Becoming Nightshade

Wayne Manor had hosted many high-society events, but tonight, it was transformed into something very different—Maggie Wayne's first-ever cheerleading sleepover. Her cheer teammates were scattered throughout the grand living room, their brightly colored pajamas contrasting against the dark, elegant furniture. Snacks and drinks were laid out on the long coffee table, and a few girls were already painting their nails while gossiping about their latest crushes and upcoming Homecoming plans.

Maggie was trying her best to go along with it all, though part of her felt completely out of her element. This—being around so many girls her age who weren't talking about crime-fighting or algebra—was strange for her. But she had committed to it, trying to show that she could be a regular high schooler, too. After all, her friends Emily and Stephanie had convinced her to join the cheerleading squad. And now they had insisted on this sleepover as part of her "team bonding."

As the night wore on, the conversation had drifted into ghost stories, which brought out one of the more eccentric members of the group—Jessica.

Jessica was sprawled across the floor, her head propped up on her hands, a mischievous grin on her face. "You guys want to know something really creepy?" she said, her voice lowering for dramatic effect. "I brought this old Ouija board. Supposedly, it can contact real spirits."

Maggie immediately tensed. The idea of inviting anything supernatural into Wayne Manor was unsettling. She knew too much about the dangers lurking in the shadows of Gotham. "I don't know if that's a good idea," Maggie said, trying to keep her voice calm.

But Jessica was already digging into her bag and pulling out a weathered, wooden Ouija board. The others perked up, curious and excited by the idea of a spooky game.

"Oh, come on, Maggie," Emily urged, elbowing her lightly. "It's just for fun."

"Yeah, what could happen?" Stephanie added with a laugh.

Maggie sighed but relented. "Fine. But if something weird happens, don't say I didn't warn you."

The girls gathered around in a circle, giggling as Jessica set up the board in the middle of the room. She placed the planchette in the center and instructed everyone to put their fingers on it. The mood shifted slightly, the laughter fading as an eerie tension crept into the room.

"Okay," Jessica said, her voice low. "Let's ask if anyone is here with us."

The planchette was still at first, but after a few moments, it slowly began to move. Maggie felt a chill run down her spine. She wasn't sure if one of the girls was pushing it or if something else was in the room with them. The letters slowly spelled out a name: A-N-T-O-N.

Jessica frowned. "Who's Anton?"

The temperature in the room seemed to drop, and suddenly, the chandelier above them flickered, casting long shadows across the walls. The girls gasped, pulling their hands away from the board.Suddenly thelights went out completely, and the sound of something heavy scraping against the floor echoed through the room. Panic set in among the girls.

"What the hell was that?" one of the cheerleaders squeaked, her voice trembling.

Maggie stood up, trying to stay calm. "Everyone stay together. Don't panic."

Just then, a loud bang sounded from somewhere deeper in the manor. The sound of heavy footsteps—slow and deliberate—began echoing through the halls. Maggie's heart raced. She wasn't sure what was happening, but it definitely wasn't just a game anymore.

"Is this a joke?" Stephanie asked, clutching Emily's arm.

"No," Maggie whispered. "It's not."

Suddenly, the doors to the living room slammed shut on their own, trapping them inside. The girls screamed, backing away from the doors as something unseen seemed to move through the room, brushing against them with an icy presence. Maggie's mind raced. Whatever this was, it wasn't human.

"I told you this was a bad idea!" Maggie snapped, trying to think of a way to fix the situation.

Meanwhile...Batman and Robin were patrolling the city streets, unaware of the chaos unfolding back at Wayne Manor. They had spent the night dealing with a string of petty crimes and minor disturbances—nothing out of the ordinary. But as they finished apprehending a group of thieves, Batman's comm buzzed with a sudden alert from the manor's security system.

"Something's going on at the manor," Batman said, frowning as he glanced at Robin.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked, his brow furrowing.

"Alfred just activated the emergency lockdown protocols. I don't think it's an intruder... something's triggered the backup security measures." Batman's jaw tightened. "We need to get back."

Back at the manor, the situation was escalating. The girls huddled together in fear as the dark entity grew stronger, its presence undeniable. Furniture shifted on its own, the shadows on the walls twisting and moving unnaturally.

Maggie took charge. "We need to break the connection. The Ouija board opened something, and we have to close it."

Jessica, now thoroughly terrified, grabbed the board. "How? I didn't think this would actually work!"

Maggie snatched the board from her. "I've read enough weird stuff to know this isn't just a game. We need to say goodbye. Now."

The girls rushed to place their fingers back on the planchette, even as the entity's presence loomed closer, sending chills through the air. Maggie's voice was steady as she commanded, "We're ending this. Goodbye."

As the planchette moved to GOODBYE, the room remained still, but the oppressive presence didn't fade. Instead, the temperature dropped even further, and the shadows around them seemed to twist and warp, growing darker, more malevolent.A low growl reverberated through the walls, shaking the girls to their core. Maggie's heart raced as she stood up, scanning the room for the source. The dark presence hadn't left. It was still here, and it was getting stronger. The Ouija board suddenly shot across the room with a violent force, crashing into the wall and splintering into pieces.

"Something's wrong!" Maggie shouted, her instincts kicking into high gear.

The shadows coalesced into a dark form, rising up from the center of the room. Its eyes burned with a fierce, otherworldly light, and the air became thick with dread. The entity—the demon Anton—had come through the board, and now it was fully manifesting.

The girls screamed in terror as the entity lashed out, sending objects flying across the room. Jessica shrieked as the demon's dark tendrils lashed at the furniture, overturning tables and slamming a chair against the wall.

Maggie didn't hesitate. Her training with her father and the countless combat drills she'd endured took over. She pushed her fear aside, stepping forward to protect her terrified friends.

"Stay back!" Maggie shouted, motioning for the others to huddle together. She grabbed a heavy candlestick from the mantle, using it as a makeshift weapon. "Get out of here, now!"

But the entity had other plans. It moved with lightning speed, its shadowy tendrils whipping out and wrapping around Maggie's arm. She winced in pain but twisted free, narrowly avoiding being pulled into the darkness.

Her mind raced. She wasn't equipped to deal with something supernatural like this, but she couldn't let her friends get hurt. "Think, Maggie. Focus." She lunged forward, slamming the candlestick into the entity's form, but it passed through like smoke.

The demon snarled, its glowing red eyes locking onto Maggie. It lunged at her with an ear-piercing shriek, but Maggie dodged, her reflexes quick. She managed to keep it at bay for the moment, using the training Bruce had drilled into her. Still, she couldn't hold it off forever.

Batman and Robin pull into the Batcave, Batman and Robin run to the computer, monitoring the manor's security cameras when the motion sensors picked up the chaos inside the living room.

"Something's not right," Batman muttered, his eyes narrowing as he zoomed in on the footage. He watched as the shadowy figure attacked the girls, and his face darkened with concern. "That's not a regular intruder. It's… supernatural."

Jason, still in his Robin gear, cursed under his breath. "I'm heading in."

Before Bruce could stop him, Jason had already begun stripping off his Robin costume, slipping into civilian clothes but keeping his utility belt on. "If this thing's going after the girls, I'm not sitting here."

Batman nodded, already reaching for his communicator. "Go. I'll handle this from here."

Jason rushed up the stairs toward the manor, his belt still strapped to his waist. Inside, Maggie was holding her own against the demon, but just barely. She was getting winded, and the demon was relentless.

"Maggie!" Jason shouted as he entered the room, quickly assessing the situation. He reached into his belt, pulling out a flash grenade. "Get down!"

Maggie ducked just as Jason tossed the grenade toward the entity. The bright explosion of light disrupted the demon, its form dissipating momentarily as it screeched in anger. But it wasn't enough to destroy it.

"You came just in time," Maggie panted, catching her breath. "But this thing's not normal, Jason."

Jason nodded, pulling out a grappling line and swinging it around the demon's tendrils to buy them more time. "Yeah, I noticed."

Bruce activated a communicator, dialing into a frequency he hadn't used in a while. "Constantine. I need you at Wayne Manor. It's urgent."

John Constantine's voice crackled through. "Blimey, Bats. What kind of trouble you've got now?"

"Supernatural entity. Manifested inside my home. Get here, now."

There was a brief pause, "Right. Be there in a flash."

Within moments, a burst of magic rippled through the room, and John Constantine appeared in a swirl of arcane energy. He took one look at the dark entity wreaking havoc and cracked a grim smile. "Right. Let's see what we've got here."

The demon snarled and lunged at Constantine, but the seasoned occult detective was ready. With a flick of his wrist, Constantine conjured a protective barrier, halting the demon in its tracks. He muttered a string of incantations under his breath, his magic flaring as the room filled with swirling, glowing runes.

"Anton, is it?" Constantine said casually as he circled the demon. "You've overstayed your welcome, mate."

The demon writhed, trying to break free of the magical bindings Constantine had placed around it, but it was no use. With a final incantation, Constantine's magic surged, enveloping the entity in a blaze of light. The demon let out one last screech before disintegrating into nothingness. The room fell eerily quiet, the oppressive presence finally gone. Constantine dusted off his hands and turned to Maggie and Jason, who were still catching their breath.

"You two alright?" Constantine asked, his sharp eyes flicking to Maggie.

Maggie nodded, still a bit shaken. "Yeah. Thanks to you."

Constantine's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than necessary, his expression curious. There was something about Maggie—a strange aura surrounding her. It was faint but unmistakable to someone like him.

He didn't say anything to her directly, but he turned to Bruce, who had just arrived, dressed in his casual business attire. "You might want to keep an eye on that one," Constantine said quietly, nodding toward Maggie. "There's something about her.Its not common for teenage girl to summon a low level demon through a Ouija boad."

Bruce's eyes narrowed in concern.

Constantine nodded, lighting a cigarette as he prepared to leave. "Maggie might have power, but only time will tell. Best to be careful."

Bruce watched as Constantine disappeared, his words hanging in the air like a warning.

As the chaos settled in Wayne Manor, Alfred calmly escorted the shaken cheerleaders from the hallway they run out to when Jason come in to fight the demon to the kitchen. His steady demeanor a stark contrast to the fear that had gripped the girl's moments before.

"Everything is quite alright now, ladies," Alfred reassured them, his voice soothing. "There's no need to worry. The situation has been handled."

Jessica, still trembling, managed to stammer out, "But what was that? How did it—?"

Alfred gave a warm, gentle smile, expertly evading the full truth. "Let's just say it was a bit of... unforeseen excitement. But you're safe now, and that's all that matters. Perhaps some tea will help calm your nerves."

The girls, still visibly shaken but reassured by Alfred's calmness.

Bruce, Maggie, and Jason examines the remnants of the shattered Ouija board littered the floor, and the air still held a strange heaviness, as if the lingering traces of Anton's presence hadn't fully dissipated.

Bruce stood by the broken board, his eyes dark and unreadable as he examined the scene. He then turned his focus to Maggie, his face set in a stern expression.

"Maggie," Bruce began, his voice low and steady, "how did a demon get into the house?"

Maggie, still catching her breath, looked down at the floor, guilt weighing on her shoulders. "Jessica brought this creepy old Ouija board," she said, her voice full of frustration. "They thought it would be fun to play with it. I told them it was a bad idea, but they didn't listen."

Bruce's eyes narrowed. "And you went along with it?"

Maggie shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't think it would *actually* work. I mean, come on, Dad, it's just a board game… or at least I thought it was. How was I supposed to know a demon would come through."

Bruce clenched his jaw, his frustration evident. He wanted to be angry, but he knew Maggie wasn't fully at fault. Yet, the fact that something supernatural could breach the security of Wayne Manor disturbed him deeply.

"You should have trusted your instincts," Bruce said, his tone softer but still firm.

Maggie winced, her frustration mirroring his. "I tried! But once it got out of control, I didn't know what to do. I barely kept it off us until Jason showed up."

Jason, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, smirked slightly. "Yeah, then Constantine swooped in and did the real damage."

Bruce glanced at Jason, giving him a brief nod of acknowledgment for stepping in. His focus quickly returned to Maggie, though he stayed silent for a moment, weighing his thoughts carefully. Constantine words about Maggie having a strange aura, a potential power, were still fresh in his mind. But he kept it to himself, deciding not to burden Maggie with the information—not yet at least. She already had enough to deal with.

"You're lucky Constantine was available to help," Bruce said, his tone a little softer now. "But we can't rely on outside help. We need to be ready for anything."

Maggie nodded, though the guilt was still heavy in her chest. "I know. It won't happen again.No more Ouija boards from here on out!"

Alfred returned; his face as composed as ever. "The young ladies are settled in the kitchen," he announced. "I've assured them that the worst of the storm has passed."

Maggie raised an eyebrow. "A storm?"

Alfred gave her a small, amused smile. "It seemed a more digestible explanation than the truth. Miss Jessica and the others may be less inclined to experiment with such things in the future."

Jason chuckled, but Maggie wasn't in the mood to laugh. Her mind was spinning with everything that had just happened.

Bruce straightened, his usual stoic demeanor returning. "Get some rest," he said firmly.

Maggie nodded, though she could feel the tension lingering in the room. She turned to leave, her mind racing with unanswered questions. As she headed down the hallway, she couldn't shake the feeling that something more had happened tonight.

Bruce watched her go, his expression unreadable, before turning to Alfred. His mind was already planning the next steps, but he kept his thoughts close. There was something more to all of this, and whatever power Constantine had sensed in Maggie, Bruce knew one thing for certain: they had to be ready for whatever came next.

The following Monday at Gotham Prep, Maggie walked through the hallways, feeling the weight of the weekend events still pressing on her. Her sleep had been restless, filled with unsettling dreams of the demon they had faced at Wayne Manor. But today, she had to focus on getting through school—if only her mind would let her.

As she reached the usual courtyard table, she spotted Emily and Stephanie already there, animatedly talking to each other. When they saw Maggie approach, both girls lit up, though their excitement had a nervous edge to it.

"Mags, oh my god," Emily started, wide-eyed. "That sleepover Saturday night? I'm still freaked out."

Stephanie nodded fervently, her voice low and conspiratorial. "Yeah, that was *way* too intense. Like, I thought Ouija boards were just some silly game—but after last night? Nope, never touching one again!"

Maggie gave a weak smile and sat down, trying to brush off the tension creeping back into her chest. "Yeah, I think Jessica got more than she bargained for with that thing."

Emily shuddered, glancing around as if the demon might still be lurking somewhere in the shadows. "I swear, when the lights flickered and that weird... wind started blowing through the room? I thought we were all done for."

Stephanie leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Do you think it was, like, real. And then it just vanished. What even happened?"

Maggie hesitated, glancing around the busy courtyard. The last thing she wanted was to dive into the full truth of what had gone down. "I... I don't know. But we're all okay and that's what matters."

Stephanie looked skeptical but nodded slowly. "Still, I'm gona have nightmares for a week."

Emily laughed nervously. "You and me both. That was definitely not the 'fun girls' night' we were expecting."

Maggie just nodded, her thoughts drifting.

As the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a warm glow over Gotham Prep's football field, Roy Harper and Jason Todd settled into their spots on the bleachers, taking in the cheerleading practice below. The energy was palpable, with laughter and shouts echoing as the cheerleaders ran through their routines. Roy leaned back, propping his feet up on the railing, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he watched the girls.

"Man, look at them go," Roy said, smirking. "I don't know what's more impressive—their stunts or the uniforms."

Jason rolled his eyes but couldn't help a small smile at Roy's typical over-the-top commentary. "Try to keep it together, will you? They're practicing."

"C'mon! You know the cheerleading squad is basically the pinnacle of high school social life. You ever thought about asking one of them out?" Roy nudged Jason, his voice teasing.

Jason shrugged, trying to maintain his cool demeanor. "Not really my style."

"Yeah, but Maggie is different," Roy said, his gaze shifting to Maggie, who was executing a particularly complicated stunt. "She's smart, funny, and, let's be honest, she's hot."

Jason frowned, a mix of annoyance and concern flashing across his face. "What are you getting at?"

Roy grinned, unfazed by Jason's sudden defensiveness. "I was just thinking of asking her to the homecoming dance. You know, put the moves on her, see if she's interested. What do you think?"

Jason's expression hardened. "You really think that's a good idea?"

Roy laughed, waving a dismissive hand. "I bet she'd love to get out and have some fun. I mean, homecoming's the perfect excuse to take her somewhere nice and show her a good time. What's wrong with that?"

Jason crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing as he watched Maggie laughing with her friends.

Roy chuckled, leaning back further. "Dude, it's just a dance. I'm not asking her to marry me. Just a fun night out. You think she'll say yes?"

"I don't know," Jason replied, his voice lowering. "But don't screw this up... I don't want her getting hurt."

Roy raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "You're worried about her feelings? Wow...Look at you, Mr. Protective." He grinned, nudging Jason playfully. "What's next, a heartfelt speech about how she deserves the best?"

Jason shot him a glare, though the tension in his shoulders eased slightly.

"Relax, man. I'm serious about this," Roy replied, the playful edge in his voice fading. "I think we'd have a good time together."

"Just think it through before you make a move," Jason said, his tone more serious. "You don't want to make things awkward if it doesn't go the way you hope."

Roy nodded, his expression turning contemplative. "Fair enough. I'll give it some thought. But I'm telling you, I think we'd be a good match."

Jason watched as Maggie executed a perfect landing after a stunt, her face lighting up with joy. But the thought of someone like Roy—who thrived on trouble—making a move on her made Jason's stomach twist uncomfortably.

"Just be careful, okay?" Jason finally said, his gaze still on Maggie. "I mean it."

With that, they fell into a comfortable silence, both watching the cheerleaders as the practice continued, Jason's thoughts drifting between his protective instincts and the unshakeable feeling in his stomach.