For The Reason Of Temporary Insanity: A DC Fanfiction

Jane Doe

Hailey

Hailey winced as her shoulder knocked against the corner of the building as she left the alley. Stumbling over to her car, she sat down on the hood. Leaning forward, she placed her head in her hands, a migraine starting just behind her left eye.

“Are you alright?” She heard a soft voice say.

Looking up and wincing, she saw Nightwing standing in front of her, a small frown on his face. “Yeah. Just a headache. Always happens when I do that.” She nodded in the direction of the alleyway. “It’s not easy to do. It takes a lot out of me.” Hailey yawned, putting a hand over her mouth. “It’s even harder to do when you’re exhausted. Which I always am. I don’t sleep much.”

Nightwing nodded understandingly. “Insomnia?” At Hailey’s raised eyebrow, he chuckled. “I have it too. I know what it’s like.”

Hailey nodded, yawning again. Standing up, she shook her head to try to keep herself awake. “I’m gonna take a walk. I need to stay awake.”

Nightwing smirked and crossed his arms. “And you think you’re going alone? Your sisters will kill me if I do. Come on.”

Hailey rolled her eyes but followed him as he walked away from her and the car. Talking quietly, they walked down the street and around the corner, going around the block a few times. As they did, Hailey started feeling the tingling start again, only for it to start fading in and out as they looped around. Finally, as they reached the peak of the tingling, Hailey stopped. Nightwing turned and looked at her, a look of confusion on his face.

“What is it?”

Hailey turned her head toward the building they were standing in front of. “Something’s wrong.” Turning and walking towards the door, she reached out her hand and rested it on the doorknob. “There’s something dead here.”

Opening the door, she stepped through the doorway, and was immediately assaulted by a heavy metallic scent. Covering her nose, Hailey walked further into the house, stepping carefully into the darkness. Hearing Nightwing walking into the house behind her, Hailey turned the corner, stopped, and screamed.

It was a horrible sound, loud, high, and it scared the hell out of her. Nightwing came barreling around the corner, stopping behind her and gaping at the sight of the dead body lying on the ground. The woman’s eyes were closed, and Hailey would have thought that she was asleep, if it wasn’t for the fact that her neck had been cut so deeply that Hailey thought she could see her spinal column. Looking around, Hailey saw the walls were spattered in blood and that there were deep scratches on the walls and floors.

Suddenly, Hailey was being pulled out of the room by Lucilla, as Nightwing ran outside to go and get the Commissioner and Batman. Hailey found herself blankly staring at Lucilla as she was talking to her, but she wasn’t hearing anything. It wasn’t until Lucilla touched her face that she heard the bells ringing. Turning, she looked down the hallway towards the room that the dead woman was laying in. From there, she couldn’t see anything, but she could still feel the woman’s spirit.

“No one is to touch anything.” Suddenly, she could hear the Dark Knight talking. As he entered the room, he turned to Nightwing and said, “Find the other girl. She’s the only one I want to touch anything.” Nightwing nodded, and disappeared around the corner. Hailey stared at him, waiting for him to do something.

Suddenly, Hailey heard two sets of soft footsteps. Turning, she saw Rhyss being almost entirely supported by Robin, her face pale. Standing quickly, she walked over to her younger sister and pulled her face up so she could look her in the eyes. Hailey noted that Rhyss looked dazed, and she turned to Robin, an unspoken question in her eyes. He shrugged. “I’m not sure what happened. She collapsed a few minutes ago.”

Hailey felt her eyes widen. Suddenly, she felt Rhyss pull away, and turned to see her looking a bit more clear headed. Blinking, Rhyss turned towards Batman, and said, “What do you need me to do?”

Looking her over, Batman nodded, then opened his mouth. “I want you to gather any evidence that there is to find.”

Nodding, Rhyss turned and left the room, walking down the hall. Hailey walked out of the room and out of the house, walking down the street to her car. Leaning against the side, Hailey slid down and a cradled her head in her hands. Looking back, she remembered the day she got her abilities.

Hailey stood over the large gravestone.

Alicia Hawthorne - Loving mother, daughter, sister and wife.

Eric Hawthorne - Caring father, son and husband.

Hailey looked around the large cemetery, disturbed by the silence, and the cold winds. Pulling out her phone, she looked at the time and wondered if Rhys and Lucilla were still touring Rhyss’s campus, or if they had headed back to Rhyss’s dorm room. Hailey bit her lip as she wondered if she should call her sisters. Suddenly, there was a loud boom, accompanied by a bright flash, before Hailey felt something hit her in the middle of her back, sending her flying into the gravestone in front of her. The force was sufficient to break it in half, showering her in a layer of stone dust.

When she woke up, the ground beneath her was scorched, and there was a gaping hole in the ground next to her. Sitting up, she looked around, and realized something horrific. The hole in the ground was right above where her mother had been buried, and the hole was empty.

Opening her eyes, Hailey looked around her, worried. She had never been able to find out where her mother’s body had gone, and given what she was able to do, she was worried about what she may have done while she was unconscious. She had never returned to the graveyard, and had no desire to. And sitting there, with her sister collapsing and her other sister able to control her own artwork, she started to wonder.

What the hell is going on with her family? And why’s everything happening to them?