𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐘 ― d. grayson ¹

⤿ eighteen

"I didn't kill that family!" Kory argued, tired of getting the blame for the family's death. Dick shrugged and left the white room, closing the door behind him. Wasting no time at all, the black woman turned to the old man, and demanding yells reached his ears.

Cleaning his hands of guilt, he turned to join the rest of the group in the living room, plopping down on the couch next to Robin. At the sudden shifting of the pillow beneath her, the woman threw her head back with a sigh, turning to look at Dick from her place. "I wish we had one normal day. I'm tired of feeling anxious most of the time."

"You can learn to control that anxiety," Dick blurted out, copying her actions, leaning back on the couch. He made eye contact with her, smiling, although Robin became unsure if it was for her or the memory he brought up, "Bruce taught me how to deal with common troubles, and I don't get as stressed anymore."

Her brows knitted together, moving her gaze away, staring at the blank ceiling, projecting memories of her experience, "I know how to do that. But this is all―"

"New?" He interrupted, pinpointing her struggle. Artemisia hummed in agreement, thinking back to all those times she stressed while traveling with Rachel. Dick hummed along, his eyes still lingering in her face, gaze tickling her jaw and cheeks. "Yeah, it happens the same with me. I lose my temper easily with them."

She shifted her head to look at him, surprised he had admitted such flaw, "yeah, you do," she snickered, making him let out a soft laugh in response. They wrapped up their laughs with a puff of air, staying quiet while glancing up at the empty canvas on top of them.

Robin remembered the lightbulb that ignited behind Garfield's eyes when he came up with Robin cubed. She thought she must have looked very similar to the boy when her mind created a great idea.

"Since we seem to have the same problem, maybe we could work on it together," Artemisia Robin suggested, standing up as she heard the bathroom door open.

Dick stood up, too, glancing at the hallway. Chatter came from the long path enclosed by walls, and the pair did not seem to come any closer. Taking this time as his advantage, he turned to Robin and nudged her side, "I'd like that."

She veered her head around, giving him a smile that faltered when Kory and Zach walked into the room. "What happened?" Robin asked, following them with her gaze as they sat near Garfield and Rachel, both teenagers turning their attention away from the TV.

"What is it?" Rachel demanded, swinging her legs over the white pillows to face the group. Gar climbed over the couch, kneeling next to her.

Zach rubbed his hands with one another, glancing at Kory for confirmation. She gave him a stern bob of her head, "he said your birth mother is still alive. They're holding her prisoner in some asylum," Rachel's face brightened up at the mention of the woman she never thought she would meet. A spark of hope appeared in her features, yet it slowly dimmed as more information was thrown at her. "He and his people would do anything to keep you two apart."

"Why?"

Kory pursed her lips, pushing her hair back, "apparently, she's not a great fan of Rachel's father and his divine mission."

They turned to the blue-haired teen, trying to read her feelings, but it seemed like even herself was confused. "My mom's alive," she finally spoke, eyes glued to her twiddling fingers, "I could meet my mom," her gaze raised and looked at everyone else, "we have to go. Now."

The girl flinched when no one stood up as she did, "even if he is telling the truth, this could be a trap," Dick refuted, "at best, we would be marching into an enemy stronghold. You've seen what these people can do. No one's going anywhere until we take some time for recon."