"You and Cade will sleep here for the time being," Batman instructed myself and my 'foe', telling Aqualad to show Cade to his room and M'gann to take me back to the first room we were in.
"I thought you said there was only one room?" I asked as M'gann and I walked off. With an awkward giggle, M'gann simply told me that she forgot. Great timing.
"So… You, Robin and Kid Flash, hey?" M'gann spoke, nudging me softly and chuckling at me. I didn't know to respond to it, so I just smiled and thought about it.
"Hah, I guess…" I responded. Everything seemed to be going relatively well, apart from the part where a) I was stuck back at the headquarters and b) Cade had gone off his nut at me for saving him.
"So what exactly happened with Cade?" M'gann was looking at me with intent, seeming intrigued at the situation that had occurred between me and the guy I originally thought could help me out.
"You know… I'm not sure… One minute, I'm talking to him and he starts yelling at me, and the next, he's yelling at me again because I didn't want to see him crushed… By, you know, a giant piece of, uh, cement…" After a few minutes of continuing to walk, M'gann and I arrived back at the first room I had been in, apart from the headquarters.
"Well, that doesn't seem right at all... Anyway, we're here! Uh… again," M'gann stated, raising her arms to indicate what she was talking about.
"Ah… It's certainly… familiar," I responded, having a very brief look around the room.
"At least you'll remember where everything is!" she announced as a joke, flashing me a big grin. I sat on the bed and just looked at M'gann, deep in thought.
"Are you alright?" M'gann asked, seeming to be struggling not to read my mind.
"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry. You're just so nice… It's hard to believe that you felt you didn't fit in. Like I said, you are all amazing… But…" I explained, thinking about the experience I had with Artemis and Cade.
"Artemis? She'll warm up to you soon enough. Just give her time. She's just a little upset that there's a 'newbie' in the team. I guess she wanted to be the last one in…" M'gann tried explaining, giving me a hug, "but don't worry. We're all here for you. Even Artemis. I'm sure she'll come around in time."
~~~.~~~
Walking out of the bedroom, we came back to the main headquarters, greeted by Black Canary, Red Tornado, all the Young Justice gang and Cade.
"You are all aware of the recent arrival of Tempest and Cade. They will be staying here, as Batman has already stated," Red Tornado reiterated, looking toward Cade, then me.
"Uh, Red, we already knew, so why are you telling us again?" Kid asked, racing to stand between myself and M'gann.
"Batman wished for me to re-inform you," Red Tornado put simply.
"Seeing as Superboy and I live here, we'll be looking after them… Well, I will. I'm not sure about Superboy," M'gann pointed out, giving a hopeful smile to Superboy, who sighed in agreement a few seconds later.
Only a few moments later, Robin and Kid Flash were arguing over who would be staying to keep myself and Cade company also, soon followed by Aqualad, being the team leader.
"Yay! So we'll all be here! Great, the more the merrier!" M'gann exclaimed in excitement, lifting off of the ground. I still wasn't quite used to that yet.
Looking over at Cade, I knew that something was wrong. Or, at least it seemed like something was wrong. He had the same unimpressed façade that he always seemed to wear now; I didn't know if it was my fault, though, or if he just acted like it was. It was starting to make me feel a little annoyed that he wasn't explaining anything to me. Especially the things that had the most to do with me!
"What's the time?" I mumbled sleepily, wiping my eyes the way I always did to try and keep myself away for a little longer.
"Aw, someone's sleepy. I'm not sure what the time is, but I think it's late," M'gann answered, thinking about my query.
"Not just yet… Maybe soon…" I told everyone, stretching and then quickly bringing my arms to my side in embarrassment.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Kid Flash replied, pretending to yawn and stretch, putting his arm around my neck. I looked at him and smirked; I saw Robin scowling from the corner of my eye.
"Well, why don't we just have a little 'get to know you' session? We can get to know the newbies!" Robin suggested, moving in between myself and Kid Flash and removing Kid's arm from around my neck.
"That's a great idea!" M'gann exclaimed. She was back on the ground, but I was watching her carefully to see if she would levitate again. For some reason, it made me feel weird.
We all walked toward the lounge room, which was right near the kitchen, and sat down in front of a massive big-screened TV. I heard a "Whoa," escape my lips, but nothing more.
When we all sat down, I made sure to specifically sit between Superboy and Aqualad, just so I didn't have to worry about any drama with Robin or Kid.
"So, Tempest, do you want to tell us a little about yourself?" Aqualad offered, motioning for me to start. Looking around awkwardly, I saw Cade sitting alone, rather unhappily. I didn't know whether he'd hate me more or like me more for I said next.
"Why don't we let Cade have a start?" I suggested softly, looking at the boy who seemed very quiet.
"Okay. Cade, tell us about you," Aqualad restated. I attempted a smile at Cade, but he didn't seem very impressed at all, though something told me that if I was the one to start off, he still wouldn't be very appreciative. There was no pleasing this guy!
"Like there's really anything to tell. I can't remember most of my life except for the time I've spent in this hell-hole… Being part of this team was all I really wanted. Being part of any team. But no, I don't even get that…" Cade explained, giving me a cold, dirty look at the last point of his sentence. I just stared at the floor, knowing exactly what he meant. Suddenly, I felt someone putting their hand on my shoulder. When I looked up, I saw it was Superboy, attempting to muster up a smile.
"Tempest? What about you?" Superboy asked, his hand still on my shoulder.
"Uh… Well, I… I don't remember basically any of what happened in my life… All I remember is landing in the headquarters of you guys… And then… You know the rest… I still don't know if what happened outside was me or just me getting in the way of something…" I tried explaining, hearing an unappreciated sigh from Cade.
"You just HAD to bring that up! You had to bring up what happened outside, didn't you?! Just because you found out that you have powers, unlike some of us! When are you going to cut ordinary kids like me a break? Really!" he shouted, storming out of the room like a bullet.
"So… that's the kind of thing that he said to you…" M'gann realised, trying to smile at me. I definitely wasn't in the mood to smile. Or speak. It felt like nothing I tried doing for him was good enough, but I wasn't about to give up. I was going to try and get him to work with me without any dramas as much as I could.
"Well, how about we introduce ourselves? I just realised that we haven't done that yet…" Kid Flash suggested, winking at me, "You can call me Wally."
I tried to keep a straight face, but ended up smiling like I was about to laugh, gaining a confused, "What?" from Wally.
"I think his parents were confused when naming him. I'm Artemis," Artemis joked, not bothering to look at me. M'gann and Artemis were sitting next to each other, right near Wally and Robin.
"You already know my name!" M'gann exclaimed happily, grinning brightly at me. I couldn't help but return the gesture.
"My name is Kaldur Ahum… But you can call me Kaldur," Aqualad explained, also smiling at me. And finally, it came to Superboy.
"Uh… Conner. Kent. My name is Conner Kent," he stated, looking at M'gann, who smiled at him. M'gann seemed to like smiling very much.
"Wow… It's amazing that you all trust me… I know this sounds really, REALLY stupid, but…" I started, an awkward smirk appearing on my face, "What is it, exactly, that this team does? I understand the mission thing, but no one's really explained anything to me…"
I heard a 'Pfft' from Artemis, who just walked out of the room. If I wasn't feeling awkward and stupid already, I certainly was now.
"We are the team they call for covert missions. 'Junior Justice League' as Red Arrow calls it. Batman gives us our missions. We're glad to have you as part of our team," Kaldur explained to me. I guessed I was starting to pick up on the concept.
"Thank you… Oh, right… I think I remember some things about it… Red Arrow was Speedy, right? Green Arrow's partner? But he believed that he was replaced by Artemis when… he went… solo…" I asked, confused by what I had just said. I had no idea how I knew that, it just seemed to come back to me. My stomach tightened as I thought about what had just run through my head.
"I think I'm going to go to sleep… Or try…" I muttered, walking out of the room to be greeted by Artemis.
"How did you know that?" she ordered, looking very sure of herself. Of course, I wasn't.
"I really… don't know…" I answered, hoping I wouldn't be pressed on the issue. With nothing more than a look, Artemis started to walk back into the room where everyone else except myself and Cade were seated. Thoughts blasted through my mind. Confusing thoughts at that. How did I know what had happened with Red Arrow? How did I even know who he was?
The walk back to my room was long; I could barely concentrate and found myself nearly colliding with walls a few times, but finally, I arrived.
"Wow, Tempest. You're on a one-way trip to Crazyland, I swear!" I mumbled to myself, lying down in my bed. It took a long time, but eventually, I fell asleep.
At first, everything was fine. I had a dream about a tap dancing rat. But then, things started going haywire as the background started peeling away, the rat stopped tap dancing and started coming for me, its teeth gnashing and its claws exposed. Then, shadows appeared from the darkness, shadows in the shape of spiders; the thing I hated the absolute most. If there was anything I would rather die than face, it was a spider. The spider silhouettes came closer, their pincers clicking together and they're many eyes focused on me.
Then suddenly, I saw the team. For a split second, I had an ounce of hope, thinking that they would save me from the horrible monsters that lied ahead.
But I was wrong.
Kid Flash and Robin came over to me, gripping onto my wrists and holding me against a wall that I didn't know was behind me. Then over came Artemis, who pulled an arrow from her quiver and held it tightly against my throat. I didn't see M'gann, but I could feel someone holding my jaw closed and onto my throat. And finally, along came Superboy and Aqualad, who threw punches as strong as rocks straight at my stomach, stopping any air from entering my lungs.
At that point, I found myself awake, but I couldn't breathe. No matter how hard I tried, no air would enter my lungs still. It was just like the nightmare, except no one was punching me while the others held me down. Time started to pass and I could feel myself fading little by little as the oxygen continued to circulate the room, not me.
In an attempt to stand up, I tugged my arms, but they wouldn't budge. They had been locked to the bed while I was sleeping. How was I supposed to get help now?!
All I could do was make as much noise as I could, hoping that someone would notice. I counted the seconds that passed until someone had noticed me. Twenty-three seconds. I continued waiting, jingling the chains that connected me to the bed. One minute.
One minute, thirty seconds.
Two minutes. I was really starting to be out of it, too weak to make any noise anymore. All I could do now, was pray that someone would find me before it was too late.
~~~.~~~
I felt myself becoming unconscious, the darkness hitting me like a brick. After a few seconds, I could feel what was going on, but my eyes were too weak to open for me to see it. I felt something over my legs, but I couldn't see it; my nerves only picked up bits and pieces of what was happening. Suddenly, I felt something press against my lips and insert air into my mouth. After about ten seconds, I was able to breathe again, as well as see who my saviour was. But I was a little shocked to see what was happening. When my eyes opened, I saw Robin lying over me, his arms and legs holding him up at my sides. His lips were pressed on mine, although now, he wasn't just giving me mouth to mouth anymore.
He was actually kissing me. I attempted to pull my arms from the chairs, in instinct of putting them around his neck to embrace him, to no avail. This lasted for a few minutes before a surprising clearing of the throat sent me out of my skin.
"Are you done?" Kaldur asked, standing by the bed, his arms folded. As soon as we both heard him speak, Robin jumped up awkwardly and stood next to me, starting to pick the locks to the chains. I looked at Robin out the corner of my eye and blushed.
What had just happened?
"She wasn't breathing. I don't know what happened, but I saw her lying there and her chest and stomach weren't moving. Like I said, she wasn't breathing," Robin defended himself, concentrating on the locks. Eventually, he managed to undo one, but there was still the other one left.
"Right, so you decided to lock lips with her?" Kid Flash asked angrily, folding his arms. I looked up to see everyone staring, but just dropped my head back onto the pillow. Sure, no one cares that I just had a near death experience… Again!
"It wasn't like that, I-"
"Rob, really. We all saw it!"
"Hello, nearly dead girl on the bed here!" I called, feeling irritable from what had happened prior Robin arriving. Robin had just unlocked the second chain, so I could sit up properly.
"Oh, right. Sorry, beautiful. What happened?" Kid Flash asked, moving on the opposite side of me to Robin.
"Do you think I really know that? I was unconscious and Robin came in and… helped me out. Why would I know what happened to me?" I asked, irritated. But I started feeling bad when I saw Wally looking a little upset that I had just had a go at him. "You know what… I'm sorry… I know you're only trying to help… But I really don't remember much besides what just happened… Except for the nightmare that I just had…" I apologised, mumbling the last bit so softly that even I could barely hear it.
"What nightmare?" Conner asked, moving closer to me in intrigue, followed by the rest of the group.
"What?" M'gann asked, looking at me confusedly.
"She said that she had a nightmare before blacking out. What was it?" Did I really have to answer? I would sound like an idiot!
"You know, don't worry… It doesn't matter… It was nothing," I insisted, but Conner was more persistent and persuasive.
"Tempest, this could help us out. Please tell us," he persuaded me, getting nothing but a sigh out of me.
"Fine… But if you laugh," I threatened, giving Robin an evil look, who just crossed his heart.
"Well, at first it started with a tap dancing rat," I had only just started and already, Robin was struggling not to laugh, though I could see Conner giving him a death stare, "but then… It stopped dancing and started coming for me, looking just about ready to rip me to shreds… Then… it was spiders… I hate spiders… And then… you…"
I lowered my head and thought about what I said. Knowing that they would be confused, I continued.
"Wally and Robin came in and held me against the wall, Artemis held an arrow to my throat and M'gann held my jaw closed so I couldn't scream, along with my throat, while you and Aqualad basically beat me to what felt like death completely by punching me repeatedly in the stomach... It was so realistic, I worried it could be real… And then, when I woke up, I couldn't breathe…" I told Conner, sounding like a patient seeing their psychiatrist. He seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say.
"Tempest, we would never do that! You know we wouldn't!" M'gann insisted, rushing up to me in the hopes I would believe her.
"I knew, I just-," I started, before a pain took over me. It wasn't a sharp pain, but it hurt. It felt more like the kind of pain that you get when someone punches you were you're bruised. It covered my entire stomach. Leaning back so that I was lying on the bed again, I put my hands over my stomach in an attempt to stop the pain, but it didn't work.
"Tempest, where did you say we 'punched you'?" Kaldur asked, moving up next to me and running his hand along my stomach, his face full of confusion and slight anger. I winced in pain and found myself nearly unable to speak. The pain was coming back even worse now.
"R-right where your h-hand is," I managed through gritted teeth. The urge to scream was starting to overtake me, but I was able to control myself.
"This is not good…" Kaldur's voice was soft and worrying; I was the one it happened to, could anyone give me any information? "We need to take her to the League."
I felt myself being picked up again by Conner, being as gentle as he could.
"Can you walk?" he asked, just looking at me with no real emotion apart from determination. I nodded reluctantly. Whether I could walk or not, I wasn't sure. But I would definitely give it a go; I didn't want to be seen as someone who couldn't do anything for themself. As soon as my feet touched the floor, my stomach tightened again and the pain coursed through me once again.
"I got ya!" Wally exclaimed, running up next to me and helping me to stand up. Thanking him, I was left with no choice but to lean on him, my arm around his neck.
We continued walking out of the room, M'gann and Artemis following behind, with Conner and Kaldur in front of them and Robin and Wally beside me. I forgot where we were, but as soon as we reached Cade's room, I started to regain my memory. M'gann had told me where his room was by accident when we were talking and I was intent on settling things with him.
"Uh, thanks. I have to do something quickly. I'll meet you at the main headquarters," I explained, removing my arm from Wally's neck. With a nod, they all said that they'd see me soon.
I could only hope.
"Cade? Are you in?" I asked, only slightly poking my head around the edge of the ajar door. Suddenly, I could feel something pulling me into his room. Some strange force, followed by the slamming of his door. The back wall of the room came closer until I finally felt myself pinned against it. To my throat was a lightning bolt. For some reason, I wasn't dead already, but there was nothing to say he wouldn't kill me anyway.
"Haven't you heard of knocking?" Cade asked darkly, sitting in a contemplating position on his bed.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry…" I choked up past the bolt. Squirming did no good; it just sent minor shocks through me.
"Sorry for what? Sorry for ruining my life? Sorry for ruining my relationships? Sorry for ruining me? You know, when I first saw you, I thought you would help me. I thought you'd be there for me. But no. Instead, you wanted them all to yourself. And what do I get? I get the bloody old ones! Sure, they have experience, but they have no interest in recruiting people like me! People who need to get experience! Thanks for everything!" he accused, sending a major shock through me. I screamed and squirmed, but nothing made him stop. I could see the darkness in his eyes, the enjoyment, as he watched the pain writhe through me.
"N-no, it was y-your ch…oice. I h-had no-nothing-!" I tried saying, but each strike of the bolt stopped what I wanted to say from touching the air in front of me.
"Shut up, woman! You're nothing! Fine, you can control plants, but you know what? I can make your nightmares reality! I can make you see everything that you don't want to see!" Spiders. The only thing that ran through my mind at that moment was the spiders that I saw in my nightmare. They plagued my mind and I shivered and continued squirming against the wall.
I knew that I couldn't take much more.
~~~.~~~
Suddenly, a loud bang at the door rang out, but neither myself nor Cade were surprised. I couldn't be; the spiders were increasing and I could feel them roaming my skin and biting into my flesh. Cade was too busy making sure that I suffered as much as he wanted. But when his door was burst through, that's when he started noticing and the spiders started to ease up.
Then, with a final shock that completely burnt my throat, I was released from the lightning bolt, hearing Artemis telling me to run. I didn't know what was happening, so I just followed her orders and ran out of the room as quickly as I could, not even bothering to look back.
I arrived at the main headquarters, the Justice League and most of the Young Justice team awaiting me. The looks of confusion and shock as I entered the room, battered and bruised more than originally shocked all of them, especially Kaldur.
"What happened?" he asked, stepping forward. Following his lead, I stepped forward as well.
"Cade deserves to be a part of this more than me. He's hard working, determined and will get the job done. I will only slow the team down," I stated, trying to smile but it hurt too much.
"Tempest, what happened?" Kaldur repeated, sounding a little more stern.
"Take Cade. Not me," I said quite simply, looking at Kaldur, who seemed to have noticed the burn that was around my throat.
"Tempest, what happened?!" he repeated once again, becoming slightly angry and worried. I only managed a smile before turning to find an exit to the cave. Another pain shot through me, sending me straight to my knees, as Kaldur put his hand on me to make me face him. Shakily, I stood up and stared into Kaldur's eyes, a single tear entering my own.
"Fear is a powerful thing…" was the only thing I said, before turning around again, once again looking for an exit. As I walked off, I saw Artemis come past me the opposite way, a semi-conscious Cade in her grip.
"This little criminal here decided it would be funny to strap a lightning bolt to Tempest's neck and shock her with it. Hey, where was she going?" I heard Artemis's voice from a far distance behind me, but I continued walking. Nothing back there was going to make me change my decision.
Nothing.
~~~.~~~
Eventually reaching what I thought was an exit, I found my path blocked by a levitating Superman. Couldn't people, or aliens, live without floating for a second?
"You do realise that the people here care about you?" he asked, his hands on his sides in a heroic pose. I knew he was right, but I just couldn't face Cade again.
"Yes, I do… But if I was there, I'd only get myself into trouble… Cade needs this more than I do…" I wrapped myself up with my own arms and shivered. It seemed worrying about my own life came second for me.
"Tempest," Superman started, lowering himself to the ground, "you are a brave girl. You've shown us your talents and your determination for things you care about. All you need to do is learn to control your powers. That's what we're here for. If Cade wants it so badly, he'll know not to blame someone else for his misfortune. So, if you really want to be a part of this team, we're all waiting for you. The door's right there, if you choose otherwise." I looked up at Superman, thinking about what he just said and realising just how true it really was. It was easy to tell he knew how I was feeling about it, because a smile appeared on his face.
Turning around, I ran back up to Kaldur and hugged him, thanking him for everything. Then, walking up to M'gann, I hugged her as well.
"We're lucky to have you on the team!... Hello, Megan! I made cookies for this! I'll go and get them!" she squealed excitedly.
"I just hope that they aren't burnt like last time…" Robin muttered, getting a death stare from Wally.
As M'gann flew off to collect her cookies, I wrapped my arms around Robin and Wally, who seemed a little disappointed that I didn't hug them separately. With slow, awkward steps, I made my way over to Conner, contemplating whether I should hug him or not.
"Uh, would you… You know… want a hug?" I asked softly, my eyes darting back and forth between his and the ground in hesitancy. With a slight shrug, I received a hug from Conner, who I had to stand on the tip of my toes to reach properly.
And then finally, it came to Artemis. I just looked at her and smiled, realising that a hug wasn't the best idea, seeing as she still had Cade in her grip.
"Thank you," I said to her, shaking her hand.
"You're welcome," she replied, returning the smile. Soon, M'gann was back, carrying a tray of cookies.
"Who's hungry?"