Jinx POV

I can't believe what I just did.

I'd saved a hero's life.

And destroyed my own in the process.

It didn't matter if I was still bad. I'd attacked Madame Rouge, which should have automatically stripped myself of my villain status. No side, good or bad, would accept me now, no matter how good or bad I am. I would never be a heroine, but I couldn't go back to being an evil sorceress after what I did.

I have nowhere to go, no place to hide. Hive Five? Brother Blood would kill me. Also all my former friends (maybe excluding See-more, who I'd always suspected had a crush on me). Teen Titans? Please. They hate me.

Walking down the streets as fast and quietly as I could (I'm still a wanted criminal after all), I noticed a small and narrow alley and ducked into it just as a police car rushed by. Phew! That was a close call.

I unclenched my fist to reveal some money (about $20 in US dollars) I'd... uh... previously acquired from old HIVE missions with my ex-teammates. I'd miss them, but well, I can't live with them anymore.

I needed a place to stay, and there was only one person who would provide me with that---the same ginger speedster I'd saved the life of today.

Sorry, Kid Flash, but I have to catch your attention, I thought.

I hexed everything in a five-metre radius---lampposts, fences, cars, for instance---hoping it was chaotic enough to make him take notice. And he did.

A red-and-yellow burst of wind whooshed by, stopping right behind me.

"Jinx...?" Kid Flash said cautiously. "What?"

Taking a deep breath, I turned and looked at him directly in the eye. "I need a place to stay."

He grinned. "So, you're taking me up on that offer?"

"Yes---no---ugh, I need time to think!" I groaned. "And I'll never get that if I don't have somewhere to live, temporarily. And just for the record, you are not saving me as my 'knight in'... uh..." I looked at his suit. Very inaccurate to call it shining armour. "My 'knight in a red-and-yellow spandex suit'," I decided. "I am not a damsel in distress and I can very well pay you back."

Kid Flash smiled and shrugged. "Eh, whatever suits you. You say you need a place to stay?"

I nodded mutely.

"Well, I have an apartment. You can live there from now on, as long as you help me do some good as your rent."

"What sort of good?" Paying for my meals with my own money, actually working, tutoring kids, maybe even volunteering---(bleurgh!)---at an orphanage. At least I could stand all of that.

Kid Flash gazed at me directly, his gaze burning intensely through me. "I want you to help me fight crime."

What? No way. Nuh uh. Not a chance. I was not helping a superhero fight crime. Was never in my ethic and will never be. Villains have moral codes too, you know. We're not all that ruthless.

His face fell when I didn't answer. "Well, I guess a girl like you wouldn't give up that easily. I wish you could just at least try. Who knows, you might even like it!"

Not in a million years. Still, it was my best and only bet. Oh, how I hated not having a choice. Superheroes can be so annoying!

"Fine," I managed, gritting my teeth. "I'll try."

He exhaled in relief. "Great." He picked me up, bridal style, and I yelped. "What the hex do you think you're doing?"

"If you don't want to walk and get caught, well..." Kid Flash shrugged and grinned maddeningly.

I wanted to wipe that smile off his cute face with a jinx, but resisted the urge. He was helping me, after all, but I was still tempted to smack his handsome face. Urgh, cops made everything more frustrating.

Wait, did I just use two praising adjectives to describe Kid Flash? I was starting to sound more and more---ugh!---like a do-gooder.

He started to run, and the air was rushing by so quickly, I screamed, but no sound came out. To avoid falling out of Kid Flash's arms at light speed (and also to save energy by not resisting the wind), I buried my face in his chest and wrapped my arms around his neck.

Within a few seconds, it was over.

Kid Flash put a very disheveled and dazed me on the ground, smirking slightly. "You hugged me, didn't you?"

I glared at him. "No, I didn't. I pulled against you tightly to be safe at the speed of light."

"Same thing."

"No it is not---"

He raised his hands in a 'surrender' position. "Huh, not very convincing, but whatever. Anyways, here's my place." He gestured towards a rather big brick house beside us.

I hate to admit it, but I was quite impressed. "Nice."

Kid Flash grinned. "Ha! Thought so! Anyways, come on in and make yourself at home."

Wow, I haven't heard that phrase said to me in a long, long time. Not since Brother Blood at the H.I.V.E  Academy, a little voice in my head whispered. Then he used and manipulated you into doing what he wanted.

Shut up, I thought furiously. Kid Flash is a hero. He wouldn't do that.

Would he, though? the voice whispered again.You're a villain, right? He wouldn't have any qualms about hurting your feelings...

I didn't need any doubts right now. I pushed the voice away and followed Kid Flash inside.

"Hey, Kid Flash?" I asked.

He turned and looked at me curiously. "What?"

"Where do I put my boots? I mean, they're really icky from... you know... "

"Oh," he said, understanding immediately. "Just take them off and put them in the entrance hall. By the way, you can call me Wally West."

I was shocked at the stupidity of this idiot. With that information, I could notify the Brotherhood and tell them to attack him at his own house anytime I wanted.

"Kid Fl---Wally, you do realise I could turn you in anytime?"

He stopped in his tracks, spun around slowly and cupped my face in his hands. "I know. But you won't. You're a good person, Jinx, inside. And I'm gonna help you realise your potential as a superheroine. If you really are evil, then turn me in. There's nothing to stop you from doing that."

Even now, I felt my hand reaching towards my communicator, itching to tell my ex-teammates.

But for some reason, I didn't.

Wally saw this and smiled. "See? I knew you had it in you." He turned away and called, "I'll make dinner. You must be hungry."

So I took his advice and made myself at home.

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Author's Note:
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