knew, everything he spoke about was fabricated to gain her trust in a more rapid fashion. It was a chance to manipulate her with sympathy.
There was no way she could trust him now.
There was no way she would tell him anything.
She quickly stood up from the ground, heading for the back office.
"Robin? Robin?" She heard him repeat desperately. The brunette ignored him as she punched out of work thirty minutes before her shift ended.
Without a word, Robin went straight for the door, not even giving Boomer a single glance.
"Robin, please hear me out…" he called out but it was too late. Robin had left and did not plan on turning around.
She thought they were…
That they could…
Robin shook her head, ignoring any of those ridiculous notions. She was correct to have withdrawn herself from them a long time ago but she was also foolish for allowing them to come back so quickly.
Maybe this was why she was meant to be alone. No one was ever going to be trustworthy. She was only good for being used.
October 19th
Townsville, Arizona
Present Day...
She went to Otto's without using her invisibility but Robin might as well have been. None of the servers have approached her table since she had arrived—which was about fifteen minutes ago. If she did not bring a book with her to past the time and was not aware of how busy Otto's was at this time, Robin would have taken it more personal.
After finishing a chapter in her book, the brunette glanced around the diner. The waitresses were scrambling to serve food while the busboy cleared out tables as new customers waited to be seated. Most of the individuals in the diner were more around her parents age, not intriguing her interest.
However, her attention did get consumed by two waitresses carrying on a conversation behind her booth.
"Can you take table seven?" One asked as Robin recognized it to be Brute's voice. She had heard the green-eyed girl began working at the diner but had yet to witness it until today. "I'll take eleven, if it's too much."
"Yeah, I can," the other responded in a friendly tone. It was Bubbles, which made Robin grumble a little to herself. The blonde had become closely associated to Boomer in her mind after picking up on his crush on her. After the day before, Robin did not want to be around anyone or anything that reminded her of him and his dishonest ways. "May I ask why though?"
She heard Brute sigh, "Butch and Berserk are there."
"Oh."
Robin arched an eyebrow. Butch and Berserk were back together?
She glanced around the diner, quickly spotting Berserk's bright orange hair. The pair were engaged in what seemed to be a pleasant conversation as Berserk was smiling more than Robin has ever seen her do. Her fingers fiddled with his hand on top of the table. His stare on her was strikingly similar to the one Brick would give to Blossom; the only difference between them was, Butch was not afraid of expressing his emotions to the fullest while Brick seemed to be a little withdrawn on seeing just how much Blossom truly meant to him.
Robin was quietly surprised. Not only were they back together but they were being open about it. Given how Brute did not want to serve them and Bubbles' lacking response, the brunette knew it could not be a popular reunion among their friends. Especially if Butch's friend group had any idea about him and Buttercup's relationship—Robin did not see why the green-eyed male kept his relations so private.
"I'm sorry if that puts you in a tough spot. Just after everything that happened between Berserk and I—"
"No, I understand," Bubbles said, interrupting Brute. Robin was unhappy by this as she was hoping Brute might spill some details about the friction between her and the orange-haired girl.
"Thanks, girl. You're best."
The two ended their conversation as Brute walked past Robin's table, heading for another one in the opposite side of the diner. Robin took note to her lack of change in hairstyle and how the waitress uniform of Otto's did not suit her usual aesthetic of clothing.
"Good morning, welcome to Otto's—Oh, Robin. It's good to see you," Bubbles greeted. A genuine grin spread across her lips at the sight of her old friend.
Robin smiled weakly at her, "Same to you."
"Sorry about the service. As you can see, we're kind of swamped."
"It's fine."
Bubbles raised an eyebrow, chewing down on her bottom lip. Her eyes detected Robin's tense body language. "Is everything alright?"
The brunette narrowed her eyes at the blonde, "Maybe your friend may know the answer to that question."
Bubbles blinked at her in question, "Which one?"
"The one I work with."
"What did Boomer do?"
"He used me. Tried to fake a moment with me in order to get information for, god knows, what."
Bubbles took in a sharp inhale, nodding once. "I see."
"I never expected him to be someone to do such a thing…" Robin mumbled, feeling embarrassed for having any expectations towards someone she barely knew. Then again, perhaps the whole reason expectations were made because she could conjure up her own version of Boomer from the lack of knowledge she had about him.
She could make him into whatever she wanted in her mind. A distant character who existed in her wild imagination.
But this was reality, and as disheartening as it was for her, Boomer did not care for her like the way she had once foolishly cared for him.
"Because that's not Boomer," Bubble said quietly. "He was just… he was following orders."
Robin furrowed her eyebrows at the blonde. "Orders?"
Bubbles sighed, slumping her shoulders. "For awhile now, we've been trying to figure what happened at the lake. One of the objectives we had, was figuring out your side of the story and Boomer was in charge of doing so. We also gave him the misguided advice of him trying to connect with you so you could trust him more. Boomer did not want to participate in the idea—trust me, he did not. But, you know, when Buttercup is pressuring you to do something, there nothing you can really do about it."
"Uh huh," Robin nodded bitterly.
"I'm sorry, Robin," the blonde whispered. "And I'm sure Boomer feels the same way… we all just got carried away with what is happening."
The brunette tilted her chin, disregarding her hurt feelings for the moment.
"And what is it that is happening?"
Bubbles arched her eyebrow, shaking her head. "I can't say. At least, not here. But, um… If you're willing, I can arrange for an explanation with the others tomorrow outside of town."
"Oh. I'm more than willingly," she grinned mischievously.
August 23rd
Townsville, Arizona
2 months ago…
Her head had been fuzzy all day during work. From the strange knowledge she might have died the night before and the discovery of the ability to turn invisible, Robin could not wrap her mind around anything. Since White Kitty's lack of any clientele, she spent most of her closing shift wondering about what happened. Various plot threads she had read about in the Justice Friends' stories or from the brief science-fiction kick she was in during the tenth grade flew through her head, endlessly trying to put the pieces together.
She knew she could not be the only one. The others who were at the lake must have abilities too. Perhaps they could become invisible too.
Robin also knew whatever happened to them, was no mistake.
There was a reason they all were there that night. Like all heroes who got 'powers' by chance or had a certain event in which decided the fate of their life of crime fighting, they were all supposed to be there yesterday night for a reason. Robin just was not sure what the reason was.
She wished it was clear though. A clear motive to understand such as Bruce Wayne watching his parents being murdered or the sense of duty Captain America withheld.
Mystery was one of her less favorite genre of literature. Her inability of not having the answer right away often frustrated her. The red herrings and needless chasing around for the answer when it was pretty easy to figure out in hindsight. It was all bothersome to her.
Now Robin was living out a mystery and she was not entirely pleased to be apart of it.
She groaned at the thought as she shut off the lights for White Kitty's. After feeding and cleaning the cages of the animals, Robin stayed after work way longer than usual.
Normally, there would be another employee working with her but Boomer just so happened to call out for the day. Early symptoms of a flu, he had stated.
Funny how she saw him with Bubbles and Blossom at Otto's earlier in the morning. The three huddled together in a hush conversation. Suspicious glances towards those around them, the striking fear of being overheard easily read by Robin.
It was simply a sign of her being right. The others were affected.
Robin locked the door for the store from the outside, wondering if she should talk to Boomer about it the next time they were scheduled to work together.
She decided she would despite her apprehensions of being around him since getting over her crush. When beeping her car to unlock, Robin noticed a figure from the corner of her eye, glancing over to the abandoned candy factory in which sat across from her work.
It was difficult to make out due to the lack of lighting other than the two streetlights by the weathered brick walls of the factory but Robin caught a glimpse of a hue of red.
A red hat, to be exact.
The only person Robin could recall with such an accessory was Brick Jojo.
Her mind flashed back to the night before. The subtle flirtatious exchange she witnessed between him and Blossom. Robin did not know much about the man but she knew Blossom. From the years of watching her from afar and the off occasions when she joined Robin and Bubbles when they hung out, the brunette felt she had a good understanding on who Blossom was and what was typical behavior for her.
In fact, she knew the redhead has never expressed interest in anyone beforehand. Too busy with school, trying to appease her mother's unrelenting demands for her future, and all of her extracurricular activities, Blossom had not spent a second focused on the male population during their years of schooling despite the latter drooling at her feet on a daily basis. Robin has not even seen Blossom speak to another male independently except for Boomer and Butch—in which, the redhead saw and constantly stated the two males were like brothers to her due to the close nature of their friendships.
This rarity made Robin hypothesized Brick must be something special to have captured Blossom's attention. A man who can match the honorable and gracious characteristics of Blossom Bellum.
Robin arched her eyebrow at the idea, noting how if Brick was supposed to be saintlike, then what business did he have going to the abandoned candy factory? Especially at this time of night.
The abandoned candy factory that she knew was the home base for the Gangreen Gang's illegal activity.
She crouched down along the side of her car, hoping Brick would not notice her as she would peep up her head to watch for him to exit the factory.
But he did not leave.
Instead, Robin watched as the emergence of embers engulfed the air. Smoke brewed out of the broken glass of the factory windows. Bright roaring flames soon escaped, raging on to char every inch of the run down building. The heat of the air intensified around her. Sweat beating down her forehead as she quickly got in her car and drove away from the scene, not even wondering about how Brick could have made it out of the factory with the fire flourishing around him.
Brick caused this destruction.
She had witnessed an act of arson. A crime, in fact.
Her mind went to Blossom again. The poor girl did not know the true nature of Brick, apparently.
Blossom did not know Brick was a pyromaniac.
A little match he lit against gasoline had caused a historic site in their town to go up in flames so easily.
Robin furrowed her eyebrows before gasping, realizing Brick did not have any gasoline containers with him in which could have caused such wreckage in a matter of seconds. There was no plausible ways he could have started the fire. Except if…
He must have some sort of pyro-associated abilities. Human Torch-like powers, perhaps?
She knew there was no other way to explain it. Brick possessed fire abilities and he quickly used them to demolish a significant building in town. A place in which was used for presentation but also Gangreen Gang activity.
He was looking to start something, Robin concluded. To trigger an outcry from the town? Or maybe a retaliation from the Gangreen Gang?
There was no way this was a senseless act. Nothing truly was. She has known this from the plethora of hours spent reading fiction. There was a purpose for even the slightest bit of detail or action.
Robin found herself in another part of the mystery, wondering if this was connected to what happened to them or Brick has secretly been waiting to wreck Townsville. His newly acquired abilities he possessed were simply the right initiative for him to commit his plans.
She had to know the answer. She had to find out his secret, along with the hidden truths that Townsville has kept concealed.
October 20th
Townsville, Arizona
Present Day…
The friendship group between Blossom, Boomer, Butch, Buttercup, and Bubbles has always intrigued Robin. The dynamic of the five friends who once seemed to have an unbreakable bond. A bond, in which, was tainted by Blossom's yearlong departure.
While the redhead had made an impressive stride in fixing the damage done to their collective friendship, Robin has been observing them long enough to know they have not all healed. If she was removed from them, they would all fall apart. The silent tension among them, added on by Brick's introduction to their close knit group, was easily readable and interesting to witness.
Robin did such as they formed a semi-circle around her while they stood in the desert on the outskirts of Townsville. The sun was setting around them, painting a vibrant, colorful sky. Colors in which Robin has never thought about, crafted before her eyes as she scanned each member of the group of six.
Bubbles hugged herself, seeming to shiver despite the longstanding heat in the air and the thick sweater she wore. She kept her light blue eyes focused on the foreground. Her body language giving off the appearance of being unsettled.
Butch stood next to her, his arms folded and uninterested. His eyes never dared to look in the direction of Buttercup or her continuous glares sent his way.
Blossom and Brick separated the former couple from standing next to each other. The pink-eyed girl was leaned over, speaking quietly to Brick. His head nodded along to whatever she had to say.
Buttercup held a similar standing as Butch, except she oozed of unresolved fury towards her former boyfriend. The hostility from her added towards the underlying friction in the group.
Then there was Boomer who stood awkwardly next to the agitated dark-haired girl. His eyes caught Robin's for a brief moment, expressing a hint of remorse to her.
The brunette had to glance away from him, not wanting to fall back into her previous obscure thoughts for him. To not entertain her one-sided crush anymore.
Boomer was not to be trusted. He would only acknowledge her existence when he needed to use her, Robin reminded herself.
As the sun slowly met the horizon, Blossom ended her private conversation with Brick, finally addressing Robin. All six pairs of eyes watched her, giving her the largest amount of attention Robin has received in the longest time.
"Robin, we each want to ask you a question," the redhead began, displaying a friendly smile. "If that is alright?"
Robin nodded, keeping a neutral expression. "You can ask me anything."
"Great."
"So then tell us what you know about your powers?" Bubbles wondered.
"Not much," she shrugged off. "I turn invisible. That seems to be it."
"No side effects?"
"If I'm invisible for too long, sometimes I get light-headed and feel nauseous."
"Have you spoken to anyone else about your powers?" Boomer questioned.
"Nope. You all would be the first to actually take interest in me," Robin joked, gaining no laughs from the six. Boomer, however, did crack a small smile. Perhaps it was out of pity, the brunette told herself.
"And you haven't been curious about what happened to you or the night at the lake?" Brick asked, not seeming impressed by her answers. "You haven't tried figuring things out?"
Robin narrowed her eyes at him for a brief moment before reverting back to a expressionless state.
"Of course I have, but I was also terrified by whatever might have caused it. There was no way I was going to solve an entire mystery by myself. I'm not Nancy Drew."
"Uh huh," the redhead male remarked skeptically.
"So you know about Him?" Butch inquired bluntly.
Robin furrowed her eyebrows together, "Who? Which him?"
Butch exchanged a look with Blossom and Brick before shaking his head at her question. "It doesn't matter, Robin."
"I think it does matter," Buttercup grumbled abruptly. Her stare grew harsher on Butch. "She should know about what is out there."
"We agreed on keeping it at a need to know basis, and I am pretty sure Him is not essential information at the moment for her," Butch countered.
"Right. Because you get to make decisions for all of us now," the green-eyed girl argued bitterly. Her fists were balled up tightly.
Butch had finally glanced over to Buttercup. His outrage burned from the wicked stare he locked onto her. The ground underneath them began to tremor. The speed of the seismic active gradually rising, making it hard for the group to remain still.
Bubbles, Robin, and Boomer fell to their knees, bracing themselves for whatever danger they were going to be apart of. Buttercup kept catching her footing, not daring to fall down as it would mean Butch would have won.
Their green eyes stared each other down, dueling in silence. Butch, who seemed to not be affected by the movement of the ground, clenched and unclenched his fist. His fingers fanning into his palm and outward in a rhythmic fashion. The activity of the seismic waves picked up more violently.
"Butch, stand down!" Blossom ordered.
The redhead clutched onto Brick's arm as he held onto her protectively, adjusting his footing meticulous like Buttercup, keeping the two redhead's upright. Interestingly, Brick was not focused on the ground but more so on Butch's hand movement and seemingly effortless control of the earth beneath them. His eyebrows furrowed together in deep thought.
"You need to get over yourself, Buttercup," Butch growled, unable to hear Blossom's plead as his focus was blindly directed towards Buttercup and the bubbling resentment they had for each other. His eyes no longer seemed to be an emerald shade of green. They seemed to have been blackened by his actions. The ground crackled as small fractures were made apparent underneath them. "I did what I had to do."
"Yeah, which was getting the opportunity to fuck that little tramp of your's whenever you wanted without consequences. That's the only reason," she seethed. "But I guess you prefer fucking the person who is going to fuck you over eventually."
"Heh," he chuckled darkly. A large rift of earth opened between them, wide enough to engulf one of them into the unknown abyss of the inside of the Earth. The sand of the desert ground began to swirl around them, whipping around them in a circle, forming a funnel to encase the seven. "I'm sorry to inform you but you're incredibly incorrect."
"I fucking hate you—"
"Butch, you need to stop!" Blossom exclaimed once again, attempting to reach out to the tall male. "You're going to kill us!"
"I—What?" His eyes snapped over to Blossom, becoming aware of how hazardous the environment around them had become. How he caused it. He clenched his hands, taking in a deep breath, and released his fists. With his action, the seismic activity of the earth came to a halt. The sand paused midair before falling down to the ground where it belonged. Some of the fallout caused them to cough a little as the sand got caught in their throats. Butch took in another deep breath. His face expressing just how petrified he was by his actions. "Sorry. I… I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Boomer eased despite his cautious nature as he stood from the ground. Bubbles and Robin did not agree with the blond's statement as they both gazed at Butch with a hint of fear.
Robin flickered her eyes to Blossom, who had pulled Buttercup away to have a private sidebar from the group. The dark-haired girl did not seem pleased by what Blossom had to say but reluctantly nodded to whatever it was.
If it was not for Blossom, all of them could have been victims to the high magnitude earthquake Butch was creating. That or engulfed in a sandstorm.
She was the glue of the group, Robin noted, furthering her notion of how they would fall apart without the redhead. Butch's outburst happened to be the obvious indicator to the truth about the six. That they were not as strong, balanced, or well-organized as they would want to be.
One more false step, and they could bring out the worst in each other.
"Where did you learn that?" Brick questioned suspiciously towards Butch, gaining Robin's attention.
It actually gained everyone's, as Blossom and Buttercup paused to glanced over to Butch.
"I, um… I don't know," he shrugged off. "I was provoked." Buttercup scoffed at his reasoning. "Too many emotions in my system must have caused my powers to go haywire."
Brick narrowed his eyebrows, not seeming to believe Butch but had to drop whatever hunch he had towards the topic due to the other watchful eyes inviting themselves into the conversation.
Mainly, one watchful pair of eyes.
His ruby-colored stare darted over to Robin, picking up on her intrigued nature. His gaze sent chills down her spine. This was not the same look he would give to Blossom. Her previous thoughts about the hue of red were proven to be accurate with a single glance from him into her own eyes.
He may not outright say it but Robin got the message clearly. Brick did not trust her.
"Alright…"
"I think we should wrap this up," Blossom advised without any objections. Her rose-colored eyes settled onto Robin as she walked over to her. The redhead had to leap over one of the fractures Butch had created on her way towards the brunette. "My question for you is, can I touch your arm for a moment?"
Robin raised an eyebrow out of confusion. "I, um… I guess…"
She held out her forearm for Blossom to touch, allowing the redhead's petite hands to brush up against her skin. The alert-fullness in her eyes fled away from touching Robin.
Unknown Date
Townsville Arizona
Unknown Time...
Robin glanced down at her watch, tapping her foot impatiently against the pebbles of the lake's beach. She glanced back into the pine forest, looking for a hint of any other activity.
"Come on… come on…" she whispered to herself.
She perked up when the sound of heavy panting became noticeable to her. Her blue eyes spotted strands of orange swishing in the distance, running towards her.
Robin extended her hand, brushing her touch against Blossom's milky white skin. She extended her powers, making the redhead become invisible once again.
"How did it go?"
"I got nothing…" she huffed out. Her hands were placed on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "I only saw Butch and Berserk, and they were… I think I just watched them get back together, which has me… Confused? And for some reason I lost focus. Things became hazy for a moment. One minute, they were climbing onto a table together, the next, I was blinded?"
"Blinded?" The brunette repeated with an eyebrow raised.
Blossom nodded slowly, "Yeah… like it was as if a massive bright light hit me and left me stunned for a few minutes. After I regained consciousness, the two were not there anymore."
"Him must have done something," Robin theorized.
"I thought Him was unable to track your abilities."
"Yes but he might have been tipped off by you sneaking into their hideout."
"How could he?" Blossom asked, her eyes narrowed. "Other than us and Brick, no one knew we were doing this."
Robin kept her silence, letting Blossom's question hang in the air. She figured the redhead would come to an answer by herself.
Her rose-colored eyes widened. "You don't think…" she gasped, stopping herself from finishing her statement.
Robin shrugged her shoulders, "Brick did work for Him. Who's to say he ever stopped? He could be playing us this whole time."
"But—"
"Blossom." Robin perched her hand on Blossom's shoulder, getting the redhead's attention long enough to keep her from descending into denial about Brick's supposive betrayal. "He can't be trusted. He never was meant to be trusted. I'm sorry but you have to stay away from him."
The redhead remained mum. Her face crestfallen, unable to fully accept the logic of Robin's advice. The doubt inside her towards Brick furiously swirled in her mind, clouding any objective judgement she may have.
Robin pulled her into a hug, allowing Blossom to take comfort in her arms.
Because of this, the redhead was unable to notice the discrete smile tugging at the corners of Robin's mouth.
October 20th
Townsville, Arizona
Present Day...
Blossom blinked back into her consciousness. Her lips pursed softly together as she took a step back from Robin.
"That's all I needed," she said, attempting to keep a friendly tone but there was something else hidden within her remark. With the way her eyes watched Robin analytical when taking her place next to Brick, the brunette felt something was off.
"Last question," Buttercup announced brashly. Her eyes fixated on Robin's, intimidating the blue-eyed girl. "Why did you lie to Blossom about what happened at the lake?"
"I…" Robin inhaled sharply. "I was not sure who I could trust at the time. I mean, one minute I thought we were supposed to be dead and the next we have these weird powers? I thought I was the only one who was affected at the time. No offense to Blossom but you can't blame me for wanting to protect myself."
She glanced at the six nervously. Other than the two blondes, the rest seemed to not be too keen on her answer. Robin furrowed her eyebrows, narrowing her eyes at Buttercup.
"What? Do you not trust me?" Robin questioned with an added amount of outrage. Her blue eyes moved over to focus on Brick, seeming to delivered her inquiry to him more than anyone else.
He was a problem.
"I don't know you well enough to give you my trust," the green-eyed girl retorted.
"Yet you wanted to tell her about Him," Butch said under his breath, gaining a nudge from Blossom to his side as the redhead was not amused by his comment.
"What Buttercup is trying to say," Blossom chimed in, sending a disapproving glance at the dark-haired girl. "Is that we wanted to know where your head was at to gain a better understanding on the decisions you have made. In return, we hope this will bridge more trust between us."
Robin nodded slowly to the redhead's words, noting how she would be excellent at diplomacy. Blossom had a way with easing others and making ill intentions seem like a bouquet of roses.
She must have gotten it from her mother, Robin acknowledged.
"If that is true, then I am all for building trust between all of us," the brunette returned. She raised an eyebrow at them, "In fact, I could be useful to you, as I am able to be the eyes and ears of Townsville. So if you do need some information, I will be your gal."
"Great," Blossom replied while Butch was unknowingly perplexed by Robin's word choice. Something about it rubbed him the wrong way. "If you want to expand your knowledge on your powers or control your side effect, you are more than welcomed to train with us."
Robin put up her hands to signal no harm, "Thanks but I don't think that will be necessary. All I can do is turn invisible, nothing much to it. Unfortunately, that makes me pretty much useless and irrelevant for anything you might have planned but I guess that's how it will be," she shrugged off.
"You're not useless or irrelevant," Boomer said quietly, catching Robin's attention quite quickly. She smiled at him in return. Even if she was not happy with him, Robin could not deny that Boomer was too sweet for his own good.
"I suppose so," Blossom answered as she did not hear Boomer's comment; neither did the others around them.
Her rose-colored eyes watched Robin attentively for a moment. There was a fraction of her stare that was unreadable. She was holding back, biting her tongue, in order to remain polite.
It was not long afterward when the seven went their separate ways. On her ride home, Robin could not shake away the look Blossom gave her and the thoughts of what she was keeping to herself.
She wondered how long could Blossom withhold herself in a subdued manner. When would the redhead eventually crack from the pressure she was under. The group of six would surely be done for when Blossom could not take it anymore.
Robin felt it was coming soon. The rising action between the group was heading for the climax. One last nudge, and they would all be snapping at each other.
The brunette simply questioned what it would be that would have them done for...
"Hello," Robin answered. As soon as she entered her room to relax from the eventful day she had, her phone vibrated in her pocket, alerting her to an incoming call.
She took a seat at her desk, listening to other person on the line. Her head nodded along to their words despite no one being able to witness it. Blue eyes focused on a slip of paper on her desk. Her cursive handwriting noted important details from the previous day.
With a single touch, a brush of her fingertips, the paper vanished from her desk. She smiled halfheartedly at the result, leaning back into her chair. Her hand presented itself in front of her face as an expanding force of energy grew in the palm of hand. A thin-veiled ball of the surrounding invisible energy near her compacted together.
Robin had discovered weeks ago of her ability of not only being able to turn herself invisible but the power of making other objects disappear. That she could also manipulate any of the unseeable energy around her. She could conjure up balls of energy, like the one she had in her hand—in which she was juggling around as if it was a physical ball—create force fields, and produce bursts of invisible energy if needed for combat. Bursts, in which, could stun one's eyes for a few moments if hit by the energy—as she had to learn the hard way.
Using a large quantity of the energy did have it's disadvantages as it had the effect of making Robin nauseous for some time. She rarely tapped into the true forces of her powers unless she needed to do so. So far, Robin would generally use her abilities to secretly listen to the addictive gossip of Townsville and to entertain herself with a ball of energy.
As the other person paused to let her speak, Robin threw the ball up to the ceiling, letting the energy dissipate into a bright burst of white light from the contact of the solid surface.
She blinked away the small effects of staring at the brief light illuminated from the energy as she sat up in her chair, scooting closer to her desk. Her hand propped her chin up, her blue eyes watching herself in a nearby mirror as she spoke quietly to the other person on the line.
"I'm expecting Halloween to be pretty exciting..."