I have a strange life.
It has been filled with wonder, danger, amazement, and sorrow. But by your average standards, quite strange. I took up my mother's legacy as Black Canary. She was one of the first heroes of the Justice Society, and well-respected at that. I wear her mantle as an honor; she made leaps and bounds in a time where women were not expected to take more than a few small steps. And I wanted to be just like that. I wanted to be someone who would stand in between the right and wrong. Fight and protect. I also wanted to be someone girls could look up to, and say 'I want to be like that'.
But when my Canary Cry developed, I nearly deafened my entire class. After that, I had been so afraid. Afraid that I would hurt instead of help. I had stopped talking altogether. Lucky for me, it didn't last long. Mom found out and that was when she and the others began to train me. I trained hard. I never wanted to let a mistake of mine be the downfall of another. So I took the bruises and minor injuries without complaint; and I learned how to deal with it. Later on, I also wanted to help others beyond just punching bad-guys in the face. I had seen so many — my mother and her collegues — suffer from what they had grown up calling 'battle fatigue' or 'shell shock'. I wanted to help people who felt like they lost control over their lives. So, I studied psychology; specifically trauma and post-traumatic stress. I became a licensed therapist and began my career helping people not long after.
Later on, about two years after I joined the Justice League, came Oliver Queen. The goofball with a heart of gold. He had overcome his own problems and somehow, in between protecting the world, training, and doing my best to keep everyone together, we got together. He was sweet and kept his head on, and was more than willing to laugh and be human with the League. …And then he took on Roy. A pre-teen who had problems of his own, and was lost on his way to finding who he was. I had no issues with Ollie wanting to take him in. I had no issue with Ollie telling him that he was also Green Arrow. But I had been on the verge of putting my foot down and straight up object to Roy becoming a hero. But when he insisted it was his decision, I remembered my childhood and adolescence, and I had nothing to say. When Ollie contemplated adopting Roy I stood behind him full force. Ollie had been so, so heartbroken when Roy stopped being his partner. I missed having him around as well. When I wasn't looking, I had grown attached to him. He was like my own and as much as he was Oliver's kid. Oftentimes he and Ollie would argue, but I would've take it over Ollie's heartbroken silence.
And, of course, was the induction of the League's covert unit. I knew the boys had wanted their elder to join them, but that was beyond my control. I focused on making sure the younger heroes — they hate the term 'sidekick' — and made sure that they would be prepared for any combat situation. I had also requested to be their council. An ear to listen when the battlefield had been more harrowing than expected. I don't normally pick favorites; but to be honest, if I had to choose one among them, then Superboy would definitely be it. He started out as rash, abrasive, aggressive, and even a bit arrogant. But I tried to see beyond that. What I saw was a scared young man, trying to find his place.
It almost reminded me of someone else I knew.
I was pleased when he and the others started to stand on their own feet. Beginning to come into their own. As a girl, I never thought I'd be a mother, but like Roy, I started to see each of them; Superboy, Miss Martian, Robin, Kid Flash, Artemis, and Zatanna as my own, just a little. I have become everything I wanted to be, and then some. I am two halves of the same heart born as Dinah Lance, taken the mantle Black Canary. I am a daughter, a legacy, a hero, a counselor, a mother, a teacher, and friend.