Chapter 3: Friday, 2nd February

Turns out Canary had a very nice car. When I say a very nice car, I mean that it was absolutely amazing. A sleek black paint job, smooth steering and leather seats to die for.

The world whizzed by as we drove through streetlight lit streets of Star City. The clock in the car said that it was almost eight o'clock. I had been in that hospital room for almost a day. A day in all that horrible white. I sighed and leaned back against the seat.

My long, silky black hair hung over my shoulders. I hardly ever put it up, I preferred the look of it down. I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror on the side of the car door.

Some of my face was curtained by my hair, but you could still see how ghostly pale I was. Result of not going out in the sun at day. Surprisingly, I liked how pale my skin was. It was one of the many factors that made up my whole persona.

"We're here." Canary parked on the side of the road. Stepping out, I saw that we were in front of an old two-storey building that looked no different to all buildings on either side of it. The paint was peeling and I could see some of the walls were missing. I looked over at Canary skeptically.

"Looks can be deceiving," was all she said as she walked up to the front door.

I guess that was my fist lesson as her new apprentice. I still didn't know how she was going to train me with magic as well, considering I have never heard of her using it.

The door creaked as we stepped inside. I was old and barely hanging off its hinges. Footsteps echoed as we passed the isles of old clothes. Some were wrapped in plastic bags while others were just sitting there, collecting dust and slowly withering away to nothing.

Canary led me all the way to the back, where there was a storage cupboard. She opened the door and stepped inside, gesturing for me to do the same. She shut the door behind me which left the both of us in complete darkness. But I liked it that way.

I saw Canary running her hand along the back wall and quietly mumbling to herself. "Found it." She said. The whole back wall of the storage cupboard slid open to reveal a, what you would call 'warehouse type building'.

The walls were a dark green, almost black. There were yellow lights on the roof, lighting the entire facility. Looking around I saw rows of clothes. But there were other things as well, weapons. Bows, arrows, swords and guns. I think I even saw a few bombs.

Canary led me over to the side where a woman with grey hair sitting behind a desk. "Janet." She called. The woman looked up and smiled.

"Ah, Dinah. How nice to see you again." Janet said. She stood and and walked towards us.

"You're name is Dinah?" I whispered to Canary. She nodded.

"This is my new apprentice Shadow. She would like to get some new clothes." Canary gestured to me.

I smiled politely at Janet and she smiled back. "Well dear, come through this way." She led us through another door.

This room was a lot different to the warehouse. It had velvet red walls with golden lining. There were mannequins around the room that were draped with tape measures and half made clothes.

"Now little lady, let me take some measurements." She came over to me with a tape measure and started wrapping it around my waist and my arms.

I looked around for Canary and found her looking at one of the designs on a mannequin in the back corner. She looked over and smiled at me reassuringly. Janet was still pulling and tugging at me trying to get all of her correct measurements. I really didn't like how much human contact I was having right now.

"Alright I'm done. Any preferences about your clothes? Colour, style or any particular design that you want?" Janet asked.

"Uh, black for the colour, covers all my body, nothing to tight and looks....normal. Like, not something that stands out." I answered.

"Ah, I know just want you mean. They will be ready shortly." She disappeared behind and curtain. Canary led me out of the room back into the warehouse.

"You seem quite alright with...interacting with other people." She said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I expected you to be a lot more uncomfortable with everything. I was shocked when you talked to us so easily back in the hospital room. I mean, no one has heard you speak in five years."

"Lots of people have heard me speak." Canary looked at me questionably. "I have to speak when I'm ordering food, going shopping and paying my rent. I just never speak when I'm...doing my jobs." I trailed off.

Canary and I stopped in front of a rack of shirts. "If you ever need to speak with anyone. I'm here." She said.

"Well I am a bit nervous about joining the team. I mean, I was kind of a criminal a few days ago. How could there accept me?" I said.

Canary thought for a while. "I think we need to go and visit someone else before we go to the cave." She said. We walked along the rows and rows of clothes until we reached a section right at the back.

"Now, do you fight with any weapons or do you just use your powers am hand to hand combat?" She asked.

"Well, sometimes I brought a metal pole with me to fight anyone really dangerous." I said.

We kept on walking until we reached the back wall. There were weapons lining the whole of the back wall. Some I didn't even know existed.

"I think that you should be good with an extendable staff. You may not know how use it know but I can teach you. It should work well with your powers and magic." She handed a metal pole the size of a ruler. I turned it around in my hands a few times.

"You said extendable?" I asked.

"Yes, you can make it extend to at least a metre and a half." She answered.

"How?"

"I chose this particular staff for you, because it extends by using magic."

I looked at it again. I could see the lines on the staff where it would extend. The whole idea of it astounded me really. An object created by science, that could be used by magic.

"Try it out." Canary urged me.

I closed my eyes. I felt the cool metal in my hands. I could feel the weight of the staff. I could feel how it worked. I willed it to work. I opened my eyes as blue, fires light ran up the staff, making it grow to its full length in less than a second.

"Cool." I breathed. I swung the staff around slowly. It twisted and twirled through the air. I spun it faster and faster and then thrust it out at empty space, as if someone was actually there.

"The perfect weapon." Canary concluded.

"The perfect weapon." I agreed.

I made the blue light emit from my hands again and the staff instantly the staff shrank back to its original length.

"You come to Janet whenever you need anything. You can be assured that she will defiantly have it." Canary said.

"So you come here often?" I asked.

She laughed lightly. "Nearly every week. I always need more bandages, clothes sewn and even some little weapons that help in the smallest of ways. The best thing is, Janet and I have an agreement, so that I don't have to pay for anything."

This woman really knew how to handle herself.

"They're ready!" Janet's voice rang out from the other side of the warehouse.

"Let's go." Canary said.

We entered the red velvet room once again, only this time there were black clothes folded on the table.

"Why don't you try them on?" Janet asked. She pointed to a curtain that was hanging in the corner. "Over there dear." She ushered me with her hand.

I put my staff down on the table and took the clothes in return. I walked quickly over to the curtain and started to get changes. I came out and Janet pointed to a full length mirror on the wall.

All the clothes were the blackest of black. The pants went down to my ankles and fitted me perfectly. Tight enough to not flap around, but loose enough to move easily. The shirt was exactly the same. It was long sleeve and went a couple of inches below the top of my pants. Lastly was the jacket. It looked like leather material, but felt differently. It was a zip up with a collar. It didn't look dorky, it looked awesome.

"What are they made out of?" I asked Janet.

"Ah, not any material you have seen before, my dear. These clothes are completely bullet proof. The jacket will protect you from minor cuts, but if the blow is big enough, the blade will unfortunately go through. Everything here though is water proof, and will not burn in fire more than two hundred degrees."

I was astounded. These clothes were perfect for me. They made me look pretty good too.

"Oh I almost forgot." Janet brought something up from the side of the table and put it on top. "Some gloves and boots as well. They have the same properties as what you're wearing now, but these is a place in the left boot for a knife to be stored."

I put on the boots and gloves. The boots went up to just below my knees, and I could tell that the gloves were given extra gripping. I glanced at the table where my staff was.

"Thank you Janet." I said.

She smiles warmly at me. "That's quite alright dear. It was my pleasure."