Young Justice: Solstice

Three

Don't you just love it when the words flow out of your fingertips??

The fire crackled pleasantly in front of us while Cassie and I eyed our parents. The three of them spoke with the guide about anything but what they'd discovered today, which only made us more suspicious.

"You got a plan?" Cassie whispered through a mouthful of mountain goat cheese and bread.

I sipped my chai tea. "Not yet. I'm thinking."

"About what?" 

"How to snatch the box. And about whatever's inside."

Cassie shivered, just like the box had. "You're sure it moved?"

"Uh-huh," I whispered, taking another bite of my meal.

"I dunno Kiran," Cassie bit her lip. "In my experience, things trapped in boxes like that should stay there."

"Then all the more reason to get to it before our parents do."

The two of us looked at each other with the same wide-eyed expression.

"Who are you and what have you done with my friend?" We asked at the same time. The both of us burst into giggles, much to the surprise of our parents.

"Is something wrong, girls?" Mom asked.

"No, nothing," I assured her, rubbing the corner of my eyes, "It's just that Cassie here is being extremely cautious."

"And Kiran is sounding a little...reckless," Cassie chose her words carefully. Her giggles were mixed with a wide yawn that was impossible to miss.

"You two must be tired," Doctor Sandsmark said, relaxing with relief. That seemed to explain our out-of-character behavior.

"It is late." Dad set his empty plate on the ground, standing up and stretching his back. "We should all be going to bed." 

I looked up at the sky, surprised to see the stars. During the summer, I usually went to bed before the sun went down. I never really looked at the stars before, and Mohenjo-Daro was one of the few places that provided the opportunity to actually see stars, miles away from any highly populated city.

"Come on, Cassie," I stood up and stretched my arms over my head, hoping to get out of there before-

"Would you two please do the dishes before you turn in? We have a few more things we want to look at." Doctor Sandsmark asked with a big, white smile.

"Moooom!" Cassie moaned, slumping forward. Her mother gave her the typical glare that said "I'm-your-mother-and-you-better-do-what-I-say-right-now-or-else".

"Don't worry! We're on it!" I promised. I grabbed Cassie by the wrist and pulled her over to the tub of washing water and squirted soap onto the bristles of the brush. No running water out here.

Cassie continued to moan as we made our way back to our tent. "I didn't think my arms could feel any more sore than they already were. I mean, they weren't even this bad after..." She trailed off, and I stopped at the mouth of the tent, only to look back and realize Cassie was still standing a few paces behind me, nervously biting her lip.

"After what?" I asked.

Cassie shook her head and waved her arms. "Nevermind, I got my real-life mixed up with Wonder-Woman's."

I raised my eyebrow at her, hand on the zipper of the tent. "Have you been reading fanfiction again?"

Cassie laughed nervously, "Maaaybe?" She held out her arms like she was shrugging, but it really didn't seem so uncertain to me.