TW: Very descriptive writing about children getting killed!
(This sounds so bad)
Note: Sorry i've been gone for so long!
The world isn't just black and white, it was grey too. But, not just one very dull grey color; no. There were lighter greys, darker greys, and even almost blue greys. It would all mesh together and that made everyone frustrated. They didn't understand that people could be good and evil. So, they changed it. They changed the question to, are you good or evil?
Rowan used to believe the world was good or bad; no in between. You had the good guys and the bad guys. She remembers when that changed.
It dates all the way back to her ripe age of seven. She was at a park in Gotham playing with her sister, Kennedy. Her mother was sitting on the park bench, watching her daughters with a loving smile.
Rowan remembered the way the October breeze blew through her hair as she swung on the swing, her sister on the one next to her. The smell of the pine trees and the leaves of trees were slowly turning orange. How her sister laughed about something that her friend said to her.
It was peaceful, to say the least. This was the day her life went to shit.
Now, thinking back on it, it really wasn't the exact day, as her mother was still a druggie and an alcoholic, but she made time for her daughters. Her father still beat her senseless and her sister thought that she was better than her at everything.
But, this was the day that Rowan actually hit the realization that this wasn't normal for a family.
A terrible scream was heard from behind them. Without warning, Kennedy jumped off her swing and ran to their mother, leaving Rowan in the dust. The girl stopped her swing and furrowed her eyebrows. She looked behind her and there was nothing.
Silence overtook the park, parents froze on what they were doing, searching for where the sound came from. Rowan stood up, facing away from her mother who was coddling a little Kennedy.
Then everything happened at once. Gunfire was heard, and flashes of light overtook her vision even though it was daylight. Screams of children filled her ears and wails of mothers searching for their children. She tried to find her own mother, but fog soon followed the gunshots.
All she could see was a man in a scarecrow mask walking into the fog. She closed her eyes and looked somewhere else, but what she saw was worse. Mothers were doing anything in their power to kill their children as if they were insects. She saw a woman grab her crying child and kept pounding her face into the wooden playset. Rowan watched the blood and brain matter almost ooze out of any open hole.
Rowan looked to where her mother would have been, but she was gone, same with Kennedy. They left her. The little girl's eyes teared up and the man in the mask crouched down in front of her. Rowan backed away fearfully, but the man just placed a hand on her shoulder. He slowly pulled out a gas mask, carefully placing it on her head, protecting her from the toxins. The interaction was small and quick, but it left a bad taste in her mouth. Why was she the one that was saved?
The girl looked around but found out he was gone too. She didn't know what to do, so she just stood there, frozen, watching kids get murdered all around her. Soon enough, a whooshing sound came from the right of her.
She looked to see a dark-skinned man in a blue superhero costume. Rowan believed his name to be, 'A-Train', from what she saw on the news. But, instead of taking down Penguin and Scarecrow, he pulled the mothers away from the already dead children. She watched as he carried them to safety and left the kids, clinging to their last breaths. The superhero sped to Penguin and did the oddest thing, they shook hands. Like Penguin did him a favor by killing these children, just so A-Train could be called the hero. He killed families for fame.
A-train was the villain; not the hero. Rowan thought she'd never see the world black and white again. Now, it was like the whole world turned upside down. The one she was supposed to look up to and feel safe around, killed children and made the mothers do it.
As she looked around at the blood and bodies, she only thought one thing.
Her mother and sister left her.
Rowan sat on top of the building, he legs dangling off. The wind blew through her brunette hair. It was calm for the first time in a while. She could hear cars honking and laughs from couples below.
Her phone buzzed from next to her, the girl quickly grabbed it and read the text.
Father
Come home, now.
Rowan
Yes, sir.
Rowan sighed and stood up. Her suit clung to her body like a second skin and she wasn't ready to shed it yet. She was quiet as she jumped from building to building, never making a sound. Her house was across town, closer to the ocean.
When she finally reached her house, she was prepared for anything.
Apparently, not everything as she was surprised to find her father sitting at the table with a large book in front of him. The girl stood straighter and walked confidently toward him.
"Hello, Father."
He looked up at her and there was a large eyebags under his left eye as his other one was permanently shut after he got a scar from his eyebrow to his cheekbone, "I need you to be on your best behavior, understood?"
The girl's eyebrows furrowed, "Will do, sir." She hesitated before she spoke again, "May I ask why?"
Rowan was prepared to get a backhand to the face or maybe a knife, not a tired sigh leaving his mouth, "The Gods are always watching. Your sister let them down and now, it's your turn to make up for it." Before she could speak again, he continued, "You have a task from The Gods."
Now, Rowan always believed in The Gods, she was raised to. But, her father wouldn't be the one to get messages from them. It would be an innocent, pure human. Not an evil man who didn't know how to parent.
"I accept."
His tired expression quickly turned to one of anger. He stood up from his seat, smacking his fist against the wooden table, "It's not an invitation, girl! It's a privilege to even get thought about by them." Cain Blake sighed and straightened his posture, "Your task starts now. You must show you're worthy by killing this man."
Rowan wasn't even surprised at the God's demand. She's killed before and she's sure this isn't going to be the last time. The girl just needs to make sure the team doesn't know about it.
He handed her a picture that showed a blonde man with a scar by his cheekbone. His eyes were brown and had a scruff, "The man's name is Vladimir Yiri. He was apart of The Bratva." The Russian Mafia. "Until he went rogue and is trying to make deals with any God he can. Since no God will negotiate with him, he's trying to kill any Demi-god he can, including Leo Valdez."
Rowan's jaw clenched. She's met Leo before, he's a good kid. Her voice came out strong and determined, "Where do I find him?"
"The bar on seventh." He made a motion of drinking vodka.
Rowan nodded, "He'll be dead by midnight." She looked at the time and it read eleven. The girl had more than enough time.
The brunette walked into the skeezy bar that was filled with rednecks and random drunks. She had tight clothing on to try to distract Vladimir to go outside with her.
Rowan found him drinking alone with a scowl on his face. She swayed her hips as she walked closer to him. Her voice was bittersweet as she smiled up at him, "Excuse me, sir. Is this seat taken?"
Vladimir was about to tell her to fuck off when he finally saw her. He looked her up and down and then smirked, "No, it is not." His voice had a Russian accent as he spoke. Rowan smirked and sat down, leaning close to him, "What's a pretty lady like you doing here alone?"
The girl grinned, "Will you believe me if I said I was planning on killing someone tonight?" She knew it was risky to say it as a joke, but it would bring his guard down with a joke.
The man laughed slightly, "You are pretty and funny, how did I get so lucky?"
Rowan leaned in closer, making her eyes stare at his lips, "Why don't we get lucky outside?"
"I like that idea, красивый." (Beautiful)
She grabbed his hand, almost making her punch him at his touch, leading him to the alley. Before she could even take a breath, she was shoved up against the brick of the building. Alcohol filled all her senses, almost causing her to gag at the stench. She could feel his scruff against her neck as he was about to start kissing the flesh.
Rowan's hand found her waistband where her knife was. She quickly grabbed it and in one motion, she stabbed him in the stomach. The girl heard his gasp of pain, but she didn't care as she pushed him off of her.
"You are a disgusting human being, Vlad, may I call you Vlad?" He fell to his knees, his eyes wide, "Well, it doesn't really matter now, does it?" Rowan shoved him, so he fell onto his back. The girl tied his hands behind his back with rope that was also on her waistband. She straddled his legs and the knife was right in front of her, ready for her to pull out. "Tell me why you want The God's attention?"
The man shook his head, "I will never tell you."
Rowan smirked and gripped the knife, moving it a tiny bit to the left, eliciting a groan from him, "Never's a really long-time, Vlad. You sure you can last that long?" She spun it in a circle, causing him to yell out.
"Fine, fine!" Rowan smiled in triumph, "The gods are liars. They're killing us for fun!"
The girl shook her head in denial, "They wouldn't. We worship them."
Vladimir shook his head, "Not like we used to. We do not sacrifice anyone for them-"
Rowan grew sick of the man's ramblings of lies, "What do you think this is? A pick-me-up?" With that, the girl pulled out the knife and stabbed him in the heart, causing blood to splatter all over her.
She stood up from his body and sighed. Rowan looked into the sky, "If you're listening, Gods, I swear if you're just gonna kill me in the end, instead of a cool blowout with my team, then I'm going to make your lives living Hell. Don't know how, but I will."
She gave one last look at the body and walked away, waiting for Batman or some other man in a bat costume to find him.