Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Reborn

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 14: National City

Lar and Garth were at the end of their patience. They had come to National City with Brainy to hack street cameras near the DEO base only to find most of the old footage from two years ago, and for several years before that, had been erased. Not even Brainy could recover it. They were still no closer in discovering the face of the woman known as Manhunter and then later, if Brainy’s theory was correct, the Angel.

They also found when Brainy hacked the State of California DMV records, there were many, many females matching the mystery girl’s estimated height and weight with short, brunette hair. Not one of them stood out. Brainy deduced that the woman must have had her driver’s license erased from the California databank along with any and all record of her existence. She was very thorough and most likely no longer lived in the State.

Basically, they learned nothing.

In a last-ditch effort at getting any information on her, they decided to go to the only alien bar in National City and ask complete strangers, beings who were already paranoid of being discovered on Earth, about the woman who was Supergirl’s human crime fighting partner.

Besides a few glares in their direction and several aliens telling them to mind their own business, the trio had gotten nowhere. Either the patrons knew nothing about the mystery woman’s true appearance, or they were too afraid to talk.

The bartender, a woman named Meghan, approached them when they moved to the bar, all three slumping over, dejected in their failure. “I guess you guys aren’t from around here. Just a friendly warning. On Earth, you don’t mention the names Kara Zor El, Supergirl, Batman, J’onn J’onzz or Lobo in an alien bar. Kara Zor El may be gone but asking too many questions could bring Lobo, the Martian Manhunter or the Batman here. No one wants that kind of trouble and no one wants to be involved. You keep asking questions, a lot of these guys and gals are going to shut you up. I don’t want trouble in my bar, so you boys sit here quietly, stop asking questions, have a drink, then leave.”

Brainy opened his mouth, but Lar stopped him.

“No drinks, only our apologies. We will leave now.” he told the woman behind the bar.

Grabbing Brainy by the back of his neck to pull him away, the three walked out into the alley, only to find a group of aliens waiting for them with assorted weapons in their hands.

“Gentlemen.” Garth greeted them. They didn’t seem inclined to return the greeting.

“You guys get the hell out of National City before you bring the Batman or the Martian Manhunter down on us. We like this place and don’t want to see it burned,” a blue skinned humanoid alien with one robotic arm told them. “And you definitely don’t ask about the Angel.”

Brainy gave a nod to Lar and Garth. Garth sent non-lethal bolts of electricity into five of the six men, dropping them immediately. Only the alien with a prosthetic arm remained standing and no longer looked as confident.

“You seem like you can answer all the questions we have.” Brainiac told him. “Perhaps we can move away from this establishment and talk without any further violence. We mean you no harm, but it is a matter of great importance that we speak to the Angel.”

The alien backed away, shaking his head. “I owe that woman my life. You may as well kill me, because I am not talking about her to anyone.”

Lar moved toward him, but Brainy held him back, urging both his companions to relax so he could try and convince the nervous alien to talk.

“Please, we need to know more about her. Again, we mean no harm to anyone, least of all her, but finding her is of cosmic importance. We are a long way from… home, yes… we are stranded here. Our… ship’s power source is damaged, and we are hoping she may know the whereabouts of another source that can get us home.”

“So, go to Gotham. Talk to that human freak that dresses like a bat. See if he tells you anything. He might help you just to get you to leave the planet. It’s safer dealing with him anyway than trying to find the Angel. Good luck to you.” The alien turned to walk away but was stopped by Brainy’s next question.

“This Angel, she was once known as Manhunter, correct? She was Supergirl’s partner?”

The man stopped and turned back to them. “There are things you don’t talk about.”

“I’m serious, we are no threat to her… we only need her help.” the Coluan in disguise told him once again. “You say she saved your life. I understand you wouldn’t know her true identity regardless, but can you at least answer a few questions to give us a better understanding of the woman?”

The alien shrugged his shoulders. “What’s to understand? Seems like you got the answers you need.”

“Well, would you satisfy my curiosity? Why do aliens call her the Angel?” Brainy asked. “Can you at least tell me that? How would someone go from the moniker of Manhunter to that name?”

The blue skinned alien looked around and glanced at his friends still unconscious on the ground. “I don’t know who she is. I don’t want to know. You want to know why she is called the Angel? Come with me. We can’t talk about her here. She saved five other men and one female who are in the bar now.”

The three Legionnaires followed behind the man. Once they turned a corner the alien touched an image inducer, turning him into a Caucasian male with dirty blonde hair and glasses. Not long after, they found themselves in a rundown section of the city, following their new friend into a room on the second floor of a motel that looked as if it charged by the hour or the month rather than the day.

Moving to the small refrigerator in the room, he pulled out a gun and had a seat at the desk facing the three.

“Have a seat on the bed.” He said, waving the gun in their general direction.

“Bed?” Lar asked nervously. Though possessing nearly identical powers to a Kryptonian, he was less powerful and had one definite weakness as Brainy had discovered… lead. The human weapon was defintely filled with lead bullets.

“You see any other place to sit?”

The three sat side by side at the end of the bed.

“Who are you three? Names?”

“This is Lar and Garth.” Brainy answered quickly. “I am… Dox. We are visitors from Naltor and have heard stories of Supergirl and the human female who was her partner. What may we call you?”

“Bob.” the alien replied, obviously giving a false name.

Brainy nodded his head, expecting as much. At this period of Earth’s history, the majority of humans did not trust aliens unless the alien wore a red cape.

Hoping to gain the skittish man’s trust, or at least get him to put the gun down, Brainy expanded slightly on the story they had concocted. “Nice to meet you, Bob. As I explained before, we need help to get home. If Supergirl were still alive, we’d find and ask her, but she isn’t, so her partner seems to be the best person to ask. I am interested in knowing anything we can find out about her. After all, anyone Supergirl trusted enough to fight by her side… well, that’s why we feel she can help us.”

Seeing he had the man’s attention, he continued, “You say the Angel saved your life? May I ask where and when this was?”

The blue man regarded him silently for a moment. “I don’t know anything about Supergirl’s partner, but I suppose there’s no harm telling you about the Angel. Me and other aliens were captured by a group called Cadmus. Bunch of human scientists and mercs, some I hear were in the armed forces. I was kept locked away for years. I was experimented on weekly, sometimes daily. The bastards took my arm and most likely would’ve taken everything else I had. I’m strong by human standards and I think they wanted to turn me into some mind controlled, half alien, half cyborg soldier. My life was hell until the day she came.”

“The Angel?” Brainy asked.

‘Bob’ nodded. “Security was tight, we were hidden away in a mountain somewhere in Pennsylvania. Communication was delivered by handwritten mail because they were too afraid to communicate over email. Rumor had it that if Supergirl found them they were all dead. I guess they got lax last year after she died. We were sitting in our cells, wondering what new horror the day would bring, hoping that those bastards would leave us alone for a day. Some guy named Hardcastle was running things. Found out later that he was the one remaining Cadmus cell leader in the world, though we didn’t know it at the time.”

The alien took a moment, his mind obviously going back to his time spent in that hell. A small smile appeared on his face.

“On that day, we hear screaming, alarms going off, red lights flashing. Then we hear the weapons being fired, not human guns but plasma bolts. Soldiers began falling back, getting picked off one by one. Then she walked by, moving through the hallway like she was on a stroll, guns in both hands, picking them off with no cover.”

“Did you see her face?” Brainy asked excitedly. “Did anyone call out a name?”

“Wouldn’t tell you if I did see a face or heard a name. She gets near my cell and I can see she is dressed in head to toe black, only her eyes could be seen. She’s got a couple blue dwarf star grenades on her belt, two handguns and a Katana on her back.”

“A Katana?” Lar asked, surprised that someone with such powerful weapons would have something as simple as a sword.

“Yeah. So, she puts the guns back in their holster, touches something on her ear and tells someone named Kelex to open the cells. We all step out, looking at her, wondering if she was some sort of alien or what. Then she tells us to go. Says all the guards and scientists were dead and we were free.”

The man closed his eyes and his smile grew bigger. “She drew the Katana and continued on down the hall. Me and some other prisoners are left wondering what the hell to do. We weren’t even sure where the way out was. That’s when we heard the final screams. I run towards the sounds with some other guys, thinking maybe we could help her out, you know, since she helped us out. Instead, when we reach the control room, we find five guys, sliced to pieces and Hardcastle on the floor, head next to his body and that Katana she was carrying stuck in his chest. She was gone.”

The alien leaned back in his chair, relaxed enough to lower his gun but not enough to lay it down. “A few of us walked over and saw the sword. It had ‘Al Malak’ inscribed on the blade, Arabic for ‘angel’. We made our way out and an hour later, J’onn J’onzz shows up, gives us image inducers and leads us to civilization. Never saw her again. Everyone started calling her the Angel of Death due to that sword. Those of us she saved, we just called her the Angel. Nobody has seen her since. I guess she did what she set out to do. Found out later she single-handedly eradicated every Cadmus cell and leader, destroyed the organization. That’s all I know about her. If you know what’s good for you that’s all you need to know. She doesn’t play. If she was the Manhunter as you obviously seem to think, then she’s got some serious friends who like to hurt people, like Lobo and Batman. Regardless, she’s obviously got the Green Martian on her side.”

The three Legionnaires sat silent for a moment, taking in what they had learned. History told them Supergirl had no problem dealing with some of her enemies using lethal tactics. It appeared her sister had the same mindset, making them wonder how they would approach her if they eventually found her, and then how to convince her to help them.

“Thank you. We won’t be asking anymore questions.” Brainy told him and left the hotel. Once the three were a safe distance away, Lar broke the silence.

“We came all the way to National City and what do we know? She is obviously the same girl who used to hang with Supergirl, she carried a personal vendetta against a malicious group of humans who experimented on aliens, most likely has gone into hiding and could be anywhere. This trip was a bust. Oh, and what description we have on her fits about five hundred women in National City.”

Brainy shook his head and sighed. “I have another idea on how we might find her, but it was longer odds than trying to find her through the California DMV.”

His two friends looked at him with twin expressions of annoyance. Lar spoke first. “Longer odds than this waste of time? I’m not holding my breath…”

Brainy knew his friends were discouraged, and he couldn’t blame them. Still, any lead was worth following up at this point. “In this time period, Manhunter defeated Indigo and sent her to the Phantom Zone using a human virus of all things to weaken her. In the future, when Indigo escaped the Phantom Zone three years before we traveled back to recruit Superman, I downloaded her memories before she was imprisoned again. The girl who defeated her said she was ‘more into biology’. As much as I loath to admit it… I have a hunch. I’ve suspected she is a very educated individual. Perhaps even possesses a doctorate, more likely a researcher rather than a medical doctor. Judging by her response time to Doomsday, I would surmise her location to be somewhere on the East Coast. Instead of searching DMVs, we should begin looking at females who fit her description involved in some sort of biomedical research.”

“That could be as many as the DMV in California.” Garth pointed out.

Brainy shook his head. “Searching a generalized state registry would gather a number of results. We begin our search on the East Coast, only limited to females matching her description working at a hospital, university, or research lab. We could even cross check with the Centers for Disease Control. Once we find the possible results, we begin investigating them one by one. We have no choice. It may take weeks, but this is our best chance at finding her.”

“And if it doesn’t work?” Lar asked.

Brainy let out a deep breath. “Then we take our chances and explain the situation to Batman. Perhaps if we are nice he may at least be a go between for us and her, but I prefer to speak to her face to face without involving others.”

The Fortress of Solitude

It had been three hours and the girls showed no signs of waking up. Eliza, Jeremiah and Clark were sitting on a lounge chair Jeremiah had pulled close to the beds. Eliza was cocooned between the two with Jeremiah’s arm around her and Clark holding her hand. The three watched carefully, their eyes flitting between the two girls and the monitor showing their merged brainwaves.

Kelex, meanwhile, was carefully placing an IV in Alex’s arm so fluid could be administered if she needed it to prevent dehydration. He was concerned that the longer she and Kara were under the more physical stress would be placed on her body. He was determined to keep a close eye on her vitals and do what he could to aid her. As it was, there was nothing he could do for Kara physically.

“What if they never wake up, Mom?” He overheard Clark ask quietly.

Eliza pulled her hand from Clark’s grasp and put her arm around his shoulder, pulling him to her as he lay his head on her shoulder. “They will. Have a little faith, Clark. We just got them back. They won’t leave us.”

Kelex could see the puzzled look on the boy’s face as he turned to look up at her. “What do you mean we just got them back? We got Kara back… Alex didn’t go anywhere.”

Eliza smiled, but the smile was a small one. “What I mean is with Kara gone, Alex pulled away, isolated herself. Most of the time neither your father nor I had any idea where she was or what she was doing. With Kara back, I’m hoping Alex will be willing to see us more so we can try to get back the closeness our family once had.”

With a slight tremble in his voice, Clark asked, “Ok, I can see that… but given that their minds have merged, what will they be when they do wake up?”

Jeremiah reached over and rubbed his shoulder. “They will be our daughters, your sisters, and our family will begin to heal… all of us, together.”

No sooner had those words left Jeremiah’s mouth, the monitor began beeping. Kelex moved over to the console while the three Danvers stood immediately, watching Alex’s heart begin to speed up along with Kara’s.

“What’s going on, Kelex?” Eliza asked, panic in her voice.

The AI looked at the heart monitors and at the girls noting their increased breathing and heart rates. He also noticed each girl clinching their fists, the sweat forming on each of their brows, and the tightening of muscles.

“They are in pain.” He finally admitted to the family.

“Can you stop it?” Jeremiah asked.

He moved quickly towards his daughters only to be held back by a metal hand. “No… neither can you. You cannot interfere.”

The four stood still, watching the girls, wondering what was going on and hoping whatever it was would stop soon.

As the anxious family watched, Kara and Alex were also watching and feeling a 13-year-old Kara, sitting in the bathroom unleashing her heat vision into her forearm.

“My god, how are you not screaming?” Alex whispered, teeth clenched, watching her own arm turning red and then black, feeling her flesh baking, the pain so intense she could barely concentrate.

“What are you doing?” Kara asked her younger self, watching her burning her own little arm. She was feeling every bit of the pain, just as Alex was. “Please stop!”

Young Kara did stop, breathing heavily, tears streaming down her face and holding in sobs so she would not be heard.

“It gets worse, Kara.” Alex whispered, wanting to grab her arm but knowing it would hurt worse if she did.

Waves of memories crashed into the girls of every time Kara hurt herself. They both screamed when the younger Kara broke her fingers. The cuts were not as bad, just stinging sensations really compared to the torment of burning flesh and breaking bones.

The waves stopped as they found themselves on the other side of the bathroom door. Young Alex was leaned against the wall, checking her watch. “Ten minutes are up, Kara. Get out of the shower.”

Hearing nothing, Alex reached for the doorknob, only to find it locked. “Locking the door is against the plan and you know it! Open the damn door!”

The shower kept running without a word from Kara.

“Last chance!” Not hearing Kara’s voice, Alex stepped forward and kicked the door open. She found her little sister on the floor wrapped in a towel with her hair still wet, clutching a broken finger. As they watched the scene, both sisters felt a sharp pain immediately. They saw young Alex grab Kara’s hand, wiping the tears from her little sister’s face and pulling her close.

“Damn it, Kara. It’s been a week. What happened?” Young Alex whispered, taken in the misshapen finger. “We need to set it. I can’t do it for you. Do you need me to find a steel rod or something for you to bite on?”

The little blonde shook her head and popped her finger back in place with a scream, a pain so intense it overwhelmed both the sisters watching.

“Why did I do this to myself?” Kara whispered. She knelt next to her younger self cupping the little girl’s face in her hands and gently forcing her to look her in the eyes.

“Why did we do this?” she asked again.

“Because we deserved it.” the little girl answered shakily.

Kara shook her head. “No! We didn’t! Nobody deserves this! Look at Alex! She is feeling this! Do you think she deserves this?”

“Alex wasn’t supposed to feel this! It’s mine! It’s all I have. Let her try and grab a glass! See if she likes holding it, knowing the least amount of pressure can shatter it! Let her hold Clark or hug Mom and Dad and be terrified of breaking them!” The little girl’s tears were sliding unchecked down her face, pooling around Kara’s hands, her voice breaking. “I can’t even feel when Alex hugs me… this is the only way I can feel something, the only way I can feel anything! We deserve this!”

“No, we don’t!” Kara yelled at her younger self. “This stops now!”

“It will never stop!”

Kara was thrown against the bathroom wall, digging into her arm with her fingernails, making a bloody mess of herself. Glancing at Alex, she saw her older sister had blood streaming from her arm and was close to tears.

“Stop! I remember, okay! I remember the pain! Just stop!” the older blonde yelled.

The two were in the living room on the couch, their younger selves gone.

Kara looked at her sister, her heart pounding in her chest. “Why did I do that? I remember when Jessica made me tell everyone I was breaking my fingers. You told me everything I did to myself I would be doing to you. I guess you were right. You shouldn’t have come. I’m sorry I caused you so much pain.”

Alex put her arm around her sister, pulling her close. “I can handle pain, the same as you.”

“We didn’t deserve that.” Kara whispered, curling into Alex. Alex began running her hands through her sister’s blonde hair, still suffering the pain in her hands and the burning of her arms.

“No, you didn’t. But you didn’t do those things to yourself simply because you feared your powers and were desperate to experience normal physical sensations. There was more to it. Please Kara, let it all out… only then can you let it go.” Alex’s voice held no recrimination, only understanding and support.

Comforted in her sister’s embrace, Kara began unloading all her pent-up feelings, knowing she was safe with Alex. “I felt… so many things. But I always felt shame. Mom would wake up at 2 and Dad would wake up at 5. They would check on me. They would pull the sleeves up on my arms and check for cuts and burns. They would rub my fingers. I felt so ashamed. I was supposed to be strong, but I was weak. I was always weak.”

Alex held her closer. “With the amount of trauma you experienced, it isn’t surprising you had so many problems. You did the best you could, we all did. Jessica tried and in a lot of ways, she helped you. We didn’t have red sunrays and special drugs or even crystals. We didn’t have a hospital to take you to, we just didn’t have what we needed to really help you. And you tried so hard. You really did.”

“But it wasn’t enough.” Kara shook her head, burrowing down into Alex’s shoulder. She asked softly, “You feel it, don’t you? What I felt in those moments?”

Alex sighed, kissing the top of Kara’s head. “Yeah, I do. Not just the physical pain, but also a sense of… worthlessness. Jor El made you feel worthless. Growing up, your father made you feel like a constant failure. You didn’t think you were taking care of Clark like you promised you would, you felt hopeless and angry and didn’t have any real way to express that, so you took it out on yourself. You never understood that what happened on Krypton, what happened with Henshaw, wasn’t your fault. You punished yourself.”

“And all of you.” Kara whispered. “Is it wrong to feel sorry for her, for myself I guess?”

Alex shook her head. “Of course, it’s not wrong. You were in torment… and that much pain…” The brunette closed her eyes and held Kara tighter, tears running down her cheeks, trying to control her breathing. Alex knew Kara had been in pain, not just physically but emotionally. She now felt its seemingly endless depths and her heart shattered.

Another scene shift had them standing outside, still trying to recover from the last memory overload.

The two were seeing through Alex’s eyes. It was obvious because Connolly was standing in front of her, training knife in hand.

“When you face an enemy with a blade, shoot him. If you don’t have a gun, take your knife and prepare. Always have a knife on you. Even if you are wearing a prom dress, have one strapped to your thigh. Understand?”

“Got it.” Alex pulled the hard rubber knife from her belt and stood in front of her instructor.

“If you have the distance and you think it’s going to turn into hand to hand, lay the blade back against your forearm, swing up close, throat shots. Go for the kill. If the enemy rushes you, knife to the front, simple stick, into the body, angle it up and pull out. Do not hesitate and strike your opponent like you are trying to punch his heart out, because that is what you are essentially doing. Forget about staying low. Keep the same fighting stance as hand to hand.”

The two circled each other until Connolly moved in almost a blur, knife swiping to Alex’s throat. She fell back just in time and rolled. He advanced on her and she dove, striking his gut with her weapon and pulling up.

“Good.” the man smiled at her. “Let’s work on side steps along with shots to the vital organs. A strike through the ribcage from the side is easier than breaking through a sternum.”

The two girls stepped back, watching a 16-year-old Alex attacking, dodging and weaving. It was obvious the man was holding back, but the young teen was still impressive and so fast.

Then they saw Astra where Connolly had been standing. Alex began to fight harder and Kara was shocked by the anger she felt, the hatred emanating from her older sister.

“I wish I could have been the one to kill her. You would have been so much happier if she had stayed where she belonged.” Alex told her bitterly. “If only Non had been human, if I had known how to fight Henshaw, I could have killed him. I swore to myself I would never be unprepared again. I would do whatever it took to keep my family safe. I knew I would kill and… and when I did… I liked it.” Alex admitted.

Kara could feel her shame at that admission. She felt the regret, not for killing those who deserved it, but for losing herself in the act, often even enjoying it.

Memories filtered through her mind of times when Alex had calmed her, talked to her about restraint, into not killing when it wasn’t necessary. This new understanding of what lay deep within her sister’s psyche shocked her. Kara was so stunned she was almost speechless. “Alex?”

“You thought you were a killer? I was too. I still am. And I didn’t just defend my family, I started hunting.” Alex whispered.

The view changed to a 15-year-old Kara, sparring with Dante. They could both feel Kara’s infatuation with the man. They also felt Kara’s intense attention to every move he made.

“It’s time I showed you a new technique. We are going to do this slowly. It’s simple and effective but it has to be timed right.”

“Okay.” the girl told him.

“I am going to swing at you from the right with a hook. Slip under it, grab my throat with one arm, slip your inside leg behind mine and push.

Kara did as instructed, moving slowly.

“Bend me back.” he whispered.

Kara did so gently as he urged her to bend further until he was at nearly a ninety-degree angle.

“Both arms around my neck, bend your knees and then lift and twist. Just lift right now, don’t bend. Feel the position and the power it gives you.”

Kara did so. “You are helpless. If you fall your neck will still be in my arms. If you stay still you are at my mercy.”

“There can be no mercy, Kara. Not in this. This is a move designed to end a fight permanently. No matter how angry you become, no matter what kind of fight this is, one of technique or one of blinding rage, at this moment, you must stop your emotions. You lift and twist until you hear the snap. Cold, Kara. If you ever find yourself in a fight of equals or someone stronger than yourself, watch for the right or left hook. Wait for your enemy to make a mistake… an elbow back, a shoulder dips, that split second, you duck then move in. You place them in an indefensible position and then do not hesitate. No emotion. You have to end it quickly. There may be multiple enemies around you. End it and move on to the next, understand?” Dante asked.

“I do.” Kara assured him. “No emotion, no hesitation. End it quickly and move on.”

As Kara watched her younger self, she commented to Alex, “I would have done anything he told me to. I thought he loved me the way I wanted him too. It was never going to happen though, was it?”

Alex didn’t say anything, but Kara saw the understanding in her eyes. She shook her head with a sigh and moved on, finally able to let go of Dante and everything he represented. “When he showed me this that’s the moment I knew. I knew using that move would be how I killed Astra. An enemy equal or stronger than yourself, indefensible, break her neck. Fast and simple.”

“We shouldn’t have had to learn those things, but we did.” Alex told her. “We didn’t have a choice then, but we do now.”

Kara shook her head. “But I did have a choice, didn’t I? Astra wasn’t the first person I killed. She wasn’t even the second and she certainly wasn’t the last. How many people did I kill that I didn’t have to?”

When the scene shifted again, the two found themselves at the high school. They saw a boy talking to his friends, a boy in a letter jacket, leaned against the locker.

“Kara Danvers is a freak in the back seat of a car. It’s a challenge getting her away from her babysitter and you have to keep matches away from her, but her body makes up for it.”

Alex felt Kara’s emotions hearing that. Their younger selves were just around the corner and both had no problems hearing the guys.

Alex felt Kara’s shame, humiliation, anger and the hole inside her. That ever-gaping hole that no amount of alcohol, drugs, dead bodies, or even self-inflicted damage could ever fill. A hole so deep that it cried out in revenge for ever having been born.

But Kara felt Alex’s anger, her pure, unadulterated rage.

She watched her older sister leave the house that afternoon, announcing she had to go to the library for a book.

They both saw the brunette waiting for Cody Adamson, star Midvale linebacker to get out of football practice.

They watched Alex approach him in the parking lot, ask him if he was up for fun at a special place she knew of. Alex gave him directions to the cave.

An hour later she was waiting for him. He ran up the trail and grinned when he saw her, obviously thinking he was about to score a proverbial touchdown.

Alex didn’t waste time on small talk, waiting until he was within striking distance, then landed her first shot, a straight punch to the kidneys, followed by the blade of her hand into his throat.

While he lay on the ground, she walked around him, kicking him in the ribs three times until he curled into a fetal position.

“Get up.” the young girl told the much larger teen, her rage driving her on.

He scurried to his feet, apparently looking to run away or attack, he didn’t appear to be sure. He could hardly breath and the two girls felt the savage glee young Alex was feeling, the euphoria found in the calculated destruction of one of her little sister’s tormenters.

The boy made a mistake, intending to push Alex against a tree, reaching for her throat.

Alex moved to the side and struck his lower spine with a kick, then dropped her foot on his knee tendon with a sickening crack.

She knelt next to her fallen foe who had tears in his eyes. In a calm voice that belied the circumstances, Alex stated, “Your kidney is damaged, your lungs are bruised, and you are going to feel pain in your lower spine for a few weeks. I didn’t break anything. Wouldn’t want you paralyzed… well, actually… I would, but whatever. Your knee is wrecked so football season is over for you. Now then… you have two choices. You can tell the cops you got savagely beaten by a 120 lb. girl or you tell them you tripped and rolled down the cliff onto the beach over at Miller’s Cove. It’s a twenty-foot drop, so it should account for your injuries. That’s the excuse I would go with if you don’t want your friends laughing at you.”

Reaching over, she pulled his head back by the hair, her foot pressing into his shattered knee. “Cody, I want you to fully understand what I’m about to tell you. Are you listening?”

The broken boy wheezed out a ‘yes’.

Alex’s grin was sadistic, the manic gleam in her eyes reflecting the overpowering rage both girls felt in her soul. “If I ever hear you say one more word about my sister, one more lie, I will kill you. Do we understand each other?”

“Alex,” Kara whispered. “Why…”

“Because I wanted to, and I could. The same way you threatened Becky before my soccer tryouts, remember?”

“Yes.” Kara admitted.

“Kara, we are each other’s light. We always have been. And we have always made our enemies pay. Without each other, we fall into our own darkness. When you flew into the sun, I lost my light. My path became even more dark and twisted, full of death, and so much hatred.” Feeling a panic attack coming on, knowing Kara could feel everything, Alex closed her eyes, before shaking her head slightly to center herself. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again, looking at her sister. “Kara, I don’t want to hide my darkness from you anymore. I’ve tried to protect you from it, but I can’t now. I want you to understand that you aren’t the only one who feels the anger, the rage. We are what we are because we never had a choice. Yes, you’ve killed people, enemies you didn’t have to. So have I. The first bastard you killed was a Vrang. Strong but nowhere near your speed and strength. Strong enough to cut your lip but no challenge for you. Do you remember? Can you see it?” Alex asked.

Kara nodded her head. “I shattered his spine. I smiled before I did it. Why did I do that? I never wanted to be that person.”

“We are what we made ourselves, Kara. We couldn’t fight an army of convicts by being nice to our enemies. I never wanted that for you, but we became what we had to be, what our enemies forced us to be.”

“But not anymore.” Kara said, her expression determined. “We can find peace now. We will find peace. Peace with ourselves. We have to Alex. I don’t want to be that person anymore. I don’t want you to be that person anymore.”

Alex grabbed her hand and squeezed. “We won’t be. I promise. But all of this happened, and we lost our way. You isolated yourself and it got worse the more you drank. But this next moment? You need to understand what happened. You never had a choice. She didn’t give you one. She did this to herself. It was never your fault and you need to understand that. You have to move on. We both do.”

Kara was absorbing everything Alex was saying to her, but her last words were confusing. “Who did what to herself?”

But the world had shifted again, the cave no longer there. Kara was on a beach, filled with anger and fear. In front of her was Astra.