"That's a dangling participle." Kara was so engrossed in the article that she was writing that it took her several moments to realize that Selah had spoken. She looked up from her laptop, blinking, and saw the girl leaning against the doorway of the conference room with a book in her hands. It had still only been a few months since the girl had come to the DEO, but she had changed so much in that short time. She had put on weight, and she looked much healthier than the skeletal, pale kid who showed up covered in bruises and scars. Her hair was growing quickly, and it spiraled away from her head in orangey curls that bounced in all directions. Even her posture had changed, and she carried herself with more confidence and strength.

"What?" Kara asked.

"Your last sentence," the girl replied, idly flipping a page. "It's a dangling participle." She cleared her throat and quoted Kara's article: "'If they are successful in placing these charges, the Phoenix Roadsters will no longer be produced by Keystone Motors.' Phoenix Roadsters is the closest subject to the modifier, so it makes it seem like the cars are the ones who are placing charges, instead of the people who were involved in the accidents." Kara heaved a sigh and began backspacing.

"Did you come here just to critique my writing, or are there any developments in the case with the Agenda?" she grumbled.

"No, sorry," Selah replied. "It was just too loud in the medical wing, so I was looking for somewhere quiet to read. Do you mind if I join you?"

"Only if you stop pointing out all of my grammatical errors." The girl smirked and sat down at the table across from Kara. "Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"Sure," Selah replied, setting down her book- a thick novel with an illustrated cover. She recognized it as one that Nia was always raving about.

"The Agenda took you when you were fourteen, right?" The girl nodded. "How do you know so much about grammar and science? Did you go to school there?"

"No," she replied. "I've always been a quick learner, I guess. I skipped three grades in school, so I was almost graduated high school by the time they took me. And I learned some stuff about biology and medicine just from reading the doctors at the lab, before they made me wear the power dampener." Kara leaned back in her chair, thinking.

"Would you want to go back to school?" she asked. "Not high school, probably, I think that you're beyond that. But I bet that we could get Brainy to make some documents and transcripts for you to help you enroll in college."

"Really?"

"Definitely."

"I'd really like that," Selah bit her lip, clearing her throat slightly. "Also your article has so many comma splices, and I feel like I have to say something." Kara shut her laptop and glared at the girl, who quickly reopened her book, pretending not to notice.

"I was going to talk to Kal-El this week," she said suddenly. "Is there anything you'd like me to tell him?" Selah began fiddling with the edges of a page from the book, not looking up.

"I don't think so," she said evenly. "Does his family know about me yet?"

"Lois does. I'm not sure if they've told the boys yet." Selah nodded. "Hey, I know this is weird and it all came as a shock. And I'm not going to tell you how you should feel or how to react. But Kal is a good man, and he's good with Jonathan and Jordan."

"I know. I feel kind of bad that it was so awkward the first time that we met each other, but I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about any of this. I feel... a lot of things."

"You are allowed to feel your emotions, and to take the time to process them. In fact, I would strongly encourage that you do that. It will get easier with time, and it won't always feel this weird. And Kal-El understands that, and he'll give you all of the space that you need."

"I just never had a dad, and now I have one, and I also have a stepmother and two half brothers, and it's all becoming a lot to take in."

"Not to further overwhelm you, but you also have me," Kara said, smiling. "I'm your paternal first cousin once removed."

"What a close relation." Selah quipped.

"I'm serious!" she protested. "I thought that I lost all of my biological family. It's pretty cool to find out that I still have more." The girl nodded slowly, her eyes serious. Finally she stood up, shutting her book.

"I'm going to my aunt's for dinner tonight, okay?"

"Okay," Kara reopened her laptop. "Are you going to ask her about maybe moving back in with her once Alex gives the okay for you to be released?"

"I think so," she replied, smiling. "Things have been so good with us, and she really wants to try again. She also was definitely trying to suggest it the last time that we got coffee. She kept thinking about her spare bedroom in her apartment and how nice it is that I'm back in her life."

"Good. Tell her that I say hi, alright?"

"Okay." Selah began to go, but hesitated when she reached the door. "Tell Kal that I say hi when you see him, okay?"

"I will."

"Also 'definitively' only has one L, not two." Kara glared at the girl who grinned back, darting out of the room.

.

Selah raked a hand through her hair as she unlocked the door to her aunt's apartment building with the spare key Lea had given her, and she made a mental note to ask Kara to trim the back again- to keep her from re-growing a mullet. Humming slightly, she took the stairs two at a time up to the seventh floor, where her aunt lived. It had been a good day. She had finished her book, and she and Brainy had played telepathic chess together for most of the morning. She had been so used to being alone that she had forgotten the warmth that came with having people in her life who cared about her.

"Aunt Lea?" she asked, unlocking the door to her aunt's apartment. It was dark inside, and she initially assumed that no one was home until she sensed-

"You little bitch." She whirled to see her mother sitting at the table, her head resting on her arms.

"What are you doing here?" she asked evenly. "Aunt Lea said you don't live with her anymore." The woman shrugged

"I let myself in," she said, her words slurring.

"Does she know that you're here?" Her mother didn't reply. Instead, she sat up slowly and turned to look at her daughter, her pale eyes glowing in the moonlight. Wordlessly, she stood and walked to Selah, placing a rough hand on the girl's cheek.

"You ruined my life, did you know that?" Her stomach curled at the smell of alcohol wafting off of her mother, and she took a step away from the woman.

"You're drunk, Mother," she said.

"Shut up!" Lyla yelled, her hand turning into a fist. "Shut up!" Selah took a step towards the door, but her mother flicked her head angrily and it slammed shut, the lock clicking into place. Then, the girl began to feel the familiar sensation of Lyla concentrating her power, and beginning to drain Selah's away.

"Mom," she began carefully, feeling herself weaken. "Please think about what you're doing." Before she could even blink, her mother was standing directly in front of her, their faces mere inches apart.

"How dare you speak to me that way," she hissed. "You have no idea what you have put me through. New to this world, pregnant with a baby that I didn't want, from a man I knew nothing about. You took everything from me, and you have the gall to stand in front of me here, to come into my sister's home-" She shook her head angrily, cutting herself off and glaring at her daughter. Selah didn't reply, she just stared squarely back at her mother, waiting for her to make the next move.

And then, Lyla's hand flashed up and struck her across the face, sending her reeling. A second blow came quickly after, and she fell to the floor. A sharp pain blossomed along her rib cage as her mother kicked her. Rolling away from her reach, Selah staggered to her feet and swallowed down the blood that was gathering in her mouth.

"You're drunk, mother," she repeated. "Please calm down."

"Don't you dare tell me what to do," Lyla spat. She grabbed Selah's arm fiercely and began striking the girl in the face, anywhere that she could make contact- her nose, her eyes, her mouth. Eventually, she shoved her back onto the ground, where she landed awkwardly, and pain exploded in her wrist as something cracked. Her mother stood still for a second, towering over Selah and breathing heavily, just looking down at the girl.

Selah took the opportunity to mentally take an inventory of her injuries. Her left eye was swelling, her lip and nose were bleeding, and she had a small cut on her left cheek. She had bitten down hard on the inside of her lip, which was also bleeding freely, and she resisted the urge to spit out another mouthful of blood. Her ribs were aching, probably some were broken, and her wrist was beginning to go numb.

Her mother took another step forward, raising her foot back, about to kick Selah in the face, when-

"Lyla?" The door was now open, and Lea was standing in the doorway, her face horrified. Lyla's foot sank back down to the floor, and she looked almost guilty.

"You're not supposed to be home yet," she said. Lea rushed to Selah's side and gently helped her sit up. Selah hissed in pain, her ribs aching.

"I am so sorry," Lea said. "I was held up at the coffee shop while we were closing. I tried to text you but I didn't have service. I did not know that she was here."

"I'm okay," Selah whispered.

"You are not okay," Lea countered. She turned to her sister, her eyes blazing with anger. "How could you do this, Lyla? After everything that you have put this girl through?" Lyla didn't reply, she just rolled her eyes petulantly and went back over to the table, putting her head back down.

"I'm-" Selah began, coughing a bit. "I'm going to go."

"What?" Lea demanded, turning back to her niece. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry. I just have to go," she stammered, making her way to her feet.

"Selah, don't be ridiculous, you're hurt-"

"I'm fine, really."

"Selah," Lea began, but she was already opening the door and slipping out into the hallway.

"I'm sorry," she said. The door closed, and her aunt didn't follow. Making her way to the elevator, Selah took several deep breaths, feeling her ribs twinge with each inhale. She pulled her hood up over her head in an attempt to hide her injuries, and tried to decide what to do. Her powers were gone and they probably wouldn't be back until morning at the earliest, and her whole body ached. She was dizzy, and the idea of walking across town to the DEO made her feel nauseous. Taking another deep breath and ignoring the screaming pain in her ribs, she exited the elevator and began walking to an address that she knew was only a few blocks away.

.

Kara had just settled in for what she had thought would be a calm and uneventful evening when a hesitant knock came at the door. She glanced through it to see Selah on the other side, with three cracked ribs and a broken wrist.

"Oh Rao," she muttered, rushing to the door and pulling it open.

"I'm sorry," the girl stammered, shifting her weight anxiously from one foot to the other. "I didn't know where else to go."

"Come in," she said, pulling her into the apartment and shutting the door behind them. "What happened?" She guided the girl into a chair at the kitchen table, and went to get her emergency first-aid kit. A well-meaning neighbor had gifted it to her years ago and she had never even opened it, so it was still very well stocked. Setting that on the table, she went back into the kitchen and got a bag of ice and a damp cloth. "I thought that you were going over to your aunt's house for dinner."

"I did," Selah answered, her voice small.

"Lea did this?" Kara asked incredulously, opening the first aid kit.

"No. My mom was there."

"She did this," the hero said heavily, finally connecting the pieces together.

"Yeah," the girl nodded slowly, not making eye contact.

"Let me see," Kara said, gently tipping up Selah's chin with her thumb to see the extent of her injuries. Selah's bottom lip and left cheek were both split open, still bleeding sluggishly. Her cheek was badly bruised and swollen, and there were scratches and little cuts all along her nose. There was a gash at her temple, her hair was matted with blood, and Kara could see fingerprint shaped bruises up and down her left forearm. Her fractured wrist was purple and nearly doubled in size. "We should go to the DEO," she said. "You need to get yourself under some sun lamps so that your powers come back."

"Please no," Selah whimpered.

"Love, you need more medical help than I can offer with this measly first-aid kit. You need Alex, or another doctor." The girl's bottom lip began to tremble and Kara took a deep breath.

"Alex will kill me for this," she muttered. "I am offering you a compromise. You're staying here for the night. I have a miniature yellow sun lamp that Brainy made me, and you are not going to move out from under it until morning. If you don't start getting better, and if your powers aren't back by the morning, I am flying you straight back to the DEO, whether you like it or not. Yes?"

"Okay." Selah said. She handed the girl the ice pack, and she placed it on her wrist, wincing slightly. Picking up the cloth, the hero began gently cleaning the cuts on the girl's face.

"Why did she do this?" she asked carefully.

"She was drunk. She started yelling at me, saying that I ruined everything and grabbing at me. I didn't fight back and I think that just made her even angrier."

"Hey," Kara said, putting a hand on Selah's cheek. "You didn't deserve any of this."

"I know," the girl replied hollowly. "My aunt showed up eventually. I don't know how long my mother would have kept going if she hadn't." Kara kept painstakingly cleaning the blood off of her face, trying her best not to poke at the cuts and bruises too much. Selah didn't make much eye contact, she stared at her hands as they fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, and Kara pretended not to see the tears that spilled silently from her eyes.

Eventually, the hero set the cloth back down on the table, once the girl's face was mostly clean again. Selah cleared her throat and straightened up a little bit in the chair.

"Is it alright if I take a shower?" she asked. "I'd like to get the blood out of my hair."

"Of course," Kara replied, going to a dresser and pulling out the spare pajamas that Alex always borrowed when she stayed overnight. "There's towels in there, and you can change into these when you're done. I'll see if we need to bandage your face or arm once you're out."

"Thanks." Selah took the pajamas and made her way to the bathroom, holding her injured arm close to her body. Kara heard the shower turn on after a few moments, and she started packing up her first-aid kit again, wiping down the table and rinsing out the bloody cloth, all the while carefully monitoring the girl's heartbeat to make sure she was alright. Once the table was clear, she sank down on the couch and pulled out her phone. She sent a few paragraphs to Alex, detailing what had happened and why Selah wasn't going to be at the DEO for the night. Her sister replied quickly, clearly in doctor mode.

'You'll have to check on her every few hours through the night, because she probably has a head injury.' She said, 'Give her lots of fluids and if ANYTHING at all changes with her, take her in right away, especially if she's having seizures. Text me updates please.'

'I will,' Kara replied.

'Also give her a hug from me.'

'Okay.'

The shower turned off again, and after a few moments, Selah emerged from the bathroom, her hair damp but blood-free.

"Hey," she said. "Feeling any better?" the girl shrugged and sat on the opposite end of the couch, not looking at her.

"I'm sorry for barging in on you," she said after a moment. "You shouldn't have to take care of me like this."

"You're family," the hero replied simply. "And you are not a burden. I care about you, Selah. I'm glad you came here."

"Okay." Selah said quietly. "I guess I'm not going to be moving in with my aunt any time soon," she added after a moment. Kara crossed to Selah's end of the couch and wrapped her arms around the girl.

"I'm sorry, love," she murmured. "For everything that happened tonight." Selah leaned into her shoulder.

"Me too," she replied, yawning widely.

"Ready for bed?" Kara asked. She nodded wearily, sitting up. "Are you okay on the couch? I'd give you the bed, but the lamp is plugged in over here, and when it gets unplugged it takes an hour to recalibrate itself-"

"The couch is perfect, Kara."

"Okay." She stood up and got spare blankets out of her linen closet, switching on the yellow sun lamp as she went. When she returned to the living room, Selah was already lying down, asleep under the soft yellow glow of the lamp. She spread a blanket over the girl, gently placed a kiss on her forehead, and went into her bedroom, pulling the curtains shut behind her to offer the girl some privacy. She sat on her bed, just staring at the curtain and absently listening to Selah's heartbeat for a while, processing everything that had just happened. Her phone buzzed, and she picked it up to see Alex was calling.

"Al, I told you already. Selah's fine, she's asleep on the couch-" she began.

"It's not that," Alex interrupted, urgency in her voice. "The Agenda just sent us another letter. They know that we have Selah, and they said that they are going to start bombing every major residential apartment building in the city until we send her back to them."

.

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