Amira Wayne

Chapter 22: Family, Friends and Identities (1)

Amira woke up with a start, wondering how she arrived on her bed. The last thing she remembered was hugging Mama and...crying.

Is that why her throat was dry?

"Feeling alright?" Wally spoke up, Amira noticing that he was bringing in a tray of food. "It's one in the afternoon." He provided when he saw her searching for her phone. He watched as she opened it up, only to scrunch her nose at whatever it was she saw upon opening it before tossing her phone aside.

"Day?"

"Still Christmas if you're wondering. Everyone is downstairs." Amira opened her mouth before closing it again... "We were just seconds behind when we found out where you were..." A silence fell over them.

"Is...is she here?" She dared to ask, seeing Wally shake his head before letting out a small sigh.

"Before we left her place, she asked us to give you this." Wally motioned to a wrapped present on the floor after placing the tray down, Amira taking the envelope he handed towards her. "Or rather, she told me to personally hand it to you. Didn't say what the contents were." Wally leaned against the ladder he had halfway climbed.

"I see." Was all she could say as she held the envelope in her hands.

Was it okay for her to open it right now?

Did her father know about it?

"So Talia Al Ghul, huh." Wally said again, Amira looking at him. "Didn't expect that twist."

"It wouldn't have been a twist had Ra's allowed my parents to be together." Wally tilted his head. "They eloped a year before I was born." Wally fell from the ladder, causing Amira to rush down and help him get up. "You alright?"

"They were going to get married?"

"They planned it. But it never got further than that." Amira elaborated, staring at the letter in her hand.

'Because Ra's forbade them to see each other again. He locked her mother up within her own home to prevent her from seeing her father,' she wanted to add, but stopped upon remembering the threats he told Talia.

How he used her as a hostage despite being miles away. How he threatened to kill her if Talia dared to step out of line. How he arranged a marriage with another man, the same man who-

"-ease! Amira!" Wally frantically yelled, Amira snapping out of her thoughts, looking at Wally whose eyes held panic. "Can you hear me? Answer me, please..."

She reached for his hand, giving it a squeeze.

"I'm still here..." At least for now. "I just...remembered something that my mother told me about her father...that's all." She said, relaxing her hand in his.

She didn't expect him to hug her, Amira hugging him back after her initial shock.

"I was worried." She felt him hug her tighter.

"I figured...sorry about that."

"I thought-"

"But I'm here...and alright." A chuckle escaped Wally.

"A bandaged hand and a bandage on your face doesn't exactly scream safe you know."

"Better than actually being dead." She joked, only to feel him tense. He took a step back to look at her, cupping her face in the process.

"What do you mean by that?" Amira placed her hands over his.

"I...Didn't I-" Wally shook his head, lowering his hands, holding hers as he did.