JADE (young justice/robin)

1. birdie

GOTHAM CITY
JUNE 18, 20:03 EDT

jade.

I pushed off the wall, letting my feet glide backwards against the ice, before they began sliding back and forth, doing crossovers until I gained enough speed. When I did, I leaned my foot inward, an inside edge, and took off of the front of my skate, the toe pick.

I was only in the air for a moment, but sometimes it could feel like an eternity. The split two seconds that I could fly and the world goes quiet. There was nothing like it.

I landed the "flip," before springing off into another one. Gliding across the ice, as if I were weightless. I lifted my leg, pulling it back by the blade until it formed a perfect curve with the rest of my back. My lovely routine was stopped, however, when I caught sight of Bubs sitting at the benches.

I skated towards her, leaning over the edge of the rink, whilst catching my breath.

"You're going out tonight again," she said, but it wasn't a question.

Her tiny body was enveloped in a worn, but massive jacket, her hands buried in the pockets. She never got to adjust to the cold of the rinks. To be fair, I think we were the only two in Gotham experiencing winter in the middle of June. Her brown locks were mussed about her head, forming a little curtain that I know she made on purpose. So it could cover most of the scar that trailed from her forehead to her collarbone. Her cane was resting against the bench beside her. It was that scar and that cane, along with the odd way her left leg bent that served as a constant reminder of what they did to her. Of why we had to leave.

From the way my head tilted and my brow furrowed she knew what I meant.

"You don't skate for nearly this long unless you're psyching yourself up for a night out," she shrugged.

"No food," my throat croaked out.

"Terry said he'll share his leftovers with us."

Terry, the owner of this rink. Nice guy. Decided to invest in opening a skating rink just after he finished college. Thought he'd had some amazing idea for a new hangout for all the kids. Then came the cruel reality that not many people in Gotham were looking to skate, and that he picked a horrible corner of town. He doesn't pay much attention to us living in one of his empty offices because most of his hours are spent on beer bottles.

"Besides, normal people don't dress the way you do to get groceries," she huffed.

First of all I wasn't keen on eating Terry's pizza crusts for the rest of my life, and second, to go to the grocery store you need money. I was dressed to get that.

"You know if Terry finds out he'll kick us out," she reminded me. People might confuse her as the older sister with the way she talks to me. "Or worse you'll get yourself killed, Ace."

I breathed out a small laugh. How little Bubs must think of me. Although, I do think I'd die before Terry could sober up to notice I was missing.

"Are you just doing this to see your bird?" she asked all of a sudden.

My face screwed in confusion.

"I'm old enough to see it, Jade," she mocked. "You like the name because he gave it to you."

Then my eyes rolled.