Green Lantern's Protégée

28: "There's a less chance of the house being destroyed when Cyra's not in it."

Coast City

November 16, 08:00 EDT

"You said both Green Lanterns would be on Earth!" the dark voice roared over the ring, causing it to buzz on Charlie's finger as if his anger was affecting the ring from such distance. "I needed you to keep them distracted while the Children of the Lobe attacked. I was this close—" Charlie assumed he was holding up his fingers, centimeters apart, "—to having the Battery until that blonde leech showed up. You have one simple job and I can't even trust you to go to Earth and distract some girl by taking her to a movie?"

A loud bang echoed of something being hit.

"How can you handle anything more? I'd come and kill you myself right now if it wasn't for the fact I believed you still to be useful. Am I right to assume so or should I save myself the trouble?"

The blond boy's teeth gritted. "Yes, I won't disappoint you again, promise."

"Is that attitude I'm hearing?" the voice raised to a new height. "Did all the time on Earth with moody human teenagers get to you? Speak to me with respect, boy! Or I'll throw you back to the traveling hippies you came from, understood."

"Yes, sir," he repeated, his fist clenching dangerously tight around the ring but it didn't so much as dent. "I understand. I'll try to be around the girl more, but she spends all her time as a hero. She hasn't even been at school in a week and even less of that time has been spent with me. She's losing interest."

"Then cause her to gain interest again." Any patience Charlie's mentor had on the other line was thinning by every word. "I picked a pretty boy and told you how to act perfectly. She's a teenage girl. Don't tell me you're failing at that too."

"She isn't an idiot, sir," he said tensely. "Maybe she found out what you were doing. A Children of the Lobe attack is pretty random especially when the Corps knew their our allies."

"Are you challenging my plans right now? The only one who is at risk of jeopardizing my mission is you. Just do the simplistic job as you were told to and try not to screw up anymore. When it comes down to losing or me, you should be much more afraid of me."

"Our."

" . . . what?"

"Our mission." Charlie's lip curled. "You said it was 'my mission' and it's supposed to be our mission."

"Do your part and it will be."

An irritating beep sounded, signaling the connection had been cut. Charlie's green eyes flash red as a growl began to rise in his throat.

"Hey, what's up?" Cyra's amber eyes instantly narrowed as she caught sight of the ugly expression on his face. "You look angry." 

Charlie was sitting on his designated picnic table that sat on the yard outside of Coast City hair. The leaves on the tree hanging over the table were beginning to turn brown, one falling into his cheese and macaroni, which tasted like nothing more than sandpaper on his tongue anyways. Charlie instantly straightened his back and forced a dazzling grin onto his face, making sure his dimples showed.

"Nah, just got a bad math grade back is all," Charlie shrugged nonchalantly. "No big deal."

"Ah," Cyra said as she threw one leg over the bench and sat down across from him, resting her face in her hand. "That sucks, buddy."

Charlie's jaw clenched ever-so-slightly at the use of 'buddy'. It just proved the steps backward he had taken. Whatever happened to distance made the heart grow fonder?