Hey guys! Grace here. I hope you like this story. Not much happens this chapter but setting the scene a bit. Please leave a review and tell me what you think; constructive criticism is always appreciated. I'll probably update this every Saturday. Enjoy!

"Come on, Oliver! Can't you just give her a chance?" Roy said, frustrated by his friend's refusal.

"No, Roy," Oliver said firmly, shooting an arrow into the center of a target. "How does this girl know you're Arsenal anyway?"

"Sin told her," He replied. Seeing the look on Oliver's face he added quickly, "Accidentally. She thought she knew."

"I think Ollies right," Felicity said, looking up from her computer. "This work is pretty dangerous, and you said yourself that your friend has no experience."

"But she can learn!" Roy pointed out. "And she's determined, too. I know that with a bit of help Alex can hold her own."

"I said 'no', Roy," Oliver pulled his arrow out of the target. "That's final."

"You don't understand," Roy raised his voice. "If you don't help her train she'll go out by herself! She'll get herself killed!"

Oliver looked at Roy, noting the sincerity on his face.

"You really think she'll go out on her own?" He asked.

"Yeah, I do," Roy responded.

"I'll talk to her," he said. "While masked. There's no reason for her to know my identity."

Alexandria Barnes paced back and forth anxiously in her small apartment. She sighed as she thought about the past year and how she had spent it. I've wasted so much time, she thought.

Suddenly there was a knock at her door. She rushed to look through the peephole and quickly opened the door when she saw her friend Roy.

"Hey," she said. "Come on in."

"Thanks," he said, walking into her ratty apartment.

"So you talked to him, right?" Alex inquired eagerly. "What did he say?"

"He said he'd talk to you," Roy replied. "Didn't say when."

"That's all?" She asked, disappointed.

"Yeah. The Arrow doesn't just let people on the team. You've gotta prove yourself first," Roy looked around and noticed some boxes. "What are those for?" He asked.

"What? The boxes?" Alex asked. "I'm moving soon. I need to find someplace cheaper."

"Cheaper than this?" Roy said, glancing at the bare walls and old furniture. There wasn't much of it, but what little there was was crammed into two rooms, making the already small space unbearably cramped.

"Yeah," Alex said uncomfortably. "This place is more expensive than it looks. My landlord keeps raising the price," she lied.

"Alex, are you doing okay," he asked, looking at the girl who was even younger than him and almost entirely alone. "You didn't lose your job again, did you?"

Alex sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed. "Yeah, I did," she admitted. "But it wasn't my fault this time. I was showing up, they just had to let some people go."

Before Roy could say anything his phone rang. He checked the caller ID. "I have to take this," he said.

"What's up?" Roy asked into the phone. "Yeah, I'm with her right now," he paused for a moment. "Okay, we'll be there."

"That was The Arrow," he said after hanging up. "He wants us to meet him in a few minutes."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Alex asked as she jumped up and started for the door. "I'll bet he doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Minutes later they were standing in a dark alleyway. Alex looked around nervously, watching for The Arrow.

"So, do you know who he really is?" She asked Roy. "The Arrow, I mean."

"Yeah," he replied. "But I can't tell you for obvious reasons."

"I figured you couldn't," she said.

Suddenly a man emerged from the other end of the alley. As he approached Alex saw he was covered in green and had a bow in his hand. It was The Arrow.

"Roy told me you want to work with me," he said in a deep voice. "What makes you think you're capable of that?"

"Well," Alex said, trying to make a convincing argument. "I'm not very experienced, but I'm a fast learner. I'm smart, too. Street smart and book smart. Plus I'm motivated. I've got reasons for wanting to save this city."

"She's one of the smartest people I've ever met," Roy backed her up. "She's brave and loyal. You really won't regret training her."

"Alright," The Arrow said. "Be here this time tomorrow. We'll see what you can do."

With that he shot an arrow above his head and soon vanished into the sky. Alex stood in shock for a moment, surprised that The Arrow had accepted her.

"You put in a pretty good word for me. Thanks," she said gratefully to Roy.

He shrugged. "I just told the truth. Come on, let's go."

I've waited too long for this, Alex thought as they left the alley. Now if I could only hold a job things could be looking up.

And with a quick goodbye she and Roy parted, the exciting prospect of Alex's first training session the next day on their minds.