Inflorescence • Poison Ivy's Daughter

chapter eighteen ~ nostalgia

The white lights were blinding when Bella regain her consciousness. The smell of bleach flooding her nose. Hissing in pain she managed to sit up on the small cot, she pressed a palm to her pounding head, black ink caught her eye. The number 23 was tattooed into her wrist.

'No...' she breathed in despair, clamping her hand around the tattoo hiding it from her view. She glanced around the room quickly and felt the dread of recognition. The same white engineered stone covered walls, floor, and ceiling; asides from one wall which sported a blurred mirror. It brought with it flashes of blood, screams and white lab coats.

One thing did not fix though, a boy on the opposing cot. He was dressed in the same identical white top and pants, but it only accentuated the tan glow to his skin and the rich black of his hair, which spilled over his arms with his face buried in them.

'Robin?' Bella rasped.

He shifted slightly so he could glance over the top of his arms, 'The one and only.'

Bella took in his position curled up in a ball in the corner of the room, 'Did they hurt you?'

He shook his head slightly, 'Nah, worse. They took my mask. It'll be such a pain if they all fall for my good lucks and charms. God, imagine if you do.' He made noises of disgust between his knees.

Bella ignored him, her attention focused on her wrist. Robin looked over when she didn't answer. He was about to question her when he saw what she was looking at. A small sprout had begun emerging from the top of her wrist, growing a twisting; intertwining together in a kind of figure eight.

She stood from the cot on shaky feet, not breaking her focus, and kneeled in front of Robin who instinctively edged away. She looked up at him, 'I'm going to close my eye's and I need you to guide my hands to your temples, alright?' When Robin didn't move she continues. 'I'm not going to look but I need you to trust me.'

Slowly Robin nodded, Bella let her eyes fall shut and she felt the cold touch of his fingers on hers as he led them up to either side of his eyes, placing the figure eight directly over them. Then it began to grow again, twisting to form directly on top of his skin.

When she was done she pulled her hands away, leaving the mask of leaves which covered around his eyes fastened to his face. Her eyelids flickered open and they locked each other with a strange air as if they were seeing each other for the first time, in a new light.

The fearless boy afraid. The heartless girl compassionate.

'The mask shouldn't come off easily without control over the plants.'

'Thank you.' Robin said, the words feeling awkward on his tongue.

Bella's gaze darkened a little, 'You shouldn't thank me, I'm the reason you're in this mess.'

'What makes you think that I'm not exactly lacking on people who would give their right arm to see me locked up.'

'At the moment I think that's the only reason you're still alive.' Bella mused with no lightness to her words, 'Because, where we are now Wonderboy, is my childhood home.'

'You're what?!' Robin exclaimed.

Her reply was cut off the high pitch static of speakers, then a poshly mannered voice spoke, 'Welcome home, Kora.'

Bella's entire body froze up in horror, her eyes wide as she processed the voice she'd just heard and connected it to all the memories she had associated with it. 'That's not possible.' She said, her voice a shaky whisper.

'Thought you had killed me, hadn't you dear?'

'Shut up!' she screeched, making Robin jolt in shock. 'You're not real! You're not!' She cupped her palms over each ear, her nails digging into her scalp.

Robin hadn't noticed he had moved before he was in front of Bella, pulling her close to him and holding her there, stroking her dark curls with as much reassurance as he could muster. 'It's alright, it's alright...' he whispered into her hair.

Her screamed turned to choked sobs as she buried herself further into his hold. 'It's not. Nothing about this okay. I can't be here again. I won't survive it-'

Robin tugged her face up to look at him, her cheeks were blotched red as hot tears spilled across them. 'You will survive this. You're Belladonna, aren't you? The truly evil seductive mastermind villain. You can survive this.'

Bella's lip twitched slightly at his comment but the disappear didn't leave her face. He felt her continue to shake under his touch. 'Do you know,' she whispered. 'What the only thing I've truly been afraid of is?'

Robin shook his head.

She smiled slightly in a way that showed just how truly nervous she was. 'My father.'

Robin quickly connected the dots, his head jerking up to the ceiling where the disembodied voice was heard.

It's good to have you home,

Kora.