Scarlet Justice - Young Justice Fanfiction

Is It Betrayal?

Kristen's POV

So apparently, I hadn't lose as much blood as I felt I had. The gashes on the right side of my body were merely a few layers of skin deep. The 'real' damage was from the car crash. If a broken nose was even considered serious. My head had felt like it was swollen to the size of a watermelon, and it turned out that it was only a minor concussion. I still had to have a small blood transfusion, but I was discharged Sunday afternoon.

"....are you even listening to me?!" Mal's voice cut into my thoughts. "You aren't even listening!" 

At those words, her voice cracked. Her rant had worn her throat horse. It also might be from the lack of sleep she's had to survive on, and her immune system wasn't known to be strong.

"The damage wasn't that bad," I mumbled. I blew loose strands of hair out of my face and continued to look out the window. She may not feel comfortable with my 'life choices', as she so graciously put it, but I knew deep down she was proud of me. 

I think.

"Wasn't that bad?!" She paused a second to inhale. "Well, I guess they weren't that bad, but you still passed out!" 

See? We're going to be alright.

"You may think you know what you're trying to accomplish here, but you don't," She continued to say.

She inhaled and exhaled, and I turned to face her. The stop light turned green, and we were back on our way. 

"His death is not your fault, Kris. You gotta know that. Whatever you keep saying in your head, about revenge on crime is going to get you killed."

My chest was starting to tighten. It was as if I had gotten punched in the gut repeatedly. 

"There are no voices in my head," I spoke with gritted teeth. "I know it's not my fault, but it is someone else's. When a mother or father watches their child die in front of them, don't tell them revenge is not the answer. Because you're telling them the guy who took their child's life deserves to live."

Silence filled the car. Mal rounded the corner and parked the car in front of her parents' apartment.

I stepped out onto the concrete, but for some reason, the car kept running. "I have a few errands to run. No one's home so feel free to do whatever you want." 

She didn't even bother to raise her gaze and look at me. She just sped away.

I guess I wasn't fighting for Max anymore, but I am fighting for those families. Mallory may care about me but I don't think she understands where I'm going with this hero thing. And honestly, she really doesn't have to.

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Our conversation from the car ride circled around in my head. I had lied to her again. Every time I think that what I'm doing is right, my thoughts come back to haunt me. To some, it's not that big of a deal, but Mallory isn't just my guardian, she's my best friend. Best friends aren't supposed to lie to each other.

A part of me knew that what she had said was correct, and completely rational, but then again, the other side still thinks that it was my fault and that crime fighting is the only way I can pay him back. I mean, he was my little brother, the only light in my life after my parents' death.

It was worse that she brought up the 'voice' in my head, but it reminded me of how I felt last night. Mal used to lecture me every day about how I shouldn't use anger to fuel my actions, or some bullshit like that when I first started out. I knew though, that it was going to be hard. Eventually, I think I pushed out that piece of advice out of my head completely. Now that I think back on that, maybe she should be the voice in my head.