Raven

In the morning Victor is still here. He's looking at his phone, but the TV is still on and it's playing the news at a low volume. At some point last night, I must have fallen back asleep. He gives me a warm smile and I sit up, careful of the I.V and other wires and tubes poking me.

"Garfield and Richard will be here soon. I gotta go back to my room. Already got yelled at twice this morning," he says.

"Why?" I rub the sleep from my eyes. Visiting hours were technically over when he came in last night, but he's not really a visitor. He's another patient, so isn't he allowed to come in?

"Not supposed to be up and walking around like this, but I'll be back when Garfield and Richard get here," he says. He gets up and leaves. He walks like a baby deer and I wonder if that's why he's not supposed to be walking around. He uses the doorway for support. Thankfully he doesn't have to far to go, since Garfield said he's right next door.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to get up or not, but there's no one here to ask. There's a bathroom across from me, so I carefully move, taking my I.V with me. Removing some of the wires taped to me sets off some alarms, but no one comes running in, so I carry on and step into the hall. This was the one they let me shower in last night. I don't have clean clothes to change into, so I don't shower, but I rinse my mouth out with water and then use the mouthwash dispenser and little cup to rinse my mouth out. I wash my face and avoid looking at the mirror, because I did not like what I saw yesterday, and I don't think today will be any different. When I see my own face I see hers and that reminds me of him. I am not a normal girl. I'm not like the other people who were taken.

When I get back to my room there are three nurses and they seem panicked. One is looking under the bed, the other out the window and the third is looking out the door. She looks relieved when she sees me and says something to the other two who stop looking and come to face me. They give fake smiles.

"You're not supposed to get out of bed by yourself," the one by the door says in a fake sweet voice.

"..." I want to ask why not, but I get the feeling I shouldn't. There's fear and other bad things flowing off them. Maybe they know about what happened... They can't know much or they wouldn't even want to be in the same room as me, but they must know enough.

"Rae!" Someone far down the hall yells. I look and it's Garfield, with his parents. Richard is behind him with Mr. Wayne and Alfred. The nurses see them too and the one by the door grabs my arm, which I don't like. I try to rip it free, it's hard to shield her emotions, which are getting louder, but she clamps on like a dog with a bone.

"Lets get you re-connected so you can see your guests," she says. She practically drags me back into the room. I get in the bed and they connect everything that I took out again. Then fold the blanket over me. As they finish the boys come in, ahead of their guardians.

"You must be feeling a bit better," Richards says.

"Visiting hours really aren't for another fifteen minutes, but I suppose we can let this slide," the nurse who grabbed my arm says. Richard gives her a look like she's stupid or something. When Mr. Wayne comes in, I sense her panic. Maybe she didn't recognize him from that far down the hall. She must know who he is. He is pretty famousa

"Good morning, Sir," she says.

"Good morning," Mr. Wayne says. The Daytons repeat the phrase from behind him.

"Sorry," Garfield whispers to me before glancing back at their guardians.

"We'll be back in about an hour to take your vitals," the nurse says. I think she's talking to me, but she's not looking at me, she's looking at Mr. Wayne. The nurses leave and then everyone else comes in. The room isn't that big, so they all stand close together around the bed and I feel a bit claustrophobic with all these people I barely know here. Why did these people come?

"You remember Mr. Wayne and Alfred," Richard says in a voice that tells me he's annoyed that they're here. "And Garfield's parents, Mr. And Mrs. Dayton?" I nod. The people who took my friends away and wouldn't let them talk to me again...

"It's really a miracle that you were found, safe and sound. And by the kids no less," Mr. Dayton says. "What are the odds?" His tone is pleasant and hitting all the right notes, but there's something else coming from him that makes it feel insincere. I remember what the boys said last night; that they went through a hard time and it's not their fault they couldn't stay in touch... Did the Daytons not want Garfield to see me again? What about Richard? Mr. Wayne had thanked me for saving his life, so why would he prevent Richard from visiting or calling? Or was it the staff at Sunny Oaks?

"It truly is miraculous, and I am so glad to see you safe and well," Alfred says. His words feel genuine and warm, he's still the same, so maybe there's hope for Richard after all, even if Mr. Wayne turns out to be as cold as Batman all the time.

"Thanks," I mumble, because I'm not sure what the proper response is when someone says they're glad you're still alive. Especially when that wouldn't be true if they knew the truth. Although I guess he could... If he knows Mr. Wayne is Batman, but I don't know who knows that secret besides me.

"We brought doughnuts," Garfield points to pink box that Richard is holding. "They're vegan if you can believe it."

"I will go down to the cafeteria and get some beverages," Alfred says.

"I'll help," Mr. Dayton says. Their absence makes the room a little less crowded. Richard puts the box on the nightstand. The water is gone, maybe the nurses threw it away. It was only half gone, what a waste.

"Did you sleep okay?" Richard asks. I nod, even though that's not true. I can tell them later about Victor, when the adults are hopefully gone.

"Here, we thought you might be bored, so Richard suggested this," Mr. Wayne holds out a box that says Windle and looks like a larger version of a smart phone, with blocks of text on the screen. Richard takes it from him before I can and sets it on the side of the bed.

"I'll help you set it up later," Richard says. "You can put books on it." Oh. Books would be nice.

"...Thank-you," I still feel weird about all of this. Why are they here and it's awkward pretending that I don't know that Mr. Wayne is Batman and that he's part of the Justice League and that the Justice League will be the ones who decide my fate. They didn't say it in the police station, but I'm sure they think I'm dangerous. The Flash might be silly, but some of them will understand. They'll think about Trigon and all the horrible things he can do. They'll realize that they can't win and then they'll have to make choices. Choices that I probably won't like. But I can't blame them. This is all my fault anyway.

"How long does she have to stay here?" Garfield asks.

"A few days," Mr. Wayne says looking at him.

"And then what?" Richard asks.

"We're still figuring that out," Mrs. Dayton says. "I know you guys are worried, but I promise it's being handled. There are just some things we have to look into."

"Wasn't your file missing?" Richard asks me. "And what about the fire, everything burned anyway."

"There was some ongoing litigation before the fire that we have to deal with," Mr. Wayne says. "A few parties had petitioned for custody. What happened at the charity ball drew the attention of some unsavory people."

"What?" the word is out of my mouth before I even realize I said it.

"You have special abilities, it's not unusual for children like you to be targeted," Mrs. Dayton says. "But the situation is being handled, so you don't need to worry about it." She's right... I don't have to worry about it. I killed those people. The Justice League knows about him. If I get to live, I'll probably end up going to jail or something. You can't kill people and not get prison time for it, right? Why am I even in his hospital...

"Why can't she stay with one of us," Garfield asks.

"Honey, we're working on some permanent arrangements. We'll do the best we can to make it an outcome that makes everyone happy." Mrs. Dayton puts her hands on his shoulders, and I think it's supposed to be comforting, but Garfield doesn't look comforted. Both boys look upset and the adults are a complicated mix of feelings that are loud and uncomfortable. I close my eyes and rub my temples. There's a white light around me. I am protected... I am safe... Nothing can touch me. This is not true though.

"Are you okay?" Garfield asks. I nod. Alfred and Mr. Dayton come back, which is only going to make it worse. They hand out hot drinks in paper cups and start taking out doughnuts. Garfield puts a pink frosted one on my lap in a napkin and Alfred hands me a paper cup with a tea bag in it. There's no label, but it smells like black tea.

"These doughnuts are surprisingly good for not having any dairy," Mr. Dayton says. "I was skeptical, but they taste as good as they look."

"Told you," Garfield grins and joy emanates off him as everyone else nods their heads in agreement. I pick up the doughnut and take a small bite. I haven't eaten anything since the burger and fries yesterday. Even though the doughnut looks good, I remember puking yesterday and that I need to be careful, so I chew slowly.

It's so good though... Sugar melts on my tongue. It's soft and fluffy. Before I know it the whole thing is gone and I feel sick again, but I don't want to throw up in front of all these people and I don't see a waste bin.

"I'd love to meet Victor while we're here if you'd like to introduce us, Garfield?" Mrs. Dayton says.

"Oh yeah, sure," Garfield says. "Be right back," Garfield leads the way and the Daytons follow him out of the room.

"What's wrong?" Richard asks.

"Sip your tea slowly and it'll help the nausea pass," Alfred says.

"You kids can hangout as long as you want today, but tomorrow you and Garfield have to go to class." Mr. Wayne says.

"Why? It's the end of the semester. We're just doing review before exams," Richard argues. Mr. Wayne gives him a look that suggests it's not up for debate.

"I have to get to a meeting, but I'll check in with you later," Mr. Wayne says. "It was good seeing you again, I'm glad you're alright." He and Alfred exit. Richard sits down and opens the doughnut box again. He takes another one out, this one isn't frosted, but it's covered in sugar. It puts it on my lap and I shake my head.

"I can't eat another one right now," I want to. Saliva pools in my mouth, but if I eat that I'm going to burst. I'm already overfull from the first one and I'll probably puke.

"Shouldn't you try to eat more, so you can get better?" he asks.

"I will, but throughout the day," I lie. I have no idea if I'll eat anything else today. According to Victor's account of breakfast, they will feed me here, but if I still feel the way I do now, I may not be able to eat. He takes the doughnut back and puts it back in the box.

"Let me help you set this up," he takes the reading device out of the box and gets up to find an outlet.

StarFire

StarFire waits patiently as her new guardian pulls the car up to curb of the drop-off area of the hospital. Richard and his friends are gathering and her presence has been requested. After the stunt the previous day, her new guardian was hesitant to let her go, but ultimately relented.

"Listen," Wonder Woman says. "I know you like Richard and Garfield, but don't let them get you in trouble." This is similar to the speech she received yesterday, where she was reminded that her presence on earth is a gift and she should be more careful about her choices. She nods, understanding this is the appropriate response and arguments will not be accepted. The previous days' battle of words did not go well, and she does not wish to repeat it here. Their battle had only been with words, but it had been so loud that the Gotham police appeared. It was then that she was counseled by another league member that as a young guest she was expected to behave herself and listen to her host. They had apologized to each other after a period apart and spoken more this morning before leaving the house.

"They're worried about being separated from their friend. Sometimes fear makes people make bad decisions." StarFire nods. When she had checked in with Richard the previous evening and he was upset that they were unable to stay at the hospital. This morning when he requested she come back to the hospital, he had also said he was still upset that Wonder Woman, her guardian and the other league members immediately questioned the girl, even though it was obvious she was in rough shape. StarFire did not think that was wise either, but was unable to protest, because she owes a great debt to the league for their protection. Only with their help was she able to escape her captors. It is not her place to tell them how to protect earth from threats and it was clear from the situation yesterday that perhaps they think this girl is a threat, though she cannot imagine why. Nothing about her was threatening to StarFire, but perhaps StarFire had seen more scary things than the league. Especially this past year...

"I will be careful not to do anything that could cause trouble for the league, myself or others," StarFire says. She doesn't just say it because it's what Wonder Woman wants to hear, but also because it's true. She hopes today will be a day of calm. They will hangout at the hospital. Perhaps they will play games or watch the interesting broadcasts. Perhaps she can forget for a minute that while she is free and enjoying the luxuries of this planet, her people are still fighting a war.

"Have a good day," Wonder Woman says.

"You as well," StarFire says. "I will provide you with the periodic updates," she waves her new mobile device and Wonder Woman nods. She opens the door and gets out of the car.

"Tell Richard not to smash that one." She smiles and closes the door. She hopes Richard also got an earful about that. There was no need to smash her device, they had been able to track them anyway thanks to Garfield. What a waste it had been.