Young Justice: Red Comet

Chapter 6 - Green

—Nova

For a moment, I think I'm dead, and it brings a certain peace to my soul. No more fighting, no more cowering in terror, no more running. But I feel the bed underneath me, and hushes voices speaking.

I open my eyes slowly. The dim light barely illuminates the two figures that sit beside my bed. The room appears gray.

Oh no. He's found me.

I sit up quickly, my heartbeat racing in fear. The bed sheets start smoldering as my skin turns into a warm yellow.

The figures both stand up and come to my side. Their mouth make sounds but the sounds aren't my language.

"Where am I? Who I you?" I ask. They stop speaking for a moment, and give each other looks. The one figure, a human with red hair, turns back to me. I focus on his language, translating the words to meaning.

"Sorry, we don't speak your language." He says, but then reassuringly adds, "But you're safe here. No one's going to hurt you."

English. He's speaking English. He's a human, and I'm on Earth. I escape before it was too late. He hasn't found me yet. I'm okay. For now.

I clear my throat, and concentrate on my breathing. I listen to my heartbeat, imagine it slowing down. Imagine the rocky landscapes of my home. Imagine the black liquid that flows between the cracks of rocks on the ground. Imagine two suns in the green skies above me.

Slowly, my skin turns back to my regular color. My breathing is colored, and my heartbeat is slow.

"I'm sorry." I speak softly in their language. Their words are so confusing, so many different sounds, but I manage to string them all together.

"There's nothing to be sorry about." The red hair human smiles. He has pretty white teeth. Dark dots cover his cheeks. What are those called? Freckles? Yes, freckles.

"Can you tell us your name?" The second human asks. Female, with long dark choppy hair. She looks intimating with her arms cross, but she is short, very short.

"My name is Nova Chitsa Jolon Ominotago." I speak softly. After seeing their blank faces, I add, "But you may call me Nova."

"Nova." Bart says. Yes, I remember him telling me his name. Bart. Then he smiles. "I'm Bart Allen, but I often go by Impulse."

"The name's Remy Emerson, I'm also Red Beetle." The female adds, her dark eyes trained on me. I've never seen such dark eyes before, and I found it beautiful.

Humans have such short names. Odd.

"Humans go by their first name, correct?" I ask cautious, afraid of angering one of them. Bart nods, grinning.

"Remy. Bart." I roll their names on my tongue.

"Nova," Remy says almost impatiently, "What are you?"

I blink at her bluntness. "I'm a Torras. My home is far away from your galaxy, millions of lightyears. I live on the planet Torran."

"Torras? I've never heard of aliens like you." She says, then her attention shifts away from me. Like she's listening to someone I can't hear.

Alien. That's the first time that term has ever applied to me. It is true through, odd. I am an alien here on this foreign planet.

"Then how did you end up here?" Bart asks.