HEYYYY Y'ALL! I'm a bit new to this website, and this is my first chapter story I'll be working on. I will also be working on a bunch of other stories, like Phoenix. I plan to make my Alpha Centauri a series that follows Andy and her adventures with the JL and YJ teams, and maybe a little TT in there too.

DISCLAIMER: I own only Andromeda, Astridareus, Rachel, Harry, Zoey, a bit of the plot, and anything else you don't recognize. Nothing else.

The first parts are inspired by "A Matter of Family" from the TV show The Batman, but after that, the story just takes its own spin.

SATURDAY, Sept. 24, 2011

I stuff the rest of my broccoli into my mouth. "Ca' we 'o 'racbif mow?" I ask my parents through my bulging cheeks. My adopted parents and I are having dinner in our trailer. The time is about six o'clock, and I'm very eager to start rehearsal for the circus show later tonight.

"Yes, Andy," replies my mom, Rachel (my full name is Andromeda). "You may go get changed."

"But wait to set up the equipment and such," my dad, Harry, joins in. "We don't want you getting hurt right before the show."

"Okay!" I jump out of my seat and dash to my room in the back. I'm dressed in less than a minute. Today, I decided to change into a simple black long-sleeved shirt and matching knee-length leggings with pockets, both made out of an incredibly strong but lightweight and fireproof fabric originating from my home planet. Yes, planet. The organic fabric can change color on command, and it allows my body to emit or absorb light energy.

Yes- I am able to control energy in the form of light, and I can shape it into whatever I want. Since I can also absorb light, I use this to regenerate strength and to blend in well with shadows as a sort of camouflage. A downside of being an alien is that my eyes are a dead giveaway for my emotions: they change color according to my current state of mind. Most of the time, like today, I wear brown-colored contacts.

But back to the planet thing. I was born on a small, far-away Earth-like planet called Astridareus. Everyone on the planet had similar abilities like mine: some can control water, fire, the wind, or earth; some have telekinesis or telepathy, and much more. The ability to convert energy into different forms and clairvoyance are the rarest abilities (I happen to be able to convert energy into light. I also have astral projection, which lets my mind travel without my body). We can all fly, and we all have hearing, sight, and taste better than any human. In addition, we all age at a slower rate than that of a human, so I look to be about thirteen years old but I am really seventeen.

What we measure by are what we call physical years and mental years. Physical years are how old we look, and mental years are how old we actually are. Until we look like a human ten-year-old, we age physically one year for every two mental years, so we would be twenty when we look ten. After that, we age one year physically after every four mental years. The average life expectancy is somewhere between two hundred ten and two hundred thirty-five mental years.

When I was eight mentally, the smallish planet was under an invasion and losing the war. My parents, the rulers of the planet, took a shuttle to carry me away to another planet. I watched through the window of the small ship as my entire home planet was destroyed.

The planet turned out to be Earth. Since I was to be starting and finishing the rest of my life on the human planet, I was injected with a hormone inducer that would speed up my physical aging, but still allow me to age slower as an adult to live my full life expectancy (this is how I am mentally seventeen, not twenty-six).

I was also given a necklace that allowed me, on command, to switch back and forth between my true, crystalline form and an Earth human form that I had picked: medium skin and dark hair. The only things that I couldn't change were my general appearance (curves, cheekbones, etc), my height (a sad five-foot-two), and my eyes.

Anyways, I had to fly through a wormhole and I came out a few astronomical units away from Earth. To summarize, I was found, put into adoption, and taken in by a circus family. Now I'm physically fifteen, and I'm being home-schooled. My life is good.

I grab my cellphone and race out of the trailer. The warm, late-summer breeze feels great on my face. A couple hundred meters ahead looms the classic red-and-yellow tent, which is about the same size of a football field in area. I push open the back flap and enter the darkness. Before I switch on the lights, I hesitate. Something doesn't feel right. I flip the switch to see what's wrong and see four men sitting in the empty benches meant for the audience.

I freeze. These men don't seem like normal men. Even though they're on the opposite side of the tent, I sense the air around them: a kind of diabolicalness, but in a subtle manner. It's just kind of weird.

When they see me, they arise and walk down the steps, towards me. One of the men is close to six-foot-six, bald, scarred, and very, very buff. He wears a t-shirt and cargo pants, unlike the others' suits. He has a thin gold chain around his neck, and his left ear is pierced.

A second man, in comparison, reaches almost half a foot shorter than me, and I'm five-foot-two. He is also bald, but he wears a suit- Armani, I think. The little man has a single gold tooth, one of his canines.

The third man is lanky, and about eight inches taller than me. Of course, he wears a suit, and he has a mustache and goatee. In his hand is a leather whip. Even though it's coiled, I can tell that it's a bit longer than a regular whip.

The man in front is about five-foot-ten, and around forty years old. He has one green eye and one brown. I can tell that he is strong-ish, and that he is in charge of the group. The air around him feels more sinister than the others put together.

As the thugs walk closer, I can tell that there is something in the leader's mouth, and that it is a toothpick. It's blue and it's ends are carved with a spiral shape.

I pull a knife from my belt, and grab a spear leaning against the canvas nearby. I twirl it expertly, hoping to intimidate the strange intruders.

"Touch me, and you're a human shish-kabob," I growl.

Just then, my parents enter. My mom must've only seen the spear, because she starts, "We told you to wait for us to get-" but her gasp cuts her off. By now, the man in front is a few feet away from me. His buddies hang in the shadows, though.

"Hello," he says to me. "I'm Tony Zucco. Welcome to Gotham City." He extends his hand. I stash my knife and discard the spear, but I look at him, smirking, as if I can't believe he actually expects me to shake his hand. Before I can do anything else, my father gently nudges me aside.

"Harry Sims, circus manager. How can I help you?" he asks Zucco politely.

"Well, I would like to help you. For just a small fee, my brothers and I will provide… protection… for your circus." He gestures to the three men behind him. On cue, they step into the light in designated positions behind Zucco: the midget is on a platform meant for the ring leader, the muscular dude is leaning against a stack of barrels, and the walking pole is a few feet away from the muscular dude.

"Why would we need your protection? We've been here for five days, and we've been perfectly fine."

During this conversation, I surreptitiously slip my hand into my pocket, locate my cellphone, and dial three digits. I lower the sound as much as I can and wait.

"I think you misunderstood," Zucco shakes his head as he strides closer to dad and pokes his finger into his chest. "Let me put this into terms you circus folk can understand. Don't pay me, and you'll have to face the Strong Man…" he motions to Yellow Shirt, who slams his fist into the barrels, sending them flying. "…the Lion Tamer…" The man with the whip uncoils it, lashes it at a hanging light fixture, and yanks, causing it to be ripped from the cords holding it and crash down on the ground. "…and the Juggler." Finally, the midget takes out a set of three classic bowling pins and juggles them. After a few seconds, he grasps a pin without letting go, kicks the next pin into a target, and throws the one after at another bullseye.

Before he can find a target for the last pin, I sprint a few yards, vault over a platform, and land in front of the Juggler. I spread my arms out to block his vision and practically scream the word, "Stop!"

Zucco strolls casually to me and places his hand on my right shoulder. I lower my arms, and the Juggler lowers his bowling pin. "You've got yourself quite an interesting family. My pops always told me that family is the most important thing, more than anything else. I know my brothers mean a lot to me. I'd hate it for something BAD to happen to them…" he trails off as he squeezes a pressure point on my shoulder.

I barely have time to gasp before I unconsciously spin around, grab Zucco's arm, and twist it as hard as I can. I raise my fist to punch him, but the Lion Tamer lashes his whip around my wrist and yanks hard. I fight the pull, and my dad comes charging through the Tamer, who goes flying across the tent.

My arm is released and I punch Zucco in the nose. I feel a satisfying crunch under my fingers. As he stumbles back, I switch my focus to my father. The midget comes flying at him, but my dad throws him easily aside. The Lion Tamer runs towards him, brandishing his whip, but he earns a kick in the chest before my dad neatly handsprings back. Even though he wears a satisfied grin, I can tell something is wrong.

But where is the Strong- "Dad! Behind you!" I scream in mid-thought. The Strong Man appears behind my dad and swings hard at his head. My dad crumples to the ground as my mom screams and I watch helplessly. I don't want to use my powers, for fear of being discovered.

I turn my glare to Zucco, who seems to have regained his dignity for the moment. "Let me just be blunt with you, Harry. I don't think you, your family, or your circus can manage not having our protection."

I giggle a little. "I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with that right there! 'Cause I think we can manage without you."

"Andy, please be quiet!" my mom begs.

"Now, sweetie, what makes you say that?"

"First of all, they have me- I've been doing tae kwon do since I was five, and I'm thirteen right now.

"Second, this is freakin' Gotham. Only a person who either a) has no life, or b) lives under a rock would've not heard of the decrease of crime rate in this city since the Batman became ruler.

"Last but not least, I called the cops like, five minutes ago." I pull out my cellphone and show the screen to the thug. His eyes widen in worry and surprise.

"Guess who intercepted that call?" I deep voice calls out from the shadows behind Zucco. He turns around and gets punched in the face again, but this time, by a black-gloved hand. Zucco goes flying and lands at my feet. I kick him for the fun of it.

"Bitch," I mutter.

The man steps forward and helps my dad up. My mom rushes to the trailer as I sprint to my dad's side. When I glance at the man, I see the familiar black bat symbol on the man's chest. A black cape and cowl set the look. I can't help but gape in awe.

The Batman. In the flesh. Standing right in front of me.

The Lion Tamer, Juggler, and Strong Man are already up. The Tamer positions himself to fight Batman, but the other three run off as their fourth member stays behind, fighting.

The Tamer throws everything he has at the mysterious man, but he misses as Batman dodges easily. He throws a boomerang- sorry, batarang- which hits the Tamer's hand, knocking the whip out. It comes back around to hit the man in the back of the head. The boomerang isn't sharp enough to seriously hurt the man, but he's stunned pretty well.

My mom is back, and she's gingerly wrapping gauze around her husband's head. I turn to Batman and smile thanks. He returns the smile… almost, I think.

He leaves right after I first hear sirens. The policemen pick up the Lion Tamer, but don't linger for long after. My parents and I clean up with the help of some crew members who have already arrived. Soon, the tent looks spic and span again, and ready for the big performance tonight.

This is an eye-emotion chart I made to help you. A couple of these are based on Lantern Corps'.

Red: anger, agitation
Orange: anxiety
Yellow: fear
Green: peacefulness/tranquility/ happiness
Blue: sadness
Indigo/Purple/Pink: love
White: neutral/regular
Black: embarrassment

Rate and review please!

Astridareus (as-trih-DARE-ee-us): Andromeda's home planet. Root word being "astrid" which means "star" or "star-like"