Behind the mask
It didnât take Jinx long to notice a distinction between the rich people and the other group present at the gala, which Jinx artfully referred to as the âstinking-rich peopleâ.The rich people seemed more likely to dance and opted to follow the galaâs masquerade theme âthe people she saw currently waltzing on the floor were a mixture of surgeons, lawyers, and political figures. Jinx turned away from these people; they were rich, yes, but Jinx didnât have the bottom of the wealthy barrel in mind when she carefully cultivated her party-crashing plan.
Instead, Jinx weaved her way towards the outskirts of the crowd, clutching her purse as she made her way towards the more well-known benefactors. Â
She looked at the possible prey in her immediate vicinity, all of whom were very promising.
There was Lawrence Foster, a well-known philanthropist whose pants pocket had the outline of what was, by all means, most likely a very fat wallet.
To her immediate left was Heidi Jones, a hollywood actress with Red Diamond earrings that piqued Jinxâs interest, even though she wasnât a fan of the color.
And then there were the creme de la creme of the wealthyâlike Bruce Wayne, who had a gem-encrusted watch gleaming on his wrist that probably cost more than Jinxâs whole headquarters.
These were the stinking rich peopleâthe ones who had so much money they couldnât possibly know what to do with it. They were also the ones who didnât dance or wear masks as if they hadnât gotten the memo that the event would be a masquerade gala.
âHeaven forbid something as cheap as a mask covers their wealthy botox faces,â Jinx muttered. âOr that they scuff their $8,000 shoes while dancing,â Jinx added in afterthought. Â
In Jinxâs book, rich people were only good for two things: cruddy reality tv shows and helping thieves like her make fast cash.
She mulled over her choices for a mere moment before a smile alighted on her lips. Go big or go home, she thought as she made her way towards Bruce Wayne. Â
She was five paces away from âaccidentallyâ brushing into Bruce Wayne and walking away several million dollars richer when her wrist was grabbed from behind and she was whirled around.
âTrust me,â the stranger said, a grin on his face as if his words were shared a joke between the two of them. âYou do not want to do that.â Â
Her fingertips were ever so slightly tingling pink, just on the cusp of hexing the offending fellow away from her, when realization began to dawn. The only difference lay in the fact that his usually yellow mask had been exchanged for a black one. From the cocky grin to the red hair and the blue eyes, Jinx realized in silent horror the guy wasnât a stranger, but instead the last person she had hoped to see.
The last time she had seen Kid Flash was over a month ago when she had done what no self-respecting villainess would dare do with a goody-two-shoes hero: She had kissed him. While the moment their lips touched had been fleeting, the feelings of confliction she was left with plagued her for days.
She had felt somethingâsome of those stupid, cliche, Â tiny sparks the bubbly main character in a teen movie felt when they locked lips with their equally one-dimensional love interest.
Jinx was many thingsâcold, heartless, and short, to name a fewâbut a one dimensional bubbly YA novel star was not one of them, and sheâd be damned before she let Kid Flash turn her into one of the girls dumb enough to fall head over heels for a concept as fictional as love.
Before she could barrage Kid Flash with questions about how he had found her or why he was so determined to ruin her life, he cut her off.
âWe should dance,â he said, offering her a hand and smirking as if he already knew sheâd say yes to such a hellish idea.
Jinx opened her mouth to say not only no, but also hell no, heck no, and no (which was just no in her Spanish accent), but slowly shut it after realizing that appeasing his request was the preferred scenario out of all her options. Hexing him cold would alert the security guards and result in her being carried to Gothamâs jail, and ignoring him to continue her heist would just result in the annoying redhead whisking her off to the middle of Jump City at the speed of sound, leaving her empty-handed and utterly annoyed.
His smug expression practically said that he knew her options were limited, and she cursed inwardly at the one choice she presently had.
âFine,â Jinx said, accepting his hand. âOne dance.â
She barely had time to get the words out of her mouth before he was dragging her towards the floor.
âI hope youâre better with dancing than you are with pick up lines,â Jinx said as they assumed waltz position, with Kid Flashâs hand resting lightly on her waist. The ungloved hand stood as a reminder that neither of them was in uniform; this was the closest sheâd been to seeing a glimpse of the speedster outside of his trademark getup, and the feeling the whole situation brought was an unwelcome kind of surrealness. Â
âI like to think that Iâm equally gifted in both areas,â Kid Flash said matter-of-factly, and instead of suppressing her eye roll Jinx furtherly dramatized it and added a sigh.
He chuckled at her theatrics, blue eyes twinkling behind the mask as they moved to the tune.
âI knew you were a stalker and all,â Jinx said, âBut finding me here, several hundred miles away from Jump City with both a glamour and a mask on is a new levelâeven for you.â
âI was obligated to come. I didnât know youâd be here,â Kid Flash admitted, âI was only tipped off when one of the attendees mysteriously âlostâ her sapphire bracelet.â
âImagine my surprise,â Kid Flash said, âwhen I noticed a familiar figure slipping a bracelet into her bag. After that, I figured youâd go for the richest guy in the room.â
Jinx tilted her head, blinking in mock innocence. âFor all you know I could have been planning to rob the old guy next to him.â
âNah,â Kid Flash said, waving the idea away. âYouâd never settle. Youâre more of a âgo big or go homeâ kinda girl.â
Jinx stiffened at the use of that particular phrase, one that echoed her own thoughts earlier.
âYou say that with the surety of someone who knows me,â Jinx said, narrowing her eyes. âUnfriendly reminder that you donât.â
âIâd like to though,â Kid Flash said softly as the music in the background faded out into silence.
âThen itâs too bad for you that our one dance is up,â Jinx said, moving to pull away before Kid Flash halted her.
âI know youâve been avoiding me since our kiss,â Kid Flash said, âBut you canât honestly tell me that you felt nothing.â
âI felt nothing,â Jinx said in a monotone.
âI said honestly.â
âI honestly felt nothing,â Jinx said in a voice just as monotonous as the first.
Kid Flash sighed through his nose in an uncharacteristic show of irritation, all the while maintaining eye contact with Jinx before she finally looked away.
âFine,â Jinx said, crossing her arms. âLetâs say hypothetically that I felt something. Even if I did, we couldnât be together. My team finding out about you would ruin my standing as a villain and everything Iâve ever worked for, and your team finding out about me would ruin not only your reputation, but also the reputation of the Teen Titans and your mentor. Do you know how stupid we would we have to be to put all that at risk for a bout of teenage infatuation?â
Kid Flash tapped his foot, surprising Jinx by being overcome by a full thirty seconds of pensive silenceâsurely that had to be a record of some sort for him.
âYouâre right,â he said at last.
âI am?â Jinx asked, incredulous at the turn this talk was taking.
He nodded. âYou couldnât be caught dating Kid Flash, so you shouldnât.â
âInstead,â Kid Flash said, removing the mask from his face. âYou should date me: Wally.â
Jinx prides herself on her ability to react quickly. This means sheâs never disadvantaged, even in an ambush, and she is always ready to quickly deliver a snappy remark to put anyone who challenged her in their place.
As Jinx looked at the now bare face of Kid Flash and took in the splash of freckles usually covered by his mask and the fact that he had told her what was probably his real name, she didnât react quickly, however. Quite honestly, Jinx wasnât sure if her freezing in place was considered a reaction or a complete lack thereof.
âJinx,â Kid Flashâor Wallyâsaid, waving a hand in front of her face. âYouâre staring.â
She blinked, coming back to her senses. âOh sorry, thatâs just  my knee-jerk reaction to heroes entrusting their real names with me.â
He grinned. âSo how does lunch with Wally at the restaurant on 22nd street tomorrow sound?â
Jinx tried to think of a good reason to turn him downâthey were polar opposites and, in the end, costume or not, he was still a hero. But after one look at the hopefulness in his blue eyes, Jinx realized that she couldnât possibly turn him down.
âFine,â Jinx said, a small smile finding its way to her face as she removed her masquerade mask.
âJust know that Linda,â she said, gesturing pointedly towards herself and her civilian glamour. âIsnât paying for the food.â









