Gotham

July 2, 00:19

I woke up with my head on Wally's shoulder with my hands bound behind me. I felt a familiar nudge in my mind as I lifted my head up.

"'Bout time you woke up," Wally snapped through the mind link. "My shoulder was starting to hurt."

I turned my head and gave him a glare as I struggled to get out of my ropes that chafed my wrist.

"What happened?" I asked.

"The guy with the scarecrow mask is running a drug trade and he took us out with some supersonic thingy," Malcolm said which startled me.

"Scarecrow mask?" I repeated. "As in the dead super-villain Scarecrow who blasted himself with his own Fear Toxin and killed himself because he was scared of himself, Scarecrow?"

I looked back at the masked man who wore a raggedy scarecrow potato sack on his head and a leather trench coat. It reminded me of my dream.

Wally glared at me for the comment and I glared back.

I looked at Marie who was quiet while we were having our conversation.

"Marie, you okay?"

"Yeah, just listening."

She was listening to the guys talking.

"So, what are we going to do about the little heroes?" asked one of Scarecrow's men.

He looked over at us and took something out of the pocket of his trench coat.

"Let them suffer from fear," he answered, probably with a sinister smile on his face, as he came closer and looked at the syringe in his hand.

I struggled harder on the ropes but it was just no use. It only got tighter as I fumbled with the knots.

"So who's ready for a thrill?" he asked with a twisted voice to which I cringed at and he took notice to. "How about you little Mage?"

He crouched down to get in my face. I gritted my teeth as he quickly took the syringe and jammed it in my neck. I squeezed my eyes closed as I grunted at the pain.

"Mage!" Malcolm screamed from behind me as he took the needle from my neck.

"Let your greatest fear be revealed," he said as he got up, cleaned the needle with his trench coat and refilled the barrel.

My neck was burning as the serum quickly went through my body. I felt dazed as my vision began to blur.

"What did you do to her?!" Wally yelled at him in my ear.

My head started throbbing as he answered him with the same punishment as me.

When my vision cleared I was back in my dream. He grabbed me by my neck again but this time I didn't wake up. I could barely breathe when I tried to scream.

I could hear someone faintly call me but then stop.

I was trying so hard to pry his grip off of my neck but he was too strong. He was like Marie strong and it didn't help that he pinned me to the ground and put his knee into my stomach as his smile grew more sinister.

I started hysterically crying, which didn't help my breathing, as he whispered in my ear, "It's not a dream anymore."

He pushed his knee deeper into my midsection causing a rib to break. I began coughing up blood and spit it into his face.

He didn't take it lightly for as he stood up with me still in his grip and lifted me up in the air with my toes barely touching the ground. He squeezed a little tighter around my neck cutting off the little air that was available to me with his smile wiped away.

"Any last words?" he asked me letting his grip soften only a dash.

"Nothing can make me feel any worst," I told him letting my arms fall to the side of me. "Kill me."

I hated to admit it but, I was giving into death.

I closed my eyes as his grip tightened once again. Then I, without warning, was dropped to the ground.

I opened my eyes to see a rocky setting with a light on the side of me shining into my face. I took a deep breath and screamed.

My neck was still burning from the shot I got from Scarecrow so it was extremely painful to do so as my father quickly came to my aid.

"Magie, calm down," he calmly said as I tried to get up to no avail.

Tears were streaming down my face as he looked at me.

"Dad!" I yelled as I finally got up and hugged him which he defiantly wasn't accustomed to but he still hugged back.

I cried into his shirt as he rubbed my back to comfort me.

"Magie, what happened?" he asked in a soft voice.

"I-I almost d-died," I sniffled a muffled response into his shirt.

"Magie, I'm sorry."

I grasped his shirt listening to the apology as I heard faint footsteps. I looked through my blurred vision to see one of my father's friends. I like to think of him as my grandfather since he adopted my father when he was at the mere age of 9.

I let go of my father as he walked to me.

"Hi, Bruce," I greeted through a shaky voice.

"Hello, Magie," he greeted back standing next to my father. "I guess the antidote worked."

"But he broke my rib."

"What?" my dad asked.

"What—who I'm afraid, broke my rib," I told him.

Bruce put a hand on my shoulder as he ran his fingers through his graying hair and it landed on the back of his neck. He told me, "No matter how real it seems, it's all in your head."

I looked down at my lap and sighed.

"Mage-," my dad started but was cut off by Bruce.

"We'll be right back," he told me. "I just need to talk to your father."

He took him to a different place in the cave as I looked left and right to see Malcolm and Wally on cots on both sides of me. They were, to my surprise, crying.

I wiped the remaining tears off my face as I looked at Marie who looked like she was in a catatonic state.

"Marie?" I whispered to her.

"I'm fine," she answered in a shaky voice. "Just thinking."

I wanted to say I'm sorry but then Malcolm looked at me still shaking from hysterically crying.

"You okay?" I asked him.

He nodded and I went on.

"I'm sorry," I said getting ready to cry again.

"Mage, it's not your fault," Marie sighed. "We only did it to ourselves."

I sighed and looked back at Wally who turned to face away from us. His hood was down so I took this opportunity to try and cheer him up.

"Hey Wall-man, your cowlick is showing."

He looked back and glared at me then rolled back over.

I did say try.

"Magie, please leave me alone," he said in a stern voice, still facing the other way.

I got out of my cot and sat on the edge of his which earned me a judgmental look from him.

"Wally."

"What?"

"Please, talk to me."

He sat up and looked at me with anger on his face.

"Mage," he sighed, his look softening. "You don't wanna know my greatest fear."

I put a hand on his shoulder as he turned away.

"Wall, your mind is my second greatest fear," I chuckled. "I defiantly don't."

He smiled at the comment as I messed with his hair that was inconspicuously dyed brown.

"Magie, we need to go" my dad called. "Zee's mad."

I chuckled at the statement as I got off the cot.

"I'll see you guys later," I said to them as I followed my dad out of the former Batcave to go home.

Blüdhaven

July 2, 01:09

Oh, you have no idea how much I loved to see my dad get scolded by my mom.

"You just be lucky Bruce had the antidote or she could have gone into a catatonic state!"

You wouldn't be able to see it but, I was actually smiling after that terrible night.

"Are you done yet?" he asked which I almost let out a laugh at because he didn't know it, but it made her rant on.

I decided to end the night there and go to sleep.

"Egnahc siht otni gnihtemos erom elbatrofmoc," I spell casted.

I was engulfed by magical energy which put me in my pajam-jams.

I flopped into my bed and quickly fell asleep.