I am back again and still trying to shorten my update time. Thank you for your patience and sweet congratulations in your reviews. We found out we are having a girl, and I'm so excited to have a mini-me running around shortly!
But I know you are not here for my life updates…so back to the story!
Chapter 15 – A Shadow of Yourself
SLAM!
A disapproving "shh!" came from the librarian who passed by as I joined Rachel and Gar in a private nook within the school's library. I did not realize how hard I had dropped my backpack on the table until I heard the loud bang, and all the items on that table had jumped up almost a foot high.
"Sorry!" I sincerely apologized to the staff member before sliding into the seat beside Rachel.
"You good, Kor?" Gar asked. "You seem a little on edge."
"I am not on the edge of anything," I told him. "I think I am frustrated and tired."
I promised Rachel and Gar that I would meet with them after my physics class to tell them about the masked man and the events they had missed during our little adventure last night. However, there was something else that was now concerning that I knew I had to tell them about as well.
"I think the teachers are suspecting us of being the cause of that fire last night," I said in a hushed whisper so that only they could hear.
"How would they know?" Gar asked in his usual tone, but his voice was too loud. Rachel smacked his arm and motioned her head toward the librarian, who was still lingering nearby.
"You know how news travels here," Rachel whispered. "It's not like a fire in a small town such as this isn't going to go unnoticed. The townspeople would have smelled the smoke and gone to investigate. We even could smell it this morning."
"You don't think the people we saved last night would have ratted us out, do you?" Gar asked, suddenly looking sick.
"They wouldn't have," Rachel muttered softly, now looking at her feet as if avoiding the next question.
"And how do you know that?" Gar pressed anxiously.
"I altered their minds a little so they would forget what happened last night," Rachel whispered, still staring at the floor.
"You can do that?" Gar asked, astonished.
"It's not something I'm proud of," Rachel said, looking out the window that poured sunlight into our little nook, purposely avoiding our gaze. "I only use it when I think it's necessary."
I now understood why Rachel was reluctant to share her powers with us. At such a young age, she seems to be an already powerful magic user, and one might deem her dangerous if they knew exactly all the power she holds and what she might become once she is older and her powers get stronger. But that did not make me fear her. I now have a newfound respect for her for being able to restrain all that power.
"It was probably best that you did," I consoled her and changed the subject so that Rachel could stop brooding over that decision. "And what I meant with the teachers might know is that today during my physics class, Mr. Mallah said that it is forbidden for students to leave the campus after the curfew hours, with a warning of a week's worth of detention if a student were to be caught."
"That could be just a coincidence," Gar mentioned.
"Yes, but it seemed he was looking at me quite a bit while making that announcement," I said.
"Well, they don't have any proof that it was us," Rachel added. "It's not like the teachers here make any attempt to keep track of all of us after school hours. And no cameras are outside showing us leaving the dorms last night."
I wanted to argue with Rachel on that because it certainly felt like the Elites might have planted cameras since Dick seemed to have known where I was all the time. But now was not the time to bring my suspicions up.
"Yes, I suppose you are right," I found myself sounding hesitant. "Perhaps I am only paranoid."
"You have a right to be," Rachel said, "You seemed pretty disturbed from last night. And speaking of that, will you tell us what you came across in that barn before it caught on fire?"
I told them about the eerie encounter with the cloaked people and their discussion of the weapon until the masked man suddenly appeared. Rachel and Gar remained silent to avoid disturbing my story, but Rachel finally spoke up as I described the one who acknowledged my presence in that mysterious circle.
"Red X," She muttered.
"Excuse me?" I asked, wanting to clarify what she said.
"It's just," Rachel hesitated for a second before she continued. "The description of that guy you encountered sounds a lot like the masked thief that broke into one of the Wayne Enterprises warehouses and stole several items. But he managed to get away before the cops got to him."
"Oh yeah!" Gar pipped up. "I read about that in an article in the Gotham Gazette. Robin was chasing him down that night, but it was reported that Red X had seemingly vanished into thin air. At least that's what the article said, but I think they only wrote that because they didn't want to give Robin bad publicity."
"Robin?" I voiced my thoughts before I knew they were coming out. There was that name again. I did not think much about him after Xavier had talked about him. He seemed irrelevant to the circumstances here at the school, so I never thought I would do much research on him, but I might have to now.
"Oh right, I keep forgetting you're not familiar with all the superheroes here yet," Gar said. "But surely you have heard of the dynamic duo Batman and Robin? They are probably one of the most well-known figures in the hero world!"
"I have heard of them," I told them, trying to remember what Xavier said about them. Something about a sidekick? "But I had thought they were heroes who specifically protected Gotham. So why would Red X be here if he was also from Gotham?"
Gar shrugged. "It's not like Gotham is that far of a drive from here. It could be Red X is laying low until he thinks it's safe to return to the city..."
His voice drifted away as he looked lost in thought for a moment. "Wait a second..." Gar mused, "What if Dick is Red X? I remember that article coming out right before the Elites arrived here, and Red X hasn't been spotted in Gotham ever since!"
"That's ridiculous," Rachel droned. "You can't even remember what you had for breakfast this morning, so how can you remember when that article came out? And besides, why would Dick want to steal from his father?"
"I don't know," Gar shrugged again. "Family quarrel, maybe? It's not like they have a very loving father/son relationship. Or so I've heard."
"I highly doubt Dick is Red X, Gar." Rachel retorted.
"Why not, Rae?" Gar whined. "Why do you insist he's not a suspect?"
"It is not him," I said sharply to end the potential argument before it started.
Again, I found myself in uncomfortable silence as both Gar and Rachel turned their heads to me with a surprised expression. I knew they were looking for some explanation for my bold statement. What was I to say? Red X did not have the same scent as Dick's? How would I explain that without sounding 'creepy' as Gar would say?
"I just know it is not him," I said meekly. "Even after speaking with him directly, I could not tell who it was. He was using a voice modulator so that his identity would not be revealed. But regardless of that, it was not Dick."
"Then that's that," Rachel announced but directed her attention more to Gar. "Kory was the one who talked to him, not you, so I feel her statement is valid."
Gar slumped back in his chair to cross his arms over his chest and grumbled, "Fine."
Rachel turned back to me. "Did he tell you anything worthwhile that could help us?"
"Sort of?" I replied with more of a confused question than an answer. "Everything he told me sounded almost encrypted. He said something about the underworld, and all the answers I sought were under where he stood in the barn. That was when he gave me a choice. To either save the ones who shackled themselves from the fire or enter this so-called underworld, he mentioned where I would find out the dark secrets of the town and the school."
"Whoa, hold up!" Gar shot up from his slumped position. "Did you say those cloaked people put themselves in that trap?"
I nodded. "Yes. The collector, or this Red X you think he might be, said how they will do what he tells them to. It almost seemed like he was controlling them in some way."
"So, you're saying mind control then?" Gar asked smugly and then turned to Rachel, "My zombie theory is starting to sound more plausible now, huh?"
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but these people haven't died and come back to life. Lay off the zombie comics, would you?"
"Yeah, yeah," Gar said. "At least we know now that certain townspeople are being somehow controlled against their own will. That's probably what Jinx meant when she said people are being turned. And it seems like this Red X guy is behind it. So now all we have to do is catch him and turn him in!"
"If only it were that easy," I sighed. "Red X seems to have this ability to disappear whenever he wants to. He vanished before my eyes right after he set the fire. So, I believe that article you read about Robin might be true if this is the same person."
"Ok..." Gar said slowly. "I wonder how he does it. Do you think he has a ring like from the Lord of the Rings and turns invisible when he puts it on?"
"How are you going from zombies to fantasy movies now?" Rachel asked.
"Uh, we live in a world where people fly with unnatural abilities. You know how to do magic, I can transform into animals, and we are friends with an alien." Gar pointed out. "I don't think theories inspired from sci-fi and fantasy movies are out of the question."
"Alright, you've made your point," said Rachel. "But we still have no evidence to prove those theories are correct. And without evidence, we have nothing to accuse anybody of anything."
"Yes," I said, weighing in on the conversation now. "And the one opportunity I had for evidence is now buried underneath a pile of rubble."
"Have you had a chance to talk to Jinx yet?" Rachel asked. "Maybe if you tell her about what you saw last night, she'll be able to give you more information, and maybe she will know who Red X is."
"I have not, but thank you for reminding me," I told her as I grabbed my backpack. "I think I will look for her now. I do not have any more classes for the rest of the day. I will let you know what I can find out from her."
"Ok, just be safe." I heard Rachel say as I stood up to leave.
"Yes, Mother," I joked.
I left the library unsure of where I was going to find Jinx. I did not have one of those mobile devices that allowed me to communicate with others, so my only chance of seeing her was in the hallways or the girls' dormitories. My first intuition was the dormitories since everyone's classes should be over or at least finishing up, and there was a good chance I might find her in one of the common areas.
As I turned to go in the direction of the girls' dormitories, Dick was also coming from that direction. I should have turned and walked the other way, but I was compelled to continue walking toward him. I knew he saw me, so I kept my gaze on him. He seemed to be doing the same, as if he was actively seeking me out. What would it be this time? Would it be another pointless essay he wanted me to write to keep me busy from training for the tournament?
"May I help you?" I asked him as he walked up to me.
"Did you sleep well last night?" he asked, suggesting that he might have known what we were up to.
I knew now that Dick was skilled at detecting lies based on the slightest facial expression or tremor of body movement that showed nervousness. I had to be careful with my responses now not to give away what I have been up to in my investigation. Therefore, confusion had to be my move.
"Yes, I slept fine," I told him, "That is weird of you to ask."
"You look tired," he said. "I hope you weren't the one who started that fire last night."
I rolled my eyes, trying to look disgusted that he would suspect that of me. "I was up late studying. Between training for the tournament and trying to prepare for all these upcoming exams, I am lucky to get any sleep these days."
He remained silent and studied my face, undoubtingly scanning for a lie in my statement.
"You can ask Rachel if you want," I added. The last thing I needed was Dick suspecting me of anything. That would mean more stupid assignments and increasing his watch over me from his Elites. But I knew Rachel would have agreed on that alibi for me if he had asked her.
"You're a terrible liar, you know that?" he finally said, and at that moment, a flash of anger made me say something before I could think it through.
"And you are a terrible leader!" I shot back but regretted it once those words left my mouth.
Dick's face always seemed to hold a hardened expression no matter what he was doing or who he was speaking with, but that expression seemed to have intensified ten-fold the moment I said that.
His jaw tightened before he said, "You have no idea what my leadership capabilities are."
"Then why do you not show it?" I challenged him. I did not know where all this sudden boldness was coming from, but lately, I was beginning to feel some of Dick's actions were being dictated by someone else, and he was struggling with it. The look on his face after the night of the winter ball had demonstrated that clearly.
"If your leadership decisions do not come from you," I continued, " then what kind of leader are you? You are just another follower who is not allowing yourself to be the leader you can become. You are...only a shadow of yourself."
I had no idea where all this wisdom was coming from, and why I felt like I needed to console Dick after everything that he had done, but for some reason, I felt a sort of sympathetic compassion toward him.
Dick's lip parted for a second as if he was going to retort back, but he did not. He only rolled his eyes and then walked away without another word.
Did his silence mean that my intuition was correct, and he did not want to admit I was right? I watched him as he walked swiftly down the hall, almost as if to escape my presence as soon as possible. And at that moment, I felt sorry for him for the first time. Maybe his apathetic personality was not his fault. He might have been that way because he was being forced to. Could it have been his adoptive father? Gar mentioned how they had a strained relationship, so it was possible.
Dick Grayson was a whole other mystery all on his own that I also wanted to figure out, but that had to wait as I was on another mission. It was then I remembered what I was supposed to be doing. And that did not include watching Dick.
I felt someone tap me on the shoulder, and I spun around to find...Jinx! What perfect timing!
"Jinx!" I gasped. "I was looking for you!"
"Really?" She replied with the same surprised tone that I had. "I mean... cool. Would you like to get some coffee with me later today? You seem like a pretty cool person, and I was hoping that maybe we could be like…friends or something. My friend group currently consists of mostly guys, and I'm kind of in need of some female companionship."
"Of course! I would love that!" I said happily. What luck I was having! First, I was able to stump Dick in a conversation, and now I am getting my chance to talk to Jinx.
"Cool!" She smiled. "Do you want to meet me at the coffee shop around five? I want to try to get some studying done before we hang out."
"Sure!" I smiled back at her brightly. "I can meet you there. They have the most delicious lattes!"
I suddenly remembered that Xavier would likely be working tonight. It seemed odd that she would want to go to the place where he worked after she told me to be careful around him. I tried to look past that, considering there were not many other places for the students to hang out outside the school grounds. Surely, I would be able to find something out regardless of whether Xavier was there or not.
"Perfect, I'll see you then!" She said while turning and giving me a wave.
I grinned at my fortune for a moment until my thoughts strayed back to Dick and his story. I wanted to know more about him for reasons I cannot give a justifiable answer to. I could not help but feel that his true self was being masked, and he was pretending to be something he was not to appease another person. Did I want to be best friends with him? Absolutely not! But I wanted to know what caused him to be the way he is now. I knew he was not going to tell me, but I knew of one person who was always willing to talk to me, and he might be able to tell me a little more about what Dick was like before he came to Titan Academy.
I had a little time before leaving to take the shuttle to the town, so I wandered over to the gym where I used to train with Victor. I knew he had spent a lot of time there when he was not following the other Elites around. My training sessions had ceased with Victor after Dick had announced the tournament, but I have caught him going to that gym anyway. I think it might have been because it was his one place to get away from the Elites.
As I entered the gym where I used to train, I saw a tall man in a white tank top and black gym shorts flexing his muscles at himself in the mirror and making all sorts of bizarre faces.
"Wait until the ladies get a look at you! You handsome piece of dark chocolate..." he said, wagging his eyebrows at himself.
"Victor?" I asked timidly. The man sounded like Victor and had the same skin color but was missing all his robotic parts and looked wholly human.
"AH!" the man cried and spun around. Then his cyborg form was back, and his face was as red as his laser eye.
"Hey, Kory!" He greeted me nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. "How um...long were you standing there?"
"I have only been here for a few seconds," I told him. "How were you able to change your appearance like that?"
Victor grinned at me and raised his hand to point at one of his fingers to show a golden ring on it. "It's a cloaking device I've been working on. It's supposed to project a hologram over me to make me look…well, less like a cyborg. But as you can see, it's still a work in progress. Sudden quick movements cause the illusion to break."
"Ah, I see...but why do you wish to alter your appearance?" I asked him. "I like your cyborg form. I think it makes you unique."
"That's kind of you to say." Victor gave me a small smile. "But sometimes, when I go out in public, I don't want people to think I'm some monster walking into the grocery store, you know?"
"I do not think you are a monster," I told him truthfully.
He chuckled softly before saying. "You have a good heart, Goldie, and I hope that never changes. But sometimes, I just want to be Vic Stone, and pretend I never had to be turned into this for a few minutes. But enough of that depressing talk. What are you doing here? You know Dick doesn't want you training with me until after the tournament is over."
"I know," I said. "But I'm not here to train. I actually wanted to talk about Dick."
Victor raised his eyebrow at me. "Oh? If you want to know his relationship status, he is currently single, and the rumors that he and Babs are together are false. I mean, they used to fool around in the past, but he has no interest in her. He only sees her as a sister now."
"Ugh, no!" I gagged. "I do not care about that at all! That is not what I came here to talk about!"
I wanted him to stop rambling on about Dick's relationship status since I had no idea what possessed him to bring that up, but I could not help but giggle as I was stopping him with the satisfaction that Babs was not getting what she wanted from her leader.
"Really?" Victor looked at me with amusing skepticism. "Then what do you want to talk about?"
"You have known Dick before coming to this school." I began. "Therefore, I was wondering if he has always been..."
I trailed off, trying to think of an appropriate word to describe him without sounding too harsh, but Victor felt the need to finish my question for me.
"An asshole?" He asked.
"I was going to say stoic, but that also sounds correct," I replied.
Victor laughed. "He's always been an asshole, but I think that's part of his personality."
"I do not think he has one of those," I said.
Victor laughed again. "You might be right about that, but he hasn't always been like that."
"Meaning?" I urged.
"In the public eye, he is the son of a famous entrepreneur, so in turn, that means he is famous as well. But with that fame comes with heavy expectations. And that can become pressure when those expectations are unmet, especially from his father."
"Bruce Wayne?" I asked.
Victor nodded. "The guy is generous with his wealth and seems to have a soft spot for orphans. And sure, to the public, he looks like a saint after adopting two teenage boys and giving them a life of luxury. But that doesn't mean everything is all happy, perfect family behind closed doors. Bruce can be...tough on them. One may argue that he only wants his sons to be successful and hopefully take over his business one day, and that's why he is so strict. But his methods can be quite controlling sometimes. And after living like that for so many years with extremely high expectations that are impossible to meet...well, you can start to see why Dick is the way he is. "
"Dick has a brother?" I asked. I wanted to get as much information out of Victor in case my speaking privileges with him were taken away next.
"Not biologically," Victor said. "They came from two completely different backgrounds, but both witnessed terrible tragedies that took their parents' lives. And I guess that's why Bruce took them in. Tragedy took his parents at a young age, so he understood the pain they were going through."
"Oh," I said softly. I could feel my heart breaking for them. I was not that close with my parents, and I was not even sure if they were alive. But I know the feeling of being lost after everything was taken away from you instantly and having to start a new life in unfamiliar territory. I knew the pain of not seeing your loved ones again. The struggle to find hope in an uncertain future and if there will ever be comfort again for a lost soul.
"It's funny," Victor said, breaking me out of my trance. "Even though they are not biological brothers, they look like they could be. Both have the same pale face and black hair as Bruce. Along with being disgustingly good-looking and knowing they can get any girl they want."
"How did Dick's parents die?" I asked, wanting to bring the topic back to uncovering the mystery of Dick Grayson.
Victor's smile faded as it turned into a frown. A look of sadness had fallen over him. "I don't think I'm the one to tell you that story. That should come straight from the source."
"Oh. I see." I said, sounding disappointed, but I could understand why Victor did not want to give those details away since the loss was so tragic. But I was not going to ask Dick himself, so I would have to be satisfied with what Victor was able to provide me with.
"I suppose I have already taken up much of your time and kept you from doing whatever you were doing before," I said to bring humor back into the situation. "But thank you, Victor. Your insight has been most resourceful."
"Sure thing, Goldie." He said, "And you don't have to be so formal with me. Everyone calls me Vic. Victor sounds like I belong in a Tim Burton movie."
I giggled. "Of course, Vic." I gave him a bow with my head before turning to leave, and then I heard him say:
"Hey! Try to go easy on us weak earthlings in the tournament!"
I smirked at him and said, "I cannot make any promises."
A/N
I know, more dialogue again, but we're working up to the third act, and things are about to get crazy very soon.
Once again, thanks for reading! 3
