Green Lantern's Protégée

38: "Where's my goodnight kiss?"

Cyra sighed as if a large weight had been taking off her shoulders. She shook her head before adding in a growl, "Except for Red Arrow. That guy's a complete douche."

The pair snickered together as their plates were cleared, replaced by a bowl of ice cream that they shared.

"This speedster . . . you two dating? If so, I want to meet him to make sure he's as great as he sounds. If he can survive walking through out house, he can survive anything," Kailey chuckled.

Cyra's smile turned bitter, shaking her head. "We're not. A few weeks ago we got in a fight—mostly my fault—over something so stupid it shouldn't have happened." Cyra wrapped a strand of her hair around her finger before letting it go limp. "He won't even answer my texts."

"Did you try calling him?" her mom asked.

"Did I try what?"

Kailey sighed. "Kids theses days," she shook her head. "Have you tried actually going up and talking to him, sweetie?"

"No." Cyra's face scrunched up in confusion. "He won't even stay in the same room with me long enough for me to talk to him. He just speeds away."

"If you love this boy so much, you should find him and apologize, even if you don't mean it."

"Woah, woah," Cyra put her hands up. Her words echoed Charlie's, "Who said anything about love?"

"You didn't. But it's written all over your face," Kailey said, her eyes emitting soft hugs. "Now apologize. It shouldn't matter about your own opinions, because if you care about someone that much, you will be able to put everything to the side for them."

"When have you become such a wise old woman?" Cyra jokes, her ribs coming down on her heart, Cyra feeling her pulse reverberate throughout her whole body.

"Because you learn from experience." Kailey's smile turned sad. She reached across the table to clasp her hand over Cyra's. "I learned that from your father."

Cyra's voice clogged up in her throat like a faulty pipe. "I barely remember him," she said, slightly above a whisper.

"Maybe that's a good thing."

They lapsed into silence before Cyra slapped her head, "Hello, Megan!"

Kailey narrowed her eyes, wondering if that mental institution would take walk-ins.

"Green Lantern, my mentor, he taught me everything. He grew my willpower up from the dirt and gave me a cause. I guess that's all I really wanted—a cause that I can put myself into—mind, body, and soul. He took me to the far corners of the galaxy and I'm better because of it." Cyra looked up from her hands, her eyes far away. "Hal is the one who saved me."

Mount Justice

December 17, 18:36 EDT

Robin cackled as he hit Cyra's knight, causing it to fly across the room, hitting the wall. "Check!"

Cyra only looked up at him, smirking. Robin's eyes instantly shot down to the board, roaming it, only to fall back with a groan.

He wouldn't even look up from his hand to see his King was surrounded on all sides, no move to free himself from his inevitable defeat.

Zatanna wrote another line under CYRA on her piece of paper. "That's a five to one score. Maybe if you play another four games and Robin wins every one of them, he can catch up."

The two girls snickered as Robin shook his head. Cyra could tell he was glaring underneath his mask. "How do you keep doing that?"

Cyra shrugged. "I learn from the best I guess."