Electric Flame

2.18

"So, where's your car?" I asked him, searching the streets for a vehicle.

"Uh," Dick stuttered as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Your bike?" I questioned. He shook his head. "Then how'd you get here?"

"I, um. I ran." He nervously wobbled back and forth on his heels.

I scoffed, laughing. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Hey, if both of your parents can fly," Dick began, and I knew exactly where he was going. "Can you?"

"I don't know," I retorted, not curious at all. I'd never tried, and, even if I was able to fly, I'd know by now. "And there aren't enough pillows for me to try now."

"Why not?" He joked before pointing to a thirty story skyscraper. "That looks like a pretty good ledge."

"You did not just ask me to jump off a building." He gave me a cheeky smile. "Because I don't want to die!" My eyes bulged as I stared at him in disbelief.

"I can't believe that the daughter of the man of steel herself is afraid of falling," Dick chuckled, wrapping his arm around my waist as we made our way toward the sidewalk.

"Oh, shut up," I grumbled. "Which way are we going anyway?"

"If I remember correctly, the club should be half a mile from here," he told me as we walked the empty street and down the boulevard, hand in hand.

Minutes passed and I was consumed by my own thoughts. How was I here today? Someone had to have time traveled with me as a newborn because I don't remember suddenly appearing with those people. They were most definitely not my parents, but they're still dead because of me. But it was an accident, I was young. I argued with myself. My mind was a war zone, the two halves competing for territory.

"Are you feeling any better?" Dick broke my trance, rubbing the top of my hand with his thumb comfortingly.

"What? Oh, yeah," I shook my thoughts out of my head. "I just needed some time to come to terms with it and accept who I am."

"If it makes you happy, we don't have to tell anyone on the Team," he suggested.

"No."

"No?"

"They have a right to know," I told him. "They should see me for who I really am, not who I thought I was. Those were lies."

He smiled warmly. "We're here," he said as the bright neon lights harassed my vision.

It was a wide one-story building. A line of people waited in front of the double glass doors guarded by a big man in a black suit and dark glasses, much like those that Dick used to wear when we were younger. The glowing purple open sign below the blinding lights was a little too much. We strode toward the front.

"(y/n)! Dick!" someone yelled. "Over here!" I turned toward the origin of the shout, and sure enough, M'gann was waving her hands back and forth but not drawing any extra attention, to my amazement. Everyone was too consumed by their own lives.

"Hey, (y/n)," M'gann greeted as she squeezed me into a tight, concerning hug. "Are you feeling okay."

I knit my eyebrows. "How did you--"

"I can sense your emotions," she whispered into my ear, using the hug as cover.

"Do you guys want anything to eat or drink?"

I broke away from M'gann and spotted a blonde just a few feet away. Her stormy gray eyes held familiarity and voice sort of low and pitchy.

"Artemis?" I asked.