It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The sun sparkled gently on the cool Rhode Island waters, and a few wisps of clouds hung in the sky, drifting softly on the breeze. We were about a mile out from the Happy Harbor shore, the imposing, rocky figure of Mount Justice looming out over the water. A few waves drifted in, sweeping us up before passing through and breaking at the shore. A couple of the boys had a beach ball, and were tossing it back and forth.
At that moment, there was a vast explosion from under me, and I was, without warning, launched high into the air, propelled by a stream of oddly warm water. I hung in the air, then fell back down, hitting the water with a loud splash. When I resurfaced, I was faced with a chuckling and highly amused Fin, who had her hand over her mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to not laugh. Fin, whose full name was Infinity, was Robin’s twin sister, and my best friend on the Team. Control over the elements was just one of her many powers. Soon it got to be too much, and she dropped her hand to her side as she burst out laughing. I glared at her, and she snickered.
“You little...” I growled, and burst forward, lunging for her back. Grinning and giggling, she darted away, and I swam forward, trying to chase her down. Fin smirked, and ducked her head under. I decided against following her, and joined in the game of monkey in the middle that the others were playing.
I smacked the ball in Aqualad’s direction, but just as it grazed his fingertips, he was sent flying into the air. Fin’s head reappeared; she was laughing hysterically now, and she quickly slid out of the way as Aqualad landed.
“How ironic,” Fin said, still grinning. Aqualad was not amused.
As the frantic chase ensued, I swung a glance towards the shoreline, to notice a dark figure standing on the edge of the water, beckoning in our direction. I grabbed Fin’s shoulder and pulled her in that direction. “Black Canary,” I told her, pointing at the figure, and she nodded. “We should probably go in.”
A few minutes later, we were all standing on the hot golden sand in a semicircle around Black Canary. We were all sopping wet, with the exception of Aqualad, and Fin quickly channeled a sharp breeze to dry us off. “D-d-do you th-think you could make a f-f-fire?” Wally asked, his teeth chattering. Fin shook her head, gesturing toward Aqualad and Megan. “R-r-right,” he said.
Black Canary cleared her throat. “Now that you’re here, I have received instructions from the Justice League regarding your activities. They are on a mission, one that does not require you,” she growled, addressing the boys’ indignant stares. “So while they are absent, Batman has informed me that you will have an evening off. However,” she continued. “You must stay in Gotham city, and you must return to Mount Justice by ten o’clock. No exceptions. Oh, and don’t cause any trouble.”
She glared matter-of-factly, then walked off in the direction of the mountain, leaving us momentarily speechless. Finally, Wally spoke.
“So...back in the water?” We all nodded, and began to run into the tide, shivering as the cold water hit our bare feet and legs. Only Fin hung back.
“I think I’m going to stay out here,” she said. “I’m getting a little cold.” She lit a small fire on her fingertips and let it hover a few feet above the sand, warming her toes and the backs of her hands. I shrugged and ran in with the group.
We were almost as deep as before now, treading water amidst the gentle currents as we resumed our game of ball. As we played, I saw out of the corner of my eye Megan lean in to Connor and whisper something in his ear. He paused, thinking for a moment, then a faint smile crept onto his face. “Sure,” he muttered, and Megan’s face lit up as she began to squeal in excitement.
Soon Robin slipped off to go sit by the fire with Fin, and a few minutes later, Nathan left too. Nathan, aka Quicksilver, was the newest addition to Team. Zatanna’s cousin, he had similar powers to Wally, and the personality of Connor, and he had been flirting with Fin ever since he joined. I realized my lips had turned blue long ago, and I was shivering. I decided to follow him over to the shore.
Fin had made the fire larger, and it was radiating warmth. She and Robin were sitting crosslegged next to it, and Nathan was sprawled underneath, the tips of his toes just inches below the bottom of the flames. I sat down on the other side of Fin.
“The only thing this needs right now,” Robin remarked, the dancing flames reflected in his dark sunglasses. “Is some hot dogs.”
“S’mores would be nice too,” Fin added, jumping backwards as Nathan tried to rest his head in her lap, his shaggy brown hair spraying droplets of water all over her legs.
I nodded. We sat in silence, and then Nathan leaned into Fin again. “Um, Fin?” he asked sheepishly. She stayed stone faced; Nathan was the only person who didn’t know that she had no feelings towards him. “I was wondering...Megan and Connor are going out to East St. Café in Gotham tonight, and maybe you could come with me?” He gave a nervous smile, which she didn’t share. She thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t really feel like that. I was more planning on having a friendly evening--”
“We could go “just as friends” then,” Nathan interjected, a hint of desperation in his voice. She shook her head again. “Me and Robin were kind of planning on having a sibling night.”
Nathan was crushed, but he kept his cool.
“O-okay then. Well, if you change your mind...”
He jumped back into the ocean, and swam off to find the others.
“Were you actually going to have a sibling night?” I asked Fin, once Nathan was out of earshot. She shrugged.
“I dunno. I could, though, I guess. Would it be weird to go to that place with Megan and Connor, East Café or whatever?”
“Probably not,” I replied. “I might come too, if you don’t mind.”
At that moment the rest of the Team came swarming in, soaking wet and shivering. Fin quickly lessened the fire so it was reduced to a single tongue, licking at the breeze she channeled to dry them off.
They sank down in the sand next to us, shivering. Wally slid in next to me. I instinctively moved in closer to Fin, but he moved with me. “Um, Wally? Personal space?”
He didn’t seem to hear. He seemed to be contemplating something. Finally he spoke.
“Aisling...You know how all the other couples are going to East St. Café...” he paused. I decided not to inform him that only one couple, Connor and Megan, was going.
“I was wondering if you wanted to come with me, as my...date?”
I froze. Even though I knew something like this had been coming--I had known it ever since the hacking incident many months ago--I was still surprised. Without thinking, I nodded, and words began to slip out of my mouth before I could stop them. “Sure.”
At that moment, there was a vast explosion from under me, and I was, without warning, launched high into the air, propelled by a stream of oddly warm water. I hung in the air, then fell back down, hitting the water with a loud splash. When I resurfaced, I was faced with a chuckling and highly amused Fin, who had her hand over her mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to not laugh. Fin, whose full name was Infinity, was Robin’s twin sister, and my best friend on the Team. Control over the elements was just one of her many powers. Soon it got to be too much, and she dropped her hand to her side as she burst out laughing. I glared at her, and she snickered.
“You little...” I growled, and burst forward, lunging for her back. Grinning and giggling, she darted away, and I swam forward, trying to chase her down. Fin smirked, and ducked her head under. I decided against following her, and joined in the game of monkey in the middle that the others were playing.
I smacked the ball in Aqualad’s direction, but just as it grazed his fingertips, he was sent flying into the air. Fin’s head reappeared; she was laughing hysterically now, and she quickly slid out of the way as Aqualad landed.
“How ironic,” Fin said, still grinning. Aqualad was not amused.
As the frantic chase ensued, I swung a glance towards the shoreline, to notice a dark figure standing on the edge of the water, beckoning in our direction. I grabbed Fin’s shoulder and pulled her in that direction. “Black Canary,” I told her, pointing at the figure, and she nodded. “We should probably go in.”
A few minutes later, we were all standing on the hot golden sand in a semicircle around Black Canary. We were all sopping wet, with the exception of Aqualad, and Fin quickly channeled a sharp breeze to dry us off. “D-d-do you th-think you could make a f-f-fire?” Wally asked, his teeth chattering. Fin shook her head, gesturing toward Aqualad and Megan. “R-r-right,” he said.
Black Canary cleared her throat. “Now that you’re here, I have received instructions from the Justice League regarding your activities. They are on a mission, one that does not require you,” she growled, addressing the boys’ indignant stares. “So while they are absent, Batman has informed me that you will have an evening off. However,” she continued. “You must stay in Gotham city, and you must return to Mount Justice by ten o’clock. No exceptions. Oh, and don’t cause any trouble.”
She glared matter-of-factly, then walked off in the direction of the mountain, leaving us momentarily speechless. Finally, Wally spoke.
“So...back in the water?” We all nodded, and began to run into the tide, shivering as the cold water hit our bare feet and legs. Only Fin hung back.
“I think I’m going to stay out here,” she said. “I’m getting a little cold.” She lit a small fire on her fingertips and let it hover a few feet above the sand, warming her toes and the backs of her hands. I shrugged and ran in with the group.
We were almost as deep as before now, treading water amidst the gentle currents as we resumed our game of ball. As we played, I saw out of the corner of my eye Megan lean in to Connor and whisper something in his ear. He paused, thinking for a moment, then a faint smile crept onto his face. “Sure,” he muttered, and Megan’s face lit up as she began to squeal in excitement.
Soon Robin slipped off to go sit by the fire with Fin, and a few minutes later, Nathan left too. Nathan, aka Quicksilver, was the newest addition to Team. Zatanna’s cousin, he had similar powers to Wally, and the personality of Connor, and he had been flirting with Fin ever since he joined. I realized my lips had turned blue long ago, and I was shivering. I decided to follow him over to the shore.
Fin had made the fire larger, and it was radiating warmth. She and Robin were sitting crosslegged next to it, and Nathan was sprawled underneath, the tips of his toes just inches below the bottom of the flames. I sat down on the other side of Fin.
“The only thing this needs right now,” Robin remarked, the dancing flames reflected in his dark sunglasses. “Is some hot dogs.”
“S’mores would be nice too,” Fin added, jumping backwards as Nathan tried to rest his head in her lap, his shaggy brown hair spraying droplets of water all over her legs.
I nodded. We sat in silence, and then Nathan leaned into Fin again. “Um, Fin?” he asked sheepishly. She stayed stone faced; Nathan was the only person who didn’t know that she had no feelings towards him. “I was wondering...Megan and Connor are going out to East St. Café in Gotham tonight, and maybe you could come with me?” He gave a nervous smile, which she didn’t share. She thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t really feel like that. I was more planning on having a friendly evening--”
“We could go “just as friends” then,” Nathan interjected, a hint of desperation in his voice. She shook her head again. “Me and Robin were kind of planning on having a sibling night.”
Nathan was crushed, but he kept his cool.
“O-okay then. Well, if you change your mind...”
He jumped back into the ocean, and swam off to find the others.
“Were you actually going to have a sibling night?” I asked Fin, once Nathan was out of earshot. She shrugged.
“I dunno. I could, though, I guess. Would it be weird to go to that place with Megan and Connor, East Café or whatever?”
“Probably not,” I replied. “I might come too, if you don’t mind.”
At that moment the rest of the Team came swarming in, soaking wet and shivering. Fin quickly lessened the fire so it was reduced to a single tongue, licking at the breeze she channeled to dry them off.
They sank down in the sand next to us, shivering. Wally slid in next to me. I instinctively moved in closer to Fin, but he moved with me. “Um, Wally? Personal space?”
He didn’t seem to hear. He seemed to be contemplating something. Finally he spoke.
“Aisling...You know how all the other couples are going to East St. Café...” he paused. I decided not to inform him that only one couple, Connor and Megan, was going.
“I was wondering if you wanted to come with me, as my...date?”
I froze. Even though I knew something like this had been coming--I had known it ever since the hacking incident many months ago--I was still surprised. Without thinking, I nodded, and words began to slip out of my mouth before I could stop them. “Sure.”
