Code Black // Arrow

14 | Press Day

Paparazzi swarmed the front entrance of the courthouse, standing on the sidewalk near the road, resembling vultures with recorders and expensive cameras in their talons instead of actual human beings, all eagerly waiting for the famous Oliver Queen to step out of his car. After years of separation from the media, my heart ached for Oliver, understanding how rough it was to return to the busy life in Starling City after disappearing for a while, roughly forced back into the lifestyle of his family.

The dark tint of our car windows made me beyond grateful the paparazzi weren't aware the Merlyn siblings were parked directly behind Oliver's car. They would surely excel with joy at the thought of getting clear shots or videos of Oliver Queen and Hensley Merlyn at the same time, bound to please their bosses once they returned back to their offices.

My stomach churned.

Chase shimmied out of the driver's seat of the black SUV the moment Oliver fled from his car and forced himself into the hoard of paparazzi and reporters, circling around him with no mercy. Even inside of the car, I could hear the loud questions about the island and Oliver's return being thrown at our friend with microphones, recorders, and cameras shoved in his face. Moira and Walter followed closely behind him, clearly frustrated by the media while Diggle attempted to lead the way through the mass of people to the entrance of the courthouse.

My leg bounced in the back of the car, nails dug into my palms, dreading the exact moment Chase would open the door and I'd be thrown into the same chaotic atmosphere as Oliver. The paparazzi loved to hound me with questions of my kidnapping, even years after it happened because none of my family or myself ever spoke to the press about what actually happened during that year. All the people of Starling City knew was that I was kidnapped from Queen Mansion the day of Oliver's funeral.

They didn't know anything else and it killed them to not know the truth.

"We'll have about fifteen seconds before one of them spots you," Tommy guessed as he sat next to me, peering between the two headrests in the front seat to where the paparazzi swarmed his best friend.

With Diggle's aid, Oliver barely made it to the first step of the many row of stairs in front of the courthouse. We only had a few seconds to exit the car and make our own way to the entrance before we would undoubtedly be flocked by paparazzi.

Chase's hand wrapped around the door handle behind him. He watched the crowd move around Oliver through dark tinted sunglasses, waiting for the right opportunity. My fingers curled around the denim material of my jacket and pulled it upward, intending to use it to partially shield my face from the cameras. Chase softly rapped against the window with his knuckles.

I inhaled sharply, preparing myself.

"You ready?" Tommy asked as he slide to the middle seat to slip out of the car faster once it was time.

"No, but let's go."

Paparazzi was one of my least favorite things of being in a well known family. There would be times when they caught me without anything to cover my face, but today, I came a little more prepared. From the collar of my denim jacket to the similar glasses perched on my nose, I prayed their pictures wouldn't leave much for them to hand over to their bosses.

Fifteen seconds.

My right boot touched the asphalt first before the rest of my body followed after Chase swung the back door open. I swiftly grabbed Chase's bicep in my left hand, closely trailing behind him as we began to rush across the walkway toward the stairs, following the same plan we used every time we attempted to escape the paparazzi.

Ten seconds.

Tommy's hand found the middle of my back after he scrambled out of the car, promptly shutting the door with a soft click to avoid any unwanted attention. Chase walked with a purpose and a sense of intimidation as he led us forward, shielding his body with my own, shoulders squared back. Both of us knew we could easily reach the entrance of the courthouse with ease if we started to run, but the questions from the press and my brother were not worth it. We could easily dodge any of the paparazzi, potentially tripping a few along the way.