ALICE

Chapter Fourteen

Wally's POV

No, no, no, no, no. This cannot be happening. But it is. Sportsmaster yanks me to my feet and Joker does the same with Roy. I look pleadingly at Black Canary and Green Arrow. They love Arty too much to put her and her sister back into the hands of their abuser, right? Wrong, apparently. Of course, they love Roy too, but still. Arty's safety and well being is important too. I wish that the League would just grab Roy and me and run without handing the girls over to these villains. But, I know that that's not what's gonna happen. They will play fair. Unfortunately.  

Batman releases Arty and Jade from their chains. Sportsy and Joker do the same to Roy and I and shove us in front of them, still placing a hand on our shoulders. Then they let go, pushing us forward. They grab Artemis and Jade, and then they disappear. Leaving Roy and I without our girlfriends, and the League without their most valuable leverage against the Light. On the bright side, at least we recruited Artemis as a spy if she were to ever leave the cave.

Artemis' POV  

When we get home, Dad immediately throws Jade and I to the floor. He shuts the door, then walks over to the wall where a coiled whip hangs from a nail. I know exactly what he's planning to do with that whip, and it's nothing good. 

Mom does, too. "Lawrence," She begs. "Don't! Please!"

My "father" gives her a small, cold smile. "I'm sorry, Baby. But I have to teach them a lesson. They let themselves get captured. We can't have that happen again. Remember how worried you were?"

"That doesn't mean that you should beat them!" Dad ignores her and raises the whip above his head. He brings it down on Jade's back. She grits her teeth, biting back a cry of pain. It's been to long since anyone beat us. The first lash hadn't hurt either of us in years, not since we were little. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, Little Girl, does that hurt?" Dad asks cruelly. "You've gotten weak. Looks like I'll have to beat that out of ya along with your stupidity." He brings the whip down again. And again. And again. 

Finally, I can't take it anymore. I crawl over to Jade and lay myself on top of her and take the next blow. Which infuriates Dad, who starts not only whipping me, but yelling obscenities at me, too. Lash after lash hits my back, and it hurts like the fires of Hades, but I refuse to move. After a minute of this,  Mom steps in. 

"Lawrence, stop!" She cries, grabbing his wrist. Dad slaps her cheek, stunning Mom, Jade, and me. Even Dad looks kind of shocked. He never hits Mom in a way that isn't teasing or playful. Ever. She's one of the very few things that he actually loves. Mom raises a hand to her reddened cheek. Dad drops the whip and goes over to the freezer and opens it, pulling out an ice pack.  He walks back over to us and gently places it on Mom's cheek.

"I'm so sorry, Paula," He says in the most honest voice that I've ever heard from him. "I-I didn't mean to."

Mom's eyes soften. "I know you didn't. It's ok. Just leave the girls alone and let me patch them up and all will be forgiven."

Dad nods and walks to their room, carefully closing the door behind him.

 I slide off Jade and curl up on the floor. Which only makes my back hurt worse, so I straighten myself back out. Any movement hurts. I start fading in and out of consciousness, but all while I'm aware what's going on. Suddenly Mom is kneeling down next to me. "It's ok, Baby Girl," She says gently. "It's ok." I only groan in response. 

I see Jade climb to her feet. "Don't do that, Little Girl," Mom says, looking at her. "It'll make it worse."

"I'm fine," Jade argues. "Thanks to Allie here, I'm fine." She leans down next to me and grabs me under my arm and a little above my elbow. Mom takes her lead does the same thing, and they haul me to my feet. I cry out. It hurts. It hurts so bad. 

"It's ok, my sweet girl," My mom says quietly. "It's ok." She slips her free arm under my knees and scoops me up bridal style. She carries me to my bed, where lays me face down. I turn my head to watch her. She slips my dress off to look at my back, which hurts so much that I black out.

A/N So did you like it? I don't have a schedule, so I have no idea when I'll update again. It might be today. Honestly, I might be able to finish this by tonight. I seriously have no idea. I don't doubt that it will be completed by this time next week, though. Thanks for reading! Ta-ta!

-Emma