“Becca if you keep swinging you'll be flying!”
“That's the idea,” a five-year old Rebecca had responded to her mother.
“Alright. Enough flying, Sparrow. Come and eat.”
With a giggle, Becca had jumped of the swing and ran to her parents. She wrapped her arms around her dad's legs, smiling up at him.
“Oh no! A little Sparrow is on my legs!”
Becca had laughed that day and the name Sparrow had stuck with her.
“Yo Becca! You okay?”
Becca shook her head, bringing her mind back to Earth. She looked at Robin, who was smiling at her. She smiled back, covering up the tears that threatened to come to her eyes.
“Yeah. I-I'm okay.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?”
“I don't know. You just seem...different today.”
“Because Wally's not here to bug me.”
Becca shot Robin a teasing glare.
“True. So why aren't you out with the others? You've stayed here every time we go somewhere. Did we do something wrong?”
“Other than Wally you mean? Nah. I'm just trying to adjust to hiding What about you?”
“Batman's coming to pick me up. Couldn't go.”
Becca nodded, understanding.
“What were you thinking about?” Robin asked quietly, playing with one of his birdarangs.
“When?”
“Before I interrupted.”
“My parents.”
Robin looked up at her. She had diverted her gaze and stared at the wall.
“What happened to them?”
“After you left, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. We tried everything to get her treatment. But it wasn't enough. And our living situation didn't help much either. She was gone after the first couple of weeks.”
“Oh Becca. I'm so sorry.”
Becca nodded, tears falling on the counter where she was sitting.
“My dad. He was killed in a car accident not long after. It was raining and the road was slippery. He turned the corner and...a truck hit his car. The police said he may have survived it had been another car. We had their funerals together and I can only remember crying. After that, my sister and I ran away. We weren't going to be adopted into a family we didn't know.”
“So what happened to Serepta?”
“She betrayed me. I fell asleep with her beside me and I awoke up alone. I waited for several days but she didn't come back. I walked around, trying to find out where we were. She found me and, with stupidity, I remember feeling relieved. But she only came to say she was leaving me to find something better; said that I could stay away from her and learn or I could give up and die. I chose the first, obviously. But I haven't trusted many people since.”
“Why did Serepta leave you? She was always really nice.”
“To you. She liked you Robin. But she couldn't stand me. She hadn't expected me to follow her the night she ran away. But what else was I supposed to do? I wasn't going to be put in a family I hadn't been born with. It may work for you, but not for me. Point is, my family's gone and I'm in terrible danger.”
Robin put his arms around her and Becca felt her heart race at the simple act of caring.
“Don't worry. I'll be here to protect you. And the others will too. No matter what the danger, we'll be with you to the death.”
“That's the problem. Serepta wants me dead and she'll kill me anyway possible to-”
“Wait! Your sister is tying to kill you?!”
“Yeah. She sold her soul for the power of black magic. She feeds off of souls and, if she doesn't get mine soon, she'll die within minutes of the deadline.”
“Why does she want your soul?”
“She needs it to make another deal.”
“What kind of deal?”
“It's not important.”
“Becca.”
Robin's voice was soft but firm, demanding she tell him. And Becca couldn't fight the demand from his lips.
“If she sells my soul, then Serepta can raise one person from the dead and alter reality to benefit her. And knowing my sister, she'd probably sell my soul to bring her friend back to life. A friend that I, apparently, killed.”
“She'd sell your soul to bring a friend back from the dead?”
“Yeah.”
“So why are you here and not hunting her down? She knows you're here.”
“That's why I'm staying.”
“So you can face her?”
Becca shook her head, pulling out of his embrace. She stood and walked so she was out of arms reach.
“I'm staying here so Serepta can steal my soul.”
“Becca...”
“You don't understand what I'm doing Robin. If you had the chance, wouldn't you give your soul away so one of your friends can see their family? Wouldn't you want to see Bruce smiling because he had someone close to him back? I think you would. And if Serepta thinks of her old friends as family, then that's all that matters.”
“Becca-you've changed.”
“I know. But I can't stand the thought of more people dying because of me. The minute my soul is taken, she will not only have her family but she won't need to steal lives anymore.”
“But she'd still do it.”
“Yeah. But I would be in touch with someone from the eternal realm. They could protect people from her. And Serepta would die a few months later anyway.”
The Zeta Beam sounded, indicating the others were back.
“I should head to my room. I'll see you later Robin.”
“Becca-”
“Just drop it, okay? It was really stupid of me to say that. But I didn't really mean it, any of it. Promise. But please...let it go.”
“...okay. For you Sparrow.”
Becca turned her head at the sound of that name. But Robin was walking towards the others and she could hear them chatting away. She felt her heart squeeze but ignored it and went on her way. If she was careful-and really lucky-she would live long enough to tell them how much she enjoyed their friendship.