It was almost Christmas in Starling City which meant that it was almost my birthday. I was about to turn 25 and I had already lived more than most people. I was in the lair once again, but this time I was sparring with Thea. Her training was coming along quite nicely. Pretty soon she would be combat ready. Her shooting still wasn't completely up to par though. Of course, I hadn't come across a situation where I needed an extra person. I knew that would probably come in the future, so it wouldn't hurt to have be prepared for it.
"You're getting better." I told her as we traded blows.
"I could say the same about you. You've crossed three names off the list this week alone." She countered, in more ways than one.
"Well some of the guys are giving up as soon as I visit them." I pointed out.
"The vigilante's reputation of beginning to proceed her." Diggle commented.
"Do you wanna go a round, Dig?" I questioned as I subdued Thea.
"No, I have to take my nephew to the mall so he can tell Santa what he wants for Christmas." He replied. "Plus it still hurts from last time."
"Christmas, I used to hate it to growing up." I stated.
"But Christmas is your birthday." Thea remarked.
"Exactly, it means that I had to deal with people asking me what I wanted and having to correct them all of the time. Plus everyone else got presents for Christmas and their birthdays and I got both at once." I replied. "It made me kind of glad that there were no holidays on the island."
"Well my family used to love Christmas." Thea declared. "My dad threw a party every year. There was a Christmas tree in every room. We haven't really celebrated it since."
"Well maybe you two should give the list a rest and spend Christmas with your families. I hear Santa has a list of his own and I'd reckon both of you are on the nice column."
I was on the island and was awoken by Yao Fei entering the cave.
"You not dead. Good." He replied. I knew his English was limited but he sounded kind of like a caveman…and looked like one with his beard. He brought me water and also Fiers. My first instinct was to kick him in the face.
"He's the man that had me tortured and raped!" I screamed. "He would have killed me if you hadn't shown up."
"Then you kill him, or he can take you home." Yao Fei explained.
"What?" I asked in surprise.
"He has a plane, a way for you off this island." The Chinese man told me.
Thea and I went home and I finally realized that there weren't any decorations around the house. I mean there were no neighbors, but Christmas wasn't about showing off to your neighbors.
"You were right about not celebrating Christmas." I declared. I couldn't have that. I wanted everyone to decorate for mine and Jesus's birthday. "I think we need to change this year. I know your dad and brother aren't around anymore, but Christmas is still a big deal."
"Well you can talk to my mom and Walter about it." She said. She looked like she had wanted to celebrate Christmas, but her mom hadn't been up to it.
I walked into the dining room to see that some kind of dinner party was going on. Malcolm Merlyn was there along with the commissioner. There were two seats at the table empty for Thea and me. I couldn't help but notice that the conversation was currently about me as in the vigilante.
"What are your thoughts, Sara." Malcolm asked me. That was the first thing he said to me in over five years.
"I think the vigilante needs a better code name than the Hood." I declared.
"I agree. How about the Green Arrow?" Malcolm suggested.
"That's lame." I declared before he took a sip of his champagne.
At that point, Mr. Steele got up to take a phone call. A few minutes later, my father arrived to talk to the commissioner. It didn't seem good.
"Is everything alright, Daddy?" I asked.
"It seems the vigilante has struck again. She just put an arrow in Adam Hunt." The commissioner explained. What?
"Sara, come to the bathroom with me." Thea replied as she dragged me off. Once we were away from everyone, she spoke up. "What the fuck? Why did you go after Hunt again?"
"I didn't." I declared. "I had no reason to and I wouldn't kill him. There's someone else."
"Who?" She challenged.
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." I promised. Now what's the best way to find a killer? It was a good thing that I had connections.
I walked into the police station. I already had a lunch date planned. I kissed my girlfriend before we went outside.
"So, I'm a little curious about this Adam Hunt case." I remarked.
"Why do you care about Adam Hunt?" She questioned.
"Well my sister was suing him." I pointed out. "What do you know?"
"He was killed with three black arrows to the chest." She explained. "I'm not on the case, but if you ask me, I think this was someone else. The vigilante had no reason to attack Hunt again. So what do you want for your birthday?"
"You remembered." I remarked with a big smile.
"I remember all of my interrogations." She replied. I wondered if she was kidding or not.
After the date was over, I took met up with Thea and Diggle in the lair.
"Who would want to kill Adam Hunt?" He asked. That was the million-dollar question.
"Maybe it was a set up." I declared.
"You mean they wanted to cover it up by making it look like the hood?" He questioned.
"Well, whoever it was, they were very good." Thea declared. "Firing three arrows at once and hitting the target is not easy. This is advanced archery."
"How do you know all that?" Diggle replied.
"I'm a trained archer. I finished first in the state twice." Thea pointed out. "Just because Sara won't let me have a bow doesn't mean I don't how to use one."
"Well this killer would use a particular arrow." I pointed out. "If we can get one, we see if we can find a pattern like with Deadshot and we can also find out who made it."
"How are you going to do that?" Thea asked me. The same way anyone who needed help would.
"I'm going to talk to my connections." I declared as I grabbed my coat.
I went to see Scarlett again. I had an excuse to see her. I could tell her what I wanted for my birthday and invite her to spend it with my family.
"I want an iPad." I declared.
"That will be easy enough to get." She told me.
"So, I've been thinking. I know the Hunt thing isn't your case, but could you still solve it?" I questioned.
"I mean technically I could, but that wouldn't make me very popular in the precinct, especially since your dad is the one on it." She declared.
"Well, I guess I'll talk to him." I stated. "Do you want to come my birthday party? I'm one of the few people to share a birthday with Jesus, so it's worth celebrating."
"Sure." She said with a laugh.
I then walked into the building where my dad was still there at his desk.
"You're working late." I commented.
"I'm just trying to get this figured out." He stated.
"Hey, can I see one of the arrows?" I asked. "I mean maybe from examining them, you'd be able to get more clues."
The following day, Thea and I went to Big Belly Burger together.
"I think there should be a national holiday for the guy who invented French fries." She declared before stuffing some in her mouth.
"He was Belgian." I pointed out. "So, if there's no Christmas party, I want to have a birthday party."
"Hi Thea." A female voice interrupted. She was tall with brown hair and brown eyes.
"Hey Shelley." Thea replied. She must have been someone Thea went to school with. "This is my friend, Sara."
"Hi Thea's friend." Shelley declared before looking back to her. "We're heading down to the bay if you'd like to come."
"Thanks, but I'm spending the day with her." Thea told her.
"I guess it'll be another time." She replied.
"So, how do you know her?" I questioned.
"We used to smoke crack together." Thea quipped before eating another fry.
"Why do I have a feeling I won't like her?" I questioned.
"You don't know her." Thea argued. "I'm allowed to have other friends besides you and Diggle and I won't tell anyone."
"Well we need to go back to your house because I need to announce my birthday party and we can also call it a Christmas party." I replied before I took her back to the house. Thankfully. Mr. Steele and Mrs. Queen were there.
"So, Thea tells me that you haven't been celebrating Christmas." I declared. "I think we should get everyone together for a Christmas party in honor of my birthday because no one will actually want to come here on Christmas. I'll organize everything."
Yes, it was a little weird organizing my own birthday party, but I needed to get everyone in the mood to celebrate because there still was a lot to celebrate.
"You're a good person, Sara." Mr. Steele declared.
On the island, Yao Fei and I took Fiers out into the forest.
"You're a good person." Fiers declared. "I can see it underneath the privileged upbringing and wealthy veneer. I saw it when my men tortured you, but you wouldn't give up you friend. He's not even much of a friend considering you just met."
"Shut up." I whispered.
"What do you know about him?" He asked. "Do you even know what this island really is? It's a prison. I mean this literally. It was used as a penitentiary for criminals so dangerous that they couldn't be incarcerated on the mainland."
That night, I got a call from Scarlett. I answered the phone hoping to tell her about the party.
"So, I'm kind of one the case now." She told me. "Your dad has been removed from it."
"Why?" I asked.
"I can't go into that, but I can tell you that there was another murder. The victim was another man that the vigilante hit." She replied. "I'm just saying this might interfere with my ability to come to your party. I'm going to try my best to make it, but I can't promise that I'll be there."
"Maybe, I can help you solve this case." I declared. "I know I'm not qualified in the slightest, but I know solving it will make you happy. I really think we should look at the arrows."
"I can send you some pictures." She declared. "Are you sure that you have time to do this while building your club?"
"The guys are off for the holidays." I explained.
I loved over the pictures, They weren't as good as the real thing, but I was pretty sure that I could get what I needed from them.
"So, looks like your girlfriend gave you an early birthday present." Diggle commented.
"This is a Teflon-based polymer and serrated to split the bone." I declared. "This is a custom job."
"Well your dad got removed from the case after this archer dropped another body." Thea stated.
"Nelson Ravage, another guy who was on the list." I replied.
"Well this person is either trying to frame you or call you out." Diggle said.
"Either way, I have to find this person." I stated. "Thea, I want you to come with me because you know a lot about arrows."
So, the next day, I brought Thea with me to meet Scarlett.
"Why did you bring her?" Scarlett asked.
"I know this would be a great date, but Thea is trained archer." I explained.
"First in state twice." Thea commented. "So, I think these arrows are custom-made. Do we know of anyone who makes custom arrows?"
"There is a place." Scarlett remarked. "It's called Sagittarius, named after the constellation. If they made these arrows, we can get the information about when and where it was sent to. Just give me a few minutes to make a phone call."
"Do you think they can tell us who it was sent to?" I asked.
"I would say probably not considering the person was using them to kill people." Scarlett stated before she made the call and I waited. A few minutes later, she had the address. "This is some very useful information. We probably don't have time to go to there tonight because of the party."
"Yes, that reminds me. I need to pick up the cake." I declared.
"I will see you there." She declared before kissing me. I sent Thea home with Diggle. I would have enough time to grab the cake and stop by.
Of course, all I found was an empty lair with some kind of time triggered bomb in it. I rushed out the door as fast as I could. This person was very good.
I arrived at the house wearing a blue vintage floral lace dress with a black sash tied in a bow. Since I got to choose the cake, I went with a lemon layer cake with berries on it. Shortly after I walked in, I saw Shelley walk in.
"So, Thea invited me. I hope that's cool." She declared. "Happy birthday."
"You can put the gift on the table." I told her. I didn't trust her. There was something that made me not like her.
I went inside to find that Scarlett was there. She was wearing a beautiful green dress.
"So, you two are really together." Laurel declared.
"Yes, we are." I confirmed. "I'm glad you're here."
"Well, I'm glad that we can celebrate." Dad replied. "Your mother couldn't come early, but she'll be here on your actual birthday."
"Well let's get a picture of the three of us." I suggested as I pulled him and Laurel come and smiled. I couldn't help but notice that Thea was taking Shelley away.
I could tell that the party was going great. I was happy about it. I did dread everyone singing to me though because I hated it. At least I was pretty sure that they wouldn't try to blend "Happy Birthday" with a Christmas song like my family did one year. That was a train wreck and it should never be spoke of. Yes, the video did exist. I needed to make sure that I find it and destroy it sometime because I couldn't let anyone see it ever.
"So, how does it feel to be celebrating your birthday for the first time in five years?" Scarlett asked me when we were alone in my room. "That came out wrong."
"No, it's fine, the truth is, I didn't even always know it was my birthday. It was hard to keep track of days when I was there." I explained. I had known it was my birthday at points, but I still didn't have time to celebrate it or Christmas. While I was doing all of the things that I was doing, holidays in general just weren't important. I was glad to have a sense of normalcy back in my life. "You know I want to take that dress off of you, so bad."
"What's stopping you?" She asked.
"I feel it's a little too soon." I replied. "And to tell you the truth, I've never actually had sex with a woman before. There was drunken touching a feels times, but never actual sex."
"It probably isn't the best to do it tonight anyway." She agreed. "I would not want to keep you from your own party. You know you did a really good job at setting all of this up."
I realized that I should probably go downstairs because it was about to be cake time. I really hoped that the cake was actually good. It would be nice if they let you have samples of the cake before you purchase it. It was supposed to be the best bakery in Starling City, so I probably didn't have anything to worry about. I also realized that I should make sure that to find Thea. I knew that she liked berries, which was another reason that I got that particular cake. I headed down the hall to her room.
However, before I could open the door, I was found by Laurel.
"Can I talk to you?" She asked.
"Yeah, you can talk to me about anything." I declared.
"You know I kind of want to move forward with Tommy, but I feel like something is holding me back." She explained. "I keep making these excuses, I haven't been in a serious relationship with anyone since Oliver and I know how that turned out, so I'm scared of being hurt again."
"Look, Tommy is a good guy and you're going to be great together." I remarked. "Just do whatever you feel is right and I know that everything will work out in the end with the two of you."
"Thank you." She said before she headed downstairs.
I then opened the door to Thea's room.
"Thea, it's time for cake." I declared. However, I saw more than I wanted to. Both Thea and Shelley were naked and…I don't want to talk about it.
"Sara…" She replied as she had the deer in the headlights look.
"You need to leave." I told Shelley. She threw her dress on and puts her shoes on before she ran out. I wasn't even sure if I had any right to be mad because she wasn't my sister.
"What the hell are you doing?" She asked.
"I thought you wanted a party." I remarked.
"No, I didn't want a party. You wanted a party. I don't like Christmas anymore. I know it's your birthday, but all it does is bring up memories of things I want to forget. I don't feel like having any cake."
I barely had time to eat cake before Scarlett pulled me away.
"I have to go. This archer has taken hostages and they're calling everyone in." She declared. It looked like I would have to leave as well.
Diggle also told me that the archer wanted me specifically. I knew it was a bad situation to go into, but I couldn't people die because of the mess that I made. I had to help them.
"I have to help them." I declared.
"Sara, this person is dangerous." He countered.
"I dealt with things twice as dangerous as this person on the island." I shouted. I was glad it was a big house or else someone might have heard me.
On the island Yao Fei told Fiers to call his plane. However, we quickly learned that it was an ambush. Fighting ensued and I ran. I turned around and I saw that Yao Fei was overmatched and they captured him. I knew I couldn't do anything without getting captured too, so I continued to run.
I headed out dressed and ready. It was nearing the deadline and I had to do whatever I could to save the people inside. I knew the police would be looking for me, so I had to do find a good way to get inside without being seen, or triggering the explosives that were around the building. I was dealing with a professional and I would have to be very careful. I slid in through the top of the building on a zip line. It wouldn't be the easiest to get out, but I needed to focus on saving the people first. I immediately started to untie everyone. I began to lead people to the exit. I figured the roof would make the most sense and it would distract the police. I began to look around for the archer before I heard footsteps and turned around and there he was. It was a man, a tall man.
"Thank you for coming. After the warehouse, I knew I'd have to do something dramatic to get your attention." He remarked.
"What do you want with me?" I asked.
"What any archer wants: to see who's better." He replied as he grabbed his bow.
We both began to fire, missing each other with the first few shots. I took to the rafters and prepared to fire, but he spotted me and shot my bow away before hitting me in the knee. I grabbed my bow and began to fire again. He then shot me in the several times. I was in trouble. He started to kick me repeatedly. This was going to take some time to heal.
"First Hunt and then Ravage and then you." He remarked. "I know you know about the list and the man who wrote it wants you dead. They call you the Hood let's see what you look like without it on."
He prepared to remove my hood but I grabbed an arrow and stabbed him in the knee. He then ran off and I made my escape. I pulled the arrows out and went the window, falling on a dumpster in the process. Luckily, I had my walkie on me for things like this.
"Diggle, I need help," I groaned into it. It had a tracker so he could find me, I then passed out.
When I woke up, I was in the hospital. Diggle and Thea were by my side.
"What happened?" I asked.
"I cleaned you and got you out of there." He explained. I assumed he also got my costume off. I knew he respected me enough not to do anything. "The doctors say you have three broken ribs and a concussion but you're going to be fine. Some people are here to see you."
At that point, Laurel and my dad walked into the room.
"Are you okay?" My sister asked.
"At least you were wearing your helmet." Dad replied.
"I told them how you were on your bike and a semi pulled out in front of you." Diggle explained.
"How could you leave your own party?" Laurel asked.
"Well I saw the news. I was helping Scarlett solve this case and I wanted to do something, anything, but I couldn't. I know I shouldn't have but I just felt helpless. Did they get those people out of there alive?"
"Yeah, but that other archer got away." Scarlett said from the doorway. "That was sweet that you wanted to do something, pretty stupid but sweet. I mean what would you have done if you saw the guy?"
"I don't know. I wasn't thinking clearly." I lied. I probably wasn't thinking clearly to begin with. I went into battle without knowing anything about my opponent and I got my ass kicked.
"Anyway, you should probably get some rest." Scarlett replied.
At that point, everybody but Thea left the room.
"So, I never got to give you your present." She told me.
"I don't think I'm in the mood for that right now." I replied. "I'm sorry for how I was earlier. Your personal life is none of my business. So, is it true that you like girls now?"
"Well I didn't exactly get the chance to find out." She quipped. "So it looks like you got beaten badly. Maybe I could have helped you."
"Or you could be here with me. This guy is good, Thea." I replied. "Next time I face him, I need to be ready. You know when I confront someone on the list, I tell them that I failed the city, but tonight it was me who failed."
"No, you didn't fail. You may not have stopped the bad guy, but you rescued the hostages. You'll stop this guy soon."
"There's more. The other archer told me that someone wrote the list." I explained. "It wasn't your dad. Someone else made it."
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I think that there's someone out there more dangerous than the archer and I'm gonna take him down." I promised.
So I couldn't come up with anything else and just moved forward. Sara and Scarlett are starting to get serious, but Sara stopped Thea from having sex. Shelley is played by Shelley Hennig. Please don't forget to review.