A/n: Ahh, also, now that I am back in the writing biz, I would love to remind everyone that the more reviews I get, the more encouraged I get. So, make sure to click the review button at the end, whether you want to write praise or criticism (of course, creative criticism is more appreciated).

"The Covenant"

Chapter 21: Stupid girl

MOUNT JUSTICE

SEPTEMBER 11, 15:10 EDT

"You are doing well in all your subjects, though your mathematical skills are lacking." Red Tornado informed the young witch. "Social Studies could use some work too."

Hannah smiled fondly "Well, you can't excel at every subject." got to her feet and gathered the books and notes in to one neat pile on the desk before she lifted all of them up "I suppose studies are done for today, then?"

The android nodded "Yes. You are free of your schooling obligations for the day." as the girl bounced joyfully at the announcement, he observed her, taking in her behavior "If finishing your studious duties causes you so much joy, why have you insisted that we have class during the weekends as well? Regular schools have the weekends off for students to relax and unwind."

Her joyous behavior came to a halt, Tornado noted.

"Well…" she muttered "…I suppose this way I cover more of the subjects!" her lips stretched in to a reassuring smile "I have nothing else to do, to be honest. So, why not spend that free time doing something productive. This way, when I have to go on a mission, or when I want a day off, I would not fall behind because I will already be far ahead!"

"Your method is…unorthodox at best, but logical."

Hannah nodded quite enthusiastically, her grin widening.

But, as she turned away, the grin disappeared completely. She knew what the reason for her decision to have classes every day was, even on the weekends. Wally thought her crazy for doing such a thing. And the reason, oh, it definitely wasn't better time management, like she had just explained to the android, and as she would explain to anyone else who would question her.

It was her attempt to stay away from the Witch Boy who haunted her mind.

Ever since Taipei, where Sportsmaster has so cleverly revealed that the team had a mole ("cleverly" being the word used, since the intel he had given them has been eating away at both her and Kaldur), she hadn't seen or contacted Klarion. The fear that she might be said mole, and that Klarion might be the one collecting information from her, was more than enough to cut off all ties. She even took off the ring, as to remove any temptation to call on him.

Though, she would still rub her finger on the place where the ring was before, the feeling that something was missing haunting her.

Hannah was not sure when she had grown so accustomed to Klarion. It was only when she decided to completely ignore him ever existing that she realized that his existence was actually ever-present in her life. And that was what scared her the most.

Maybe it was a good thing that the mole thing happened; this way she had the excuse to purge Klarions' influence out of her everyday life.

"Cookies are almost done!" M'gann called after her as she passed the kitchen "By the time you leave your study supplies and come back, they'll be fresh and, hopefully, tasty!"

"Thanks M'gann, I'll be back in a jiffy!"

She was ignoring him.

Klarion let out a groan and leaned back on the couch in the Gotham city hideout. He was one hundred percent sure she was ignoring him. At first, he thought of it as himself being paranoid. Then, he tried to pin it on the fact that she was on one of those stupid pointless missions again. Didn't teenagers have school? Maybe she was too busy with that pointless chore as well.

But, when he felt the sudden emptiness, he realized, she was ignoring him.

The feeling was brought upon, he knew too well, by her removing the ring from her finger. It wasn't something big, more like a sudden chill running in his gut as the magical item he had crafted was removed from the finger of the girl who pretty much radiated magic in waves. But he felt it too clearly.

Now, it wasn't like the girl hadn't taken off the ring before. But usually, it would be for short periods of time. Half an hour at most before the ring would be back on her finger and the comforting feel of her magic aura lazily flicking over the ring would return.

But it has been three days already that she hadn't put it on.

And he took it as a personal offense.

Teekl jumped on to the couch and made her way to her masters lap, rubbing her head affectionately against his side before finally settling down on his thighs. Klarion let out another groan and gently petted her, her presence and soothing words that echoed in his head calming him, if just a bit.

"She is avoiding me like the plague, Teekl." Klarion complained "What wrong have I done in her eyes this time?" his voice drawled in a sardonic hiss. Teekl let out a meow, giving a tentative lick to his hand. At this, Klarion let out yet another groan and let himself fall over so he was now lying on the couch. The cat quickly moved, now sitting on his tummy.

"If she thinks I will let her get away from me this easily…" he muttered as he smooshed Teekls face lovingly, the cat turning mildly annoyed but let him do so anyway "…that stupid girl has another thing coming."

"You're getting better!" M'gann beamed at Hannah's praise "But next time, make sure you activate a timer or something so you don't forget to take them out."

"Oh no, are they burnt again?" the Martian whined

Hannah shook her head "Some have a charred crust on the bottom, but they're actually good when you remove that part! You can barely taste the burn!" she reassured her, giving her thumbs up. "If you want, I can totally fix that for you!" she raised her hand, eyes giving off a violet glow as the cookies lifted in to the air "I just have to…"

M'gann reacted quickly, taking hold of her hand, her grip tight "No!" the cookies that were already floating all abruptly fell, some bouncing off the plate and on to the floor. "I don't want you fixing them with magic! If they are perfect, I want them to be perfect by my own hand! Doing otherwise would be cheating!"

Dark auburn eyes locked on to the Martian, shocked. Slowly, Hannah lowered her hand, M'gann's grip on it loosening once she realized exactly what she implied with those words. "Cheating?" Hannah's voice was more inquisitive than anything.

"No, that's not what I meant, I-" M'gann started quickly, but Hannah looked away, her eyes blazing with emotions "Hannah, please, I just-"

"I suppose you're right, I tend to cheat my way through life." the witch girl let out; M'gann wasn't sure what to make of her tone of voice. But when Hannah lifted her head up, eyes locking on to M'gann's, the girl felt like she was stabbed straight through the chest. The gaze Hannah held, it wasn't hurt, it wasn't judging, it was just…so gripping; there was something harsh and cold in her otherwise warm brown eyes. "That is the only way I know how to get through it."

The two girls stood there for what seemed like forever to M'gann.

That is, until Hannah moved first, casually moving past M'gann and took a smaller plate, placing a meager amount of the cookies on to it. "I'll be in my room if anyone needs me."

"Hannah, please…" the green girl started, but Hannah' didn't turn around, didn't say anything. Just silently left the kitchen.

M'gann stood in silence long after she left, the only thing she could do was silently curse herself out.

Cheating.

Hannah was lying on her bed, staring up at the cookie she held in front of her face. One side was a crispy brown, the other had traces of black, burnt dough.

She supposed her magic could be considered cheating. Even in the eyes of those blessed with the affinity for the mystic arts. Even the great Zatara, one of the strongest human magic users, was uneasy around her. To the point of quickly having her reassigned from his care on to the care of Nelson. Not to mention Doctor Fate's; his distrust in her and the amount of magic she is able to wield resulting in the seals placed unjustly on her wrists, making sure that she was always held under control.

The girl released her grip on the cookie; the sweet delight not falling as it should, but instead remaining in the air where she left it, lazily twirling in place. She brought up her hand and flicked it, making it twirl faster, like a coin. The cookie continued twirling for a few seconds, before abruptly slowing down, showing off that the burnt part was completely gone.

This gift, this cheat code.

She was born with it.

Hannah reached out and took the cookie gingerly between her thumb and index finger, bringing it down between her lips. In a swift flick, the cookie broke in half; one half remaining between her lips, the other tightly held in her fingers.

As she nibbled on the half between her lips, a mocking chuckle gathered in her throat.

Life was a game after all.

And if she already had the cheat codes to it, why not use them.

Nu-na-ni-na-ne-na

Hannah opened her eyes, only to be greeted by a bright light. She let out a groan, the light feeling surreal. It took her a few moments to adjust.

Nu-na-ni-na-ne-na

She sat up, a soft breeze washing over her like sweet miasma, ruffling her hair and clothes. Looking around, Hannah noticed she was on a beautiful pasture, the grass so green it glistened like emeralds. The skies were clear, the sun still in the east, indicating it was early morning. Hannah ran a hand through her hair, taking a deep breath, before she stood up. As she did, she noticed her usual dark clothing was gone, instead replaced by a simple short-sleeved white dress, reaching her knees and flowing in the wind. Her feet were bare

Zaspi mi, zaspi, detence,

zaspi mi, čedo mamino.

Hannah turned around, trying to figure out where the singing was coming from.

"Mati?" she called out, her voice so soft it sounded like a child calling out. Without hesitation, she broke in to a run. The green fields changed quickly, grass being replaced by dirt and cobblestone roads, the empty scenery soon filled out with old houses. She entered a town. "Mati! Majko?!"

Nek' raste ruža rumena,

nek' raste nani odmena.

Soon enough, Hannah found herself in front of a familiar building, a bit away from the town she had been running through. The house was tall, belonging to a wealthier family, but still fit in with the rustic look of the town. She passed an old well, following the dirt road that led from the cobblestone street up to the wooden veranda of the house. Like the town before, the house seemed void of life. But, as she neared the veranda covered with climbing roses, she noticed a woman sitting in one of the chairs. Her back was turned to Hannah, though from what she could see the woman was drinking coffee and she could make out the enchanted knitting needles floating in the air next to her, working without rest on a brown sweater-vest.

Hannah's eyes went wide, her lips opening without her realizing.

She forgot her voice for a moment.

Niz put ti vidim svatove

i kola puna za orove.

"MOTHER!" her voice finally returned to her. Body arching forward, her feet planted in to the ground as she forgot how to move. Hannah could feel her eyes brimming with tears as her chest started burning, aching to go to the woman.

Hearing her voice, the woman stopped singing. She reached up a hand and placed them on the knitting needles, pushing them down on to the wooden table next to her. "You're late, darling." the womans voice was rich, full of life and so loving. Even without seeing her face, Hannah could hear the loving smile that was definitely on her lips.

Warm tears were already running down her cheeks as she reached out her hand, trying to get closer even despite her legs that were refusing to cooperate. Her eyes widened and the smile from her lips disappeared when she noticed the air behind the woman become wavy from heat. She saw, through the windows, how the insides of the house burned, flames licking through and reaching the veranda. "Mother, please…"

Her mother didn't react to the fire. She just slowly turned around, facing the crying girl, the flames behind becoming larger and larger, threatening to engulf her whole. Hannah could not make out her face from the fire.

Finally, Hannah felt that her legs have unlocked from the former shock. Wasting no time, she put all her energy in to running, trying to reach her mother before the fire swallowed her. She reached out her hands, making a wild grab for her, but just as her fingers grazed the womans outstretched hand, something wrapped around her waist and pulled her from behind.

"NO! I HAVE TO GET HER!" Hannah let out a scream "MOTHER"

Everything went black.

Klarion could hear the soothing singing from the moment he entered her mind. It was in a Slavic language, he recognized as much, but he didn't care to bother himself and figure out which one it was exactly. So, instead, he focused more on finding the embodiment of Hannah's consciousness, opting to ignore the make believe world the girl had made for herself in her dreams.

He made his way through this old, rustic town, greeted with nothing but hollow memories of what Hannah remembered the town looking like. There was no one around, he noted. He found that unusual; he had thought that Hannah's mind would be filled with familiar faces, lovingly staring at her and speaking words of endearment. But Klarion tried to ignore that as well. He needed to find her; she was the key to everything he needed. Her subconscious as it was served no purpose if he didn't have Hannah to unlock it.

"MOTHER!"

Klarion's head snapped in the direction of the yell, and quickly made a run in the direction he heard it coming from. It took him mere moments to reach the slightly isolated house just outside of town. He saw the figure of the girl he was looking for, rooted to the ground as if she had seen a ghost.

Curiosity got the best of him and he opted to not go after her yet. Instead, he quietly approached her, keeping a safe distance, intent on observing what her subconscious was about to dish out on her.

He watched with morbid amusement as the house started burning, the flames reaching the faceless woman on the porch.

Though, it was when Hannah finally started moving, racing towards the house to try and save the woman that he felt himself react.

Before Klarion even realized he was moving, he was beside Hannah, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist as he pulled the screaming girl away from the burning fire. He watched as his action forced the dream Hannah was in to crumble and disappear, instead being replaced with nothing but darkness. The girl struggled in his grip for a few moments more, before going limp, giving up.

"Hannah, are you-" before he could finish, the girl turned around sharply in his grip and slapped him, the sound of skin on skin echoing loudly in the darkness.

Klarion let go of her and she took a few steps back "How dare you!" Hannah hissed, her voice coming at Klarion from all sides "How dare you! As if having to deal with you in reality wasn't enough, now you haunt my dreams as well!" she let out an agitated scream and turned on her heel, throwing her arms in to the air "Oh my GOD why do I have to dream of YOU?!" she let out another scream and angrily ran her fingers through her hair, turning it in to a mess. "I'm not even sure which is worse, the dream you replaced or you!"

The Witch Boy removed his hand from his aching cheek, irritated. "You are as annoying in your head as you are annoying in the real world." he growled.

"Just go away!" Hannah ordered, pointing an accusing finger at him. When nothing happened, she raised an eyebrow "I said go away!" she waved her arm, as if trying to erase him. Klarion crossed his arms, not amused. Hannah waved her arm around frantically "Why aren't you disappearing?!"

"Maybe because I am not a dream, idiot." Klarion deadpanned.

The young witch seemed dumbfounded. She stood in silence, letting his words register inside her head "…if you are not a dream, what are you doing in my mind?"

Klarion clacked his tongue, her naivety getting on his nerves "I merged our minds so I could actually talk with you without you running away like a scared child."

As his words echoed in the dark, Hannah's eyes widened in horror "Oh no…" she muttered, shaking her head and taking a step back "Oh no, oh no…" the boy watched on, unsure of what was wrong with her "Get out." she ordered.

"Not until you tell me why you're avoiding me."

"Get out!" she said again, this time more forcefully. Klarion felt her mind turning hostile, attacking him, but didn't let him faze him. "I will not let you take advantage of me again!"

Klarion raised an eyebrow at her words "What the hell are you talking about, you stupid little girl?!" he growled "Just tell me what in the world did I do so bad that you are acting so stupid over!"

"I said…" Hannah arched her arm, her eyes hard "…GET. OUT!"

With her scream, she swung her arm at Klarion, sending violet energy surging at high speed at him. Klarion felt as it hit him straight on; pain washed over him, numbing his entire body. He forgot that, while inside her mind, she had no constraints that Nabu had put on her. Here, she was at her strongest. Here, she was an actual threat to him.

He actually let a howl of pain exit his throat when the angered girl sent another wave of energy at him; he fell on to one knee and brought his arms in front of his face to shield himself. Klarion never thought she could be this powerful. He realized her power early on, yes. But this…this was completely beyond what he had imagined. The witch boy licked his lips and peeked through his arms, his eyes fixated to the angered form of that little girl that held his interest for so long. Seeing this display of power, this beauty she held hidden inside. Oh no. He was not going to let her get away.

"ENOUGH!" Klarion's voice boomed; the third wave of attack Hannah was sent bouncing off of him. "If you refuse to tell me what it is I did, then I'll just get it out of you."

He outstretched his arm, his open palm facing in her direction. Hannah seemed confused for a moment, but realized what was happening when she felt a pressure in her mind. "NO!" she screamed, hands flying to her head as if she was trying to shake him out "GET OUT!"

Klarion ignored her and walked closer to her until he was right in front of her, his palm barely touching the top of her head. He continued prodding her mind. The darkness around them filled with jumbled images and memories, most filled with static as Klarion tried to break through her defenses.

"Tell me." he ordered "What. Did. I. Do."

Hannah shook her head, her eyes squeezed shut. "G…get out…get…" she dropped down on to her knees, trying to block him.

The static started clearing up on images around them as Klarion broke through her barriers. Voices filled the void, sound, memories. It was a soft murmur, gradually turning louder. Klarion watched with interest at the screens around him. He saw images of a younger Hannah; one was of her sitting in a luxurious room, reading a book, an older man who looked like a butler serving her tea. In another, she was training with a man, younger and different from before. Then, a different screen showed she was underwater, and in front of her stood two smiling boys; one of which he recognized as Aqualad. His eye twitched at the thought of him.

"I have an inside source, very inside."

As more screens filled with images, the murmur of many memories suddenly went silent as a single one stood out. It was the voice of Sportsmaster, he recognized. As soon as he spoke, everything went silent, the void filling instead with a panicked voice, loud and clear, cutting through the air like a knife.

"I can't be the traitor."

"I can't be the mole."

"I can't see him again…"

Klarion looked up, but the voice wasn't attached to a visual memory. It was simply a memory of her own thoughts.

"What if Klarion is taking information from me?"

"I can't see him again."

"I have to stay away from him."

"They would hate me forever."

"…but he will hate me forever…"

"Klarion."

His eyes widened at how broken the voice sounded when it said his name. Her voice.

"I'm sorry."

Klarion pulled his hand away from Hannah, as if burned. Hannah, as soon as he did so, gasped for air, doubling over to the ground as if he had been physically holding her before. He heard her sobs, her body shaking from being forced to relive the feelings of that memory. She just kneeled there, her eyes fixated on the floor and the only thing she could do was concentrate on breathing.

Beside her, the Witch Boy felt his chest tighten uncomfortably. The implications of that memory hit him hard. Of course, he knew who the mole was. Who Sportsmasters source was. When he joined the Light, he learned all about the cloned boy that had been programmed in Cadmus to infiltrate The League. But that was never really any of his business; he found no interest in it whatsoever. Joining the Light was just a way for him to ward the boredom away. Vandal offered him entertainment and chaos in exchange for his help, and he gleefully agreed.

He had never used Hannah in the way the Arrow kid was used.

The thought that she was so frightened of it…

Klarion clenched his teeth, his eyes narrowing dangerously "You stupid, stupid girl!" he growled, Hannah looking up at him with wide eyes as he did. "As if I would do such a thing."

Quickly kneeling down, Hannah had no time to react as he threw his arms around her shaking form, pulling her in to a tight embrace. Her breath hitched up in her throat. "Selling information on your petty little team barely offers me any kind of pleasure. Besides…" his voice was still angry, but not as loud as before "I could get information from anyone else at any time I wanted." he buried his nose in her hair, squeezing her tightly.

Hannah inhaled, his scent feeling so comforting to her. "You…you didn't then…"

"As if I would abuse the little trust you have in me for something as trivial as that."

The honesty in his words struck Hannah, her breath hitching up in her throat.

"Now will you stop acting so stupid and stop ignoring me!?"

As he continued, she could swear she heard desperation in his voice. Had she…had she hurt him? Hannah felt like laughing at the mere thought. But, even so, she was quite aware that her ears had not deceived her; Klarion's voice was hurt and desperate. The memory of their movie night vaguely lit up in her mind, the kiss she gave him making her guilt grow stronger. Had she really managed to hurt him with her actions?

"Klarion, I'm-…" as she opened her lips to apologize, a voice boomed strongly, breaking through the darkness.

"Hannah, wake up!"

The two witches both froze, their heads snapping upwards so to face the direction from which the voice came from.

"Kaldur, you shouldn't go near her, its dangerous!"

"What the…" Klarion muttered, getting to his feet and helping Hannah up as well, his hand placed securely on her wrist. He watched as the darkness around them started to dissolve, a bright light shining through above them.

Hannah took a step forward, Klarion's grip on her stopping her from going far "They're waking me up." she muttered, reaching her free hand towards the light. The boy narrowed his eyes and looked up in to the light. He could barely make out figures moving like silhouettes, and the muffled voices were familiar to him. He recognized the voice he did not want to hear.

"Wake up!"

The Atlantian she had fancied so much, calling her to come to the world of the awake. Why did it have to be him?! A growl gathered in his throat and he increased the grip on Hannah's wrist, not willing to let her go.

But, Hannah didn't seem to notice. She was hypnotized by the light "I have to leave now." she turned to face the boy "You should leave, too."

Klarion's eyes widened as the girl started disappearing. The wrist he held so tightly slipped from his grip, Hannah's body turning translucent, her eyes closing and her body floating towards the light. He tried to reach for her again, but as he did, he saw his own hand was in the same state as Hannah; slowly disappearing. She was kicking him out of her mind! He closed his eyes…

…only to wake up back in the apartment in Gotham. His entire body lurched forward, his gasps panicked. Klarion felt cold sweat drip down his face and he quickly brought up a hand to rest his head in it. She kicked him out quite forcefully.

"Kh…" he tried steadying his heart as it beat inside his chest forcefully "…stupid girl."

Hannah awoke with a gasp, her hand reaching out in front of her as she tried to find something to grip on to. She felt a thin sheet of cold sweat cover her completely, her body aching, her wrists burning.

A stronger hand quickly came in to view, taking hold of the one she outstretched and gripping it tightly "It's okay, I'm here. It's okay." she craned her neck to face the person who spoke to her so softly and met with the familiar face of Kaldur. She only then realized that he was kneeling down on the floor, holding her body upright with one arm.

"What…" she groaned, sleep slowly leaving her "…what happened?"

As she looked around, she wished she hadn't.

Her entire room was trashed. It was as if something exploded inside her room, sending everything in to a horrible mess. The walls and floor were dented, the furniture either broken or badly damaged, with many things just thrown around carelessly. She then finally realized that M'gann and Superboy were both standing in the doorway, their eyes wide with shock and horror.

"It's okay." Kaldur spoke once more and her attention turned back to him. She saw tiny scratches along his face and jawline, some even bleeding. Though if he was in pain, he didn't seem to show it "You were having a night terror. We woke you up before anything worse happened."

It was when the pain from her wrists reached her that she realized that once more, during her nightmares, she must have absentmindedly used magic again.

And this time, it was more violent than the last.

A/n: ahhhh so I didn't proof read this so there are probably lots of mistakes also it's late and I'm tired and can barely see so there will be no review replies orz please forgive