"I have my answer."
Canary leaned forward expectantly.
"Are you going to tell me?' she asked.
I was a little hesitant but it was the right thing to do.
"I stayed because I'm in love with Robin."
Canary looked surprised, maybe that I had admitted it but I didn't give her room to say anything.
"I know I'm only 13 and I shouldn't know what love is but for the first time in my entire life, I feel safe sharing what I am with another person."
Canary studied my face.
"Interteam dating is good but I want you to understand. Robin is Batman's protégée. He answers to Batman first and foremost. "
"I know," I said.
I gave her a weak smile.
"I think I'm startin' to grow on him, y'know?"
"Robin?"
"Batman."
Canary swore to keep silent. Then again, she didn't have a choice considering she was playing a professional role at the time. I didn't care either way. Robin wasn't taking pains to hide us and neither was I, despite the odd looks from Wally we were getting, sitting on the couch and playing hand held DSes.
"I am so winning," I declared.
"Ha!" Robin laughed.
Whoever said Pokemon wasn't romantic was stupid. His fingers flew over the buttons.
"You jerk!" I cried. "You killed my Ponyta!"
Robin smirked.
"Who's winning now?"
I smiled at him.
"Me," I replied.
He looked back at his game as my Pikachu took out his Squirtle.
"Why would you do that?" Robin asked.
I looked at him to make sure he was joking and he returned my look with a boyish grin.
"You suck," I joked.
He opened his mouth to say something when an alarm sounded.
"What the hell?" I asked.
Robin was alert already.
"Someone's breaking in!" he announced, leaping over the couch.
"What do we do?" I asked.
Kaldur ran by, in his mission clothes.
"Split up and find them!" he instructed.
Robin was gone in a second. I didn't waste any time running to my room and pulling on my own uniform. Instead of running back out, I leapt up, crawling into the vents that I was pretty sure Robin had memorized.
I hadn't crawled very far past the gym.
"They say you can find rats in air vents."
I spun fast. Only arms length away was Triple B.
"Aisha," I whispered.
She looked at me. Half her face was burnt and I could only stare.
"Been awhile, huh?"
"What… how are you here?" I asked.
Aisha smirked.
"That would take much too long to explain."
She began to crawl away.
"Come on."
"Where?"
"You'll see."
We ended up on the beach which was fine with me. Aisha flopped down on the sand and I sat next to her.
"I lied to you," she opened with.
What a brilliant line.
"My past isn't so family oriented," she went on. "I was a lab baby. There were four of us, actually. Two boys, two girls. One of the doctors took us all and bolted. He split us up which was stupid. Its not like we live in a world where people have our kind of eyes everywhere. But somehow we stayed hidden."
She paused to cough but went on.
"I found the other two and I killed them. I felt I had no other option. I was selfish and wanted to be special."
A wry smile crossed her face.
"When I was searching for the last one of us, I found out I was sick."
She didn't elaborate much on what she was sick with and I didn't ask.
"When I saw you, when I saw your eyes, I knew who you were. I was tempted to kill you right then and there."
"But," I prompted.
"But I didn't," Aisha replied.
And that was all she said on it. We spent the rest of that evening sitting on the beach even when it got so cold that my toes were freezing. And if it was cold for me, it was probably worse for Aisha's health. I nudged her gently.
"We should go in," I said.
But from her, there was no response. I glanced at her, really seeing her. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't breathing. For awhile, I just watched her, not really believing that someone could have died so close to me and not make a sound. The cold wind stirred up her hair and I watched a single tear, held by her eyelash slide down her face. Slowly, as if it would matter, I leaned over.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I loved you like a sister."
I should have walked away then but I didn't want to. Instead, I huddled close to her, purely just to be close to someone.