It was a quiet night, a peaceful one, in the town of Blue Valley. It was so silent that one could hear the sounds of wind blowing through the empty streets, and the sounds of the animals of the night. Courtney Whitmore, Stargirl, was fast asleep, comfortably, snuggling against the pillow on her soft dim light from the moon shone through the windows, barely lighting up the room. Everything was peaceful until the blonde began to shiver, whispering, trembling, in fear as it was happening again, memories of that dark place were coming back to her all over again.
"Please… no… stop... " Pleading words left Courtney's mouth as she trembled, her eyes still closed as she laid on the bed. But in her mind, Courtney was hanging from chains, striped, as a certain brunette trailed her hands along her, touching Courtney in a way she was all too familiar with and scarred by.
"Mm~ Did you think you could ever… truly escape from me?" asked the brunette smirking right in front of the heroine's face as Courtney felt the girls' hand all over her vulnerable and exposed skin. She could only imagine the pain and torture she was going to face all over again as the girl moved away from her to grab a whip from the table beside them.
"Please… no… I beg you… Please." Courtney was now speaking in her sleep, louder now, her voice straining as she was overwhelmed with fear, paralyzed on the bed as she was unable to get up.
"Let me tell you something, Starbitch, you can't escape from me forever~" the girl in front of Courtney cackled evilly as she advanced towards the blonde, with the much dreaded weapon in her hand.
"Please… No! No! PLEASE! HELP!" Courtney screamed in complete terror and her eyes immediately shot open, sitting up quickly. Not even moments later, the door opened, and Pat, Barbara, Artemis and Mike came rushing into her room.
"Court… are you-" Pat asked worriedly.
The blonde girl's eyes were filled with tears as she broke down from the terror"S- She was t-there, she was-s g-going to hurt me-" Courtney stuttered as tears streamed down her face, looking away from the group.
"Court…" Artemis said softly as she moved towards the girl. She felt immense guilt for the state Courtney was in, as she has been in ever since she and the JSA freed her and Yolanda from the clutches of the ISA. It was partly her fault, after all.
"Don't touch me!" Courtney shuddered as she felt someone touch her shoulder and jumped in fear. "Please… don't!" Courtney stumbled back in fear as the scenery of before molded into reality, tears blurring her vision.
"Court… it's us, it's me, Artemis," the brunette reminded the blonde calmly.
"Art?" Courtney asked, her voice sounding calmer but still unsure.
"Yes," Artemis confirmed as she slowly moved towards Courtney while the rest of the family just watched it all happen.
Artemis took Courtney into her arms, giving the blonde warmth and comfort as she reminded that Courtney was safe, she was home, not in the clutches of the vile reptilian anymore, and she wasn't in danger anymore, for now anyway.
Artemis shot the rest of the family a quick glance, a gesture to tell them to leave as she got the situation under control. Pat and her both exchanged glances before motioning for the rest of the family to leave, leaving Artemis and Courtney in the room alone, closing the door behind them.
"Court… I'm here… you're safe… you're with your… family now… don't be scared… don't be scared," Artemis repeatedly assured the crying blonde as she slowly sets her down on the bed.
Soon, the blonde stopped whimpering, and trembling, falling back into a deep slumber. Artemis looked at Courtney's sleeping form with immense guilt rising in her once more. Artemis looked at the time, it was just 1 in the morning, and the brunette knew that the girl will be having these nightmares again for sure. Looking around Courtney's room,she soon noticed a chair by Courtney's study table. Quietly, she carried it and placed it down beside Courtney's bed before sitting on the chair, then resting her head on Courtney's bed, before falling asleep herself.
Yolanda was practically screaming as she rolled about in her bed violently, trembling from the very same fear and trauma she went through with her best friend at the evil hands of those sadists. Cindy's voice echoed throughout her head as she could remember every touch on her skin and inside her.
"Mmm~ do you feel it, my love?" Cindy's sweet yet dangerous voice echoed throughout her mind as Yolanda remembered how the vile girl took her virginity and repeatedly raped her over and over again.
"No… please… no more," Yolanda mumbled. "NO!"
Alex was beside Yolanda, sitting as he was trying to calm her older sister down, cradling her as she was going through memories of that dark place.
"Yolanda… you're home… you're home.. With me… Alex… it's me…" Alex muttered into Yolanda's ear soothingly, trying his best to calm her down as much as he can.
The next morning, Rick and Beth came visiting, right as Courtney was having another panic attack. Cameron opened the door, surprised to see them at the door.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you going to school?" asked Cameron.
"Well, we were concerned about…. Court…" Beth said before realizing the blond hyperventilating on the couch.
"How is Courtney?" asked Rick worried, looking at the teen, who Artemis was trying to calm down again before Cameron walked outside and closed the door.
"The same… having nightmares and all," Cameron said sighing
"Rick… she was in that hell for almost a month. She is in no condition to get back as Stargirl yet," Beth said. "Wounds like these don't heal in a week or two… it could take forever," Beth added.
"I know, I know," Rick sighed as he turned away from his girlfriend. "It's just that the fact that Cindy might still be out there is quite scary."
"No need to be so unsure, she is still out there," Cameron said firmly. "It would be no surprise that she survived all that," Cameron folded her arm. "And she will want to get back at us."
"What does she have to gain anyway?" asked Rick.
"She is a sick sadist, Tyler, she enjoys our pain and misery," Cameron explained before sighing and shaking his head. "What about Yolanda?" asked Mahkent in concern.
"We visited her over the weekend," Beth said. "She is not doing too well either," Beth sighed.
"Then they should stay at home… it's the best way," Rick sighed. "They don't deserve
This… no one should ever experience this."
"Well… what happened, happened… All we can do now is just hope that they can heal soon," Cameron said.
"How is Artemis anyway?" asked Beth.
"She is… kinda the same… she is guilty, for everything that happened, keep to herself a lot… " Cameron sighed.
"Don't you try to talk to her?" asked Rick. "You know her like the best out of all of us."
"Well, I can't talk much if she doesn't want to talk much," Cameron frowned as he looked at the closed door.
"Are you feeling better now?" asked Artemis worried as she helped Courtney onto the sofa, concerned for her mental health.
"A bit… Don't you have to go to school?" asked Courtney weakly.
"Not until I'm sure that you are well," Artemis said firmly as she knelt down beside the sofa.
"I will be fine… plus… Pat will be at home," Courtney tried to assure Artemis. "You should go… Wouldn't want to be late for your first day back after summer."
"Take care," Artemis said unsurely.
"I will," Courtney answered, smiling weakly as she watched the girl who used to be her enemy, now a friend stood up and picked up her bag, walking out the door after they exchanged glances and nods.
As Artemis walked out of the house, she soon saw the group. "How is she?" asked Cameron worried about his girlfriend. Their relationship hasn't really been the same after everything that went down.
"She calmed down. That's good for now," Artemis said softly as she walked forward.
Alex walked downstairs. He had just come out from her sister's room after a night of trying to calm her down and comforting her. He walked into the kitchen, planning to get breakfast for the Latina when he saw Maria, Yolanda and his mother. Maria just looked at Alex, frowning at the young man. There was an awkward silence between the two until Alex broke it out of frustration after opening the cupboard.
"We didn't do anything... If that is the only thing you're worried about," Alex spat angrily at the woman.
After all that the team and their families have been through, one would think that they would have grown closer to each other amidst the chaos and uncertainness of life and death. However, it wasn't the same for the Montezs. With the breadwinner of the family gone, murdered, Maria has to work to earn money for the family and her aging mother. And she blamed the one person for everything that happened, the same person that she thought defiled their religion was and shamed their family from the very beginning, Yolanda Montez.
Alex sighed as he made the sandwiches. He had hoped that after all, that happened. His mother would finally forgive his poor sister, and evidently, she has not. But then again, he could understand his mother's views, as unfair as they may be. After all, Yolanda becoming Wildcat indirectly caused her father's death. He could remember the scene as well as it was yesterday.
"What is going on!?" Maria screamed in fear as the hooded archer stepped towards the couple. In front of them, was Yolanda, shielding her parents as blood trickled down her cheeks.
"Artemis! This has gone too far!" Cameron said firmly as he blocked the girl.
"For a better world... remember?" Artemis asked.
"By killing innocent people?" questioned the young man.
"I..." Artemis stuttered.
"Leave... my... house now!" Yolanda said in anger as she unleashed her claws ready to attack, prompting Artemis to raise her crossbow at Yolanda.
"Don't even think about it," Artemis growled in anger.
All that Alex could remember next was a sudden burst of blinding smoke, chaos broke out. And when the dust cleared, and the fighting stopped. His father was sitting down against the wall, with an arrow pierced deep into his shoulder with claw marks etched across his chest, barely breathing before he slumped, unconscious, gone.
Alex sighed as he opened the door to Yolanda's room, bringing in a plate of sandwiches. "Sis?"
Yolanda was seated on her bed, barely moving as she looked out the window. As if Alex wasn't there.
"Sis? Landa?" asked Alex worried now, walking in front of the brunette.
"Oh, sorry... I got distracted," Yolanda said. "Those for me?"
"Yeah," Alex said, putting the plate in front of Yolanda.
"You know, I could've helped myself right?" asked Yolanda smiling weakly as she took the plate.
"I know... just... wanted to help... plus last night," Alex said.
"I'm so useless..." Yolanda sighed.
"Landa, don't say that," Alex frowned.
"But I'm, I couldn't save Courtney myself... I got caught... I couldn't resist her... Alex... She raped me... so lovingly... yet she did... I couldn't even resist her," Yolanda voiced, breaking a little from the utter despair that was coming back to her all over again. "I couldn't even fight to free myself... I let her take my body... no... it doesn't even feel like mine anymore..." Tears were welling up in the poor Latina's eyes.
"Sis... Look, you are not useless. Without you... We wouldn't have made it this far... Look...I'm the same... I couldn't save you or Court-" Alex tried to comfort his sister.
"But you're not the one that killed your own father," Yolanda sighed.
"Sis... We talked about this," Alex sighed. "I don't blame you, it's not your fault. You didn't kill him-"
"Mom does. How can you know for sure? For all I know... I could've been the one that killed him... Artemis... may very well just injured him... I..." Yolanda broke down again, not able to hold back her tears any longer.
Alex sat beside her sister, pulling her into a hug, giving her warmth. "It's not your fault... Landa... remember that..."
"But… it is…" Yolanda's body trembled as grief and regret washed over her.
Around about that time, Alex took on a very angry mentality; he was livid at how his sister had been mistreated; and as things continued and he comforted her in her tears, his fists clenched. Cindy hadn't merely raped his sis, she'd also managed to emasculate him almost completely! To a lad, this was about the most humiliating thing that could happen that he could be made to watch- for a guy, you protect the ladies in your life, and to have to watch another girl sexually assault your sister; and call it "love" when it clearly was anything but… that'd simply do it alright! As his right fist clenched the third time in rage, he ground out a paraphrased parody of a line from "The Wizard of Oz", but with a few twists that, as he found out, made Yolanda laugh a huge belly-laugh at the thought as he said "Ding Dong the bitch is dead!", for they really did think that Cindy's bit it in the base's collapse.
Landa for her part was perplexed; she half found it hilarious, and half was scared that her brother was going to go off and do something really nasty that'd put him into a very evil state of being for a long time; and his remark was to no small degree psychopathic, but soon Landa was laying on her back on the bed holding her forehead in a facepalm posture with her thumb and fingers pinching her forehead and laughing uproariously at the way he'd put it. As she chuckled about that, she stated "Oh, that nails it alright: "Ding Dong; the Brutal Bitch is dead!"" and she was laughing all over again, in anger at Cindy for touching her like that and happy she didn't have to deal with *her* again! "Psychotic witch!" Yolanda thought to herself as even the idea of Cindy Burman came up in her head, unbidden as it was. Yolanda also remembered how she'd slit Henry King Sr.'s throat with her claws, and how that'd messed up her soul- and so she was herself worried about her kid brother's virtues at this point, though. But she didn't hesitate to acknowledge that he was moving to defend her in this suffering that was going on in their lives at the hands of that wicked woman who'd taken her to her bed.