July 11th
Melissa gradually opened her eyes, her mind foggy. She lifted her head and realized she was lying on a bed. She looked down at the red sheets underneath her. She slowly sat up, her head pounding. "Hello, princess." She looked up, and while she held her head. "No...not again..." she whispered, looking down and shutting her eyes, hoping to escape her nightmare. "We're finally together again, Star." She glared at him for using her nickname, given to her by Bruce, to represent the Starling bird. "Don't call me that. I'm not your 'Starling'." She spat out, her voice weary. "Come on, don't be like that. Don't you want to feel good?" He asked, stepping closer to her. "No." She said defiantly. Justin ignored her pleas and advanced towards her, his hands reaching out to touch her. "You used to love it. And I know you want it." Melissa tried to distract herself, having gotten used to blocking Justin out, and began reflecting on when she first arrived at the manor, earlier that summer. How she got to this point.
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Present–June 15th
Batman, Nightwing, Red Robin, Red Hood, and Robin gathered around the Batcave, searching for Melissa. "What are we going to do?" Nightwing asked exasperatedly as he stared at the screen before them. "I can try tracing her magic, and see if I can find her exact location." Red Robin said as he typed away at the computer. "Oh, god, who knows what's going on with her right now." Robin paced anxiously back and forth. "We'll find her, Dick." Batman said, determined. "I think I found her. She's at our safe house." Red Robin said in surprise. "What? Seriously?" Nightwing asked. "Justin used my safe house?" Batman looked up at his children. "Let's go. Justin's going to learn not to mess with us." He said, determined to get Melissa back, safe and sound. The boys followed him to the Batmobile. Nightwing sat in the front seat with Batman, as Red Robin, Red Hood, and Robin sat in the back. "Now, Terry, I know it's hard, but remember to breathe, and don't let your emotions get the best of you." Batman said, not tearing his eyes away from the road as he sped through the city. "Justin has no right to come back and take Melissa away from us! What if he's hurting her? You remember how he used to treat Sarah." Batman put a hand on Nightwing's shoulder, seeing his anger through the domino mask. "We're going to get her back, and she'll be safe with us. When we get there, you can do whatever you want to Justin, but you need to keep your emotions in check. Just...be careful when you're fighting him." He said, releasing his hand. "We're almost there." Red Robin commented, looking at a tablet with Melissa's location. After a while of driving, they finally arrived at their destination. "Be vigilant, everyone. Who knows what he's got up his sleeve." They all walked stealthily to the house, listening closely for any signs of Melissa or Justin. They heard talking and headed towards the basement. "Daddy, please..." Robin stepped forward, hearing the conversation, ready to intervene and help her. "Robin, don't rush into this." His eyes narrowed. "But–" Before he could argue any further, Red Hood forced down a door nearby, leading to Melissa. The others followed him. "Jason, wait!" Batman called. Without warning, Jason charged forward, tackling Justin to the ground. Batman and Red Robin followed suit, as Robin and Nightwing rushed over to Melissa, who was sitting upright on the bed. He observed her lack of emotion as he picked her up and held her in his arms. He noticed the necklace around her neck. It was a magic-dampening necklace, used to suppress her magic. It was often used by witches and wizards like her to help them when they were overwhelmed by emotions. Nightwing took the necklace off, and Melissa turned gray. Nightwing knew this meant she was in pain. "It's okay, Star. We're getting you out of here." Robin said. Nightwing cradled Melissa as she clung to him. "Don't worry, sweetie. You're going back home soon." She nodded, hearing his words, but still shaken. "We gotta get her to the Batmobile. And she needs to get to the medbay–and fast." Robin said, noting her injuries. "Star, does anything hurt?" She nodded at his question. "M-my arms, m-my legs, a-and my... groin area." Robin nodded. "Let's get you home so Alfred can check you out." Nightwing and Robin took her out of the safe house. Batman, Red Hood, and Red Robin followed suit, looking defeated but determined. Batman knew he needed to deal with Justin, but the battle with Justin had been futile. Justin's magic was too strong, and he could teleport in a millisecond, causing gadgets and punches to be useless against him. Once they arrived at the bat cave, Nightwing carried Melissa to a medical table in the medbay. Alfred soon came down the stairs. "Miss Melissa, what happened with Justin?" Alfred asked as he prepared to disinfect her wounds. "U-um, well, I think there's something else you should know first." Bruce, Dick, Terry, and Alfred stood around her bed, listening intently. "Go on." Alfred encouraged. Melissa began emitting a dark blue glow. "It's alright, Star. Whenever you're ready, we're here to listen." She inhaled and exhaled. "Well, Sarah and Justin only broke up for a year or two, when I was born, and then got back together." She said, rubbing her arm anxiously. "Oh, my God. Star, I'll...be right back." Bruce said, before running up the stairs into the manor. Melissa sighed, knowing he was going to call her mom. "I'm so sorry, Melissa." Terry said. "There's more. So, Justin was..living with us. And, one night...he...came into my bedroom, and he started touching me. It happened for years, since I was little." She paused, As terry held her tightly in his arms. "How…little?" He asked. "He started when I was…i think three or four…" She replied. Terry clenched his jaw, but kept his composure for melissa's sake. "A-and when I told Sarah about it, she claimed he would never do that, and, claimed he had changed from the way he used to be before he even did anything like that to me. And he began doing it more often. And, when he kidnapped me, he said that he didn't want to go the whole summer without me, and he said he'd find a way for us to be together. And he said he wouldn't let me go, and I couldn't leave him. And...I have some conflicting feelings. Scary feelings." Terry put his hand on her back. "What kind, sweetie?" He asked. "Well, it's like...I'm just so used to what he did, and I actually...miss him. It's like I enjoyed what he did. I was…conditioned by him." She began glowing green, signaling her disgust. "It's very common when someone is conditioned like that. It happened with Timmy and Jay." Dick said. "But we're gonna help you through this." She smiled softly at them. "Miss Melissa, I believe there may be an issue in your groin area. Would you like me to take a look? It's completely up to you." He looked kindly at her. "It's okay, thank you, Alfred." Melissa, using her magic, produced a holographic screen. "Part of being a witch, I can see whatever's wrong with me inside and outside my body." She looked at it, and Alfred looked over her shoulder. "My cervix is bruised, But I'm fine, Alfred." He glanced at her and looked back at the screen. "That sounds bad." Terry said. "Are you sure you're fine?" Dick asked, worriedly. She nodded. "When a cervix is bruised, it just causes pain, and sometimes slight bleeding, and it varies, but I should be fine in about a week." She leaned against Alfred, who began stroking his fingers through her hair. "Miss Melissa, do you want some lavender sage oil? It can help with this kind of pain." She nodded, and he left her with her cousins. Dick stood by Melissa's bedside, wrapping his arms around her. She grabbed his hand, tightly. "That's what I didn't want to tell you guys about Sarah." Terry felt his heartbreak, knowing she had been through so much. "I'm glad you told us, honey. You know how much we care about you. We're going to take care of this." She looked up at him. "What are you going to do?" She asked, looking at him with big blue eyes. "I'm sure Dad's already working on a plan."
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Melissa was lying in bed, sleeping soundly. The room was dimly lit, but the dark blue light emitting from her body lit up her huge room. Her brother, Terry, was sleeping beside her, his arm wrapped around her torso. She began squirming and whimpering, startling Terry awake. She began to cry out, as she flailed about. "Star, wake up." He shook her, and after a few shakes, she woke up abruptly. She began sobbing as Terry scooped her into his arms. She sat in his lap, as he stroked her hair and whispered to her. "It's okay, sweetheart. You're safe now, I promise. We won't let anyone hurt you ever again." She clutched his shirt, clinging to him. He rocked her back and forth in his arms. "Hush, sweetie. It's alright. I've got you, honey. It's okay." She continued sobbing, her eyes red and puffy. "I don't wanna be hurt again. Please don't let him hurt me anymore." She pleaded, her voice cracking from crying. "We won't let him hurt you ever again." She sniffled. "He...he sold me to other people." She leaned into Terry even more. "Oh, baby girl, I'm so sorry. That must've been terrible for you. I know it hurts, but we're going to help you through this, no matter what." He said. "He... he made me call him master, a-and daddy...like I was his property. And he made me please him and his friends all the time. I was a slave to him." Her tears streamed down her face as Terry pulled her closer. His hands shook, and his mind was racing. How could someone do something so horrible? She didn't deserve this. Nobody did. And how could her mom not believe her? "You're free from him, Melissa. You'll never have to do any of that again, I promise. We'll never let anyone hurt you like that ever again." She began to mentally regress. Terry knew this could happen as a result of trauma, and knew how to cater to her needs. "I don't wanna hurt anymore." He kissed her forehead. "Do you remember what happened, sweetie?" She nodded. "Okay, I know you're scared and hurt, but you know what always helps me when I'm feeling scared or hurt?" She sniffled, wiping excess tears away, and looked up at him curiously. "What?" She asked. "Closing my eyes, taking a deep breath, and focusing on whoever's comforting me. I want you to do that." She complied, shutting her eyes. She inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Focus on my voice, sweetie. You're safe now, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you, I swear it," He assured her. He couldn't even fathom the pain she was going through. He knew he had to do whatever it took to help her through this. "I love you so much, Star. Never forget that." He held her in his arms until she eventually fell asleep, snuggling into his chest. She held his hand for comfort. "Sleep tight, sweetheart. I'll be right here when you wake up," He whispered, smiling down sadly at her