Auroral » Titans

39|| Living Nightmares

The shapeless white void around Sophie began to shift and dim until her eyes met the buzzing fluorescent light above her head. She furrowed her brow as her eyes shifted down the white ceiling tiles to the dull white walls.

She was standing in a hallway lined with blue doors. The overwhelming smell of disinfectant hung in the air, and artificial lemon burned at her throat.

She slowly turned in place, taking in everything around her. Plush blue chairs were lined in fours against the walls. Two vending machines sat at the end of the hall, and next to every door was a metal clipboard.

Sophie's chest tightened with realization. She knew exactly where she was, and if she wasn't completely sure, Candice Dane was scribbled at the top of one of the clipboards.

A sharp pain stabbed through Sophie's heart, reopening wounds that she had nearly forgotten about.

She took a slow, nervous step towards the wooden door. A small window above the door handle peered into the sterile white room. And there, laying still beneath blue blankets was her mother.

It was early in the cancer treatments. Sophie could tell by the way her mother's blonde hair still looked bright and glossy. Her skin was still tan and her bones were still hidden beneath a layer of fat. She looked healthy, but Sophie knew how fast that would change.

She clenched her jaw as tears pricked at her eyes. Why was she here? None of this made any sense to her.

"I'm aware of the family's financial situation, Mr. Wayne." Sophie tore her eyes away from the glass.

A tall man dressed in a white doctor's coat walked slowly down the hall. In step with him was a younger looking Bruce.

Bruce's stoic blue eyes met hers before he stopped walking. He turned to face the doctor, his broad shoulders blocking her view of the slightly shorter man. "Money won't be an issue. Ms. Dane's treatments will be fully covered."

Sophie closed her eyes and forced herself to breath. This wasn't real, it was some kind of trick, a waking dream. But that didn't stop the throbbing pain in her chest or the sting of tears in her eyes.

She remembered this day so clearly. Her mother's health care couldn't cover the treatments anymore, so Bruce did. He paid for the best medical care he could buy. It was the only thing he could think of to help. But it didn't matter because eight months later Candice would die, and a part of Sophie would die along with her.

"Sophia." A cold voice whispered to her. Her green eyes shot open and suddenly she was standing in one of Arkham's abandoned outer buildings.

Darkness surrounded her. The faintest light of the moon seeped through the barred windows. The old tiled floors were cracked and stained with blood from years before she put on her cape.

She took a careful step forwards, rubble crunching beneath her boots. The hallway was long, separating two medical wings.

Her heart began to pound in her chest. She was overcome with nervousness, just like the first time she stepped inside this building. Back when she brought her father into custody for the first time. Back when the line between hero and human was blurred for her.

"You've grown-" Henry's voice cut through the static silence. Sophie clenched her jaw and turned around. Her father stood in front of the heavy iron door she had come from. He looked exactly the same as he did last night, all that changed was the blood staining the cuffs of his white button up.

He took a step towards her, a smile tugging at his thin lips.

She stepped backwards, her chest rising and falling quickly. Her hands began to shake at her sides. She knew how this night was going to end, she also knew this wasn't how it started.

"I haven't seen you since you were seven months old." Henry took another step forward.

Sophie felt the tears building in her eyes, blurring her vision. She took a shaky step backwards as her hands closed into fists. "You're a monster." She spat the words like they were venomous.

Henry opened his mouth to speak but Sophie collided into him before he could make a sound. They both hit the ground, the old tile floor cracking under the pressure.

Hot tears streamed down Sophie's cheeks as she drove her fist down onto Henry's face. His nose cracked and blood splattered her knuckles. "You murdered my mom!"

"If-if I knew the solar radiation was going to affect her I never would have exposed her to it." Henry looked up at her with pride in his eyes. "But look at you, at what you've become."

Sophie clenched her jaw, fighting back the wave of tears that threatened to fall. "She never got the chance to see who I became, because of you!" She threw another punch before she raised her fist above her head.

Light shone down on her father's face. The greens and purples of the aurora tinted his pale skin. Her hand shook violently. "You-you don't deserve to live. There's a special place in hell for people like you!"

Her breath quickened as she tightened her grip on the glowing dagger. Her father's eyes widened, the shining green reflected her image back at her.

He deserved to die. If she let him live he'd just find a way to hurt more people. Those deaths would be on her hands. So many kids were already dead because she couldn't break Bruce's fucking code.

A broken shriek left her lips as she drove the dagger down.

Pieces of tile flew up around her fist where her dagger hit the floor. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks as a sob tore from her chest. "I'm better than you!" She screamed. "I'm not what you made me! I'm not you!"

Henry's eyes slowly slipped closed before the room was engulfed in a blinding white light.

****

Air filled Sophie's lungs, shocking her system awake. She blinked rapidly as the room around her came into focus. She was standing in a living room. Old peeling wallpaper covered the walls and dust covered furniture filled the space.

Rachel and Gar stood a few feet in front of her. Their eyes were wide with fear.

"-I have only one child, and too her I would give the world." A man spoke as he stepped through the line of heroes.

Sophie's eyes widened as she glanced around her. The other all stood in a straight line, unmoving and staring at Rachel and Gar. Their eyes were pitch black and inky veins crept down their cheeks.

The man slowly walked towards Rachel and Gar. He stopped just in front of them before he looked over his shoulder. His dark eyes met Sophie's and the cold chill of fear ran up her spine. Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly closed her hands into fists.

"Kill that one." His voice was void of emotion, like she was an ant under his heel.

The others standing beside her moved in unison, turning to face her. Their expressions were empty, like they were all mindless droids under someone else's command.

Sophie took a nervous step away from everyone as two daggers appeared in her palms. Fear rushed through her body. She couldn't do this, she couldn't fight her friends.

"Sophie run!" Rachel screamed.