CHAPTER EIGHT

"Well, aren't you two smart." An unfamiliar voice said. Hayden jumped in front of Haylynn, his wings fluffed out, when the cell door opened. The light from the hallway was behind him, so all they could see was a shadowy outline. A shadowy outline with wings.

"Hayden." Haylynn hissed, poking her brother in between his wings. "That guy has wings."

"I noticed." Hayden hissed back. The man stepped further into the cell, into the light. He was taller, much taller than their Mama, but about Uncle Nick's height. He had light skin, lighter than theirs, with green eyes and shoulder length light brown hair. He also had wings like theirs. But his wings were light blue, with white line running through them, and much larger then theirs or their Mama's.

"Who are you?" Hayden asked defensively.

"Who are you?" The man asked.

"My name is Hayden John Stewart, and this is my sister Haylynn Lee." Hayden said, still wary and still standing in front of Haylynn.

"What's your mother's name?" The man asked.

"Shayera Hol." Haylynn piped up, peeking over Hayden's wing.

"I thought so."

"But who are you, and what are we doing here?" Haylynn demanded. The man smiled at them, and Haylynn gulped, pressing closer to Hayden's back, in between his wings. Hayden's wings bent back reflexively to cover her.

"I'm your father."

"No your not!" Haylynn and Hayden both yelled at the same time, Haylynn jumping out from behind her brother and standing next to him. The man towered over her, and the twins were small for their age, so Haylynn fluffed out her wings as large as she could, trying to make herself look bigger.

"Your not my daddy!" She yelled, glaring at the man.

"I didn't say that." The man said. "I said I was your father."

"NO, your not!"

"And how do you know that my child?" The man asked, his cold voice sending chills down the children's spines. "Do you know your father? Does he live with you and your mother."

"No." Hayden said firmly. "But your from Thanagar, like Mama. Our daddy is from Earth."

"And how do you know that if he doesn't live with you?" The man asked again.

"Our Mama told us." Haylynn said, glaring at the man. He was giving her the cheeps but she wouldn't show fear. She refused to let this man know she was afraid.

"What exactly did your mother tell you?" The man asked again. Haylynn stuck out her chin.

"She told us all about our Daddy! Our daddy is a hero on Earth. He was a member of the United States Marine Corps, and he is a Green Lantern!"

"Besides, you don't look anything like our daddy." Hayden added, also glaring at the man in the doorway.

"How do you know what your father looks like? Do you have a picture?" The man asked mockingly. Haylynn visibly bristled, her feathers practically standing on end.

"No, but our Mama told us what he looks like." She told the man confidently. "He had dark skin, which is where Hayden and I get our skin tone, and he had black hair, which is where we get out black hair from. You have lighter skin than ours, and your hair is brown! You can't be our daddy!"

"How do you know your Mama didn't lie to you?" The man asked, taking a menacing step forward. Haylynn's first instinct was to back away, but she stood her ground. So did Hayden, but he did reach out and take Haylynn's hand when he noticed it start to shake. Haylynn squeezed it tightly, communicating to her twin. Don't leave me, her grip said. I won't, Hayden's grip responded.

"Our Mama doesn't lie to us." Hayden said firmly.

"How do you know?" The man insisted.

"Because I've seen my daddy." Haylynn burst out. The man looked startled, but quickly recovered.

"Oh yeah? Where?" He snarled.

"In my dreams." Haylynn said calmly. "He's always there in my dreams when I'm scared and I need him."

"Prove it." The man said with a smirk. Haylynn still didn't back down, but she did squeeze Hayden's hand even harder. He didn't mind, he just squeezed back.

"My daddy taught my the Green Lanterns motto in my dreams." Haylynn told the man with a snarl of her own.

"And why would a Green Lantern teach their motto to an insulant brat like you?" The man hissed. He was getting angry. Good.

"Because I'm going to be one." Haylynn told her captor proudly, holding her head high.

"You can't." The man responded with his evil grin. "The Thanagarians are the most warlike and bloodthirsty species in the whole galaxy. They'd never let one of them in the Green Lantern Corps."

"But I'm only half Thanagarian." Haylynn pointed out proudly. "My daddy is from Earth. And because he's a Green Lantern, that means I can be one too!"

"You're a lying brat." The man snarled at Haylynn. Hayden glared at the man.

"My sister is not a liar, and neither is my Mama." He said, in a growl that was terrifyingly like that of his father. "You take that back." He demanded, his free hand clenching into a fist like his mother had taught him. "You take that back right now or I'll. . ." He tried to step forward, but Haylynn tightened her grip almost painfully on his hand.

"Hayden, don't." She whispered to her twin. Hayden stopped but continued to glare at the man.

"I'm not a liar." Haylynn said calmly. "And I can prove it. In brightest day, in darkest night, no evil shall escape my sight! Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's light! That's the Green Lantern motto, and that's what my Daddy taught me!" Haylynn glared at the man.

In one swift movement he stepped forward and back handed Haylynn. Haylynn cried out as the blow ripped her away from her brother and slammed her into the wall.

"Stop it!" Hayden yelled, taking flight and flying at the man, a small tornado of fists, feet and wings. "You leave my sister alone! Pick on someone your own size!"

"Like you, you little half-breed?" The man said, forming a fist and throwing a punch at Hayden. The blow caught him right in the stomach. All of the breath left his throat as he flew backwards and hit the wall with a horrible crash. He fell to the floor and didn't move.

"HAYDEN!" Haylynn yelled, jumping to her feet and wiping away the small trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth that the man's blow had drawn. She tried to run to her brother, but the man grabbed on of her wings in his huge hands and yanked her back, right off her feet. Haylynn cried out in pain. "Stop it! Leave us alone!" She used her other wing to beat the man, but it had no effect. So Haylynn used her foot in a move that her mother had taught her, to only use in emergency's. The man grunted in pain and sank to his knees, releasing Haylynn's wing. Haylynn rushed to her brothers side.

"Hayden, Hayden! Are you okay?" She asked frantically, desperately looking for any signs of life in her brothers face. He groaned and sat up and Haylynn sighed in relief. "Your okay!"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Hayden said, getting to his feet. Or trying too. His legs were weak and wouldn't support him. Haylynn caught him before he fell.

"Thanks." Hayden told his sister. Then he caught a glimpse of something over his sister's shoulder and his eyes went wide.

"Watch out!" Hayden yelled. But it was too late. The man brought a hand down hard on Haylynn shoulder. She screamed, and her eyes rolled up in her head. Hayden, who's legs had strengthened slightly now that he was standing, caught his sister, using his wings to jump back and carry the both of them away from the man at the same time. "Haylynn!" He laid her down gently, and then growled at the man. "You hurt my sister!"

He jumped into the air and flew at the man, really, really, really furious for the first time in his life. No one touched his little sister! No one!

"Don't touch my sister!" Hayden screamed, throwing a punch at the man's jaw.