At sunrise, Serana McTeague rose from her bed and thundered downstairs to the kitchen. Serana was exhausted as her brother's obnoxious snoring and thoughts about her boyfriend Ben Richards had kept her awake most of the night. The day's mail was already on the dining room table, and Serana was the first to get it.

"What the-?" she cursed, scanning an envelope addressed to her.

Instead of calling the mysterious mail to attention, Serana ripped open the envelope, using her long fingers to pull apart the wrappings. There wasn't a return address in the upper left corner, but that soon became the least of her concerns.

"EVAN!" Serana shrieked, dropping the envelope from her large hands.

"What is it?" Evan asked as he skidded to a stop on the wood floors, hoping that he wouldn't crash into his sister.

"They. . . they have him!" Serana gasped, handing the contents of the envelope to her brother.

"'Serana McTeague,'" Evan read aloud, "'you have until the fifteenth to collect five thousand dollars. Failure to do so will result in the death of your beloved Benjamin Richards. Sincerely, D. B.'"

"That son of a bitch!" Serana growled, her ears rising on the side of her head.

"You think it's him?" Evan inquired, putting his arm around his baby sister.

"They did sign the letter 'D. B.' I'm pretty sure it's him!"

"Rana, take it easy," Evan muttered, calling his sister by her nickname.

"THE SON OF A BITCH HAS BENJAMIN! HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO TAKE IT EASY?!" Serana shrieked, advancing on her brother.

Evan had no reason to argue as his sister had a point. She'd fallen for Benjamin when she'd first set eyes on him. She talked about him often, going on about his crystal blue eyes, dark hair, and his profession as a rock star. Evan had no doubt that Serana would do anything to protect the people she loved, just as he had done when she was attacked. Evan still said nothing, even as Serana grabbed her cell phone and dialed the one number that she hadn't used in seven years. Nobody answered the phone, and that just made her more frustrated. He gave me this number in case I needed help, and he doesn't even answer! Serana thought angrily as she slammed her phone shut. Evan had silently taken her side, his jaw rammed shut and his lungs expanding furiously. The sound of a sudden movement up above sent the two of them into overdrive, and they grabbed two large hunting knives from the back wall, holding them in a loose yet firm hold.

"Now now now, you two, don't jump the gun," a husky voice whispered from the ceiling.

"What the-?!" Serana and Evan cursed in unison, putting their backs together.

"Just relax, Serana. I'm not here to hurt you," the voice replied, masked well within the darkness.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" Evan demanded, turning quickly and stepping in front of Serana.

"A friend of the person you were attempting to contact. I bring bad news," the voice replied, now sounding more normal and revealing that it was a male.

"Come out of the shadows!" Serana commanded, her Scottish accent thick with anger. "Tell me your name!"

"My name is Damian Wayne. Your mentor is my grandfather. Correction, was my grandfather," the boy said softly, stepping out of the shadows.

"Why are you here?"

"I have come to give you the news that he is dead, but another has taken his place and they will train you once again in the ways of the shadows. You must go to Starling City to do this."

"And how will they help me with my current problem?"

Damian didn't reply, he only leaped into the shadows once more and disappeared.

"Well, this just keeps getting better," Serana grumbled, leaning against the wall.

"No kidding!" Evan agreed.

"How did that Damian kid know where to find me anyway?"

"No idea, but you should go to Starling City and meet your new 'mentor.'"

"What about Ben?!"

"This could be your chance to get back to your old ways and save him."

"I don't like where this is going. . . ."

"Never said you had to."

Frustrated with her brother's thinking, Serana turned away, her heart attempting to escape from the prison of her rib cage. All of a sudden, the memories began to flood her mind once more. The smell of her attackers' aftershave mixed with overused cologne, their thick British accents, the swastika on one of their chests. . . . The memories made her amber eyes light with fear, but it soon faded to rage, the very same rage that held them several years ago. She knew what she had to do, and she sensed that her brother knew as well. Without as much as a glance, Serana grabbed her car keys, pulled on her boots, and headed out the front door with Evan on her heels.

"How far is Brooklyn from Starling City?" Serana asked before she got into her car.

"Six to eight hours, time wise," Evan replied, not even looking at his sister.

"Are you coming?"

"I can't. . . . It doesn't feel right to go after him again."

Frowning at the fact that her brother wasn't going to join her, Serana turned on the car; moments later its powerful stereo kicked into life. As she was dating a rock star, it was only natural that Serana listened to hard metal; she was going to need it to stay awake for eight solid hours.