Clara's POV
I quietly eased the door open, nearly tripping over the wastebasket. I yawned and kicked it out of the way. Even though this room was much bigger than the one in my dad's cheap apartment, it seemed to get messy faster. I wonder what happened to that apartment. I wonder what happened to Dad... I'd never found the heart to watch his trial.
I shook the thought out of my head and walked to the closet, surveying rows upon rows of... clothes? That were picked out for me? I already knew that I wouldn't like most of them but... some of them were kind of cute. Who had picked these out for me? I yawned again. Despite the surprising several hours of sleep I got last night, I was exhausted. I grabbed a random t-shirt and pants and threw them on.
Still yawning, I wandered into the mission briefing area. Black Canary was training the rest of the Team on hand-to-hand combat. Which reminded me... she had been working with the Chinese man when we were in his ship... I noticed that the rest of the Team was eyeing her warily. She was demonstrating another move, asking for a volunteer. When no one responded, clearly exhausted from the previous mission, she turned her feline grin to me.
"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you," she said. I wanted to rip her pretty blonde locks out.
I looked at her with boredom. "Do your worst."
I stepped onto the white panels of the fighting area, feeling the rush of the fight snake into my bones. She took her jacket off. I readied myself.
With a spin, she launched a foot towards my ankles. I easily dodged it, ducking under the punch she threw. She tried again, flinging a punch at my face. I ducked and hit her in the ribs, then grabbed her forearm. I twisted her arm, flipping her over. She screamed with pain as a crack echoed through the room. I grabbed her other arm and shoved her forward, watching as she tumbled to her knees, then her stomach. The word FAIL, written in harsh red letters, appeared next to where she'd fallen. She scrambled onto her back, not wanting it exposed to me. Probably a good idea, but I didn't have any blades on hand.
My breath calmed down and I regained my senses. My hands flew to my mouth when I realized what I'd done. "I'm so sorry!" I squeaked. I held out a hand to help her up. Her gaze shone with pain as she took my hand, but there was something else. My heart skipped a beat when I realized that it was fear. She was afraid of me.
Night Wing's POV
My gasp, along with everybody else's, reverberated through the room. No one had ever beaten Black Canary before. At least, not that easily.
Clara quickly helped Black Canary up, apologizing profusely. Black Canary dismissed us with a wave of her hand and made her way for the medical bay. Clara walked slowly to me and I held up my hand for a high five, but she wouldn't look at my face.
I led her back to my room. It was as if she was in a daze. We stopped outside of my door.
"Hey- you okay?" I asked quietly. She mumbled something and I gently wrapped my arms around her, her head laying against my chest.
"She's afraid of me," she whispered. "They all are." I hesitated when I realized that she was referring not only to the Team, but to the League. As I heard the crack replay through my mind, it registered that there was a lot to fear about Clara.
She was vicious, impulsive, bloodthirsty, trained in hand-to-hand combat, she knew how to use knives, bows, guns, everything. She was a walking weapon in herself. And not to mention her powers.
"What happened in the last few years?" I blurted. She pulled back, raising her gaze to mine, and she heaved a sigh.
"That's not a story for right now." She strode away, leaving me to wonder.
League Meeting
"I call this meeting to order," Batman said. His voice in itself was enough to silence the whole league. "Black Canary, the stage is yours."
Everyone's attention was pulled from Batman to her.
"I want to talk about the girl. Clara."
"What of her?" said Wonder Woman hastily. She found that League meetings were boring and a waste of time.
"Hear me out." For a moment, she studied her arm, once again slung across her chest. "I don't think she's a good influence on the others."
Indeed, reports from Jesse's rescue mission had said that Night Wing himself had killed someone.
"And what is to be done?" asked Green Arrow. Black Canary shot him a grim look.
"I think she should be kicked off the Team." With those words, everyone was silenced. Then-
"She has only been with them for one mission," said Red Tornado. But Black Canary had anticipated this question.
"And already after one mission, we have Night Wing killing people. Imagine the damage if she stays with us for five missions. Or ten missions."
The assembled leaguers fell silent yet again. "What if she can change?" asked Superman.
Batman sighed. "That is not often the case," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "I'll see what I can do." He stood. "Meeting is dismissed."
Night Wing's POV
I wandered into my room, picking up discarded clothes from the floor and making my bed. Until Clara had shown up a couple of weeks ago, this room had barely been used. I wonder when I'm gonna go back to the manor... Three loud knocks sounded at the door and I twisted to see Batman in the doorframe.
"We need to talk," he said quietly, but not weakly. I gulped as I followed him to his 'office.' Or at least, that's what I liked to call it.
He sat down in a chair, leaving me standing. He pointed at the security camera footage from last night.
"I saw Clara climb into bed with you," he accused, tapping the screen that showed my room. I swore under my breath. I'd forgotten about the cameras.
Batman continued. "Did anything... happen?"
I felt my cheeks beginning to stain red. "No," I said firmly.
"You know how much of a problem a child would be..."
"Nothing happened."
"Good." He leaned back in his chair. I turned to leave.
"One more thing," he said. I glanced back at him.
"You and Clara can't be anything more than friends."
I turned around fully. "What." No, he was not doing this to me. All of his rules...
"The people you love are just weapons that can be used against you," he went on.
Not this again. This was always the reason that I could never be in a relationship.
"And I don't like her, either. You are dismissed." I stalked out of the room.
Clara's POV
"We have to stop hiding this from her," I argued. "Jesse has a right to know." We'd been keeping her here for almost a day now, and still, she knew nothing.
"Besides, she's starting to get suspicious," I added.
"It's still too early," said Aqualad. "We must await our orders from Batman."
"How are we going to take the tests if she doesn't fully trust us?" demanded Dick, crossing his arms over his chest. I was glad that he was on my side for the debate. His opinion was worth more than mine.
"I suppose⦠we could contact Batman now, and see what he thinks?" suggested Aqualad. Of course Batman would've said no.
Artemis stepped in, putting her hands on her hips. "Since when have we listened to anything he's ever said?"
Aqualad fell silent.
"We'll have to soften the blow, though," said Wally. "Learning that you might have superpowers for the first time is overwhelming. And it's a huge responsibility."
"Getting whelmed is always an option," said Night Wing. The group chuckled, but I was completely lost. I hated being on the outside of inside jokes.
Silence settled over everyone. "Who shall bear the news?" asked Aqualad.
"Maybe you," Beast Boy chirped.
"After all, it was your blood that was donated," added Wally.
Aqualad sighed. "Alright." He turned down the hallway and made way for Jesse's temporary room. I had a bad feeling about this.
Jesse's POV
A knock at the door brought me back to my senses. I wiped the bleariness out of my eyes and stretched my back, feeling cracks and pops up my spine. How long had I been sitting here, staring at nothing?
"Come in," I croaked. Had I fallen asleep, sitting straight up?
Aqualad's presence filled the room. It wasn't just his muscular size, it was also the power he carried with himself. The dignity that was written along the lines of his posture.
He took an awkward stance, leaning against the door frame. "How are you enjoying your room?" he asked.
I held back a sigh. I hated small talk. But I needed to know more about why I was here. I forced my face into a smile like I had so many other times. "It's very ornate," I said, though my room back home was nicer. "I didn't expect memory foam pillows. They're a nice touch."
A bead of sweat formed on his brow. He was hiding something.
"I suppose... I suppose you are wondering why you are still with us, and not with your father."
I stood up, walking slowly to him. I stood in front of him and crossed my arms. By the tension in his back, I could tell that he was becoming more and more nervous as we spoke. Which was good, because nervous people revealed secrets.
"I am. Why are you keeping me here, Kaldur?" The shock on his face was enough to tell me that he didn't like that I knew his first name.
He gulped. "We believe that you may have gained some... abilities due to your blood transfusion."
I brought my face closer. We were almost nose-to-nose.
"What kind of abilities?"
"We are not positive yet," he began. "We were hoping that we could instigate tests..."
I zoned out after that, emotion finally showing on my face. I was not some kind of animal. They weren't going to run any tests on me-
I realized he was still talking.
"No," I said in a barely audible tone. I backed away. "No!" I shouted.
His grey eyes went wide. I pointed at the door.
"Get out," I whispered. Without a word, he obeyed and walked down the hall. Like a mere sheep. I scoffed. Some leader.
