A cool breeze blew gently on a warm spring night in Gotham, blowing long sandy blond hair across the faces of two small children kneeling at their living room window. The two weren't supposed to be up, they were supposed to be asleep like their older brother and sister. But the girl had wanted to stargaze, and her brother could never say no to her. (Even if he did prefer looking at the sun and finding shapes in the puffy white clouds of daytime over stargazing.) And after all, Mommy and Daddy weren't home, and Daddy was the only reason that they were scared to. So, he had agreed.
The eight-year-old twins had already found all of the constellations that were visible to them from their worn-out apartment in one of the roughest parts of town. They were now just enjoying the view of the city skyline. Suddenly the peace of the quiet night was shattered by the sound of gunshots. The kids didn't even turn their heads towards the noise; it was a sound that they were very used to, and it wasn't just because they lived in the "slums" of Gotham City. Then the also familiar sound of sirens were heard.
The girl glanced down for a second. Then her eyes widened. "Look, Polly! It's Mommy and Daddy!" Her voice was a mix of excitement and fear. Suddenly, the twins sensed someone behind them. They whipped their heads around to see their older brother and sister standing there.
"Artemis, Apollo," The ebony teen said, shaking her head. "You're supposed to be in bed, not stargazing. Plus Mom and Dad are almost home. You know what'll happen if Dad catches you out of bed after curfew." They did indeed know what Dad would do to them, and it wasn't pretty.
The sound of sirens was suddenly piercing. More gunshots were heard. All four kids's heads turned to the window. There was a blur of silver and then their mother collapsed on the sidewalk, blood pooling around her. Artemis and Apollo screamed. "Mommy!"
The two older kids were stunned, too. But they kept themselves calm for their younger siblings' sakes as they watched their father run back to their mother. "Hey," The teen said. "Let's go to me and Arty's room, ok? See, look, Daddy's got Mommy, he'll help her if he can. She'll be fine. Now, let's all get to bed before they get back. Apollo and Andy can sleep on Arty's bed, Allie and I can sleep on mine, ok?"
The twins nodded. "Ok."
"Great! And that's an awesome idea, Jade!" Andy said with false but believable enthusiasm. "Sleepover! Come on!" The four kids got settled in. A few minutes later, they heard the door open and they perked up. Andy and Jade went to check out what the situation was and what had happened. They came back a couple of minutes later, looking crestfallen and depressed.
"Mom's not going to come home anytime soon," Was all that Jade said.
The twins, understanding, burst into tears. The two ebonys walked over to their little siblings and wrapped their arms around them comfortingly. Unnoticed by the little ones, the older two let silent tears stream down their own cheeks, grieving for their mother who they wouldn't see again for who knows how long. Why did it have to be her? Why did Mom have to be shot and arrested? Loving, caring, gentle Mom. Why not Dad? Why, why, why?
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Artemis & Apollo
Fanfiction"She was a silent fighter, with a demon in her lung, that stole her breaths right from her, before they'd hardly passed her tongue. He was a silent fighter, who was always taught to share, and held his breath when he was with her, just so she could...
