Tower of Light (Under The Cowl Book #2)

CHAPTER 2

     So badly she wanted to crawl under her covers and pretend this night never happened. Pretend she didn't run into Casey only to then find her barely hanging onto life. "Why did you have to come and find me?" Jessica wished she could ask Casey instead of the running water washing away the ink blood on her hands.

Jessica buried her head under the vanity mirror while looking down at the spiraling pool of water and ink blood drowning the sink.

Trying her best, Jessica could not get her ring to come off her finger. Normally it would have slipped off because she wanted it off. She never needed soap or water to help slip it off her finger. But for some reason her ring would not move no matter how hard she shook.

Dislocating or crushing her finger between the vanity drawers was a thought. But then again the ring of the Green Lantern has a mind of its own because it chose her. Would its hold on her finger only tighten at the first sign of potential departure from its bearer? Not sure if that would actually happen or if this was her anxiety running wild. There was still a lot about the Green Lantern Crop she did not know.

Jessica closed her eyes and pulled one last time on her ring as hard as she could.

Her hands slip apart from one another the second she opened her eyes and caught her horrified reflection. It was a face she recognized all too well staring back at her. "What am I doing? This should not be who you are anymore. You are a Green Lantern. Act like one."

Jessica looked in the mirror and at the bloody and wounded Casey lying on her bed. Unconscious and bandaged, she couldn't afford to bring Casey to a regular hospital given the fact that she's not human. The doctors wouldn't know what to do with her.

Stained in Casey's blood all across one side of her neck drew Jessica's attention on the rest of the stains on her cloths. She lowered her hands onto the sink and gripped the edge. Her white t-shirt, stained like a Rorschach test as the rest around the armpits drenched in sweat.

Jessica turned off the faucet to stop the running water.

She ran her trembling fingers through her hair; wet and dry, with stains all over her, turned toward the shower when her cell phone rang.

Normally she'd be in no rush to look at whose calling. But the caller ID read "Baz." Not her first choice, but it's all she could get. 

"I've been calling you for over an hour!" she screamed.

"Sorry, I got your message. I called a friend and they said they can be there in a half an hour. But that person bailed and now I'm on my way to your place as I can. What happened?"

 Don'tthink I don't know where you've been tonight. So my problem is not bigger than thetits of some bimbo you were with, fuck, a girl is dying here. "I don't know how much time Casey has."

"What did she tell you?"

"Nothing, the only thing I got from her was that Danny was not around when she came to see me. Is that odd?"

"Very. The two of them are never far apart from each other. And Danny would know when Casey is this badly hurt."

"What does that mean?"

"Danny is a sentient being. He created Casey, which is why she not entirely human. I thought you knew that?"

"If I knew I wouldn't have asked."

"Where are you now?"

"My apartment."

"What are you thinking bringing her to your apartment?"

"Casey is running from someone trying to kill her. She's got a whole bunch of scratches on her hands and arms. The worst of it is on her stomach. Whatever attacked her took a huge chunk."

"Jessie." Casey's trembling voice called out.

Jessica hurried to the side of the bed to kneel down beside her. "I'm right here."

"She awake?!" Baz was eager to know.

"Barely- Casey, how are you feeling?"

Sweat coated the top of Casey's forehead. Her hair is so wet it started to turn into a different color. Her eyes looked as though they were too heavy to keep open. "Does this mean you'll help me?" she exhaled with the feint of a smile.

"You're in my bed aren't you? Now tell me what happened to you and the rest of the Doom Patrol?"

Casey swallowed hard and said, "They're all dead."