072. Fixed - Greta Hayes (Secret), Death of the Endless


All the best dreams are the ones where I'm dead.

I wake, and wish I was dead.

This happens almost every day.

I get out of bed, and nudge Cissie. She sleeps in late some times.
Traya used to get us both up. She still has a couple years before
she graduates. I miss her.

Cissie and I live together. She couldn't stand the thought of moving
back in with her mother. I haven't got anyone but her. It just made
sense, I suppose. I go into the bathroom, and turn on the shower.
We don't have a bathtub. Call me paranoid; I was murdered in the
last bathtub I was in.

All the best dreams are the ones where I'm dead.

Maybe I should get a bathtub. And have Cissie throw a ghetto blaster
in. Nah. That hurt. Pills. Maybe pills would work. I sigh, and lean
towards the mirror. Eighteen. I never thought I'd live to see the day.
Never thought I'd live again. Thanks to Darksied, I have a pulse. And
I breathe. And no one cares about me anymore.

All the best dreams are the ones where I'm dead.

I shower, and brush my teeth. By the time I'm ready, Cissie is just
sitting up in bed.

"Where are you going?" she yawns.

"It's my eighteenth birthday. I have to go see Mom's lawyer." I state.

"Oh. Right. Happy Birthday, Greta." she smiles.
"We'll have a party when you get back. Traya's excited." she adds.
I smile. Traya is wonderful, and always makes me smile, no matter what.

"Cool. See you in a couple of days." I add, and on impulse, I hug her. I
feel a little guilty. I'm not telling Cissie the truth. I seldom do.

All the best dreams are the ones where I'm dead.

***

Gotham. What a horrible city. I see my lawyer. My inheritance.
Turns out that my measly monthly stipend was really measly. I've got
a whack of cash in the bank now. I still have a stipend, but it's five times
what they gave me before. The bastards. It'll be like that for a year.
Then they have no power over me at all.

The first thing I do is go to the cemetary. I ask the caretaker for a grave site
and he takes me there. Then, respectfully, he leaves. I stare at the stone.

"Hi." I say quietly. The stone says nothing.

"Hi yourself." A voice says behind me. I whirl. There's two pretty girls standing
behind me. One is super pale, with black hair. Total Goth. But her smile...
It reminds me of Traya's. The other girl is blonde, and even though I know
I've never seen her before, I'm sure I know her.

"Who are you?" the blonde asks. I look at the grave behind me. "I'm no one
special. Just...came to apologize to someone." I state. "For what?" she asks,
standing beside me. "I did some bad things to her. We...I liked this boy... and
then I found out he was with her...I was really jealous. She didn't deserve it." I
confess. The girl smiles. "I bet she'd forgive you. You seem to really mean it."
she says. The Goth girl smiles, that pretty Traya-smile. "You're lucky, you know."
she tells me.

I look at her. "Why are you two?" I ask. "Well...I'm Death." says the goth. The blonde
girl kneels. "And I'm Spoiler." she states, touching the grave stone. I look at them.
"Am I...between?" I ask. "No. Let's just say you're...standing beside between." the girl
called Death smiles, and Spoiler stands up. "I forgive you Greta. But... will you do me
a big favor?" she asks. "Of course. I owe you that much, Spoiler." I say solemnly.
"Tell Tim I love him. Tell him to be happy." she asks. I nod. "I'll try to get the message to
him." I promise. She smiles. "Thanks." she says, and slowly, she fades away.

I look at the goth girl. "You really are Death, aren't you?" I ask. She nods. "Steph just
wanted to let you know you guys were okay. I had other reasons to come." she states.
I nod.

All the best dreams are the ones where I'm dead.

I hate being alive. "Why didn't I just...move on? Why did I have to be Secret?" I ask her.
"Billy did it. You weren't supposed to be dead, Greta. You weren't supposed to be NOT
dead, either. You were supposed to be alive. You are now." she states. "I hate my life."
I blurt out, hands clenching. I look at the grave stone. "I'd trade places if I could." I whisper.
"No you wouldn't sugar. You miss your friends. You miss being special. You don't miss
not being able to eat ice cream, or having a body to be hugged by Cissie, or holding Traya
when she's scared. You don't hate those things." Death says gently. I want to hate them.

All the best dreams are the ones where I'm dead.

"Can't you make the hurt stop?" I ask her. "No, sweetie...I can't. But I can give you
something that will help." she states. "You can?" I ask. She reaches up, and takes
the ankh from around her neck. She reaches out, and puts it around mine. "It's
pretty...but I don't see how a necklace will help." I smile tremulously. "This isn't just
any necklace...It's a Secret power." she says, with a little impish smile. "A... Secret?"
I whisper, and wrap my hand around it. Suddenly, my body feels cold. Weightless.
The world goes dark around us. I am Between. "I'm...dead?" I ask her. Death grins.

"Relax. It's temporary. You are still alive. But all your powers are back, Greta. You
have the choice. You can be Greta...or you can be Secret. Whenever you want." she
smiles.

"How do I change?" I ask her. "You only have to Desire it." she states. Then she smiles.
"But...I do request that you no longer go as Secret." she states. I stare at her. "But..." I
begin, and she grins. "Your new name will be Endless. I am Death, of the Endless. You
get your powers from me." she states. "Endless. It sounds more badass than Secret." I
admit, and she laughs. I will myself to life, and we stand over Stephanie Brown's grave once
more. "I think I'll go find Robin." I tell her. "He needs...something. Someone to hold him
to life. Even if Endless is a part of Death...you're also part of Life. Be there for him... like he
was there for you, Greta." Death says to me, most solemn. "I will be." I swear to her.

All the best dreams are the ones where I'm alive.