I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY! My computer crashed, so i couldn't update and when I finally got it fixed, everything was wiped off. I've been feeling so guilty for the past two months without updating, and it only got fixed a week ago. Here's chapter 15, I hope you enjoy it and again, so sorry for not updating.
Artemis Crock sat on the makeshift stone bench in the courtyard of Gotham Academy. Many thoughts flew through her head about the absence of her two friends, Alex and Dick, as well as the missing vigilante, Robin. She was currently looking intently at the object in her hands. It was the locket she was given, and she was focusing particularly on the picture of her and Alex in the photo booth, making a silly face. Artemis remembered that day at the mall. They didn't even go shopping, they pranked the shoppers there. They ran inside the booth for cover when they almost got caught.
"Run!" Artemis yelled, grabbing the other girl's hand and pulling her around a corner. Just when they were about to get away with their trick, the person saw them and started towards them.
"There!" Alex exclaimed, pointing at photo booth and yanked Artemis inside. They were booth out of breath, and sighed when they heard the footsteps running past them. Alex pulled out a couple quarters, gesturing to the camera. "Since we're already here, might as well make the most of it." Putting in the change each started making bizarre and funny poses, one of those pictures being important to be remembered.
The picture was something that, though she probably wouldn't admit it, was sentimental to her and now it was even more important to Artemis than before. She suspected something happened to her mischievous friend, and it made her worried. She also thought there was a connection between Robin going missing, Dick going missing and Alex going missing. She didn't know what it was though. The sound of footsteps snapped her of her thoughts. She looked up to see a familiar female redhead sitting down beside her.
"Hey Artemis." Barbara said.
"Hey Barb." She said shortly. The other girl sighed.
"Look, I need to talk to you about something later. Can you catch a ride with me back to the manor later? It a would be easier to explain." She leaned in next to the blonde's ear and whispered. "It also has something to do with Robin's disappearance."
The archer gasped, then covered up quickly. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Look, I'll show you later at the manor, okay? Just trust me on this."
The rest of their conversations had lighter and more random topics, being careful not tread on any dangerous subjects. Soon they were just laying next to each other on the bed, staring at the gray concrete ceiling, talking about whatever came up in there heads. When they were about to go to sleep, Dick realized he couldn't. Every time he tried, the images of seeing everyone dead were stuck to his eyelids, making him open them back up, wishing he could forget the experience. Sensing his distress, Alex turned to him, her eyebrows raised.
"Something wrong?" She asked.
"No, I'm fine." He responded, hoping she'd just leave it at that. She stared at him for a moment before she spoke.
"You know I can tell almost all the time when someone is lying, especially you." She said. "We talked about my problems, how about yours? What happened?"
He sighed; she wasn't going to give up. He sat up, her following. "Remember when we had to see that fake reality earlier?" She nodded.
"Yeah."
"Well, mines is hard to forget, though I really wish I didn't have to see it. I—" He choked. "I saw everyone. You, Bruce, the team. All dead. I can't just forget something like that." He took a shaky breath. Seeing him like this hurt Alex's heart, and she pulled his head to her chest. Silently, she played with his hair, listening. "It was just, so terrible to see. To believe. Everyone gone, and I could do nothing. That's probably the worst part. All those tragedies and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. I was useless."
She could feel the tears on her neck. Alex understood what he meant. Both Robin and Dick hated being useless in a situation, always wanting to help out if he could. So being useless in saving the lives of the people he thought of as family was probably the worst possible thing for him. She grabbed his face in her hands, making him look directly into the eyes he was so easily lost in.
"I know it was horrible, I know that you seen it with your own eyes, and I know that for a moment you believed it, but know that it wasn't real. That means that there are friends to save, and that there is a purpose to live for, because you are not useless. You are needed. Your friends need you, Bruce needs you, and I need you. Understand that, okay?"
He nodded, a slight smile coming onto his face. Alex wiped away a stray tear on his face, the gesture seeming more intimate than it needs to be. They stared at each other for awhile, until Dick broke it, laying back onto the bed. She laid beside him, both going into sleep that for once wasn't full of nightmares, but dreams and great memories.
A girl was standing in front of a giant school, looking nervously at the building, fixing her uniform as much as she could. She angled her glasses to make sure that they were on right. "First day of school at Gotham Academy. Don't blow this." She said to herself. She started walking inside the school, amazed at the interior. Then, while walking, she paid too much attention to her surroundings and crashed into someone, both falling onto the floor.
"Sorry." Both said, picking each other's stuff up before giving it back to the other. The girl blushed.
"Hey, you new?" A black-haired blue-eyed boy said to her. She had to admit, he wasn't bad looking.
"Uh… yeah. I'm new." She said, giving him a nervous smile. He beamed back at her, holding out his hand for a shake.
"Name's Richard Grayson, but call me Dick." She arched an eyebrow at the nickname, shaking his hand with a slightly teasing smile on her face.
"Do you have that name because of a reputation or…?" He shook his head at what she was implying.
"Oh, no. It's just a nickname because Richard seems too formal to me. Nice grip on the handshake by the way."
"Yeah, I know. Awesome, right?" She said, pretending to check out her nails, trying to act a weird kind of snobby. They both burst out into laughter. "Name's Alexis Jones, but call me Alex."
"Okay Alex, welcome to Gotham Academy—" Dick said, gesturing largely at the school building.
"The place where I'm gonna ace so much tests and piss off so much people." Alex smirked, finishing off his sentence. He smirked back.
"I think I'm going to like you."
2
"Don't worry, Bruce is cool. He'll treat you like family." Dick said, holding the hand of Alex Jones, leading her to the manor where he lived.
"If I don't go into 'so nervous I'll fuck up big time' mode."
"I said don't worry. And why have such a long name like that? Just call it 'SNIFUBT' mode."
"Wow, that is so much easier." She said sarcastically. "Seriously though, I don't want to embarrass myself in front of him. What if—"
"Just shut up and calm down. Be yourself."
"So he likes sarcastic, witty people?"
"He just hates fake people."
"So how does he survive with a job like his?"
"I have no clue." They arrived in front of giant gates and Dick put his hand on the pad on the wall beside. The scanner checked his handprint, opening the gates and granting access. "It's the home of a billionaire. What do you expect? Now come on..." He grabbed her hand, bring her up the driveway.
They walked up to the front door, ringing the doorbell. "Hey Alfred, its Dick and I brought along a friend." He gave a look to her when he said. The door opened revealing the British butler.
"Hello. Alfred Pennyworth." He nodded his head respectfully. Alex didn't know why, but this man automatically made her feel more calmer and at home, almost like a grandfather figure.
"Hello." She said, giving a small wave and flashing him a smile. "Please to meet you ."
"You must be Alexis Jones. Master Dick talks a lot about you." The ebony looked away, blushing and scratching the back of his head nervously while having Alex give him a raised eyebrow.
"Is that so? I hope nothing bad about me was said."
"Only good things, Miss Jones." Alfred said. He moved from the doorway, allowing the two to come inside. "Master Bruce will be coming soon. He's just finishing up something."
Both sat on the couch, discussing some things while Alfred went to get Bruce. "Wow, no wonder so much girls are trying to get with you, I mean, look at this place. Who wouldn't want it?"
"Well they shouldn't bother trying, it's not like I'm into any of them. I prefer to wait for the special one," he said, and looked towards Alex with a little smirk in his face. She blushed, and was happy she was saved from her embarrassment by her best friend's guardian.
"Hi, I'm Bruce Wayne, you must be Alexis."
Both smiled in their sleep, reminiscing the good times they had, and only wanted to be able to create more memories together. Unknowingly, something was happening in the room right beside them.
"I need your services with what I have planned for them. Everyone will finally feel my pain, my anger, my revenge. The League will finally pay for what they've done to my family, for all the people they've failed, but first..." He turned around in his chair, facing the computer screens that were the only light in the room. "Let's give them an insight to what they have lost." Koro typed in some things, before the words, 'SENT' appeared on the screen. He leaned back in his chair, hands folded, satisfied. "This is going to turn out great, don't you think?"
"Of course. After all, it's only a matter of time before the sidekicks, then the League, fall to the Light."
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