Sparks Fly [Book Two in the "Fire And Lighting" Series]

Chapter Thirty-Five- Lying

April 9, 2016. 07:30.
Chicago Hospital.
~~Emma~~

I felt myself sinking and the next thing I knew, I was in the plush chair by the window. I could feel Connor's hand on my arm, steadying me, but I couldn't feel it. I couldn't feel anything.

"Th-that's impossible," I breathed out the moment I could form a coherent sentence. I looked up at Willow and Richard, and instantly knew what they were both thinking. Five months ago, I was in denial over his betrayal. And now I had turned around and was adamant that there was no possible way that he was on our side.

"He killed Artemis. He freaking killed my sister!" I slowly rose out of the chair, "How can you stand there and say-"

"Artemis is alive." Willow interrupted.

I slumped back into my seat.

"Her death was faked," Richard explained. "They are both undercover in Black Manta's organization providing intel on the Light and the Reach. Artemis is disguised as Tigress, so if she captured Miss Martian they must have had a good reason."

"Why am I just now hearing about this?" La'gaan put a hand to his head. "I mourned Artemis, Neptune's Beard, I tried to tear Kaldur limb from limb! You should have told me!" He growled at my brother and my best friend.

"No." La'gaan and I immediately looked up at Connor, who crossed his arms over the "S"-shield on his shirt. "Nightwing's our leader, I'm sure he didn't keep this from us, from all of us, without having his reasons."

His words said one thing, but his eyes said another. I saw the look he was giving Willow, and I knew that this was far from over.

Nightwing sighed, placing a hand on La'gaan's scaly shoulder. "We will figure this out, in the meantime, get some rest."

One by one, the four of us left the room. The only thing that kept me moving was the steel grip Superboy had on my arm. I was still in shock, even more so than I was at Malina Island.

Did this mean that Kaldur wasn't still into Tula?

So Artemis wasn't really dead?

Why didn't they tell me?

Why didn't Kaldur tell me?

Why didn't Richard tell me?

Why didn't Willow tell me?

Richard closed the door, and Connor loosened his grip on me, forcing me to grip the railing in the hall for support.

"Thanks for backing us up in there." he said to Connor, as if I wasn't there at all

Superboy whirled around to glare at Richard and Willow. "You don't leave a guy a lot of options. You have no idea what your secrets have done to us!"

Richard's eyes narrowed, "What does that-"

"M'gann believed Kaldur killed Artemis. So when she found him on the Reach ship, she fried. His. Brain!"

My mind returned to the day we escaped the Reach ship. Terra in my arms, Rachel fainted in Garfield's, M'gann and Kaldur both kneeling on the floor. One in shock, the other, I now knew, because he could do nothing more.

My hand flew to my mouth in shock and Rick's eyes widened.

"That's gotta be why Artemis grabbed her," Connor surmised, "To try to save his broken mind. But M'gann doesn't know how to do that, so Manta may just kill her, and kill Tigress, if she blows her cover trying to save them. And we'll have lost all three of them because you thought it was a bad idea to share!"