El Paso

September 3, 2017

10:54

The over-beaten and used pillow sat over the fifteen year old's face, blocking the invasive light protruding through the room's window. The window, which had been covered by nearly see through sheets hung by flimsy thumb tacks, revealed the boy's compact neighborhood greatly. He stirred, gripping onto the pillow tightly and pressing his fingers between the cloth as if to pull it deeper in his face. The light still shone.

Even if he wanted to continue sleeping, the screaming voice of his sister ricocheted around the small house, "¡Despierta, hermano!"

He groaned at her in an excessively loud tone, snapping back a mumbled and tired, "Silencio por favor." For a brief moment the plea of silence seemed to work and he was able to fool himself back into a state of relaxation, his eyes shut and his body calm. For some reason unbeknownst to him, Angel was still sore from the Bialyan mission, despite the lack of intense fighting on his end.

His muscles were fatigued and fell limp by his sides; however, the sound of his room door being opened scared him into movement. In a quick dash Angel threw his pillow off his face and pulled his blanket up to cover his exposed upper half from the woman.

"Alejandra!" Angel croaked, making sure that his body was covered completely.

"Did I not just say to wake up?" She asked him in a strained voice, a spatula wavering in her hand as she spoke. "Breakfast will get cold soon, and I will not reheat it for you," Alejandra threatened.

Angel motioned for her to leave his room with harsh head movements, his eyes wide as his eyebrows arched in expectation. The older girl rolled her eyes, but followed her younger brother's request nonetheless, closing the door behind herself to give Angel privacy to put on his clothes.

Thank God, the superhero teen exasperated internally at his now vacant room. Angel stood quickly then, and he surveyed the room in order to find a top to cover himself. He couldn't fathom his sister's reaction if she had witnessed the appearance of his unclothed body. She would freak out, no doubt about it, he hypothesized as he plucked a gray short-sleeved shirt from his floor, I know I did when I first saw it after the accident.

Angel walked down the darkened dirt-clad street, his eyes squinting to protect his vision from the ghastly rain falling down onto him. With one hand balancing on his brow ridge and the other stuck inside his jacket's pocket, Angel continued his stride home. Usually the teen had made it a point to return to his family's home when it was still light outside to minimize the chances of him being confronted by a gang member, but he accidentally lost track of time while staying over at a friend's.

Angel's heart pounded in his chest, practically beating against the inside of his rib cage as he neared the entrance to his neighborhood. Out of the corner of his eye Angel could see the figures of a trio and he quickly tried scuffling past them, his head down to avoid any possible eye contact.

That's when he heard the whimpering terror-filled voice of one of the figures.

Angel stopped his retreat and stood near the group, bringing his hand down to his other pocket where he knew he had his knife. "Hey! Leave her alone!" Angel demanded in the deepest and most intimidating voice he could muster. The woman, who had been backed into a wall, turned her head sharply at the sound of Angel's exclamation, relief flooding her as the two men stepped away from her.

The two looked Angel up and down before chuckling in amazement. Angel suddenly felt insecure as he quickly regarded his smaller stature. In comparison to the two grown men, Angel was less than fit to fight against anybody, but the boy knew he had no other options at this point. He had already attracted their attention onto him.

"Yeah? And what are you going to do about it, niñito?" One of them asked. The two had abandoned the woman and were approaching Angel, soon becoming close enough to the teen that he was able to make out the shape of a pocket knife in one of their hands.

Angel attempted to stand taller, his shoulders squared and his hand clenching the blade hidden from the benefactors' sight. He was sure his breathing was coming out ragged and uneven as their bodies practically pressed into the teenager's chest. With one push, Angel was soon sitting in a puddle of mud.

The men cackled at Angel, "Even a woman wouldn't have fallen, you're a weak niñito!"

Angel shook his head, not wanting to continue the trip down memory lane.

The teen felt no nostalgia thinking back on how he attained his powers, but only remembered the excruciating pain he had been subjected to when he was struck by that lightning bolt. To this day, he still wondered why he was struck and why the bolt had even given him powers at all instead of killing him.

Maybe I would be dead if I hadn't been struck, Angel thought briefly as he continued getting more appropriate clothes. Maybe they would have murdered me if I hadn't been struck, he continued. His mind was now rambling with ideas, but each felt meaningless. What happened had happened and there was nothing he could do to change that.

With his shirt now covering the angry lightning fabricated scars on his back and chest, Angel left his bedroom in pursuit of the kitchen.

Gotham City

September 3, 2017

23:08

The archer pulled her dark purple cloak closer into her body, shivers running down her spine as the icy Gotham air licked at her skin. The sky, which was dark and cloudy, predicted the intimate weather that was sure to come, which only furthered the cold feeling filling her. With another wrack of shivers, Victoria redirected her focus onto Noah.

The necromancer stood at the end of the roof next to her, binoculars in hand as he surveyed the dimly-lit streets of the city. His jacket was pressed deeply into him, but it did close to nothing to soothe his naturally cold body temperature. Looking at him quaver, Victoria became incredibly grateful that she did not possess his powers.

I can't even begin to imagine how much colder he is than me, the archer thought. For a moment she considered reaching out to touch the bat in order to find out, but she figured that any touch might send him away from her.

"What are we looking for anyway?" Victoria asked him instead, her eyes floating back down onto the alley beneathe them.

Noah met her gaze, mumbling an unsure, "I don't know yet," in the archer's direction. As he spoke, the willowy and white puffs of breath escaped out of his mouth, and Victoria instantly felt sympathetic.

The two fell into silence then, neither of them speaking as they continued to stare down at the city streets below. Periodically, Noah would investigate the crackling of the police scanner he had brought with them on their excursion, but the city remained still and quiet, much to his displeasure. Victoria noticed his antsiness.

Eventually Victoria attempted conversation with the diviner again, "So why did you ask me to go on patrol with you?"

"You know the city," Noah flat toned, his eyes still peeping through the equipment. With a final sweep of the perimeter, Noah released his grasp on the binoculars to gaze upon the archer, continuing his explanation as he scrutinized her, "That and going on patrol with anyone in the batfamily sounds like hell right about now." He chuckled then, his tone light and airy.

Victoria smiled back, happy that he had proposed this adventure. This was the first time she had been alone with Noah, and despite his somewhat off-putting silence, she enjoyed the company. "I thought you didn't curse," she lightly joked, a devilish smirk growing on her face.

The boy half-heartedly grinned, his attention leaving her for what seemed like the millionth time. Victoria's smile wavered.

"You okay?" Her question was concern-filled, her voice soft. If it weren't for the tensing of his shoulders, Victoria probably would have believed his reply.

His smile still there, he said, "Of course I am. Are you?"

Victoria, unlike the two's more passive team mates, wasn't one to let things go easily. Gaining confidence, she nearly demanded that he answered her next question, "then why don't you want to patrol with your family?"

Noah chuckled, which confused the archer."One team is exhausting enough Vic, it's okay to want a break sometimes," his tone wasn't defensive, but he seemed unwilling to continue his confrontation with his problem.

She pressed on anyway, "Do we exhaust you?" Victoria wasn't offended, more curious as to his answer.

He shrugged in response, his head pointed down as he suddenly started reinspecting his utility belt with a disinterested expression. His eyes, which were still hidden beneath his domino mask, revealed nothing to the girl. "Not really, but Robin's and Red Robin's constant bickering can be," he admitted.

Victoria nodded. Even if he had said that the group was exhausting, she would have struggled to disagree.

The Amazonian princess cackled uncontrollably as a shriek erupted from the back of McKenzie's throat from a far off area. Despite the young serpent residing in a different room, Yessenia knew exactly what had occurred—she did plan it, after all.

The demigod marched out of the bathroom and into the living room, her eyebrows furrowed in anger, "Why are there frogs in the bathroom?!" She interrogated the small group, her eyes staring daggers primarily onto the expected perpatrator, who remained laughing. The Amazonian cackled despite the disapproving looks her team mates cast in her direction, a satisfied grin stretched almost painfully across her thin face. McKenzie turned to Logan angrily.

"You're the leader, can't you stop her from bothering me?" Her voice was pleading, her arms moving from it's crossed position onto one on her hips.

The medic ran a hand through his hair as he pulled his head down to look at his lap momentarily, a small sigh escaping from his mouth. "Could you two try getting along together, please?" Both girls looked defensive as they rambled their own explanations, Yessenia's loud and affirmative voice battling McKenzie's soft but temperamental one. Logan closed his eyes as they continued arguing, both of his hands shoved into their sockets as he repeatedly mumbled a quiet, "Guys please," in between their yells of fury.

Victoria, who had been busying herself with her homework, spoke up for the first time since McKenzie stormed into the room, annoyance evident as she said, "Yessenia, go clean up the bathroom. You can find someone else to prank later."

The squabbling died off at the sound of Victoria's authoritative stance.

Happy Harbour

September 4, 2017

13:36

The ex-assassin allowed herself to briefly smirk as she rounded the corner, the tired and labored pants of her team mates close behind her. The sweat that had been pooling at the edge of her brow line fell off of her face as she sprinted the final meters of the three mile track, before she slowed to a stop after crossing the finish mark.

Dani pushed her loose black locks behind her ear as she turned to welcome her slower comrades. "Don't wait up," Angel somewhat wheezed in a sarcastic manner, crossing the line only moments after her. The boy was drenched in his own sweat, the bodily fluids causing his shirt to stick to his back.

"I didn't," Dani replied in her signature flattened voice. She glanced down at her watch as Alyn and Sam jogged past the mark together, keeping their conversation in tact. To Dani and Angel, the track was nothing short of a race that needed to be won, but to the two older members, it was a relaxing way to stay in shape.

Angel squeezed out the contents of his water bottle into his mouth, desperate for the relief it would provide his aching lungs and dry throat. It was at moments like this that he loathed his powers, which demanded the extra water compared to the others.

Dani stretched as she waited for Angel to finish drinking, "Are we going to go again?" She asked the group. She would never admit it, but Dani often found herself enjoying the time she spent with the small trio. That and it was nice not having to worry about keeping watch on the larger team.

Alyn readjusted her bun, pulling the loose and sweaty strands around the band multiple times so it would keep it's place. "I can't, I have homework I need to do," the Turkish girl answered. As she did so, she looked down at Angel, who still struggled to breathe. "Are you sure you don't have asthma?" She asked him in a motherly coo.

Angel shook his head slowly, his hands resting on his knees as he stood in a bended fashion. His breathing could easily be described as wheezey. "Of course I don't have asthma," he promised through still labored breaths. Alyn placed a gentle palm on the small of Angel's back.

"Of course you don't, I'm sorry," the lawyer-to-be knew that realistically the boy probably suffered from asthma, but she figured that he would never admit to any form of weakness, especially in front of either her or Dani. Alyn stood up straighter and removed her hand from Angel's figure, a pointed look sent back to Sam.

The psychogist nodded curtly in understanding, before turning to Angel. "Can you help me walk back to the mountain? I think I sprained my ankle a mile back," Sam lied expertly. The Hispanic boy grinned, before quipping a 'no problem, old man' in the ginger's direction.

Dani, who had attempted to lag behind with the two boys, had been ushered ahead with Alyn. The older of the two girls sent one final glance back at the boys, before resuming her run with Dani back towards the base.

Once the two were out of sight, Sam stopped his limp-filled walk to stand in place. With wise eyes, he glanced down at Angel, the teenage boy still recollecting his oxygen from the run. "It's okay to have asthma, you know," Sam stated. "It doesn't make you any less of a hero than anyone else on the team."

"Don't start profiling me, Foster," the Mexican teen grumbled, resorting to calling Sam by his last name. "I know I don't have asthma. It was a three mile run for fucks sake, cut me some slack," he was angry, to say at the least. Nevertheless he continued his mini rant, upset that his team thought so little of him and so highly of what they proposed as his 'fragile masculinity', "I just get far more dehydrated than any of you, blame it on my powers for all I care."

Sam listened to his words carefully, absorbing the information the younger boy told him. Then, without a second thought, Sam passed Angel his own water bottle before revealing, "I wasn't profiling you, I just know how I feel about my own asthma."

Angel closed his eyes tightly as he accepted the adult's offer, the tips of his ears turning red in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," he mumbled in a quiet voice before replenishing his fluids, more apologetic about snapping at his elder more so than his supposed defency.

Sam shrugged nonchalantly. "It's okay. Let's just catch up with the girls."

Dani continued her stride, the wind pushing past her body as she advanced forwards. The duo ran up the flight of stone steps surrounding the mountain before reaching a miniature peak, a door hidden behind the foliage there. Pushing past the large leaves, Dani revealed the entryway for both her and Alyn.

Alyn was quick to enter the base, eager to return back to her home at Stanford. Any time she spent away from her daughter hurt the young mother more than she'd care to admit.

Especially since neither of my teams know about Mihrimah, even thinking about her child brought a smile to the woman's face.

The secret that she kept was more so out of trying to protect the young girl from the dangers of the hero world, not so much that she did not trust the others. I also don't want to tell them why I have a three year old despite being only nineteen, Alyn reminded herself of the primary reason why she kept her daughter a secret; despite the miracle that had been Mihrimah, the conceivement of her daughter had not been.

Dani arched an eyebrow as Alyn quickly began her descend to the Zeta-Tubes; however, she remained quiet. Whether her silence was because she didn't care or because Alyn had left before she could say something, Dani didn't know.

"She was sure off in a hurry," Noah said, his thumb pointed at the Zeta-Tubes for emphasis.

From his seated position, Dani could see fighting calls scribbled across a notebook, which rested in his free hand. The necromancer brought his fist down as he felt the girl's murderous stare fixated on him. Before he could ask her if everything was alright, she walked past him and towards the showers.

"Alright, good talk," he mumbled to himself, his head shaking as he continued to examine his notebook. He lifted his blue pen from the paper momentarily, before rewriting a segment to better enhance the abilities he knew his team mates had.

Stanford California

September 4, 2017

15:11

Alyn held a lock of her hair in between her fingers skillfully, placing the piece in a complicated braid neatly. She worked quickly, wasting no time in her transition to dress herself. It wasn't long before the towel that once clung to her body was hastily thrown onto the floor, her pajamas taking its place.

The nineteen year old Turkish woman smiled as her daughter's laughter erupted from behind the bathroom door in the girl's bedroom. With a bounce in her step, she opened the door and revealed both her daughter and mother sitting on her bed.

"There's mommy!" Her own mother mewed, her hands underneath the toddler's armpits to hoist her in the air. Alyn picked the child up, planting kisses all over the girl's chubby face.

"Thank you so much for watching her," Alyn said, kissing her mother on the cheek as she sat next to her on the cushiony mattress.

The older woman waved her hand in dismissal at the thanks. "I love Mihrimah and I love you," she said, "It was no problem."

Alyn smiled once more, happiness flooding her body as the girl held onto her hand, repeatedly chanting 'mama, mama, mama' through shouts of laughter. Alyn pressed her lips to the tip of the toddler's nose in reply to her calls, which only caused the girl to giggle louder and harder.

Alyn placed the girl on her knee, a hand on the back of her head as she played with her hair. "Does Mihrimah want to help mommy with her homework?" Alyn asked her jokingly. The toddler only repeated mama in reply.

Mount Justice

September 4, 2017

15:14

Oliver ran into the living room of the base, skidding to a stop near Raja's muscular form. "I'm ready to visit my little sister!" He cooed happily, a smile spreading over his face as he hurriedly layered himself with a jacket.

Raja rolled his eyes as he struggled to put his shoes on with one arm, the other still hanging securely from a sling. "You mean my sister," Raja reminded the older teen, his face hard.

"Well she loves me more," Oliver fauxly pouted. The mixed teen offered Raja a helping hand with his sneakers, but he neglected the offer, his eyes still scowling. Oliver stood up straighter before asking, "she's not doing well, is she?"

Raja's breath hitched in his throat slightly as he paused his action of tying his shoes. His head was hung low, his black hair falling onto his forehead to conceal his expression. The two remained silent as the Muslim boy shook his head solemnly.

Oliver was suddenly extremely grateful for the vacant base, knowing that his more private companion preferred the secret to be kept. He knew it wasn't that he didn't enjoy the others' company or friendships, but it was that he never wanted to be vulnerable to anybody else but Oliver.

Even though I only know by accident, Oliver thought as he watched Raja slowly put his jacket on. If the teen hadn't found a picture of Raja's sister hidden under the boy's pillow weeks ago, he might never have seen the more delicate side of Raja.

The technician knew that Raja was bottling up an entire flood of emotions about his sister through the stiff body language Raja displayed. His knees were locked as he stood, his shoulders slouched despite Raja's usual stature. "We should stop and get her flowers," Oliver suggested in a hopeful voice. He desperately wanted to see his friend smile, and he had hoped that the offer would get Raja to grin even remotely. Raja remained stoic.

"Let's just get going," Raja deadpanned as he walked towards the Zeta-Tubes, Oliver in pursuit behind him.

"Oh, and a teddy bear!"

Grady Hospital

September 4, 2017

16:00

"Right this way, Mr. Saif," the nurse said as she guided both Raja and Oliver through the hospital halls.

With each passing step fear etched itself into the Muslim teen, Raja finding it difficult to smother away. The boy knew it was selfish for him to be afraid, that if anybody had the right to be that it should be Noor, but he couldn't stop the painstakingly familiar pain from filling him the closer they got to his sister's newly assigned room.

When they reached the door, the nurse stopped her walk. "Only immediate family members have visitation rights at this time," she informed the two, her eyes focusing on Oliver's smiling form. Instantly Raja could see the boy's disappointment, but his grin never faltered; instead, the technician shoved a giant stuffed bear into Raja's arms, as well as the bouquet of flowers he had been balancing in his mouth.

"Tell her I said hi," Oliver instructed him. "And hey, I'll be right outside if you need me," the positivity was needed, the fear still churning in Raja's stomach. Both the nurse and his friend smiled reassuring at Raja, but it did little to help him.

The stoic man took a deep breath before entering the room, his eyes instantly finding his little sister. Even though the girl was much leaner, Raja instantly recognized her. "Hello Noor," Raja greeted with a small grin, walking closer to the girl's bed to be by her side.

The small eight year old waved a sickly hand, the skin bruised and blotched at certain angles. Noor poked at the bear for a moment, before reaching out to grab a hold of her brother's much larger hand.

Raja felt himself both relax and tense at the same time. Seeing his sister always made him happy, but seeing her ill form depressed him—he had hoped that she was recovering. Instead, upon his arrival he had been informed that the girl he swore to protect until his death, was more likely to die before he was.

He kissed the top of his sister's bald head, trying to surpress the tears he knew were clouding his vision. "How are you doing today beautiful?" Raja asked her. Without releasing his hold on her grip, he used his free hand to pull a chair close.

"Bhai beautiful, not me," she replied in her limited English, resorting to the Urdu word for brother in her claim. Raja's eyes softened at her retort.

"You are very pretty, Noor," he cooed to the child. She giggled at the softness her usually angry brother showed her, her eyes floating back to the presents.

Her grip on Raja slowly weakened before she grabbed onto the bear, hugging it tightly into her chest.

Raja smiled gently as he pulled the girl closer to kiss her once again. "Oliver thinks you're very pretty too," Raja whispered to her before poking her in her side teasingly.

Noor laughed gleefully, "Ollie thinks Logan is prettier." Raja tried his best to not chortle loudly, but failed greatly as he thought back to his friend's antics.

"Logan is really pretty, but I promise you're prettier," Raja complimented the girl. She smiled greatly before yawning, her head resting against her brother's arm as her eyes fluttered shut.

Raja sighed sadly at the sight of his baby sister falling asleep. It seemed that her ability to remain awake had lessened each time he came to visit her, and the boy could tell even without the doctor's information that she was struggling to fight against her leukemia.

Raja eventually lost track of time, only allowing himself to leave Noor's side when her doctor had asked him to leave. With a deflated look, he offered her fragile hand a tight squeeze before he stood up.

"We will call you if there are any changes regarding her health," the doctor reassured him with a polite expression, watching as Raja left the room with a tight smile.

The door shut behind him the moment both of his legs were out of the room, hushed whispers filling the space he just left as doctors and nurses conversed with one another. Raja sighed once again, his head turning to the left to see Oliver sitting in a waiting room.

When the older boy realized that his friend had left the private setting, he quickly made his way over. "Is she doing okay?" Oliver asked as soon as Raja was in ear shot.

Without skipping a beat, the teen teased his friend, "You wrote to Noor that you thought Logan was pretty?"

Oliver's expression turned to one of relief, more than ecstatic that Raja appeared better after his visit. "The letters I write to my sister are very private mister," Oliver quipped back with a devilish smirk.

Raja didn't have the heart to remind him that Noor was his sister this time around.

Mount Justice

September 4, 2017

21:44

Oliver gripped the ledge of the living room's jade sofa, hoisting himself over the edge to land onto the cushions below. His soft thud caused Noah to glance up from his position across the room, but besides that, Oliver's presence remained ungreeted by the room's occupants. For most of the team members, they sat quietly doing their own separate work or watching the television in interest.

Dani, for instance, held the television remote in her hand, her back leaning against the coffee table as she sat on the floor. Her eyes were glued to the screen as she watched the lacrosse game continue, uncharacteristically unbothered by the others' presence. Oliver grinned lightly at the scene, glad that she was getting more comfortable with the large team.

I am just glad that the air isn't as stiff at the base anymore, Oliver thought as his eyes surveyed the room. There was no bickering, there was no blood, and everybody seemed to be relaxed for the most part, even Raja.

Oliver grinned widely before repositioning himself on the couch to be more comfortable: his legs swung over to rest on Logan's lap while his head rested on Victoria's, both remaining silent by the sudden action. He stared up at Victoria with soft eyes, before they floated to land on Logan.

"We should do something together," Oliver suggested as he looked between the two adults before finally looking around the room. Besides Dani, who remained engrossed to the televised sport, the group looked over at Oliver. "Like play Poker!" He sat up in excitement, nearly knocking over the book in Logan's hands.

"That could be fun!" Yessenia agreed almost instantly, clapping her hands together as she stood. "Besides, anything has to be better than sitting in silence," she continued. The Amazonian princess crouched down into an Indian style sitting arrangement at the coffee table, waiting for her friends to join her.

Angel chortled from his position on the floor, a ball resting in his hands momentarily, "You're all going to lose. Its impossible to win when you play with Sam." He then tossed the ball into the air, catching it as gravity brought it back down to him.

"I don't know, I'm pretty good at poker," Noah smirked in a challenging tone, his gaze falling onto the forensic psychologist. The man in question shook his head heavily, a bored expression on his face as he monotoned his response.

"No offense, but I know everything about you. All of you. I would be able to call all of your bluffs," Sam explained, still uninterested as he continued his own work. Dani and Angel seemed unsurprised by his claim, but the rest all looked at each other in an uncomfortable silence.

Raja crossed his arms over his chest, a scowl on his face, "What do you mean you know everything about us?" His tone was venomous. Sam shrugged.

Oliver, always seeing the positives, grinned mischievously, "Now I have to know what you think you know about me. Tell me all about me, doc." The technician rested his head on his propped arm, his expression interested. By now, all eyes focused on Sam.

"Oliver," Sam started in a chilling tone, "you don't want to know what I know."

The technician scoffed, "I'm calling you bluff, you don't actually know shit about any of us."

"Really?" Sam questioned, his gaze focusing on his papers still. Without looking up, he began, "I can tell you that the whole childish act is because you didn't have much of a childhood. You probably had to grow up too quickly to really enjoy yourself." There was a pause as the others redirected their attention onto Oliver in concern, but the boy's smirk never faltered.

"That's all?" Oliver urged Sam to continue his analysis, still eager to find out the knowledge the psychologist had.

The older man smirked cockily. "Your nose is crooked because it didn't heal properly when it was broken, so I'm guessing someone close to you hit you and you didn't want to go to the hospital and explain it," he finally looked up to examine Oliver's reaction.

Oliver rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly, his smile still plastered on his face. "Yeah, my mom was off her medication at the time," he confirmed, "You're really good though." Despite the somewhat dark explanation, Oliver appeared relaxed at his statement, not bothered by everyone knowing about his mother. Then, in a voice that surprised all the team members, Oliver said, "Alright, tell me something about somebody else."

Sam, amused by the outburst, looked about the room briefly. "Well I can tell you that Yessenia is currently off her medication," he replied. The Amazonian opened her mouth in slight shock, her eyebrows scrunching together in surprise as she yelped a defensive 'hey!'.

Oliver chuckled deeply, his gaze focusing on the next victim of his attack. McKenzie, who had remained quiet the entire time as she read her book, looked uncertain as Oliver called out her name. Sam paused for a moment, debating what he should reveal, before concluding, "You're reading the medical book because you're afraid that someone will get hurt and it'll be your fault."

McKenzie blinked back her surprise, her breath hitching in her throat at the notice. The room suddenly seemed colder as she slowly closed her book and slid it under her body. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as Yessenia placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, the serpent's hand wringing uncomfortably in her lap.

The demigod hoped that Oliver would quickly say someone else's name to get the attention off of her, and, as if the technician could read minds, he said, "Okay, what about Logan?"

Sam stared down at the medic for a brief moment, "All of the above."

"What about Noah?" Oliver continued his stride. The necromancer became visibly uncomfortable as he played with the deck of cards in his hands, his eyes hard.

"I think I got the point. You would win at poker," Noah mumbled lamely, not wanting the ginger-haired man to reveal anything about him to the large group. The diviner shuffled out the Joker cards before placing the rest of the deck back in its casing, his eyes hidden from the teens.

And besides, Noah internalized, I could finish exactly what Sam would say about us. Victoria probably has undiagnosed anxiety, Raja pretends to be emotionless because he doesn't trust us, and me? I'm a monster.

Mount Justice

September 5, 2017

06:30

Yessenia adjusted the straps of her back pack to be tighter, the articles of clothing inside causing the bag to bulge almost comically as she fumbled with the piece. Eventually the Amazonian emerged from her room, her bag, sword, and shield all with her. As she descended down the hall, Angel and Sam came walking down past her.

"Where are you headed?" Angel asked her as he motioned towards her sword. "Do we have a mission?"

The Amazonian princess placed her sword into her sheath, figuring that it's better suited there than in her grasp as she conversed. "To Themiscyra; my mother awaits me there," her tone was far more formal than either boy had heard from her before, but they decided not to comment on it.

"Isn't that the island with no men?" Angel asked her somewhat rhetorically, already knowing the answer before the girl could reply. Ignoring the disapproving and weary look from Sam, Angel continued speaking, "That must be a boring trip."

Yessenia held her head high as she retorted, her hands itching towards her sword. Her patience with Angel had always been thin, but to hear the ignorance he had for her home infuriated the girl. She decided to be civil though, her fists clenching and unclenching tightly by her side as she replied, "I am actually being honored to the highest degree in Amazonian culture, men are unneeded in this case."

Angel rolled his eyes as Sam beat her in speech, "Congratulations Yessenia, Angel and I are very proud of you!" Before grabbing a hold of the younger boy's shoulders and pushing him along.

Yessenia, somewhat perplexed but otherwise uncaring, continued her exit into the living room. Both Victoria and McKenzie stood at the exit, smiles spread about as they waited for Yessenia.

"We are so proud of you!" Victoria cheered for her best friend, pulling the girl into a hug as she neared the exit. The Amazon held onto her friend tightly, her eyes squeezed shut in bliss.

"Let us know how it goes," McKenzie interrupted the two's hug with her own sentiment before being pulled into the older girls' grip.

Yessenia was the first to pull away, her hands lingering on the figures of what she considered to be both of her best friends. "I wish you two could come with me," she exclaimed.

Victoria rolled her eyes fondly, "We will always be with you metaphorically. When you get back though, we will have our own celebration together." Yessenia beamed brightly at the future plans, happy that even if she wouldn't be able to originally celebrate her honor with her friends that she would be able to when she returned back to her second home.

With one final hug to her friends, Yessenia turned to the Zeta-Tubes, excitement stiff in the air. As the lights surrounding her turned white, Yessenia could hear McKenzie call out one final thing to her: "I am so proud of you!"

Themiscyra Island

September 5, 2017

09:15

Yessenia held her bow in her left hand, and the right pulled the taunt string deep into her chest. The notched arrow fixated itself on the string briefly, resting between the girl's fingers before flying outwards towards it's target. With accuracy that would make her archer friend proud, the Amazon princess hit her mark in a near perfect spot—the sand-filled bag splitting open and releasing it's contents onto the grassland.

Yessenia gave herself minimal time to celebrate her victory. For the amazons, archery was an important, if not essential, skill, and despite her near perfect shot, it still wasn't perfect.

The teenager took ahold of another arrow and put it in it's place upon her weapon. Once again the arrow zipped through the Themiscryan air and struck it's target, more sand escaping it's container.

"You're getting better," Diana congratulated her daughter as she walked down the stone steps onto the grassland. She joined Yessenia's side with a proud smile.

"Thank you mother," Yessenia replied in a formal tone, slightly bowing her head as she did so.

The Justice League founder wrapped her arms around the girl to better position the bow. "Though you will always be off center if you focus too much on your weapon and not so much on your target," the older woman advised wisely before releasing her hold on the smaller girl. Yessenia nodded. As Yessenia took a deep breath in to steady her fatigued limbs, she allowed the arrow to escape her grasp.

"Wonderful!" Wonder Woman cooed as the arrow implanted itself dead center of the sack, which sat twenty yards away. A quiet rupture of clapter forced Yessenia's attention away from her mother's word. At the perimeter of the training field near the steps, Hippolyta stood clapping along with a handful of other amazonians. Yessenia grinned shyly, her eyes focusing on the ground in attempts to contain her blush. With an endearing smile, Diana placed a hand upon her child's shoulder.

"One day she will rule us all, right mother?" Diana called out to Hippolyta, her hand unwavering from Yessenia's shoulder.

The blush grew on the young girl's face as the woman in question laughed aloud sweetly. "That would not surprise me," her voice was joyful yet incredibly serious, her eyes hard. Hippolyta then turned to leave with her women, but not before making her dinner arrangements, "We will be having a feast in Yessenia's honor later, and please," her smile seemed genuine, "don't come in your sweaty garments."

"You should be proud of your sweat," Diana joked lightly as her mother departed, patting her daughter's shoulder. "But I would change if I were you. I left a dress in your quarters," the woman continued with a smile, her accented voice high with happiness.

Yessenia looked down at the traditional Amazon battle clothing she was currently wearing. "I think I look dignified," Yessenia chortled.

Let me know what you guys think, and don't forget to check out the blog. From now until the next update, I'll be filling out prompts about the characters to keep you guys interested and happy. Happy readings!