12/20/23

.….

Cursed

Chapter Forty-Eight: My Name is Linda Park

…...

"Well, this is it."

The words catch in my throat, and I'm barely able to finish the sentence. I try my hardest to be strong, for the sake of my team, but the conflicting feelings in my heart threaten to manifest as tears. I can't just stop and cry now, not after everything I've done and sacrificed to make it here, but nothing about this really feels right.

"The day you've always dreamed of," Cheshire says quietly, avoiding my gaze.

I don't think about Cheshire. I can't. This might be the last time I'll ever see her, but I refuse to dwell on that. Today is supposed to be happy. Why can't I just be happy?

"Is it everything you dreamed of?"

Gizmo's question is so hopeful, so innocent, that something inside me breaks. No, no it isn't. Part of me wishes I never came here. Never had to lose Jade again. Never had to betray Kid Flash, the one I've literally been dreaming of for all these years. Never realized how terrible my hero really is. My lip quivers, and Mammoth is the only one brave enough to say something.

"Uh... Jinx? Are you okay?"

The tension falls off my shoulders, and I finally give up. "No, I don't think I am. But... it's not you guys. You're... wonderful. Really. I know I don't always say it, but... you're my people. My team. And I couldn't have asked for a better one. Not in a million years."

The tears fall freely now, and my team rushes to my side. I'm engulfed in a group hug before I can push them away. I lean my head against Mammoth's shoulder, sniffling like a baby. This wasn't how I pictured today going. I never thought doubts would cloud my judgment. But right now, I just feel so small. I just want things to be okay again.

I take a deep breath, pulling away from my friends. They look at me, clearly confused at my shift in behavior. Until now, I had always been confident in my devotion to the Brotherhood of Evil. This is a new side of me. But, if I'm honest... maybe this side of me has been there from the beginning.

"Grant, you're the bravest person I know. You had the courage to go back to who you were after the Hive told you to throw that away. Out of everyone here, you're the only one who's real. I... want that to change. I want to be me again."

"That's what this is about? You just want us to call you Mallory again?" Gizmo asks.

I hesitate, but the full truth comes out.

"Mallory is actually just my middle name. My real name is Linda Park."

"Linda," Jade says slowly. "I like it. It means beautiful. Did you know that?"

Seymour blushes. "It fits you."

Damon nods.

"I like it better than Jinx," Baran says. "It's easier to spell."

"It sounds like an old lady name, but I guess it's okay," Mikron grumbles.

"It's better than okay, it's the real you!" One Billy cheers.

Grant claps me on the shoulder. "I guess this makes you brave too, doesn't it Linda?"

I smile, feeling better already. "Yeah, I guess it does."

Jade hesitates, rocking back and forth on her feet as if something is preventing her from moving forward. I try not to dwell on it, but I can't. I'm about to lose my second sister, and there's nothing I can do about it. Grant says I'm brave, but I still feel like I'm running. My gaze meets Grant's, and his expression reminds me of Kid Flash. Both of them are sincere and open. In this moment, it's all I want to be.

I gather my courage and look at Jade once more.

"Are you okay Jade?" I finally ask.

Jade shakes her head, toying with the hem of her sleeve.

"I think... we need a code word," she says finally.

"A code word?" Seymour asks.

"We're heading into enemy territory. The Titans aren't our friends, but the past few days have proven that I can't trust the Brotherhood either. Whatever happens, I don't plan on sticking around and I don't think any of you should either," Jade says. Her posture changes. In that moment, she goes from nervous and unsure to confident and assertive. "I'm worried that we could be in danger if something goes wrong. I want a code word. If one of us says it, the rest of us will know to get out as soon as possible."

I nod my head. It's not a bad plan. Jade has really grown up. Maybe I won't need to worry about her as much as I thought I would.

"We'll need to act casual about it, though. We need to work it into a sentence normally and be careful about leaving. The rest of the Brotherhood can't know what's up," I say.

The room falls silent as we try to think it through. There isn't an abundance of brain cells on my team, so executing any plan requires careful planning. Baran suggests "hot dog", but it's shot down quickly by everyone but Billy.

"Nothing personal."

"Hmm?" I ask.

"Nothing personal," Seymour repeats. "We can pretend to bump into someone and tell them it's nothin' personal as an apology."

"It is distinct enough to get the point across," Mikron grumbles.

"Mikey brings up a good point," I agree, ignoring his shout of "It's Gizmo!".

"Just because you're changing your name back doesn't mean the rest of us-"

"What do you think, Jade?" I ask, cutting Mikey off.

Jade nods her head slowly.

"Right. Nothing personal."

I ruffle her hair gently, giving her a bittersweet smile.

"We'll be okay. I promise."

"You better be," she says, fighting back a playful smirk.

There. That's the Jade I know and love. Both of us will be okay. All of us will be okay.

I turn to face my team as a whole once more. All eyes are on me, looking for direction. I soak in this feeling. Things will be different from now on. After today, no one will see us as just the HIVE Five anymore. We'll be more than that. We'll be immortalized as part of the group that finally took down the Teen Titans. Change is coming. I can feel it in my bones.

"We finally made it. I'm proud of us. But... be safe out there."

I stick my hand in the middle of our huddle. Baran catches on quickly, laying his large hand on top of my smaller one. Jade and Seymour are next, followed by Grant. Billy and Damon are a bit slower to catch on, but they soon follow the others. Finally, Mikey floats up on his jet pack and lays his little hand on top of the huddle. As I look around at the faces of everyone who has had my back up to this point, I can't help but feel grateful. It's been a long, hard road. Maybe this wasn't everything I dreamed it would be. Maybe we were tricked and deceived by the Headmistress and others who claimed to have our best interests at heart. Maybe we're even on the wrong side of history. But through it all, even in spite of our differences and squabbles, these are my people.

"HIVE Five," I begin, preparing to lift my hand.

Our hands all lift into the air at once, accompanied by a chorus of shouts.

"Rob 'em blind!"

...

Anxiety grips at my heart as I walk through the streets of Central City. Civilians stop and stare, some whispering and pointing among themselves. I just grip the stun gun the Brotherhood gifted to me in my hands, as if it will ground my nerves. In this tiny little box is everything I need to stick Kid Flash in a genuine level-five containment field, powerful enough to keep even The Flash in captivity. I have my orders to only go after Titans, though, which comes as a relief since I'm working alone. If any of the city's other heroes show up, I'm to retreat immediately and target Kid Flash again later when he's alone again.

As I look through the city streets, I notice the brightly colored banners adorning the buildings. Their colors and designs vary, at least half of them have one thing in common- unicorn imagery. While some deviate and have other designs, or even names written on them, the vast majority are covered in unicorns or other equines. Parks are filled with pop up tents and stacks of fliers. There must be some kind of festival or celebration going on right now. Many of the people in the park are dressed in gym clothes, with numbers pinned to their backs. A marathon, maybe? I resist the urge to find out more information. It's... tempting. I'm not going to lie about it. Who would have known the whole city loves horses as much as I do?

I remember how my family was going to move here when I was abducted. Somewhere in these crowds, are they enjoying the celebration? In another life, would I be out there with them?

I bite my lip and grip my shoulder with my free hand. My gaze turns downwards as I study the cracks in the pavement. What would my life have been like if I hadn't been abducted?

"You're a long way from home," a familiar voice says.

I snap to attention, spinning around at the sound. Kid Flash is standing behind me, leaning against a flag pole. He doesn't seem upset to see me. Quite the opposite, actually. I feel a deep pressure in my chest when I think about how things will change when he realizes my true intentions.

"Kid Flash," I stutter.

My voice is raspy, and my throat feels dry. Alarm bells are going off in my head. Suddenly, I realize just how much I want to leave. I'd rather be anywhere but here, doing anything but this.

I notice the way Kid Flash's gaze becomes fixated on my stun gun. Surely he recognizes it. Surely he knows its purpose. Does he hate me now? Should it matter?

"Look Jinx, I'm kind of busy right now," he says, still focused on the gun. "Can we do this a different day? Central City's kind of having a thing right now."

"So I've noticed," I say dryly before adding, "You know, I never took you for the unicorn type."

"Very funny, Jinx. Very funny. Seriously though, this is important."

I take a deep breath, shakily lifting the stun gun towards him. "So is this. I'm here on orders from the Brotherhood."

Kid Flash closes his eyes, taking a step back. "Jinx, I don't want to hurt you. You're better than this."

"You don't know me," I choke out. My voice is raspy. I must seem pathetic right now, like a wet cat in a storm drain. Where did all my courage go?

"I know you well enough to know this isn't what you want. After everything the Brotherhood has done, do you really want to side with them? What about those kids?"

I feel sick to my stomach at the memory of the last time I saw Kid Flash. He told me I did good. Me, doing something good. And now here I am, trying to attack him and bring him to his enemies on a golden platter. Can I really do this? Is this really what's best?

Hyperventilating, I make a split second decision. With my free hand, I shoot a hex at Kid Flash, bringing him to the ground. With my other hand, the one holding the stun gun, I do something crazy. With a mighty swipe of my hand, I slam the stun gun into the concrete and watch as it shatters into tiny pieces. Then, I do what Kid Flash does best.

I run.

"Jinx, wait!"

A crowd has begun to form around Kid Flash, checking to see if he's okay. I don't stop to watch the show, though. I just keep running. This isn't Jump City. I don't know the layout of the city, and I don't know where I'm going. All that matters right now is running away from my problems. Isn't that what I've always done? I didn't know if my parents would accept me in my new form, so I ran at the first opportunity. All I've done for the past ten years is run, so why should I stop now?

My heartbeat thunders in my chest. All I hear as my boots hit the pavement is the sound of blood pumping through my veins. I have to escape, far away from all of this. There's no way I can face Kid Flash or the Brotherhood right now. I just want my friends, or better yet my family.

I keep running until I hit a dead end. My frantic running has led me to the alleyway between two restaurants. I'm theoretically cornered right now, but at least this alley gives me a nice, cozy space to get my bearings. I need a new plan. I can't catch Kid Flash without my taser, but I also can't return to the Brotherhood empty handed. I can't just avoid the Brotherhood, either, because they have the rest of my team under their control right now. Which, of course, is my fault because this whole thing was my idea!

I groan, pinching the bridge of my nose. How the heck am I supposed to get out of this one?

A torn, green banner floating around on the alleyway floor catches my eye. It's probably something about the event going on in the park right now. It looks like it was a marathon, but why the unicorn mascot? Wouldn't a cheetah or a falcon be more fitting for a race? I walk closer to the banner, but I'm stopped in my tracks when I get close enough to read the text.

8th Annual Linda Park Missing Children's Run.

5K.

Have You Seen Us?

My blood turns to ice. Surely... surely I'm not reading that correctly. Right?

I crouch down, cradling the banner in my hands. Several full color photographs of different children are printed on the banner. Sure enough, the largest picture sitting front and center is of my younger self. Slowly, I lift a hand to the picture and gently run my fingers across my face. I was so little when I got kidnapped. I was just... so innocent and tiny when the HIVE took me off the side of the road. I thought I was so grown up and I knew what I was talking about when I thought my parents wouldn't love me anymore. I didn't realize that after all these years, they were still out there looking.

My eyes well up with tears as I look at that innocent little girl. Before I know it, those tears are running down my cheeks. I start hiccuping, choking on my sobs. It's just too much.

"Jinx? Are you okay?" Kid Flash asks gently.

I cry harder, refusing to turn around and meet his gaze. Pressing my forehead against my picture, I try to calm myself down. It's just not possible.

"It's me," I manage to croak out. "I'm Linda Park."

…..

We're in the endgame now guys :o

Quote of the day!

"Wouldn't it be fun if it was candy?" -Lucky Flickerman, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

May the odds be ever in your favor,

Spectrobes Princess