It would be nice to start this with a good feeling. A sense of hope after so much hopelessness. But as often is the case, this isn't that kind of story. Our stories always doom and gloom, or world threatening powers. Some can be simpler than that. Small stories of the people just trying to get to tomorrow on this little blue marble in the black. But as you know… sometimes those small stories are worse than the ones where we have to defend the Earth against a planet killer. Why worse?
Because they are always the more tragic of the two.
This particular chapter starts in the present day. Today is today. Well the morning of today, at least. The forecast for Gotham City is sunny but cold. The fall fast approaches, and the weather has been unseasonably cold.
The girl at the center of this narrative is named Karolina Dean. Her parents were both actors, they met on the set of General Hospital. She grew up very rich, her parents wanted to spoil her rotten. Perhaps that's why she turned out how she did. She could have been that spoiled, selfish brat you sneer towards. But instead she grew up to be a loving and kind young lady. Some of her earliest memories are of making plans to release the poor animals from the zoo. She is a bit of a modern day hippie, but not because it's 'cool' to do so. She lives the life. Makes her own clothes on a regular basis, tries to never harm anyone or anything, vegetarian… wanting to help anyone around her. Wanting to help her world.
Given all that… you would never suspect her parents were supervillains.
Not just in the… omg my parents are so evil they won't let me stay out passed midnight… kind of evil. But true supervillains. Known to collaborate with the Kingpin. Ruled Los Angeles with an iron fist hidden from public view. Murdered/sacrificed virgins to their Gods on a regular basis. Which sounds like a joke, but they actually did.
In spite of all of that… the very last image she has of them in her mind is them fighting off those guards to give her and her friends time to escape certain death. They, the whole of the Pride, all gave their lives to their children could live.
But let's not get off-track. As stated, it's morning here in Gotham. A cold morning. Colder than it should be. No snow yet, but you can almost smell it in the air. And it's here we find Karolina Dean upon the roof of the medical clinic she has been living in. You see, she was hurt pretty badly a while ago. As in… she should be dead. She really should be. If it weren't for the fact that she isn't human, she would have been. Killed by someone that she didn't even see. She blames herself for it, of course. And she feels bad for putting her friends through that. But now her shoulder and arm are almost good to go. Almost. The sling has come off. The x-rays show her bones are healing nicely, as they should be set. Which is rather surprising to all involved since not to long ago most of the bones along her shoulder and upper arm were little more than a powder with little chips of bone in. She still has trouble picking up heavier things with her left hand, but her physical therapist is confident that'll pass in a couple weeks.
In the meantime, Karolina has (in her mind) a much bigger problem than not being able to pick up things heavier than 5 pounds with her left hand. She hasn't, as of yet, been able to transform into her other form. As stated, she isn't human. She's from a race of aliens called the Majesdanians. Her race now an endangered species thanks to the genocide committed by the Skrulls. She isn't human, but she's lived as a human her whole life. She didn't know she was an alien until just a few years ago. Despite that, she considers her Majesdanian form her 'true' form. And she hasn't been able to shift into it since she was shot. She's spent days on the rooftop of the clinic, thinking if she perhaps absorbed enough solar energy she would be able to transform. But thus far… no success.
When she is transformed, she is a being of pure light. Chase said she looked like an angel when she changed. But he also said she looked like a melting oil painting. But this girl of pure light… her thoughts are as dark as night. She misses her friends. She misses being able to shift her form. She misses flying. She misses being of use.
She misses her friends.
And not just her most recent friends and roomies here in Gotham. She means those she considered her family. It feels like lifetimes since she's seen them. Since she's seen
her.
Karolina's bright blue eyes look out towards the sunny and cold sky. She is wearing loose fitting jogging pants and a light grey jacket. Her long hair is tied back into a ponytail. She has been standing out here for more than an hour… and she is cold. Her tip of her nose and ears, her cheeks, all very red by now. She thought today would be the day. The day when she could finally fly again. When she could transform into her true form. When she could maybe help again. But no luck… nothing… another day of failure.
She stands hear the edge of the roof, and she suddenly puts her foot up onto the ledge itself, her eyes still cast upwards. With a soft grunt she pushes herself up onto the ledge, and she then looks down. It's a long drop. No way anyone could survive a fall from this distance. Her eyes fall half closed as she stands there, and she starts to shift her weight forward…
Almost 5 minutes later, Karolina walks down the staircase leading to the roof. She holds her jacket tightly closed around her shivering form. Her eyes are still half open as she emerges into the hallway, and she kind of shuffles her way back to her room.
Hours pass, and night has come. Despite the fact it's cold, Gotham is still a busy place. And for a good part of Gotham City, a dangerous part. Karolina decided to get out a little. She needed to get out a little. Lincoln was nice enough to pack some of her clothes into a duffle bag for her, like real clothes. Her clothes. Most handmade by her, of course. Most all of her clothing are bright and vibrant colors, reflecting her personality. Most of the time.
She did some research, and was hard pressed to find an LGBT club. At least one where she didn't have to be armed to go to at night. She scoped a few out… and they were all pretty busy. She loves people, she loves crowds… but tonight isn't the night for that. She walked passed 3 different clubs… Crew Night Club, Twist and Alibi Lounge. Karolina lingered near the Alibi Lounge the longest. She stood across the street from it, just watching the line move to get into the club. Getting a feel for the type of person that went there. Some of these clubs… well they can have varying levels of 'intensity'. It goes from a relaxing night with friends to Studio 54 levels of insanity. She's always been a fan of the former. And this place looked nice, relaxing. So maybe that's why she has been watching it from the short distance for so long.
Or maybe it has to do with the very pretty girl she saw enter it. Maybe in the hopes she would see her come out of the club… maybe in the hopes she would be by herself…
But she didn't see her again. Which is just her luck. And so now Karolina, she wanders the city. She walks down this street or that street, unaware of just precisely where she's going. Or where she is, for that matter. She doesn't seem to care in what 'kind' of neighborhood she wanders through. She just… walks. Her mind, somewhere else completely.
