Chapter Twelve ― Breathe
"Oh darling, weapon that you are, do not weep yet for there is still more to suffer."
Hal and John, and both Aquaman and Red Tornado were at the cave with Batman when the team got back; Wally, with Arley in his arms― the girl had argued when Wally had begun to pick her up from the bioship's medical-like bed saying that she could walk, only for the speedster to look at her, quiet and desperately as he asked her to just let him help her ―was the first one off of the Martian ship. Hal hadn't even batted an eye at Wally's squawked protest as he took Arley from the speedsters arms and carefully deposited her onto one of the two hospital beds that stood between him, John and Aquaman.
Arley's hand stayed in Hals as she powered down; both John and Hal sucked in shuttering breaths at Arley while Superboy and Artemis, each under one of Kaldurs arms moved the still unconscious boy off the ship; M'gann held the IV drip behind him.
Batman moved towards Dick who had Arley's lantern battery in his arms; Aquaman fidgeted nervously in his spot as he moved around to the head of the medical bed next to Arley. Arley as she laid back against the hard cushioning of the medical bed looked at Hal and John.
"I'm fine," Arley said as Kaldur was eased into the second bed, several protests filled the cave at the girls declaration, all of which Arley ignored. "The ring's healing me, I'm okay I don't need medical attention." Her shoulder still throbbed and everything seemed to move slightly too slow, as if it were under water, but Arley knew her broken nose had healed and shifted back to the the way it'd been before her beating and that the opened graze wound on her thigh had started to close.
"Have you looked at yourself?" John blinked, "If you think you're getting out of here without two examinations you're crazy, ring or not."
Arley looked to Hal whose face was uncharacteristically grim, M'gann passed Aquaman Kaldur's IV bag and Wally who stood at the foot of Arley's bed didn't blink as his uncle entered the room. The young speedsters eyes stayed on Arley, she could feel them weighing down on the side of her face.
"Hal―" Arley tried only for Earths first Lantern to squeeze her hand, cutting her off. Barry Allen with his mask off and hanging behind him like a hood paused as he walked to Wally,
"Jesus Christ kid," Barry said as he looked at Arley, covered in her own dried blood and sweat and Bialyan sand, Hal shifted and Arley slowly looked towards the older speedster, careful not to make the world around her spin.
"It looks worse then it is, promise." Barry didn't look like he bought it as he set a hand on his nephews shoulder, Wally only half turned to his uncle as Arley lowly turned back to her own adoptive father. Everything still hurt but not like it had when it had first happened, Arley's heart clenches under the pain as she blinked. She was getting better, she didn't need a doctor or the Justice League medical bay, she was fine, she was alive; but Hal hadn't seemed to agree with her because he looked at her the same way he always had when she had first come to live with him, sad and guilty and half angry― not at her, rarely ever at her ―but at the world.
"That doesn't matter," Hal said, "John's right," Hal's voice was heavy, it was tired and Arley could hear the fear in it, "Arley we could have lost you out there."
Arley― Wally shakes his head at something his uncle says; Barry had tried to talk to Wally across the room only for the red headed speedster to take four steps from Arley's bed and stop ―slumped against the medical bed.
Batman started to move away from Dick― once the Dark Knight had released Dick; the Dark Knight had wrapped his protegee in a tight fatherly hug ―and back over to Arley and Kaldur's unconscious body.
"Then-then can Wally stay with me then?" Arley asked, Wally turned at the mention of his name and Hal turned to Barry, "I mean, I know he has school in the morning but only until the Doc's done telling us I'm fine?"
"Wally has to debrief with the rest of the team," Batman says, his voice is softer then it usually is with Hal and John; his shoulders and posture through are tense.
"What no?" Wally protests, "I-Arley-she―" Wally couldn't get a full sentence out before Batman rested a hand on the teens shoulder, the boys uncle rested a hand between his shoulder blades and Wally's cheeks puffed out pink and angerly.
Batman didn't so much as blink at Wally though, his shoulders didn't move as he spoke— it didn't even look like the caped man was breathing and Arley supposed that was part of the reason Hal, when he and Batman had met, had thought the Dark Knight was a vampire —to the speedster slowly and calmly.
"Being part of this team means doing what's needed and what you need to do right now is a mission debriefing." Wally looked to Arley as if to ask the Lantern to argue with the cowled man but Arley didn't, with a grimace she looked at the speedster; she wanted to argue against what Batman was saying, she wanted to be― if not just for a moment ―a normal bratty teenager who wanted her best friend with her as she was poked and prodded and told how she failed, but she wasn't a normal teenager and regulation had to be followed at least to a point.
"He's right you need to debrief, Hal and John, you-they'll stay with me, right?" Arley looked up at John and Hal who both nodded without any hesitation; both men as they murmured 'Of course', and 'No duh', looked like nothing, not even the Guardians themselves could tare them away from Arley's side. Arley then looked back to Wally. "But you'll come see me before you leave right?"
Wally smiled at Arley with a forced lopsided grin, it's nothing like his actual smile― his actual smile brightened up a room, it made Arley's heart speed up because it was beautiful, more beautiful then any star Arley had ever seen ―and Arley hated how dim and lackluster the smile the boy wore was compared to the real deal.
"I'm not going home until you do," Wally swore, Barry's shoulders, though he smiled, dropped.
"Wally―" Barry tried to say but Wally turned to his uncle, Barry's hand fell away from Wally whose face was stony; a sharp glint in his unusually serious eyes.
"―I'm not leaving her." Barry sighed and the forensic scientist looked to Batman who nodded, Batman looked to Aquaman and Hal and John; Red Tornado as he began to lead Artemis and M'gann and Superboy out of the hanger and towards the Mount Justice Meeting Chamber let Hal and Aquaman― both of whom are pushing Arley and Kaldurs medical beds ―pass by him first; a green IV-stand constructed from John's ring is attached to the Atlantean boys bed, holding the IV bag upside down.
...
As a child Arley had never really liked the doctors, going to the doctors meant lying about her arm had been broken or her rib had been cracked and though time went on, as Arley grew her distaste didn't go away because while she may not have had to lie anymore going to the doctors started to mean something else; it started to mean she had failed.
On a successful mission Arley wouldn't have gotten hurt enough to have to been seen, she would have been bruised and slightly battered but she would have been allowed to walk it off; it was only when she failed Arley was sat on a stiff medical grade hospital bed and forced to listen about how she had messed up.
Dr. Leslie Tompkins is a normal woman who had, once upon a time went to medical school for eight years; she was also the Justice Leagues doctor when they need one. Arley isn't quite sure what hero brought the graying woman into the fold of capes and masks and tights just that though the woman was sweet and gentle, and that every time she listed another injury from Arley's chart it feels like the woman is telling her another way on how she failed.
An array of yellow-green bruises covering her body, an already healed nose fracture, a broken clavicle bone that would be healed before Arley went back to school in a few days, a mild grade two concussion that would be gone before morning, and a thigh wound that in the end needed three stitches— her shoulder wound needed five stitches on both sides because though it was healing, it had still been an open and gaping wound when Dr. Tompkins began to look at it —all sounded like, as Dr. Tompkins read her diagnosis' the word failure.
Ring or no ring after several years in the field Arley should have been able to take the soldiers in Bialya; any other Lantern would have. Any other Lantern would have figured out a way to lead a feral Superboy away from the destroyed tanks and out of danger. Any other Lantern would have been able to escape their chair and their binds even without their ring.
Hal's hip half rested on the side of Arley's bed and John sat at the food of the girls bed while just a few feet over in another medical grade hospital bed Aquaman looked over his own protegee. Arley looked to Hal and then John,
"I'm sorry," she told the two Lanterns after having taking the pain medication the doctor had left with her; she was sorry for failing them. Sure she hadn't told the soldier or the scientist anything— she had made that abundantly clear when she had explained to Hal and John and the Doc just why she was being interrogated —but she had still let herself be captured and interrogated in the first place.
"Don't be sorry," John said he rested his hand on Arley's knee, "Just be more careful next time."
Arley made a hummed sound from the back of her throat; she would do better on her next mission. Arley rested her head against Hal's arm and Hal, who after a beat of silence, tightly pressed lips quirked up looked at Arley almost mischievously.
"You know Wally seemed pretty worked up over having to give his mission report."
Arley lifted her head off of Hal's arm and looked up at her adoptive father dryly, she ignored the blooming feeling of hope that warmed her chest; Arley had to remind herself that Wally didn't like her like that. The way she liked him, and whilst he may not like M'gann he would never like her because they were friends. She wasn't beautiful the way the Martian girl was and she wasn't a capable Lantern— Roquette was right, she was the bad Lantern —she was a girl who Wally could watch slice of life anime's with and not have to worry about grossing her out over how much he ate.
"He was worried about me, we're friends," Arley murmured, John couldn't help but chuckle,
"You sure about that?"
"Of course I am, Wally-I, I don't even register as a girl-girl to him." Arley, as she remembered how Wally had told her the difference between her in a swim suit and M'gann in one was that she was his best friend, ignored John's dubious look. Beautiful, M'gann was beautiful the same way the sky was blue and the grass was green, in an obvious sort of way Arley clearly was not.
"Yeah okay," John rolled his luminescent green eyes and Arley opened her mouth only for Hal's ring to beep; though not in the same way Arley's had in the Biaylan dessert. Hal raised his ring and holographic-like images of both Kilowog and Katma appeared.
"Jordan is the kid okay?" Kilowog asked; "I just got back from patrol, Kat told me Stewart took off cause the kid got hurt."
"I'm fine Kilowog," Arley said from next to Hal, "Thanks for calling though."
"She is not," John said, "Don't believe her."
"Yes I am," Arley argued, "I swear, I'm fine!" Her throat tightened anxiously; she didn't want Kilowog or Katma to know how she had failed on her mission.
"She had a broken collar bone, a concussion, she's bruised worse then a peach and she was shot twice, the Doc needed to give her fourteen stitches," Hal listed. A weight settled onto Arley's chest; Kilowog had been her training officer, the first person to actually take care of her after her mother's dark fate, and hearing Hal tell him where she had failed, well it took every ounce of willpower the girl had in her not to sink back into her bed like a wilting flower because if there was anyone after Hal and John— and Guy —that Arley didn't want to let down it was Kilowog.
"She'll be okay though?" Katma asked and John moved from his spot by Arley's feet and rested his weight on Hals other side as he leaned close to the ring and the green holographic image of his wife.
"She'll be fine Kat, it'll take more a lot more then this to bring our kid down." Though the weight still heavily rested on Arley's chest the young Lantern couldn't help but smile; our kid. She'd always been the kid, the governments problem and she wasn't anymore, she was John and Katma and Kilowog and Guy and Hal's problem; she was theirs.
"Good," Katma-Tui nodded, she turned her head to look at Arley, "This weekend, when you are out of school, you'll come visit." It was less a request and more an order, the same way Mary West would tell Wally to wash the dishes or take out the trash. It was motherly and Arley loved it; Carol at times spoke to her like that too.
"I'll be there with bell on, promise," Arley nodded only to wince as the room around her started to sway, Hal sucked in a breath as he looked at Arley from the corner of his eyes as the girl shut her eyes and started to relax against the hospital bed she was in.
"Alright I think it's time to call it a night," the brunette man said, "Kilowog I'll call you later, talk to you soon Kat."
"Alright, kid," Kilowog said, "Get better and try to take it easy okay, I can only take so many heart attacks before you humans kill me." Arley couldn't help but smile because she knew what the Bolovaxian was really saying; be careful and stay safe, I love you.
"I dunno Sergeant," Arley said, she only ever called the Bolovaxian that when teasing him, "Forget the ring and Corps, I think my new calling in life is to scare you to death." While the other Lanterns chuckled Kilowog crossed his arms over his chest;
"Humans," the alien grumbled, "You all think you're so funny."
"Probably cause we are," Hal joked and Kilowog, though he was tiny, and a bright transparent green shot his first human rookie a dull and dry look.
"Good night Jordan, Stewart, kid."
"I'll call you when I'm heading back Kat, okay?"
"I love you," the Korugian woman said to her husband, "And Arley, I love you too." Arley murmured a love you back; she shut her eyes and breathed before slowly opening them. Everything hurt but she could ignore the pain and suck it up; she could.
Exhaustion rolled through Arley's body as she continued to settle into the hospital bed. The pain medication Doctor Tompkins had giving her began to kick in; breathing in deeply and ignoring the exhaustion Arley continued to look at the tiny green holographic image of Katma.
"Don't I get an I love you?" Hal wondered and like Kilowog Katma-Tui shot the pilot a dry look, it was a look Arley was used to seeing her adoptive father receive. Arley could, despite Katma-Tui's holographic form being no larger then her own thumb see the alien woman's faint smile.
"No Jordan, you don't."
"But Kat—" Hal was cut off by the call disconnecting; the senior Lantern snorted and turned to John, "She loves me," Hal said and John, with raised brows smirked.
"Yeah," the African American man said as he leaned away from Hal, "Like hole in head." Hal, with pursed lips shot his fellow Lantern a sarcastic look before looking down at Arley; the girl had began to blink tiredly at the two adult men, fighting to keep her eyes open.
"Do you want John and me to stay at the cave tonight, we can crash on the couches or in the old rooms―"
"―You don't have to," Arley said, warm at the offer, "I'll be fine, 'sides you have work tomorrow." Hal breathed a snort,
"I'm going to be calling out tomorrow." Arley frowned,
"What no," the young Lantern tried to push herself back up only for John to reach boast Hal and gently guild her uninjured shoulder to rest against the bed; "You call out enough as is."
It was true, between the urgent-SOS calls from other planets in the sector and the every day heroic duties Hal and to perform as a Lantern, Arley was sure the only reason the pilot hadn't been fired― aside from being one of the best pilots to ever walk through Ferris Aricrafts' doors ―was because Carol was totally and completely in love with Hal.
"I'll say you got into an accident, Carol will understand, she loves you," Hal said; Arley continued to frown, a yawn bubbled in her throat.
"But what if she doesn't?" Arley asked; there had been times over the years Arley's school had given Hal hell for pulling her out for a week or two at time― despite Hal always citing family emergency ―but what could either of them say, it wasn't like either Lantern could tell the school board or Carol Ferris the truth without revealing their identities.
"She will," Hal said and Arley opened her mouth to argue, "And if she doesn't," Hal said rhetorically, "You let me worry about that okay?"
With a pout― Arley's eyes looked up at Hal softly and her lips tipped upwards ―the girl nodded her head upwards once.
"Alright."
"Good, now get some sleep okay? You're talking to Dinah tomorrow."
Arley had expected that; even if Hal and John had let her get away without visiting the med-bay neither one of them, after taking a look at her, would have let her wait another four days before talking to the psychiatrist.
"Alright," Arley said, the girl, using her good arm, pulled the scratchy medical covers over her chest and up to her neck; Hal bent a pressed a chaste kiss to Arley's forehead, his hand hovering over her black hair; John, after Hal had moved pressed a kiss to the curve of Arley's check, the young girls eyes had fluttered shut and she could feel the ex-Marine against the ends of her lashes. When the two men left, both with a lingering look behind them the med-bay lights dimmed and Arley was left only with the soft sounds of Kaldur's breathing to lull her to sleep.
...
Arley was back in the tent, back in Bialya, her hands were tied behind her and though she was in her uniform she couldn't break free of the bonds that bound her wrist. Roqette's implicature pounded in her head: bad Lantern, bad Lantern, bad Lantern. Superboy though, wasn't strung up a dozen feet away from her and scientists weren't bustling around the tend, nor was the sphere that the scientists had been studying anywhere around them.
No, the only thing in the room with Arley― the only person ―in the room with Arley, was Kilowog. The large Bolovaxian looked down at Arley, his beady eyes narrowed and his lips pulled back into a snarl, and Arley could see the alien's pointed teeth.
"I can't believe I let you into the Corps," Kilowog sneered; "I can't believe I wasted a year training you." Arley flinched, her jaw tightened and she fixed her eyes on the boots of the Bolovaxian Lanterns uniform. "You're a shame, a failure." Arley's face smoothed out and her eyes hardened, her heart though clenched with every insult. "You're not worthy of the ring; of being a Lantern." She was though, wasn't she? She had saved lives and planets and she was a hero; the ring had chosen her because she was worthy; hadn't it?
"She's not worthy of a lot of things," a new voice sneered and Arley looked to see that Hal and John and Guy had joined Kilowog, their arms crossed over their chests and Arley sucked on her teeth to stop her bottom lip from wobbling. "You're useless," Hal told her, "You're selfish and weak."
"I can't believe we have to deal with her―our lives," John spat out, "Would have gone a lot smoother if it weren't for you." It was Guy who took two steps forward and grabbed the front of Arley's uniform, Arley and the chair she was tied to lifted off the ground and Arley's hazel eyes met Guy's blue. They were angry; they reminded Arley of past foster parents and Arley half wanted Guy to hit her, because being hit would hurt less then what the four Lanterns in front of her were saying.
"Are you even listening to us or are you so incompetent you can't even do that right?" Guy sneered. Hit me, hit me, hit me, Arley begged mentally; she kept her face cool and her eyes hard as her heart ached. Just stop hurting me. "I said―"
"―I heard you," Arley let out, her lips barley moving as she spoke; "I'm listening." Guy dropped Arley's chair and it rocked back and forth as he stepped back.
"No you're not," Arley looked to her left and Dick and Wally and the rest of the team glared at Arley, it was Dick who spoke. Arley focused on Wally and his steely eyes and how when the speedster looked at her it was with such a hate filled look that made her want to vomit. Bad Lantern, hit me, bad Lantern, hit me, it would hurt less then this. "Because if you were you'd hand over your ring and you'd get out of our lives."
"I-" Arley hadn't even meant to speak, but her mouth had opened as she focused on Wally, her eyes flickered over to M'gann who sniffed at her and turned into Superboys chest. Superboy glared at Arley the same way he had glared at the Cadmus scientists; like she was scum. Kaldur looked at her impassively; it was like she wasn't even worth being looked at. Artemis looked at Arley angerly, like she was upset with the Lanterns very presence. "I'm sorry."
Wally stepped forward but unlike Guy he didn't touch her; the speedster bent at the waist and in a cruel tone Arley wasn't even aware the teenager possessed he sneered at her. "Why are you even here; what good are you to the team if we have to carry your weight?" Arley's heart broke.
"Wally―"
"―Your mother lucky she is the way she is, your father's lucky he's dead, imagine if they had to know you." Arley's eyes flickered to Hal and John and Guy and Kilowog, her eyes watered. "Imagine if they had to deal with all your bullshit. You know I think I'm the unluckiest of us―"
"I have to live with that," Hal said scornfully, "I had to take it into my home." Tears started to spill down her cheeks; she was crying. Her chest shuttered painfully, Arley knew it, Hal didn't want her, he never had, he had only ever taken her into because the Guardians had made him. She was burden. "I could have a life of my own if it weren't for you; a wife and kids of my own if I didn't have to take care of such a selfish brat."
She was sorry, Nortz, Arley was sorry but as she opened her mouth to tell Hal that― to beg for forgiveness ―the words caught in her throat.
"But she loves me," Wally said tauntingly and Arley's blood froze. She could feel herself pale and she looked up at Wally as her shoulders shook with quiet sobs. "You think I didn't know? God you're pathetic of course I knew and of course I ignored it, who would ever want to be with someone as useless and worthless and broken as you? I mean think about it, who wants someone with so much fucking baggage? No wonder no one ever adopted you, they looked at you and they saw shit, worthless, broken shit."
No one, Arley supposed, No one can love me; and when Wally put it that way Arley wasn't quite sure why she even liked herself.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, she was sorry for being a burden and sorry for being a failure and unworthy of the ring, she was sorry for every breath she had ever taken. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry."
"Too late," and with that Wally pushed her chair back; Arley expected the back of her head to be met with the ground but as she fell back she continued to fall, and fall and fall.
...
Until she woke up; with a start Arley, in the darkened Mount Justice med-bay shot up into the medical bed she'd been put into. Sweat dripped down her forehead and tears ran down her face and she couldn't breath; everything hurt, every breath she sucked in hurt― her chest was tight ―and her shoulder and thigh throbbed; she babbled as she cried, that she was sorry.
Wally with drozey eyes was awake as soon as Arley had started to rock herself back and forth, still sobbing about how she was sorry. The speedster had flipped from sitting on the floor next to her bed with his back against the bed and his head leaned back onto the mattress so that he was kneeling at her bedside; her hand was still in his, their fingers threaded together.
"Hey-hey, Arley―" Wally tried to sooth but the girl squeezed her eyes shut; he was going to hurt her again, he was going to stick his hand through her chest and rip out her heart and she couldn't deal with that again, she couldn't handle it; she was sorry.
Everything hurt; everything from her heart to her shoulder to her thigh; she continued to apologies, maybe if she was sorry enough Hal would love her, maybe if she bared her heart― if she cut it out of her chest still beating and bloody ―Guy and John and Kilowog would welcome her back.
"Ar's, Arley―" Wally moved so that he was kneeling on the bed, he had dropped Arley's hand in favor of putting it on her uninjured shoulder while the other cupped her jaw, making the the Green Lantern turn to him, even if her eyes were shut. "Arley look at me."
Arley shook her head even though it made everything spin.
"Arley," Wally, begged his voice cracked as he did, "Please."
With a gasp Arley opened her eyes only to be met with Wally's brilliant green ones; they were sleepy and sad and concerned. Arley felt her stomach clench; he had school in the morning and here she was waking him up; here she was making him feel obligated to stay with her.
She was sorry.
Arley's chest shook as she breathed and Wally forced a smile and his thumb ran across her face as she looked at him.
"I'm sorry," Arley gasped, "I'm sorry." Wally's brows knitted together.
"Sorry? For what?"
"I-You have school." Arley took a sharp breath in, Wally shook his head unbothered by the fact he had school sooner rather then later. "I woke you up, I'm sorry."
"Ar's I don't care, it's fine."
"No it's not, you're here and not at home and I'm sorry!" Arley busted out into sobs, she bowed her head and Wally collected her girl and brought her against his chest; he threw her right thigh over his and it bent at his waist as he pulled her closer. One of his hands was in her hair as she cried against his chest and the other was splayed out against her back, between her shoulder blades. "I'm sorry!" Calmingly Wally rocked them back and forth. "I'm sorry!"
She was so, so sorry.
Wally pulled back, the hand that had been in her hair pinched at her chin; "Arley what're you sorry for?" With watery eyes the Lantern looked at Wally woundly,
"Everything!" She blurted out, "I'm sorry for for being a burden and mess and broken―" Wally's mouth fell open, horrified, "―And I'm sorry you and Hal and John and Guy have to put up with me and the team! I'm sorry for dragging them down! I'm sorry!" Arley busted out into another fit of sobs.
Closing his mouth Wally grabbed both sides of Arley's wet-red hot face and in a soft voice full of conviction Wally told the girl; "You don't have anything to be sorry about."
Arley frowned in confusion because that wasn't what they had all just said, what Wally had just said. Why was he saying something completely different?
"Yes I do, I―"
"―Arley," Wally said, "You don't drag the team down and John and Hal, they don't have to put up with you, they love you―" the speedsters face pinkened, "We all love you." Arley shook her head in denial; no they didn't, they hated her, she was a burden. "Yes! Arley, yes!" Wally moved his face closer to Arley's, his nose bumped into hers and his eyes never left hers. "We love you." Wally's mouth shut and though his Adams apple bobbed like there was more to say the speedster swallowed whatever it was. "Whatever you dreamed, that wasn't real."
Arley's lips parted, Dreamed?
The girl, pulling ever so slightly away from Wally, looked around, her mind was hazy and everything was foggy but she finally noticed― it finally sunk it because whilst she had noticed she was in the Mount Justice med-bay she hadn't grasped it ―her surroundings.
"A dream," she murmurer, her body sagged forward and her face rested in the crook of Wally's shoulder; "It was all a dream."
Wally's arms wound around Arley and the girl wrapped her other leg around his waist so that she was sitting in his lap, "'M sorry," Arley apologized, "I didn't mean to wake you up."
Wally rested his head against Arley's, unable to nestle his own head in the crook of her neck as her shoulder was still very much injured. The world around Arley began to slow as her began to stop beating in her ears. A heaviness settled over Arley, one that weighed the girl down like waterlogged clothing.
"There's nothing to be sorry for," Wally said as he moved against the med so that while he was against the mattress Arley was against his chest, her arms sandwiched between them as his hands rested on the small of her back. "You don't drag the team down," Wally breathed and Arley's uneven shuttered breaths began to even out, "You don't drag Hal or John down either, and you're not a mess or a burden."
"But I got hurt," Arley whispered, "On the mission, my ring died and I couldn't undo the ropes and I let Superboy get captured on my watch; any other Lantern would have been able get out of the ropes and lead Superboy away." Wally snorted,
"Ar's I guarantee Guy wouldn't have been able to lead a feral Superboy away and Hal, just last week, didn't he have to cut his shoelace because a knot got tied to close to the agelt?" Arley nodded against Wally's neck; he had taken a shower, he smelled of sandalwood and mint.
Last week Hal had spent a half hour trying to get a tightly done double knot out of his shoes only to give up and cut the knot and the plastic shoelace tip off. "So he probably wouldn't have been able to get out of the rope either."
"Think so?" Wally hummed,
"You're not a mess either, and you're not a burden." Arley didn't respond, she just frowned and Wally tightened his grip on her; "I'm serious," Wally told her, "You're not a burden, you're not."
Arley didn't believe him; she didn't think Wally would ever lie to her but Arley couldn't help but not believe him. Maybe Wally did believe she wasn't a burden and maybe he didn't believe she was dragging the team down but he was wrong; she was.
She knew it. She was the bad Lantern.
