Chapter 12: Terrors
I do not like this. Belle Reve penitentiary is a highly secure federal prison that holds supervillains. Walls tested by Superman himself, this prison holds a few well known supervillains including Killer Frost, Captain Cold. To make matters worse, soon Mr. Freeze, and Icicle Jr will be there as well. It would be dangerous to send any of us there, but to send two fairly new heros in for an undercover mission is something I wouldn't expect Batman to set up.
"This past Fourth of July four ice villains staged simultaneous attacks. Mr. Freeze, Icicle Jr., Killer Frost, and Captain Cold were all easily apprehended." The Dark Knight informs the four of us. Superman was at his side avoiding eye contact with Conner much to my annoyance, while Martian ManHunter and Red Tornado were behind us. I remember hearing about this while at home the day I met the boys. I always thought a coincidence of that caliber was not possible. If Batman is suspicious, I must be right.
"Perhaps too easily. Cold and Frost were immediately sent to Belle Reve penitentiary, a federal prison designed to house super-criminals. The 17-year-old Icicle Jr. was sent to a juvenile facility. Mr. Freeze, to his usual cell in Arkham Asylum. But Freeze petitioned the court to be declared legally sane and Junior sued to be tried as an adult. As a result, both await transport to Belle Reve which seems to have been the goal all along. I'm sending the two of you in to find out why." Kaldur is the first to ask the most important question.
"Who inside the prison will know their true identities?" I looked at Batman alright figuring out his plan.
"No one. If the prison staff is compromised, they will be put in even greater danger. Am I correct?" Batman gave me a nod.
"Aqualad, you and Archangel will be positioned on the bioship as a point of contact, and in case something goes wrong." Batman instructed
My eyes traveled over to the two, who stood beside me, ready for the task. I know I should have more faith in them, but prison changes people. Those two are new to earth, there are many more possibilities that this could go wrong than that of which it will go right. To deny they are the best suited for the mission, would be a lie. With M'ganns shapeshifting abilities and her telekinesis she could easily assume the identity of Tuppence Terror, while Conner certainly has the strength, all he needs is to recolor his hair. Still, I could not shake the feeling that something may go wrong,
Things were already set to go in motion. In an approximate week from now, Superboy and Miss. Martian will be set to go to Belle Reeves penitentiary, with only each other for back up. A sigh escaped my lips as I ran my hand through my hair, this will be extremely stressful.
The problem with having a best friend is that they know everything about you. They know your favorite color, they know what you like to do, they know when you're upset. Kaldur fits this description perfectly. He knows all of those things, including when I am upset, much to my annoyance. Immediately after the brief, Kaldur tried to calm me down by telling me that they will be fine, as if he is the one on the team who could read minds. The sheer audacity of him to know my discontent just by the small details. I tried to tell him I will be ok, that I just need to get comfortable with it, but I could see in his eyes that he did not believe me. Kaldur was worried about me, and saw it fit to text me everyday since. It made me happily annoyed.
In the days to follow the announcement of the mission, I tried to keep my mind occupied. That night I discovered I was picked to be in the band by Marqueis, who was quickly becoming one of my close friends. I would go to school, avoid Casey and Johnathan to no avail, band practice. Even though I felt extremely distracted by the mission, the band and I grew close. Eric has come to be a dear friend of mine, and Has made it his mission to make me into a fashion icon. He says I have excellent bone structure, and a body that would look great in many outfits. Ashley stated that she would be his "dress up doll", but they have established long ago that she would, in her words, rather die. Other than that she and I have gotten closer, being the only two girls in the group. She was excited that I was not as girly as she had originally thought, and took that to mean I would be one of the only girls she can stand to be close friends with. Ashton was excited that I was around too, being that I can help him with his homework, and that we shared a love for pop culture. Marqueis, however, was my best friend out of the group. We had a lot of things in common, such as our love for knowledge, and the fact he was so laid back. In a few ways he reminds me of Kaldur. He is effortlessly confident, and level headed, until someone threatens his friends. Marqueis is smart, and loyal to his core. Marqueis is also friends with everyone except most of Casey and Johnathan's group of close friends, which can be a hassle whenever we are trying to talk. We're such good friends, that he has even entrusted me to be his choice partner in our end of semester project, which is worth half of our grade. He told me that he typically doesn't participate in group projects, because he ends up doing most of the work, but he felt that I would carry my weight.
Ms. Shayera, and Mr. John were finally ready to move into our new house. In order to avoid the stress of moving, my mom and dad convinced me to stay at the cave, which was a lot more helpful. They told me that I would likely only end up staying for a week at most, but when I got home, everything would be put together and painted, so I could invite some friends over for our housewarming party if I wanted. I thought of inviting the team, but I have not brought it up yet.
Because I do not have to help with the move, I have time to do the things that I need to do. My day as of the moment consisted of the following: I would go to school ignoring the Sterling twins, then to band practice to catch up on the bands older songs, then back to the cave and study in the living room with M'gann and Superboy, then I get to practice using my new weapon, which I have managed to extend into a staff, but no further.
My mind always traveled back to the stress, which was starting to take a toll on me. All of this worry of Oz, the fact that I haven't seen Clay or been able to talk to him. I am still unsure if I can really trust him. My new powers need to be tamed. Not to mention the overlooming fact that I have been trying to avoid. Dr. Oz has been on many missions that the team has gone to. It seems to me that he is growing ties with many villains not just to get to me, but to succeed in world domination. It just seems to me that I cannot catch a break.
My legs were crossed as I attempted to focus on the weapon of Gaia. My eyes were closed as I attempted to drown out the noise. Just focus on what I want it to be. Put my energy into making a knife. Something small but challenging. A staff into a knife. My thoughts suddenly thought of the mission, the possibility of M'gann getting hurt. I opened my eyes to see the weapon was still a bo staff. Frustration grew in me as I closed my eyes again attempting to focus, until my mind flashed to Superboy bleeding. Still no knife. Focus on the knife. An image of Dr. Oz, Disciple, and Seraph flooded my mind. I tried to bring my attention back but when I opened my eyes, I still found no knife. With a loud, frustrated groan, I let the staff drop beside me, turning back into its small handheld cylinder. I let my body fall back, hitting the training floor as I ran my hands through the hair of my bang. My wings spread out around me, allowing me to comfortably lay on the floor with no restrictions. I finally gave into my thoughts letting them swim freely like a koi fish in a pond.
"It is unlike you to have trouble focusing." A familiar voice called said to me. I could hear their footsteps coming towards me, they weren't extremely heavy, but they were nowhere near light footsteps, like M'ganns, or Artemis. I let out a small sarcastic snicker not bothering to look to see him.
"I suppose it is." My arm now laid comfortably over my white eyes, blocking out the light. I could hear Kaldur lay down next to me on the floor. We laid there for a few minutes in a comfortable silence before Kaldur spoke up.
"You may find it easier to focus if you took a day to clear your mind."
"That's a little easier said than done Kaldur." My voice sounded exhausted as I let out a small sigh. The sound of Kaldur standing up beside me caused me to move my arm and look at him. He was wearing a jacket with a high collar to cover his gills, with a pair of jeans. He held out his hand to me with a small smile and I could not help but smile back.
"Come with me and we'll find out." That smile. That smile can make anyone follow him anywhere.I looked down at my weapon with a frown. I am clearly not going to get anywhere with it today, though I doubt there is much he can do to clear my mind. Hesitantly, I took Kaldur's hand. He pulled me up with ease with a light smile on his face. What does he have planned?
"You know," I started with a playful look of suspicion, "I do not believe a day out will destress everything that is going on, and typically I am correct." Kaldur gave me a smirk that nearly made my heart stop.
"Is that a challenge?" His voice came out deep and firm, making me slightly weak in the knees. He does not even know what he's doing to me. My face felt flush as I looked away, taken aback by his change in behavior.
"I-It is." I stuttered out.
"Challenge accepted. You may want to change before we depart." I immediately knew what he meant. I had changed into a black pair of work out leggings, with an open back, blue tank top freeing my wings. My long white hair was still up in its typical high ponytail falling onto my shoulders, it's getting long. Perhaps I should consider cutting it.
"Give me a few minutes. Namuh." My features changed into that of a normal looking human as I ran off to my guest bedroom to change, thinking of what Kaldur had planned.
Conner and M'gann were nowhere to be found as I went to my bedroom to change. Their mission was in a few days, perhaps they went out to go get hair dye for Superboy. My worries began to pile up once more as I changed my clothes. A pair of ripped, light blue jeans, with a flowy, ivory green, off the shoulder shirt, and ankle high black boots, with a black leather jacket to cover my arms. Giving myself one more look over, I looked at my hair, which now came down to my back. I pouted and pulled it from its ponytail, and pulled it back into a low bun, pinning my bangs to the side.
I walked out to Kaldur who was waiting by the zeta tubes for me. He gave me a smile and led me through to a large city. I looked around at the tall buildings and tried to find a familiar landmark.
"Ok, I have no idea where we are." I said as Kaldur took my hand and guided me along. He did not say a word, so I let out a happy sigh. Best friends are usually trustworthy enough.
Columbus Ohio. He brought me to Columbus Ohio. My excitement knew no bounds as we pasted by the Ohio State house. Columbus has beautiful botanical gardens. I hummed happily as Kaldur and I sat on the metro train. We talked and laughed a little about different things. Kaldur's favorite color is red, and he told me he loves how the surface has so many attractions. They have things down in Atlantis that they do for fun, but the surface tops it all. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the metro, people swarmed around us making me hold onto his hand tightly so we would not get separated. We finally made it through the crowd and my eyes lit up at the sign in front of us. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
I never experienced a childhood, but I imagine being a child would feel like what I feel right now. We approached the gate, and through my objections, Kaldur paid our way through. I excitedly pulled Kaldur throughout the zoo seeing the different animals. We saw the lions, and tigers, majestically playing in their habitats. We saw primates playfully swinging around in their habitats, and apes lying about peacefully in their home. My eyes lit up at the avian habitat looking at the numerous beautiful birds.
We moved to the reptilian exhibit, where I stuck close to Kaldur. I have never seen a snake in person, but I do not think I like them. They seemed a bit too creepy to my liking. Kaldur had laughed when he realized I was hiding behind them in the python exhibit. As we walked through, I discovered I love polar bears, as they were so cute and adorable to me.
Then we moved to the aquarium part of the zoo, where Kaldur revealed in telling me all about the different fish, and aquatic animals. He happily told me stories of how he, Tula, and Garth had come across a large group of sea snakes. I shivered at the thought of being surrounded by them. He went on and on pointing out different types of animals that live in the sea, and I could see the sparkle in his eyes as he spoke fondly of each experience. Kaldur and I had been taking a few pictures periodically, and as I looked through them as we started to leave the zoo a woman holding a camera approached us. She had a tan, button down, short sleeved shirt on with a pair of black slacks on. Her short brown hair was cut down to her ears covered up by a ball cap. Her smile brightened as we gave her our attention.
"Hi, my name's Caroline Thurman. I've been taking pictures for the zoo website today and couldn't help but notice you two are an adorable couple! Do you mind if I take a few pictures of you both?" I smiled brightly.
"Of course!" I grabbed Kaldur's hands and gave him a bright smile. I could see a small bit of red on his cheeks before he gave me a smile and gave Ms. Caroline a nod.
"Great! I'll even give you two a copy of the pictures! It'll only take a few minutes." She instructed us on how she'd like for us to pose. The first one she just wanted us to walk normally, which was easy enough. The second was a little bit more intimate. I'm starting to realize I may not have understood what she meant by an adorable couple. She wanted Kaldur to put his arm around my shoulder, and for me to hold his hand, with our fingers intertwined. She told us to look at each other and smile, and even though I felt embarrassed by it, when I looked Kaldur in his eyes I gave a very genuine smile. Kaldur, of course, gave me one back and the mini photo shoot felt so much more natural, despite the miscommunication.
We took a few more, relationship type photos before we took the lay one. Ms. Caroline told us to take one however we'd like. Happily, I leaned a little into him and smiled brightly at the camera and I could feel Kaldur leaning into me a little with a small smile. We were not too far apart in height, but he did have to lean down a little to look a little closer to me. The two of us walked with Ms. Caroline, got our pictures and thanked her for her time. As we exited the zoo I noticed it was starting to get dark, and the crowds were getting thicker. Kaldur grabbed my hand to prevent us from being time our fingers were intertwined and I began to blush. This time, even when we made it onto the train, he didn't let go.
Once the train stopped, Kaldur led me to the botanical gardens. Franklin park conservatory and botanical garden is absolutely beautiful at night. The lights mixed with the beautiful, color-coordinated flowers. Kaldur and I were marveled at the beauty that surrounded us. After walking though most of the garden, we took a seat on a bench and Kaldur handed me a hot dog that we had gotten at a nearby stand, something that I've always wanted to try. I got mine "all the way", while Kaldur simply got mustard and relish on his. I took my first bit and moaned at how enjoyable it was. A hotdog is worth the wait, very much worth the wait. After a few minutes of eating, we both finished our food and I just looked at all the flowers in a peaceful content.
"So did I succeed?" Kaldur asked me as he finished his hot dog. I turned toward him with a slightly confused look on my face.
"Succeed?"
"In de-stressing everything that's going on by having a day out?" My eyes widened in shock, I nearly had forgotten about that. In fact, I've completely forgotten how stressed I was before we came out here. I am rarely wrong, but Kaldur was right. Today was all I really needed to really clear my mind. I feel so much more light, even with knowing about everything that is happening. Then I realized that Kaldur had planned everything today for me because he knows just how stressed out I have been. My hands flew up to my mouth as different emotions washed over me. I feel cared for, and grateful, but mostly I just feel loved. Without thinking, my arms flew around Kaldur as I engulfed him in a large hug. A few tears of joy escaped my eyes as I felt Kaldur wrap his arms around my waist.
"You were highly successful today, Kaldur'ahm." I said as his grip tightened. We finally pulled away from our hug and I smiled brightly at him.
"Thank you so much, Kaldur. You did not have to do all of this for me." He smiled at me kindly causing my heart to hammer in my chest.
"I know you have been very stressed lately, with the mission, school things, and Oz. I just wished for you to be calm and know that I will always be here for you, my friend." I could not help the smile that grew on my face. Kaldur is so thoughtful, considerate, and simply amazing. I appreciate having him in my life so much. I leaned up and placed my lips on his cheek for just a brief moment, before laying my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes to listen to the nearby fountain. I could feel him slowly relax and lay his head on my as we both sat in a comfortable silence. The best part of having a best friend is that they are always there for you, and they will always find a way to make you happy.
The day of the mission has finally arrived. I sat in the warehouse with Aqualad, Miss. Martian, Superboy, Red Tornado and Batman. We wore our crime fighting attire, saved for Superboy who was dressed like Tommy Terror, as we waited for the Terror twins to come crashing in, initiating our plan. I held the inhibitor collar in my hand next to Aqualad, who had one in his as well. I had gone through the mission parameters with Miss. Martian, and Superboy one more time before the twins came through the ceiling. Discombobulated they both sat up, the boy looking up with his almost nearly neon blue eyes as he rubs the back of his neck near his chain and lock necklace. Aqualad and I stepped placing the collars on their neck, before they had a chance to do anything. The boy notices first yelling a sharp yelp through his thick southern accent. The collar's three slots all glow bright red, indicating that it has turned on.
Despite the high pitched whine the boy tries to make a grab at Aqualad, but Kaldur easily pulls the other teen's arm behind his back. Thegirl tried to grab me as well, but I easily grabbed her hand and twisted it upward to immobilize her.
"That don' feel right." Tommy Terror groans, still fighting against Kaldur. He was getting nowhere, neither was the girl. It takes a moment for the two to realize why they feel off.
"My strength. But I dun' just gone toe-to-toe with Superman." Tommy Terror was in complete disbelief that this was in fact happening, much to my amusement. It's a good thing my mask hides my face because the smile I had was not intimidating at all.
"Congratulations." Superboy's voice is almost sarcastic as his heavy-duty combat boot comes into view, showing off that in both outfit and hairstyle he looks identical to the male Terror twin. "That's more quality time than he's ever given me." Miss. Martian and I trade worried looks, before heading over to the female Terror Twin, placing a single hand on the girl's shoulder. I would have to talk to him about that later.
"Gotch'er inspiration, sister Tuppence?" Superboy asks, his accenting matching the deep Southern one the boy was using. As Miss. Martian turns towards Superboy, she shapeshifts to match the female Terror, Tuppence, completely stunning the two real Terrors. "I believe I do, brother Tommy." Her accent is a little less pronounced, but not wrong. I know she has been practicing on it all week in preparation for this mission.
"Somebody tell me what's goin' on!" Tommy demands of the two look-alikes as Batman comes up behind us.
"It's simple," the Dark Knight tells the Terror twins. "they're under arrest." He placed an inhibitor collar on both Miss. Martian, and Superboys necks emphasizing the point that the two of them will be taking their place indeed. Aqualad and I exchange a quick nervous glance before taking the real Terror twins to the trusted authorities.
2 days later, Kaldur and I were sitting in the bioship on standby for Mgann and Conner. I had to admit, it was dreadfully boring. I was to go to school, then go to practice, per Aqualads request, after that I was to come to the bioship and relieve Red Tornado of watch duty, until Kaldur could come. The first day I assumed would be mostly uneventful. There would be no benefit in telling new inmates of an escape plan so easily. The most they would do is hint at it, possibly initiate them into their crew. It would take one of them to show how beneficial they are to their plan or a deeper loyalty to know this quickly.
Regardless Kaldur and I sat patiently awaiting an update from Miss. Martian or Superboy to update us on their situation. In the meanwhile I took to completely this week's homework assignments. AP classes were very informative, but the workload can be a little strenuous. It is nothing I can not handle, gratefully I am diligent and efficient enough to be able to complete the work swiftly. Kaldur would ask me periodically if I required any assistance, and we would make small talk while I worked, but he respected my work ethic enough to allow me to focus on finishing my homework for the most part.
It is strange. Ever since Kaldur took me on our day out, I have felt so much more close and relaxed around him. Before I believed that the two of us were already close, but now we have our inside jokes and things that only the two of us can talk about. In short, I feel even closer to Kaldur than I had before. Unfortunately, I do not just mean in friendship. Do not misunderstand, I have greatly enjoyed the times where the two of us have been alone. I have known for a while that I have feelings for Kaldur, however, I have noticed that I have been a bit more taken with him than usual. For instance, I have been staring at Kaldur more often, my mind sometimes drifts to the two of us having more intimate moments, and I find my heart pounding faster when he is around. It is getting harder to deny the fact that I do have romantic feelings for Kaldur, and that scares me because I realized that I do not know how to care for someone in that way. Kaldur deserves someone who knows how to be with someone in a romantic way and I fear that I may not be that someone.
"Aqualad, Archangel Superboy discovered that the break is coming, sooner than later." Miss. Martian reported telepathically Aqualad looked at me as I weighed my options.
"Do you think we should pull them out and contact the league?" I'm honestly a little surprised they were able to find out something so quickly, however, we can not be so quick to pull them out. Even though we can stop the prison break tonight, we should be weary of their plans to do so, otherwise they can just postpone.
"If we do, it is likely Icicle would simply postpone. The best course of action is to find out how they plan on breaking out, to prevent it from happening again." I said decisively.
"Understood, we will update you when we uncover the plan." Miss. Martian stated. I looked at Kaldur who had just let out an annoyed sigh. Quickly, I placed my hand on his and gave him a small smile. He gave me one back before sitting back in his chair.
Once I finished my homework, I took a seat next to Kaldur with one leg folded underneath me. Kaldur diligently went over some of the building plans, to find escape routes if need be, though I told him it would be unnecessary since I already memorized it for us. This is dreadfully boring. I let out a sigh and hung my upper half off the chair, something that Ashley's done when she was being 'overdramatic' according to Eric. Kaldur glanced over at me with a small chuckle.
"Bored?" A groan escaped my lips as a response, something else Ashley does often.
"Entirely. This is the worst part of being a leader on an undercover mission." Kaldur nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, but someone must do it. Perhaps we can find a better way to occupy our time?" I raised a brow at him as he gave me a small smirk. What fun could we possibly have while being on watch?
This is not what I had in mind for fun. Kaldur's idea of fun was to train, and truth be told, training on my stubborn unchanging weapon is not my idea of fun. I have grown frustrated with the weapon, because even with a clear mind, IT WILL NOT CHANGE. Kaldur believes that I am thinking too methodically when it comes to this weapon, so being used to changing a weapon at will, he offered to help me. It still did not help the glare I had at being misled.
"Kaldur'ahm. This is not my idea of fun." We were sitting crossed legged across from each other, his water bearers sitting in his lap, the weapon of Gaia sitting in my own. Kaldur raised a brow at me before giving me a stern look.
"Rose, you have been putting off mastering the sword of Gaia for far too long." I rolled my eyes before holding the weapon out.
"But I have tried! The most I can do is make it longer, it is like it does not want to listen to me!" I complained.
"You're thinking of it as a weapon whose powers you must tame. When I use my water bearers, I am only using it to channel the power that I already have. Perhaps you should try it that way?" I blinked at Kaldur a little surprised by his words. I had always assumed his water bearers were induced with magic themselves. Could the key to using this weapon be that simple? To use the power within me to power the weapon? It does make sense. Gaia originally let me take the weapon without any sorts of barriers, I had always thought she did that knowing I would not get far, or to test me, but she likely thought would not have the power to use it.
"It still boggles my mind how well you know me Kaldur." He smiled a little as I closed my eyes to focus. I focused my powers into the weapon, trying to control it as best as I can. The worst part about my powers is that it is very difficult to maintain. Electricity can be wild and unpredictable, so placing power into a metal weapon is a little tricky. I imagined the weapon as a katana, focusing on the shape, the color of the blade and the way the hilt felt in my hands. I thought of the weight, and how long it was. How I can use it to my will without a second thought. I cracked my eye open to see if anything had changed, and much to my disappointment. Another groan escaped my lips as I threw my head back and stood up. I should have known it would not work. I felt Kaldur come behind putting his under my own. My face began to heat up a little at how close we were to each other.
"You're holding back Rose." Kaldur breath hit my ear and my heart began to speed up even more. My breath hitched as he started to lift my hands up with my weapon. "You can not be afraid of your power. I know you are strong enough to control it, you just need to believe it as well." I thought of his words carefully as I closed my eyes again. This time I could feel my power moving into the small cylinder. The electricity fizzed in the air around it as I focused my power into it. This time I did not hold back, as Kaldur said. This time I gave the weapon as much power as I figured a goddess would, keeping the image of the katana in mind.
"Open your eyes." Kaldur whispered in my ear. I opened my eyes slowly to see that very katana I was picturing laying in my hands, small bits of electricity visibly bouncing off of it. It was beautiful, a dark blade with a square guard, and a light blue and black handle. I squealed happily holding it up to admire its beauty, before turning around and wrapping my arms around Kaldur's neck. It feels like Kaldur always knows what to say and do, and I think he is absolutely wonderful for it.
"Kaldur you are amazing! How did you know?" I asked as wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Because you can do anything Rose." I pulled away from him to look into his eyes, a bright blush on my cheeks. He gazed back into my white eyes, neither of us saying a word. This time the look he gave me was different, both of our smiles dropped as we looked at each other. His bright seafoam green eyes held only a deep longing look, that drew me in with each second and I felt like I looked the same. It feels like we were both leaning in. My mind flashed to the time we were both in this same bioship, nearly the same situation.
Does he not realize what we are about to do? This is what is called a kiss. A common practice to do for two people who have equal feelings for each other, or who are right for each other, and I am not right for him. Kaldur has to realize that, correct? He has to know that in doing this we would be crossing a line. From platonically friends into being together romantically. He knows everything about me, he knows when I am sad, frustrated, happy, how can he not know I am not worthy to be with him. He deserves a girl without as many issues as I have, a girl who is as confident and beautiful as he is handsome. Kaldur deserves a girl who can undoubtedly be good.
"Archangel, Aqualad the break has been neutralized Superboy and I will rendezvous with you both for debrief." Miss. Martian informed happily, The two of us broke apart and I kept my head down.
"Roger that." We said at the same time. We both looked at each other not daring to say a word. Please do not say a word.
"Rose-"
"Kaldur, how do you think they neutralized the break in?" I said changing the possible subject. I don't believe I can handle a conversation from the intimate moment we just had. Kaldur stayed quiet for a moment before clearing his throat.
"Of course, perhaps they discovered how the break in was happening and disposed of the means." I thought on it for a moment
"Perhaps...You don't think they neutralized it in the mix of the break do you? We had not received an update since when they notified us of the break?" Kaldur shook his head.
"Surely they would have notified us prior to it happening."
Update, they did not inform us of the breakout prior to stopping it. The only reason the two of us were not as upset was because M'gann was frozen by Killer Frost in the mix of the breakout. Still it was a tale to be told. Apparently the ice villains had discovered that by freezing the wall they can use super strength to make a whole in the wall. They also managed to hold the warden Amanda Waller captive and turn off their inhibitor collars. All in all if it were not for Superboys and Miss. Martians quick thinking, the villains would have succeeded. Albeit, a lecture on communication was still made in their efforts, not that the two seemed to focus on it so much. The two could not keep their eyes off of each other and their subtle smirks only gave away to me that something happened in the prison that finally brought them together. I am happy for them, it was plain to see that the two obviously had feelings for each other.
Speaking of feelings, I am determined to avoid a conversation with Kaldur by any means. It is not that I would not like to be with Kaldur, in fact, the thought of being with him makes me elated. It is that I do not believe I deserve to be with him, and it would only be a matter of time that he realizes it too. Needless to say, the ride back was a mix of awkward, and complete bliss.
By the end of the mission debrief with Batman, we were all pretty tired. Kaldur tried to reach out to me, but I took off to the showers to avoid the inevitable just a little longer. How can I avoid the conversation entirely? I need advice on how to handle these things, but who can I talk to? I thought of Roy for a moment, but I soon dismissed the idea as I figured he would be more than unwilling to talk about feelings I have for his friend. Artemis would be the same way, and M'gann is a little too lovestruck to give me premium advice on the situation. Ashley's not particularly good at talking about feelings either, but perhaps I can talk to Ashton, or Marqueis about it? They are good with talking about these sorts of things.
Once I left the bathroom I was pleased to find out that Kaldur did not wait for me outside of the bathroom. Quickly I slipped into my temporary room, and flopped down on the bed. This is too much. I know this should not affect me to this extent, but I am worried how these feelings will affect everything, from our friendship, to the team. Self consciously I hugged my pillow and curled up under the covers. Could I be overreacting? Who is to say that whatever happened between Kaldur and I was not as intimate as I believed it to be? Is it normal to try to kiss your best friend? Were we even about to kiss or was he just trying to tell me something? Why else would he lean in so close? I thought about it for a moment and realized it was the only thing he- no we were about to do. We were both leaning on, we were both holding onto each other, we both wanted to do it. I glanced at my phone one last time reading a text from Marqueis
'Hey Rosey, when should we start on our semester project? It isn't due until December 15th, but I would rather have it done early.'
Perhaps, for the time being, I should push what happened back, and focus on school. After all, tomorrow I will be back in my own home, so avoiding Kaldur long enough for the situation to become "old news" will be easier. Maybe Marqueis will be able to give me better advice on the situation. Formulating a time, I sent Marqueis a reasonable time, and turned over to go to sleep. Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day.
'Sure! How about my house on Tuesday?'
Ok my lovely people! We finished Terrors way earlier than I anticipated! I know it's shorter, but honestly I feel like this episode was mostly about Conner and M'gann and it wouldn't have made since to put Rose in the prison with them. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed the Aqua-angel moments in this chapter! I can't wait to post the next one! Thank you all for all the love and support! Till next time!
-Anna Blue Ivory