Chapter 29
Beep…
Beep…
Beep…
Toni's eyes slowly opened and the first thing she saw was a window that overlooked a backyard. She turned her head to the other side to see not only an unfamiliar room but also her arm hooked up to an IV.
Immediately, her heart rate rose. She panicked as she tried to jog her memory in a matter of seconds. She was about to yank the IV out and make a run for it until Richard, Bruce, and Selina came running in.
Toni calmed down as soon as she saw Richard. She licked her lips and felt a sore on them. The memory of what had happened to her was suddenly replaying in her mind.
"Oh my…" she cried. Tears welled up in her eyes. She suddenly felt the warmth of Richard's hand grasping hers.
Richard's heart ached for Toni. He squeezed her hand. "You're safe now, Toni. Don't worry."
She nodded but couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Her mind circled back to the day she was supposed to be getting on a plane to go back to Australia. Instead, it'd become the worst day of her life.
She remembered being in the airport's bathroom, someone coming up behind her and bagging her head, another body grabbing her from behind, and it was all black after that.
The next day she'd woken up strapped to a cold metal chair in a dark room. Her body ached, her mouth was dry, and she knew she'd been sitting there for hours, at least ten hours. At this point, she was too weak to even try and use her powers...
"Toni."
She jumped at the sound of Richard's voice and the feeling of his hand on her shoulder. She stared at him with eyes full of fear. "What," she whispered. "Where...are they gone?"
Richard's jaw clenched. "They can't hurt you anymore." He didn't want to tell her that after The Hive revealed her capturing, they'd brawled with each other for a good chunk of time before coming out victorious in the end.
Well, sort of. They didn't get their hands on Rachel or Toni or anyone else. But in the end, The Hive escaped and Richard and his friends fled back to the Manor.
As soon as they returned home, Toni was taken up to the infirmary for immediate medical attention and the gang gathered in the dining room for a few hours of reconciliation. Everyone was pretty shaken up, and the fact that not only did they have to worry about Trigon, Slade, and Slade's army, but now they had three new villains to worry about.
Things were not exactly looking up for them. The Hive may have only been a three-man team, but they were a good one. They'd nearly beat out Richard and his fourteen friends. They'd even captured one of them.
"I...I know you want to know what happened to me," Toni said. "But I...I just—"
"Shh. Toni, you can tell us now, later, or never. It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're safe now." Richard grabbed her hand yet again and squeezed it for reassurance.
Bruce cleared his throat to speak. "Miss Monetti, we've contacted your parents and explained everything. Don't worry, they're fine and they wanted you to know that they love you and are glad you're okay. Once you're feeling better, you can give them a call."
Toni looked down solemnly. She really wanted to go back home, but now the thought of even stepping outside spooked her.
She looked back up and gave Bruce a forced smile. "Thank you, Mr. Wayne."
"Please, call me Bruce. Welcome to Wayne Manor. I will see that you are getting everything you need and then some while you're here."
She nodded and thanked him again. She watched as Bruce and Selina exited, leaving just her and Richard. It was silent for a few moments, the only sound was the heart monitor and her steady heartbeat.
Toni then sighed and said, "I was kidnapped the day I was supposed to go home."
"Toni, you don't have to—"
"They took a piece of me with them when they took me," Toni said looking Richard in the eyes. "I won't be afraid to speak about it, and one day I will take back what's mine."
Richard stared at her with sorrow in his eyes. He couldn't even begin to imagine what she must've been through. Her eyes were dull, her lip was busted, and she had a greenish-yellow bruise under her left eye. There were red marks on her wrists where the ropes were, and an abrasion just under her chin from something else.
Richard nodded hesitantly as if to tell her to go on. She swallowed hard and looked out the window as she began to recall everything she remembered.
She told him about waking up in the dark room tied to a chair. She remembered the bigger team member, Mammoth, standing in front of her with a stupid smirk as his leader, Jinx questioned the hell out her. Gizmo was behind her with some kind of tasering device.
Jinx grilled her about all of her friends' powers, weaknesses, strengths. She asked her about Rachel, the Manor, how to get in, where to find her friends. She asked her about anything and everything that had to do with Richard and their friends.
After what felt like a hundred different shock methods, a few hits from mammoth, and three days of no sunlight, Toni finally gave in and told Jinx each and every one of her friends' powers.
Richard suddenly realized why The Hive was so good against them; they knew their techniques. But he didn't blame Toni one bit, he was shocked she went three days without telling them.
"The girl—Jinx, what was she like?" Richard asked curiously. He'd never met another leader his age, and he hated that she held power. She was obviously good at what she did and now it was his turn to learn all about her.
Toni shook her head slowly and furrowed her eyebrows. "She...She never gave her two teammates the commands to hurt me, they just did it. She didn't stop them, but she never told them to do it...it was strange."
"Strange?"
Toni looked up at him. "This is going to sound crazy," she said. "But she seemed...a little hesitant to have me there the entire time I was actually there."
Richard raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"If it weren't for her, I'd probably be dead."
Richard's breath caught in his throat at the irony of her statement. However, he kept his cool. "Toni, if it weren't for her, you would've never been in that spot in the first place. You wouldn't be in the position you're in right now."
Toni nodded. "I know that, mate. But I can't lie about what she did for me."
"What?" He asked incredulously. He thought for a split second Toni had lost her mind.
Toni rubbed at her wrists as she told him all about her almost week-long time spent at The Hive's bone-chilling hideout. She began to explain how Jinx would bring her small meals and water whenever Mammoth and Gizmo weren't around. She explained how Jinx even fed it to her, but they never spoke one word to each other.
After each interrogation, Jinx stayed behind and said nothing to Toni. She simply just stared at her. But Toni recalled almost seeing a sense of sympathy in her eyes.
She told him about how one time, Mammoth had sent such a forceful uppercut to her chin that she tasted her own blood. After that, the Hive left her there as she spit out the blood in her mouth. An hour later, Jinx reappeared with a small basin of water, some rags, and some rubbing alcohol. She'd cleaned Toni up, but never once said a word.
"It was so strange," Toni said. "She never called the shots but she never stopped them. She never spoke to me, yet her actions spoke a thousand words. She, in a way, took care of me."
Richard could not believe his ears. He almost refused to believe what she said. He pondered the thought of her words just being spoken from severe trauma, but if Jinx really had taken care of her the way she said she did, then that's why Toni was in better shape than she could be.
"I know it sounds crazy, and in no way am I saying she's one of the good guys. But I'm just telling you exactly what I know." A tear escaped from Toni's eye. "She's still bad—they all are. And I want them to be taken down."
Richard nodded. "And they'll get exactly what they deserve. They all will."
For some reason, Richard felt himself growing stronger each day, despite the circumstances. But with each enemy they made, a fire burned deep within him. It only continued to burn brighter, stronger—hotter. Someone was bound to get burned.
TT
It was nearing midnight and by now, everyone was mostly in bed or already sleeping. Kori couldn't sleep, for her mind consisted of nothing but worries.
She wanted to sleep with Richard and just be in his arms, but she knew they hadn't really been in the best place. She decided to take her chances anyways and creep up to his bedroom.
She was in sweatpants and a tank top. Her hair was in a French braid and she had on a pair of fuzzy socks. As she walked up the stairs and down a long hallway, she noticed a strip of light peeking out one of the doorways.
Kori then heard whispering. The familiar voice of Richard and Bruce filled her ears. She tiptoed to the lit room and listened closely to what they were saying.
"Richard, I will continue to support you no matter what decision you make about Kori."
She knew that was obviously Bruce's voice. She peeked through the crack of the door and saw Bruce sitting on a couch with a glass of some kind of alcohol in his hand. Richard was standing by the fire just picking at it. He looked serious with a hint of anger.
"I just can't do it," Richard said. "I can't live that way, we both deserve to be happy."
Kori's heart stopped beating for a second. She felt like the wind had just been knocked out of her.
"I understand. You two are so young, but sometimes big decisions need to be made when it comes to love," Bruce replied to him.
Kori couldn't believe her ears. After everything they've been through together…
Even though she was leaving, she thought Richard would have a little more grace for the situation at hand. She thought that he'd be more caring and compassionate about something she couldn't help.
"I've made my decision," Richard said. At this, he turned to face Bruce. "I'm not turning back on it. This is it."
Kori felt the tears coming on. She watched as Bruce stood up and put a firm hand on his shoulder. He smiled a small smile and said, "I'm proud of you, son."
Kori turned away, for she couldn't bare it anymore. She clutched her stomach and put the back of her hand on her mouth to muffle her cries. She felt worthless.
She wasn't even good enough for Richard to spend her last days on earth loving her. Instead, he was throwing in the towel on their relationship.
For the first time since she came to earth, Kori could not wait to leave.
TT
A couple of days went by and it felt as if the group was on some kind of lockdown. They've been inside the Manor for over forty-eight hours and needless to say, it was torturous.
It was also very quiet in the Manor. Toni was now off of bedrest and has been spending a lot more time with Isaiah. Rachel was spending more hours each day meditating and trying to find a better way to control her emotions. Kori hasn't been really talking to anyone, and it felt as if her and Richard weren't even together anymore.
Richard made an attempt to spend a little time with her yesterday, but she insisted she needed to take a long nap. That was nothing more than an excuse, but being with Richard after overhearing his conversation with Bruce the other night was just a reminder that he'd be breaking up with her soon.
Thanksgiving was tomorrow and Bruce was having a huge dinner, almost as big as the one he threw them the night they arrived. The guest list was long and he was definitely bringing out the fine China for this meal.
So far, the gang's Thanksgiving break has been nothing but a constant rollercoaster of events. It's been more stressful above anything, especially with all of the extra training they've been doing.
Right now, Rachel was in the library of the Manor reading an old-looking book with tattered pages. She sat in a small armchair with a blanket around her reading in peacefulness.
She flipped through the pages and enjoyed the soft rain that beat down on the roof outside. Gar was busy playing video games with some of the guys. She felt as if they needed some time apart from each other.
The past few months her feelings for Gar have definitely grown. She didn't know how to feel most of the time she was around him, mainly because she didn't want her emotions to come into play. He was definitely someone important to her and someone she truly cared for.
But here lately, Rachel needed time alone. She needed time to meditate, calm her mind, and most of all, read through her spell books. Not a lot of her friends knew she even had spell books. As a matter of fact, the only one who knew was Kori.
She didn't typically use them because of her meditation process, but also because her powers were naturally a part of her. But for weeks now, she's been going through her spell books looking for one specific spell.
She knew it existed, it was just a matter of finding it. She told nobody about this specific spell because she didn't want anyone getting their hopes up. But if she managed to find it, maybe, just maybe…
"Hey."
Rachel jumped slightly and dropped her book. She narrowed her eyes and angrily turned around to see Jason standing there. "Can I help you?" She spat.
He snorted and walked around to face her. "I didn't know you were so easy to scare."
She scowled at him. "I will show you scary." Her eyes glowed a dark red for a split second before returning to their natural amethyst color.
He sat down in the chair across from her and held up his hands in defense. "I surrender." He nodded to the book she was currently picking up off the ground. "What are you reading?"
"None of your business."
"Is it scary?"
"No." She eyed him over her book. "Go away."
Jason leaned back in the chair. "Hate to break it to you, but it's a public library."
Rachel flipped a page. "Why don't you go bother someone else."
He shrugged. "Everyone is busy being bothered already. Plus, I like to read too."
Rachel snorted and didn't even care if it was embarrassing. She believed Jason was full of nothing but absolute crap. A person like him liking reading? Books? Things with words? No way in hell.
"You don't have to believe me, but I do." He shrugged yet again. He didn't look like he was joking in the slightest bit.
Rachel said nothing. She simply rolled her eyes and continued to flip the pages of her book. She kept stealing glances at Jason who sat across from her reading his own book that had been sitting on the small coffee table between them.
A few moments later, she shifted in her seat slightly and found that her bottom was now numb. She sighed, shut her book and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Jason asked.
"My ass is numb you idiot. Anyways, why does it matter to you?" She turned and started walking down another aisle of books.
Jason stood up and started to follow her. He was like lost puppy. She figured it's cause no one else really spent time with him, but she also knew everyone wasn't actually dreading his company as much as they used to.
The fact that he chose to hangout with her out of everyone behooved her. She knew there had to be a catch. There had to be. But for some reason, she didn't get a weird feeling about him anymore. She still hated him, but it was almost as if he was actually...a good guy.
"I know what you're thinking," Jason said as they walked up the aisle. "Why am I here with you of all people."
Rachel stiffened a little because that's exactly what she was thinking. "That's not at all what I was thinking. I couldn't care less about what you're thinking or doing."
Jason tilted his head from side to side pondering this and accepting it. "Well, I really do just like libraries and reading. It's just unfortunate you happened to be in here too."
At this, thunder boomed outside and it felt as it it rattled the entire mansion. The rain began beating down harder and flashes of lighting were ever present through the windows.
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Please explain to me why the hell we're even speaking?" She stopped walking and let out a frustrated sigh. "Azar! You are incredibly annoying and wasting my reading time." She walked up the next aisle.
Jason smirked and followed her. "I think I just enjoy getting under that pale ass skin of yours."
"Shut your stupid mouth."
"Are you always so damn negative?"
All of a sudden a crack of lightning flashed followed by a loud roar of thunder and the lights flickered off. At this, Rachel felt herself tense up slightly and couldn't see anything. She took a step back and tripped over something—most likely a stack of books.
She stumbled backwards but felt a strong pair of arms encircle her waist, saving her from crashing onto the ground. She gasped slightly and another flash of lightning illuminated the room for a whole second.
At this, she saw Jason's face so close to hers. His grey-blue eyes looked just as surprised as her amethyst ones did. She could feel her heart beating so hard and his hot breath on the tip of her cold nose.
"Watch your step," he said.
"Will do," she replied.
Rachel stood up straight and cleared her throat. She turned around and knew her face was beet red. She prayed to Azar the lights did not turn back on within the next few minutes.
She began maneuvering her way through the darkness and Jason followed. She awkwardly tucked a strand of hair behind her ears and tried her best not to trip over anything else.
"We should find the others," she finally said.
Jason didn't say anything at first. He just followed her towards to exit and once they were out of the library, he spoke. "Yeah, we should."
TT
Everyone had gathered around in the den area. Bruce had lit a fire and many candles in the large room. There were pillows and blankets everywhere to make sure everyone was comfortable during the raging storm.
Bruce had escaped a few minutes ago to make a phone call, so that left all fifteen teens gathered around in silence. The bitter void of quietness was chilling. No one spoke a word, mainly because for the past week everything has taken a toll on them.
Finally, Gar spoke the first words. "Are we all still friends?" He asked.
At this simple question, it felt as if a weight had been lifted off everyone's shoulders. Visibly, they all relaxed their tense composures and mentally, they were glad Gar asked the golden question.
"I think everything lately has put a slight strain on our friendship," Karen said.
"I agree," Tula added. "It's been a rough few months and honestly things have not gotten better. It's natural for us to feel this way."
At this, Rachel and Gar shared a soft smile with each other while Karen and Vic cuddled in closer. Some of the guys gave each other handshake-hugs and their simple facial expressions showed how much they cared for one another. Richard grabbed Kori's hand but didn't look at her. She felt her heart jump when he squeezed it and she bit her lip as a tear escaped her eye.
"Kori, when do you leave?" Jade asked when she saw the redhead tear up.
Kori sniffed. "Two days."
Everyone instantly complained about this. They all began talking about how she couldn't go and how her father shouldn't be in control of her life. It felt as if they've been through this discussion a million times but yet the answer always remained the same.
"I will miss you all terribly," Kori said as she looked down.
At this, Richard stood up and left the room. Kori watched as he disappeared from her view and let the tears flow freely. The girls immediately surrounded her and filled her with comfort.
"He's just taking this really hard, Kori," Roy said from the couch.
"We all are," Karen added as she pulled Kori closer to her.
"It's not your fault you're a freaking princess!" Wally exclaimed. "How cool is that!?"
Everyone shot Wally a death glare and he gave a forced smile. Kori's shoulders slumped and she couldn't remember the last time she was this sad. She would rather give up her title as a princess and all things royal if it meant getting to stay on earth with her new family.
Two days wasn't very long and they'd be dreading all 48 hours of it. Kori was not prepared for the long trip back. Her father was sending one of their ships down near some land that Bruce owned not far from the Manor. It was more private and he'd already sent the location for Kori's father and his guards.
She knew she could not fly back home herself, for her heart was heavy. She looked sick because of how depressed she's been. Her father knew that too, but he didn't care. He didn't want his daughter to grow weak. But he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel the slightest bit bad.
Kori shook as she settled into the blanket her friends wrapped around her. Her mind drifted back to Richard, who'd yet to return. She wanted him back with her. But she knew as soon as they were alone, the worst was to come.
She dreaded that more than anything.
