The next day, I woke up uncomfortably sore. I guessed it was from the training I did a couple of days ago, and stretched my wings.
I suddenly remembered where I was when my wing hit Megan's side. She jolted awake.
"Sorry! Sorry, Megan," I apologized, tucking my wings in and sitting up to see if she was alright.
"It's okay, Hawkgirl." She replied. "But now that I'm up-"
"Tabitha," I interrupted, looking at the mat below me.
"What?" She seemed confused.
I repeated the word I heard in my dream. "That's my name. My real name." I remembered that much at least.
Megan smiled at me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Well, Tabitha, do you want to help me fold the tent back up? I mean, I could do it with my telekinesis, but it would be more fun to do it the old-fashioned way."
I smiled back and nodded. I stood up and followed Megan outside where we seemed to be the first people up from the camp. I took our camping gear from inside while Megan undid the ropes and poles. One time, she nearly sent the tent sheet down on top of me.
"Hey Megalicious, you want a hand with that?" I heard Wally's voice outside and returned to where the two were standing.
"Actually, Tabitha and I have it handled here. You can go on inside, Wally," Megan replied. I noticed she used the name I remembered.
"Wait, you and who? There's no one else out here except for you, me and…" he trailed off as his eyes met mine.
"Tabitha is my real name," I explained. "I remembered it last night in a dream." Well, that wasn't a total lie.
He seemed to accept this answer. "Sweet! Now I won't have to call you Hawkey all the time." He smiled at me, which I returned. I picked up the rolled up mats from the ground and tossed them lightly at him.
"Here, since you want to help, you can go out these back in the Cave." I said playfully. He looked disappointed that he wouldn't spend extra time with Megan, but dashed off inside anyway.
The noise seemed to wake the others as well, and soon we all were back in the Cave relaxing in the living room.
Superboy was the first to leave. And then Kaldur, then Megan and Wally. Robin and I still sat in front of the TV box, watching some sort of show.
And then another came on. It had real people this time, with cool theme music. My eyes widened when I saw the title: Doctor Who.
"Hey, that's Xavier's favorite show!" I exclaimed. Robin looked at me behind his dark shades.
"Uh, who?" He asked.
"Xavier. He's a friend." I explained, then went back to watching. It turned out to be even more interesting than when Xavier talked about it. There was a man in a long trench coat -that I thought looked really cool- who called himself the Doctor and he went around saving the world with a cool buzzing screwdriver-that-didn't-look-like-a-screwdriver.
I normally went to my room after about halfway through a show, but I sat through the whole entire episode this time. I didn't even notice that Robin had left until I looked over during a commercial break and found the seat empty. I didn't care either way.
After the show ended, instead of going back to my room, I went into the main room and put in Central City into the Zeta computer.
The light transported me into the lab, where I took off down the hall to find Xavier. I hadn't seen him in a few days, and I wanted to talk with him about the show and to catch him up on my first mission. I found him walking down a hallway.
"Hey, Xavier!" I called out, getting his attention. His face seemed to light up when he saw me and I ran up to him. I pulled him into a hug, which made him freeze at first, but then he returned it.
"Where have you been? I haven't seen you for a few days," Xavier began after we parted.
"Well, I did go on my first official mission with the team," I beamed as I explained my absence. "But it's top secret information. You can't tell anyone," I whispered. He nodded in understanding.
I glanced around, but we were alone in the hallway. And then I explained everything about the mission in a hushed voice, making sure no one overheard. Eventually we ended up sitting against a wall beside each other.
I told him about Santa Prisca, the venom, and the fight for team leader. I was surprised to find out how much I remembered about the mission. I explained how I met Bane, what happened in the factory, and finally Aqualad becoming our leader and forming a plan against Sportsmaster.
"Wow," Xavier exclaimed quietly after if finished. "You've...kept busy." He sounded a little envious.
I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and guess what else?" I was excited to tell him about my dream and my name.
He leaned in closer. "What is it?"
"I remember my name!" I stage-whispered, smiling wide. Xavier raised an eyebrow in silent question.
"Call me Tabitha," I stated matter-of-factly. He smiled at that.
"I like that name," he said. "It suits you."
I smiled back at him. I liked having him to talk to. He always listened and answered my questions, no matter how annoying I thought I was being. Wally seemed a little too self-absorbed, And Robin was too mysterious and kept too many secrets. He confused me just by being there. Kaldur and Megan were nice, but I preferred to talk to Xavier.
"What about you?" I asked. "What did you do while I was away?"
"I uh, just helped Uncle Steve in the office and lab and visited family." He said somewhat awkwardly.
"What's your family like?" I asked. I wondered if it was anything like Wally's.
"Umm...well, I usually stay with my uncle. He's nice -well, you know that already- and he lets me stay in a spare room in his apartment. My dad's…" he trailed off. His eyes looked far away.
"My dad didn't like it very much when I said I wanted to be a doctor. He wanted me to play sports or something." He explained. "My mom's not usually home when I visit. She works a lot."
"Oh. So, you don't normally live with your parents?" I knit my eyebrows in confusion.
Xavier shook his head. I couldn't help but notice how his long bangs danced around his eyes. "My uncle took me in when my dad got...a little bit violent. I only visit now, since technically I'm supposed to be living there. If it was up to me, I'd live with Uncle Steve twenty-four-seven." I didn't understand that expression, but I put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
"Don't worry, Xavier," was all I could think of to say. I didn't really think it was that inspiring, but he smiled reassuringly at me anyway.
"Well, Tabitha, I should probably get back now. I'm sure Uncle Steve will be wondering where I am." He said as he stood, offering me a hand up as well. I took it.
"Alright," I replied. "I hope you have fun, Xavier." He let out a laugh.
"I will. See you later," he started walking down the hallway, still smiling. I stood there for a moment, not sure of what I should do until my feet started moving.
"Wait," I called out, jogging back up to him. He turned around just as my arms wrapped around him in a tight hug. "Bye, Xavier," I said as he returned the hug after a moment. I liked this feeling, it was nice to feel his arms around my shoulders, like he was keeping me safe.
"I, um. I-I should definitely be going now," Xavier whispered. I sighed, then pulled away. Xavier looked like he was trying not to smile so big, but his attempt failed and all he could do was clear his throat and turn down the hall.
I don't think I've ever been in a better mood since I got out of the ice.
"Hey, Tabitha," Robin called to me from the living room when I walked into the kitchen. I figured Wally must've told the rest of the team about my name while I was gone. "You look like you're in a good mood. What happened?" He asked.
"I went to see Xavier," I said simply. He smirked and raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything else as I retreated back into my room.
The next day I was called into the main room by Batman. Everyone was surprised that he'd call me out like this, especially me. I thought he was going to get onto me for leaving to see Xavier the day before, but when I walked into the room he didn't seem particularly angry. I also saw someone dressed in a suit, which I thought was a cool costume.
"Hawkgirl," Batman caught my attention. I stood a little straighter. "This is Giovanni Zatara. He has something that will help you blend in with the public." I couldn't make sense of Batman's cryptic explanation.
"How do you do, miss?" Giovanni Zatara introduced with a foreign accent, giving a small bow. I bowed my head respectfully. He produced a small necklace with a little crystal on the end.
"This is a glamour charm," he explained. "An enchanted crystal that will hide your wings from the general populace. Of course, you, the team, and the League will still be able to see them, but ordinary citizens will not." I nodded in understanding and took the necklace from his hand.
I put it on myself, moving my hair out of the way, but I didn't feel any different.
"Did it work?" I asked, frowning.
"There's reason to hope," Zatara said. That made me feel a little better, I think.
"Well, thank you, Giovanni Zatara!" I called back as Batman let me go back to the team.
"So, what did Bats want?" Wally was the first to ask.
I showed them all the necklace. "Giovanni Zatara gave me this to hide my wings. With this, now I'm just Tabitha." I explained with a smile.
"That's a pretty cool necklace," Robin commented. I thanked him.
"Have you tested it out yet?" Kaldur asked. I shook my head. Megan took this as an opportunity to invite me to go shopping with her.
"Hey, I know something we can do!" She piped up. "I have to pick up a few groceries anyway, would you like to come along?" I nodded excitedly.
A few minutes later we were walking down the sidewalks of Happy Harbor. As much as I had spent so much time in the Cave, I'd never once ventured outside the forest surrounding the mountain.
I didn't get any weird looks like before when I had gone out in public, so I'm guessing that the charm must've worked.
The view was amazing. Nearly everywhere you were in the town, you could still see the ocean on the horizon. I wondered what it felt like to fly out above it, chasing that line on the edge of the sea down. I wanted to know what flying over the sea felt like.
"Are you enjoying the view?" Megan asked. She had shifted her appearance so that she no longer had green skin. I nodded, smiling.
"It looks amazing." I replied in hushed wonder as we walked down the street.
We stopped at a grocery store, picking out different food items, some of which I couldn't name. I wondered what they were for.
I also picked out a couple of new shirts, since I was getting tired of just wearing a green or red one all the time. I also chose a cute yellow sundress with white stripes.
"Hey look, I'm Robin!" I exclaimed, holding up a pair of dark sunglasses like he had on all the time. Megan chuckled, and I continued.
"I deserve to be leader because Batman said so!" I mocked in a whiny voice. Megan started laughing, and soon I followed.
Pretty soon, we returned to the Cave with me minus the sunglasses but with my shirts and sundress, and a red backless swimsuit that Megan thought I should get. The Martian also levitated the bags of groceries, which she set on the counter to prepare for dinner. I stayed in the living room while Megan made us dinner.
"Hey, Megan, what do you think of Superboy?" I asked, turning back, not subtle but not joking either.
She looked surprised for a second, then gave a small smile. "I think he's nice, and a good teammate." I wasn't entirely convinced with her answer, but it was better than nothing.
"So, what's this I hear about a new boy?" She asked me, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
I raised an eyebrow and turned completely to the side. "Xavier? He's someone I met when I stayed with Wally in Central City. He's, like, my best friend. Beside you, of course." She looked like she didn't completely believe my answer, but didn't push the matter any further. I'm not sure if I completely believed my answer.
The team all ate Megan's cooked chicken shrewd around the living room. I took a seat next to Superboy. I noticed he seemed a little extra grumpy as of late.
"Megan, this chicken is delicious!" Wally exclaimed, sitting in a chair.
"Thanks, Wally, I think I'm finally getting the hang of Earth appliances." She smiled openly at his compliment.
That night I didn't dream of the house, or of anything, for that matter. At least, I didn't remember if I did.
A/N: I just want to send a shout-out to everyone how has followed, favorited, and reviewed this story thus far (except for you, random anon). You guys are my motivation to keep writing this. I hope it lives up to all your expectation.
"Schooled" will be the next two chapters, I promise. Although I kinda like writing these "filler" chapters as well. I just love writing everything about this story. ^_^
Just a side note: updates will become slower now since this was the last chapter I had already typed out before publishing this story.
As always, reviews, followers, and favorites are appreciated. :)
