Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, but I do own Andie Kyle.

Warning: For some people, this chapter could be a little dark. I'm talking 'black magic,' kinda dark. Can you stomach it?

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"Can you stop here?" I asked.

The cab driver nodded, and glanced at me through the rear view mirror. "No problem." His eyes were a light shade of grey. With his thick lashes and chiselled features, I found it hard to look away. He was gorgeous. Compared to him, I felt kind of plain. And I really didn't need that when I was about to face my boyfriend's ex. I tugged again at the green t-shirt I'd borrowed from M'gaan.

The cab driver pulled up to the curb, and peered out the window. His eyes shifted quickly from left to right. I adjusted my leather jacket, and dug through my jeans for some spare change.

"Free of charge, sweetheart."

I paused in my fruitless search. "Seriously? Thanks. I'll remember this, uh," I looked up at his driving license, searching for a name "… Santiago." I blinked, and checked again. This guy looked nothing like his driving license. Hell… he wasn't even the same nationality. What an idiot.

I stretched forward to grasp his shoulder, but he bent just out of reach. His hand skidded over the locks, trapping me inside.

"Not like I was going to run," I muttered.

The cab shook as he spun around, flinging himself towards me. I hit the seat hard, wincing as he pinned me down. There was a click; a gun. He pressed the barrel against my forehead. I scowled, looking up to meet his eyes for the first time this evening.

His sneer vanished, crawling off bit by bit. He blinked, watching my cat eyes with a frightened fascination. The gun shook in his palm.

I pushed up, and slammed his hand into the back seat. The gun slipped out of his grasp. He cursed, scrambling to reach for it. I followed quickly; my elbow met his temple. With a final hit, he slumped forward, unconscious.

I fell backwards and took a deep breath. According to the dashboard it was 5:10pm. I glared at the unconscious driver. "Totally your fault." Jumping out of the cab, I ran a few metres ahead. A building came into view. It was an abandoned house with a stone staircase that lead up to the front door. Foliage rested, untamed, around the broken windows. A layer of grime clung to the wooden planks of the houses structure; it was rotting away. I pushed the door, and it swung open, disturbing a dust pile.

The dismal atmosphere left a lot to be desired.

I glanced behind me at the quiet street, shutting the door as a man walked past. The hinges clicked into place and the room began to change: Furniture appeared in place of rotting wood; colour blossomed where dust had been. Bit by bit, the room became unrecognisable. At the far corner, on an orange couch, sat Robin. He wore black sunglasses, jeans, and a dark blue hoody.

I moved closer and gave him a hesitant wave. His eyebrows shot up and he removed his shades. "You look… different."

"No kidding."

He sighed. "You know what I mean. You look… nice."

"Thanks." I sat on the couch. "So, where's Zatanna? I'm guessing she did all of this," I waved my arms in a wide arc, "with some sort of cloaking spell."

"She's –"

"Right here," came a disembodied voice. The spot where I'd been standing blurred in and out of focus. The first thing to appear was a sapphire jewel. It rested in a silver chain around a pale throat. Seconds later, the owner materialised. Zatanna Zatara.

I'd never met her, but I'd seen pictures, and heard stories – she was powerful; beautiful. Even at fourteen. If she hadn't left the team, I liked to think we'd have been friends. If she wasn't flirting with Robin, I'd like to think we still could be.

Robin sat up straight, a slight grin on his lips. "You're wearing your old costume? You must mean business."

She smiled, all teeth. "It seemed right for meeting an old… teammate." She dragged out word, and cocked her eyebrow. She didn't mean 'teammate'; I was starting to hate her.

Robin chuckled. "It's good to see you in again – in person."

She placed a hand on her tilted hip. "After three years, it should be. Talking on the phone just doesn't cut it. We should do this more of –"

"No, you shouldn't." I snapped. They turned to me.

Robin's lips thinned. "This jealousy act is getting old – fast."

My cheeks warmed, and I glanced briefly at Zatanna. He did not just say that in front of her. An awkward silence shrouded the room.

Zatanna cleared her throat. "You must be Andie." Her smile was sweet; disarming. "I feel like I know you already. You're all Dick talks about."

Dick, huh? I glanced at Robin from the corner of my eye. "Hard to believe."

His jaw twitched. He lifted his head to address Zatanna. "Can we get this thing started? I don't want to be here all night."

She nodded, quickly exiting the room.

"Why are you here to begin with?" I said. "I didn't ask you to come."

"Quit being a pain." He leant into the couch cushions. "You wouldn't even be here without me."

"Whatever." I folded my arms and glanced in the direction Zatanna had left. I sighed. "… She likes you – Zatanna, I mean…" The room grew silent as Robin performed his perfected diversion tactic; staring at the ceiling. "Robin?" I prodded.

He shrugged. It looked awkward with his head facing north. "So? I like you; shouldn't that be more important?"

I blinked in surprise, about to reply when footsteps approached.

"Here." Zatanna handed me a sheet of yellowed paper. At first glance, it was blank, but then I looked again. Scrawled across the page was a paragraph of ancient lettering. The longer I stared, the more it changed; the colour went from black to red; the words took on an odd consistency of dried blood. And then fresh blood, as if the paper itself had a wound. It seeped across the page… I tore my eyes away. "What the hell is this?!"

"You wanted a spell; I gave you a spell." She folded her arms in a defiant stance. "But I won't cast it. You two are wasting your time here." She shook her head. "I should have checked it earlier; before I invited you over."

Robin and I shared a glance. He furrowed his brow, focusing on Zatanna with a hawk-like gaze. "Explain."

She folded her arms more tightly, her face morphing into an ugly scowl. "I had to search through the Ancient Texts just to find it." She pointed to the paper in my hand. "That spell goes back to the beginning of magic; when only dark existed. It's the most advanced black magic I've ever seen."

"So… you won't help us?" Robin asked. According to his face, he already knew the answer.

She fixed him with a hard stare. "You of all people know I don't practice dark magic."

"Anymore," he added. They stared at one another; A battle of wills. Zatanna caved first.

"Fine," he said, before heading for the door. He had one foot out of the threshold before he paused. "Oh, and Zee? Thanks for… well, nothing." The door slammed firmly behind him.

The room became eerily quiet, and I snuck a peek at Zatanna. "Well…" I said, ignoring her 'my-life-sucks' expression. "I'll be going now." I pulled the door open.

"Andie?"

Damn it. So close, I thought. "Yeah?"

"Tell Robin I'm sorry." She gave me a sad smile.

"Huh?"

"Just tell him." She raised her hand and flicked her wrist towards me. "Tuo teg."

A gust of wind blew towards me. My plait slapped me across my face, and I raised my hands. Then the wind grew stronger, lifting me off my feet. I yelled as I flew out the door, rolling to a halt on a bed of weeds. I spat a strand of grass out of my mouth and looked up at the house – it was gone. Vanished, like it had never existed.

"Rude," I muttered. I stood up and dusted off my jeans. "Robin?" I called. He stood on the street curb with his back to the house. I marched up to him. "Alright, there's a story here and I'm missing it. Care to share?"

"No." He didn't even spare me a glance.

"Weren't you the one who made a big deal about honesty in a relationship, and sharing your past, and blah, blah, blah?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't remember saying 'blah, blah, blah'."

I just glared.

He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Fine. A few years ago, right after Zatara was possessed by Dr. Fate, Zee started to get desperate; she wanted to save him. Nothing in her spell books could help, so she turned to the dark arts. She found some type of… blood ritual that promised freedom from entrapment." He shrugged. "I went along with it because she was, you know, Zee."

"Ok."

"I don't know what went wrong, but the spell backfired. Instead of working on Zatara, it worked on me and Zee; it took away what was 'trapping' us." He turned to face me with hooded eyes. "Zatanna, who was concerned – consumed, with her appearance, lost her flawless skin. She has third degree burns all over her body; they won't heal."

"Robin," I began in a gentle voice, I was afraid he was losing it, "Zatanna looks fin –"

"She's wearing a glamour." He spat. "That necklace she wears? It isn't just for decoration."

"Oh." I said, for lack of a better word. I turned to Robin with furrowed brows. "You said the spell backfired on both of you. So… what did you lose?"

He gave me a small smile. "You haven't figured it out? I've told you everything about my past; everything about my parents death. Yet you know nothing about them." His smile melted away, and he stared off into the distance. "That's because I know nothing about them. The blood ritual took away my memories."

My eyes widened.

"The spell was cast only a few years after my parent's death; I was still mourning." He gave a bitter laugh. "Apparently, I was trapped in grief. My parents are wiped clean from every memory I have. Everything from before their deaths? Gone." He scoffed. "It's weird. I know they're my parents. I remember watching them fall; die. But I don't feel much of anything, because I don't remember who the hell they were."

"Dick," I said. I raised a hesitant hand towards his shoulder, and then pulled back. He wouldn't want pity. "If it helps, Zatanna said she's sorry."

He gave a bitter laugh. "'Sorry' doesn't fix me. She had the chance to do that years ago, but she was afraid of using dark magic. And now she's doing it again; she's being a coward." He ran a hand through his hair. "I thought she'd change; I kept in contact because I hoped she'd change."

I glanced back at the empty patch of grass, where the house once stood. "Maybe she has. I mean, she didn't cast the spell, but at least she gave us –"

He spun around. "Who cares? We don't have time for dead ends, Andie!" He grasped my arm and dragged me towards the nearest car window. "You don't have time for dead ends!"

In the dark murkiness of the car window, I saw a vague reflection. My glowing green eyes weren't the only anomaly. Now, I had cat ears.

I don't know when, or how, but I'm going to bring back Selena. Eventually. Due to your reviews. Thx guys.