Chapter 15: Tuesday 20th February

Getting past the team had been a challenge in itself.

As Robin had texted Wally this morning with news of our relationship, with my consent of course, Wally had instantly blurted out the news to everyone else on the team. I had managed to avoid them this morning, but as I walked into the cave after I called Robin, I was bombarded with questions, congratulations, squealing from M'gann and smirks from Artemis.

Eventually I untangled myself from the conversational vines that my friends kept on twisting around me, excusing myself to go to my room. Though as I headed down the steel hallway, I passed my bedroom door and continued to make my way to the library.

The entrance was the same as any other in the cave, but as I stepped inside I was reminded of its old-mansion styling. Even though the walls were still a grey metal, the space was filled with stacked wooden bookshelves, dark timber chairs and a soft carpet that covered the whole room.

Walking through the isles, I scanned the shelves just like I had many times before. Shakespeare, Enid Blighton and even Hans Christain Anderson were scattered through the many works. I had been surprised at first to hear that the cave actually had a library, I thought that they would have stored everything on their computer base, something that I knew nothing about. Luckily, someone I knew did.

"Robin." I said as I came to the back of the library.

Robin turned in his seat, a smile lighting his face as he saw me. "Hey Ebony." He replied as I sat down on the leather couch next to him. His once bright smile faded into a frown as I collapsed in the empty seat. "Are you okay?" He asked.

I leaned back and let out a breath of air. "How would you react if I said no?"

An confronting silence filled the air. I knew Robin could feel my sadness, my confusion, and all the other emotions that had laid dormant in my soul for years now erupting out of me, causing me to question my own emotional health.

"Ebony," he rested his hand on top of one of my own and finally breaking the silence, "when you called me earlier, I'll admit I was worried about you. And now I can see that you may need my help more than I first assumed you did. I'm willing to give it, just tell me what's wrong."

I turned to Robin, smiling half-heartedly, deciding to do exactly as he instructed. It's what I needed to do if I was to get jim help after all.

I told him my story, all the way from being left at the orphanage, up until I saw the singed photo outside my apartment. I sat there, next to the boyfriend I had acquired just this morning, pouring all of my life travesties.

When describing Zoella's death, I had tears running down my face. Robin wrapped his arms me and held me as I cried, rubbing my shoulder comfortingly, though I didn't really notice. By the time I had finished talking, my cheeks were stained with tears, my eyes red and puffy, and my my forehead hurting from the toll this was taking on my body.

I tilted my head to meet Robin's gaze, even if I couldn't see his eyes directly through the sunglasses that he wore. How I wished that I could see his eyes. Just a quick glance, not lasting more than a second. I wasn't sure why it was so important to me, or why I seemed to be obsessed with idea. All I knew was that I wanted to see what lay beyond those dark shades.

Robin sighed fingered the ends of my hair. "I'm sorry." He said.

"For what?" I choked out through my minor sobs.

"I don't know. Just everything; Zoella, Joker, that cat with the purple eyes." He sighed. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that, and still are"

"It's okay." I said. "It wasn't your fault."

"No." He agreed. "No, it was Joker's. In fact, it still is." He turned to me. "But I still don't know what you want me to help you with."

I sat up straight, realising myself from Robin's embrace. "I need your help to find information." I told him, wiping my eyes. "As you know I'm absolutely horrible when it comes to technology, whereas you're not. I know that there has to be something on this in the League's database somewhere."

Robin leaned forward, swiping his hand across the coffee table, making a holographic screen materialise in front of us. He swiped and tapped at the screen in front of him, making new boxes appear and and adding pictures along side them.

"Um, if it's any help," I said shyly, trying to be of some assistance. "Artemis once told me that each of us has profiles. Maybe we should look there."

His lips curved into a smile. "I'm going through your profile right now." He stated.

"Oh." I muttered, embarrassed. I shifted awkwardly in my seat, realising just how close Robin and I were to each other. Glancing at him typing away through my peripheral vision, doubt crossed my mind.

Should I really be dumping all of this onto him right now? I mean we've only been friends for a few weeks, and in an actual for relationship for less than a day. Should I have handled this on my own? Investigated and searched through the clues I already had by myself? I mean, that's what I would have normally done before, so didn't I do it this time?

"Access denied." Sounded from the screen, accompanying a red digital stamp, saying the same thing, that now detonated the screen.

"What happened?" I asked Robin quickly.

"Nothing dramatic. I tried to go onto Zoella's file but it denied my access."

"Can you hack it somehow?"

"Of course I can." He looked over at me. "The whole reason you came to me with this was because I knew my way around a computer wasn't it?"

I let a curtain of my hair swing over and partially cover my face. "Yeah, yeah of course." I answered.

A ding sounded from the holograph. "I'm in." Robin announced. His eyes quickly scanned the information on the page.

Me however, I stared at the picture of my passed best friend. In this photo, her smooth black hair hung freely over her shoulders. Her pale face held no freckles, but made her eyes stand out.

My body tensed as I went into shock. The realisation came flooding back into my mind like a massive tidal wave, destroying everything else in its wake.

I vaguely remembered the nights where Zoella would teach me magic. She must have been casting a spell during the shot, because in those short moments, her eyes would turn a magnificent shade of purple.

"Ebony..." Robin trailed off. "Have you read this yet?"

I shook my head in response, trying to process what this unearthed information meant. "Read it for me."

Robin hesitated, but did as I asked. "Zoella Mitchells, aged twelve at the time of her disappearance, would now be seventeen. She sistered a girl by the name of Ebony Olive at the orphanage where she lived. Seeing Ebony had great magical potential, she began teaching the younger girl the ways of the Mystics arts.

"On March 11th, 2009, Zoella snuck out of the room she occupied, unnoticed, and roamed the streets as a young vigilante, just as she had been doing for months. Though this particular night, she was involved in the bombing of the Gotham museum, planned by Joker. Through the events that planned out, Zoella was trapped in a room with an injured Harley Quinn, unable to keep her alive by the time the rescuers finally found them amongst the wreckage.

"Joker had blamed Zoella for the death of his de facto, and swore revenge in the young girl. Assuming that Ebony would be in grave danger, Zoella enlisted the assistance of the Justice League.

"With help from Batman, she faked her death, letting a copy of her body take the toll of Joker's wrath, while the girl Ebony escaped from the scene, unable to be found by the League.

"Zoella has since been disguising herself as a black cat, staying with Janet Brundy in Starling city as a result of a deal struck between her and Black a Canary. She has since been helping the League search for her adopted sister, as Joker is not yet satisfied and wants revenge on Ebiny as well, assuming she had some part in the death."

Robin finished his retell of the information, waiting for me to respond while letting it sink in for himself. I didn't react react though, I didn't exactly know how to in that moment. Finally, after what seemed like hours of shocking silence, realisation started to sink in. And I was on my feet.

If Robin called out to me as I ran through the door, I didn't notice. My feet took me where they willed, my brain to overwhelmed to function correctly. On and on I ran through the ghostly halls of the place now called home. The place that suddenly seemed so distant.

My lungs couldn't stand the intensity of running and sobbing at the same time, making me plunge down next to against a wall, to tired to curl into a ball.

My cheeks were ridden with tears. Flooded with puddles of water emitting from itchy eyes. I could feel my hands trembling, my legs shaking along with them.

All that I could fathom, was that the sorrow that had overcome me in the past five years, had been based on a lie. One that the League, and Zoella herself had authored, and weaved into my mind.

Though above all of the knotted mess, one single though stood out above the rest.

Zoella was alive.

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Ohhhhhhh!!! Whhhhaaaaatttt???? Shock horror!?

Yeah, so you figured. Zoella, Ebony's long time best friend, is actually still alive. This plot twist sounded really good in my head but I think I might have stuffed this chapter up, especially by rushing into things...

But, a long time ago I thought that I had fixed a typing error where I accidentally hit paste in the middle of a sentence in chapter 9, where it inserted the chapter yet again. But I realised that I hadn't and I have now fixed that.

By the way, if you have not already calculated, this story takes place in 2014, even though the actual young justice takes place in 2010 or whatever. But I just like it better this way. It's not any longer along the timeline, it is still after the first season finished, but I'm just making it a different year. And I've decided to put the dates on the titles of the chapters. And that will be happening very soon.

I haven't edited this yet, and I realised that I haven't edited many of my other chapters...so I will be doing that as well.

Soo, Than you for reading and I hope you tune in next update to see what everyone's reaction will be to this?