Chapter Two

I silently glided into the woods, searching for the source of the disturbance I felt. I felt unusually calm as I did so; perhaps because it took place in an environment I felt at home in.

Although my hood restricted my field of vision, my powers actually heightened my sense of awareness, so that I still could detect what I could not see. And after a minute or so of searching, I found my quarry.

Someone had set up a lantern next to a tree. I saw a small ladder as well, along with a figure, which was setting up a length of rope. That intrigued me, so I moved closer, crouching down to avoid detection.

To my surprise, I recognized the figure; it was Jinx!

'What the hell is she doing here?' I thought.

She was on the ladder, and had wrapped the rope several times around a large branch on the tree. She had just finished tying off one end of it. The other end of the rope was made into a noose. She appeared to check the height of the noose against the ground. She seemed to nod in approval of her work. But for what purpose would it serve her?

I did not have to wait long for my answer. Jinx slipped her head into the noose and tightened it against her neck! She then stepped down to the next lower rung on the ladder and stood there, as if gathering her wits.

With the sudden realization of Jinx's intention, I knew what I had to do!

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" I cried, casting my spell. Simultaneously, a platform of dark energy formed beneath Jinx, while the rope itself was consumed in its own, independent energy field. The rope was snapped, and Jinx fell onto my platform safely. I set her gently on the ground and rushed over to her.

Jinx was obviously startled as to what happened. When she noticed me, she was indignant.

"You!" she yelled. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing." I replied.

She heaved a sigh as she removed the broken noose from her neck.

"What did it look like?" she asked, sarcastically.

"Well, it seems you were tried to kill yourself." I deadpanned.

"Congrats." she said. "You go to the head of the class." She sat on a large rock.

"So I see." I joined her.

"Before you ask, I bought this stuff legally, so I'm not guilty of any crime."

"That's a relief."

"So what brought you out here?"

"I was trying to relax. You know, taking a walk."

"Was something wrong with the park?"

"Too close to the city. I wanted peace and quiet."

She nodded. "Same reason I picked this place. No one to interfere with me."

"No one normal that is, right?"

"Right!" she laughed. She then resumed her grim expression.

I hesitated, not sure how to continue the conversation. "So," I began. "What ever possessed you to try and kill yourself?"

She glared at me. "It's kind of a long story."

"Well, I for one have the time. And I'm sure you don't have anything going on in the near future, do you?"

"No, not really." she sighed. "Well, while you and your team were out doing the world tour version of RV Today, I and the rest of the HIVE Five were ready for an uninhibited crime spree. Of course, the Titans East showed up and put an end to that. They're pretty good, by the way. Just as good as your team is."

"Quite the opinion from a villain!" I remarked.

"Well, despite the fact I fought against them and your team, I still had a bit of respect for your style. It's kind of like in war, you know like Germany and England were in World War Two? Even though they were enemies, they could still respect each other."

"I had no idea you were so educated!"

"Hey, history was one of the subjects at the HIVE Academy. Now, can we get back to my story?"

"It's your show."

"Thanks. Anyway, after Titans East left, we thought we were home free again. Then, Kid Flash showed up."

"Kid Flash?"

"You know him?"

"I know of him."

"I see. Anyway, after he spoiled our fun, I figured we could impress the Brotherhood of Evil by turning him in to them. I especially wanted to impress Madam Rouge."

"Why her?"

"I actually looked up to her." She had a look of disgust on her face. "I wanted to be like her."

"In what way?"

"I wanted to be respected and feared. I sort of hoped for people to look up to me, in a way."

"So, you wanted a reputation like her?"

"Yeah, that's it exactly. Anyway, we managed to catch him. He talked to me, and got me to thinking about my role as a villain. I didn't really listen to him, though. Afterwards, he got away just before Rouge arrived. I was so mad, I chased after Flash by myself. I caught up with him after Rouge tired him out. Rouge insulted and humiliated me so much, I just let Flash go from a force field I used. I then knocked her on her ass with my powers!" She grinned at that.

"Good for you, then." I replied.

"Thanks. Anyway, I spent the rest of the night wondering around, thinking about my life. For the first time, I doubted my role as a villain. Finally, I decided to leave the HIVE."

"That's encouraging."

"I know. I gathered my stuff from my room and left for good. It was just as well, as we actually numbered six, when they were supposed to be the HIVE Five!"

"Interesting. So, what led to this?"

"Well, I tried the hero part a couple of times, but I didn't quite have the knack for it. Even when I tried a few crimes, mostly for getting some money to add what I already had from the HIVE, I still didn't feel right in that role."

"So you didn't feel you fit in, huh?"

"That's right. I just felt lost. So, I finally decided to end it all tonight."

"Good thing I showed up, huh?"

"That remains to be seen." she said tersely.

I stood up, and paced. "Well, I guess I know how you feel. I didn't always feel like the hero type myself, you know."

"Really? How is that?"

"It's a long story."

"I got the time." She then brightened her expression. "Want to talk at my place?"

"You got a home?"

"Sure I do. Come on, it's nice."

"Okay, let's get a move on." I smiled.

Behind my smile, though, I had reservations about her honesty. I knew that I had to keep my wits about me with Jinx. After all, she was suicidal not too long ago. Who knows what else she might do?