How Can We

Chapter Five

"Fine." He sighed. "I'll try but I can't promise that I will find anything. Be prepared to find other sources." Dick warned her.

She knew who else she could go to, but that was a last resort. "I have faith in your skills." She told him before walking away.

*

She approached Zatanna next to help her with her problem. It was a stretch, she knew her friend wouldn't be able to help her find Jade, but she knew she could confide in her. Maybe she could give Artemis some other places to look.

"Why now?" Zatanna asked her. "Why are you looking for her now, after what she did? What brought his on?"

"I can't explain it, I just think the time is right."

"I can hire a private investigator for you." She suggested.

"I don't need a P.I, beside I can't accept your money Zee. I guess I have just one last shot in the dark." Artemis did not want to do this.

"Come on, he's right there." Zatanna pointed a few feet away.

"Fine." Artemis grumbled making her way to the enemy. It was the way to describe Wallace West in one word.

"Wallace." He barely spared her a second glance.

"Arty." She hated that nickname, which is exactly he kept saying it. She called him Wallace to get back at him, but felt like she needed a better name to stick. Calling him Wallace seemed to annoy him just fine, but Artemis knew she could do worse.

"Is there any reason you're here?"

"Are you staring at Megan?" She answered his question with one of her own.

"That's none of your business." They both knew she caught him off guard. Wally was trying to muster up the courage to ask her out.

Seeing his infatuation with Megan, Artemis had a lightbulb moment.

"You know you should ask her out. She's been talking about you lately, saying how cute you are. Personally I don't see it," Wally scoffed at that prompting an eye roll from Artemis before she continued. "But she's been wanting to have a one-on-one experience with the both of you."

"Well I am quite a catch." Wally bragged.

"If you say so, but I know for a fact that she's interested." She was lying straight through her teeth.

"I'm not denying it but why are you telling me this. What do you possibly have to gain?" He was smart to question her.

"I figured if you spent more time with her, I'll see you less and less, leading to my inevitable happiness."

"Ok, suppose I believe you for a second, what do you want in return." He was also clever enough to realize she was asking for a price.

"Information. I'm looking for someone who lived in Central City about a year ago." He looked at her incredulously.

"You do realize how large Central City is right? Searching for a single person is like looking for a needle in a haystack, almost impossible."

"Look you're my only hope." She hated acting this weak and vulnerable in front of him.

"I'll text my contacts from Central City. Can I at least have the name of the person I'm trying to find?"

"Jady Nguyen."

**

Artemis couldn't focus at all during archery practice. Her mind was all over the place, replaying her dream over and over again. It was affecting her aim, hence her poor performance.

Oliver knew better than to talk to her at this moment. He tried once, long ago, and almost didn't live to tell the tale.

In reality, she glared at him with such an intensity that he slowly backed away. This time he just left extra arrows by her quiver, and left her alone. Roy took the hint and focused more on the other archery students who were nowhere near Artemis' level, and that is being generous.

After realizing the strain she put on her friends, she went to the library on her own to do her own research. She was classified as a nerd in the school anyway. So far she didn't find anything.

She let go of her bow and watched as it missed the target by at least 5 inches. She groaned and tossed her quiver to the side. Artemis got up and punched the target board in frustration.

"Wow, and here I thought you were actually good." Wally commented coming out of nowhere.

Artemis, caught off guard and frightened, takes the bow in her hand and sends it inches away from Wally's face.

"I've never been so grateful for bad aim." He told her, moving closer to where the blonde stood.

"Come to bother me some more?" She asked him as she picked up her quiver and the scattered arrows.

"Let's be honest, I don't need an excuse to bother you." He cleared his throat before continuing. "Zatanna said you needed my expertise on something."

"She misunderstood. The only way I would need your help is if I need someone to flirt with every woman in the vicinity, and I don't see that happening any time soon."

"Good, because I'm done doing you favors. You're little tip about Megan had me make a fool out of myself."

"Don't worry you have the rest of the population of girls in the school to practice your flirting skills with." She brushed it off, not even pretending like she cared.

"What is your problem with me?" He asked her abruptly.

"What's your problem with me?"

"If it weren't for Dick, I wouldn't even consider thinking about helping you find this Jade person."

"I don't need your pity, or your help." She sneered at him.

"We'll see how far you get without me."

"A lot farther than I would get with your help Wallace."

"That's it, I'm done. I'm leaving because I can't deal with you right now." Wally stormed off.

"Well who needs you anyway!" She screamed back at him. He took one look at her befote shaking his head and walking out.

She leaned against the wall, slowly sinking to the floor wondering how she was ever going to get a hold of her sister.

A/N: I wanted to post this chapter yesterday, but by the time I had everything finished it was almost midnight and I had really crappy wifi at my aunt's house.

So here's a late Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrated, and happy holidays to everyone else! Let's all celebrate the season and hope all our problems magically become solved by New Years.

Thank you to everyone who has supprted this story, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.