Author's Notes:

HELLO FANFICTION! Man oh man, it's been a long-ass time. I had an account previously, but I decided that something of a clean slate was in order, as it's been years since I published anything on my old account, and I didn't wanna ping my old readers with stories in a new fandom they probably don't care about. That said, let's have a little chat about why I'm here; the 'ARK' stories you're going to find on this account all have to do with an OC I created for the Batman universe whom I used to RP on Tumblr. After two years and deciding that RP wasn't really my jam, I decided to go back to writing the way I'm most comfortable; by myself. BUT! I didn't want to abandon my character and all the ideas I had for her... so here we are.

On

With

The

Fic

OWTF!

Failure to Blend
Chapter One - Silence

Curiosity was, in itself, a curious feeling. A light and sweet appetizer that compelled the human mind to search for the much more satisfying flavor of discovery, and to become bitterly frustrated and obsessive when answers were not forthcoming. Curiosity was, in some ways, an itch that desired to be scratched, but also a pleasure in and of itself that delighted the mind with something that was new and different. It made the compulsion to find out all the hows and whys somewhat strange, as it rendered that which was new utterly mundane, and drained the pleasure from its existence. Was not the curiosity and the chase more enticing than the discovery of the truth behind it all? Was that not longer lived, and far more fascinating? Surely, the ideal state between knowing and not knowing was the attempt to learn; with the mind fully engaged but the objective not yet within reach... or not yet discovered as being unreachable.

Lest, this is what she told herself. It was good rationalization for her silence, she was certain. An additional reason why she remained quiet when questioned by her peers during her first days at Gotham County High. Questions such as 'Why did the cops pick you up after school on the first day?', 'Are you in trouble?', 'Did you beat someone up?', 'Are you crazy?', and all other things in that veinwere best left unanswered when they were asked with nothing but interest in possible scandal. She had hoped that after a period of obtuse disinterest on her own part, other students would simply let the matter go, but it wasn't so. Without all the facts, speculation began to fly through the student body:

'Did you hear? That girl just got out of juvi!'

'I heard she got in a knife fight- have you seen the scars on her back?'

'Alyssa? She totally fucked someone up, the cops were following up on the case.'

'I bet she's gonna go back to jail before the year's over.'

'I heard she's gonna burn down the school.'

'My friend said...'

'My brother heard...'

'Someone saw her...'

To be entirely fair, the accusations of violence were not wholly unfounded- that just wasn't what the cop had been there to meet her about after school on the first day. It was afollow up on a criminal case, but Alyssa had not been the suspect; she had been the victim.

Not that she was keen to tell anyone else all the details about it when they were all so eager to make up their own stories in her silence. During her first weeks at school she'd been annoyed, but then she realized that all the ideas about what was going on, all the curiosity and supposition, created a perfect smokescreen that ensured the truth would never be known by those who did not value it. Before a month had gone by, there were more than enough theories to go around on what exactly it was Alyssa Kartright had done to warrant the interest of the GCPD, each more extreme than the last. Now and again, in-between classes, during lunch, and in the times before and after school, these ideas and theories were brought to her directly as questions.

'Is it true you know the Joker?'

'My friend said you stabbed a guy! What was it like?'

'Did you meet Batman? Did he beat you up?'

'My buddy said you've got a sweet prison tat on your ass, can I see?'

In each case, silence endured, and ensured a low-level of infamy. Weeks of silence went by, where her focus was her studies and whichever book she'd most recently borrowed from the library, interspersed by the one day where thoughts turned back towards her and curiosity, so enticing, flared once more and compelled individuals her way with their assumptions and questions... and she would, once more, send them on without satiating their desire to know.

It's best this way. She would tell herself.

The truth, after all, was a dangerous thing. A thing that she rather highly doubted she would trust to anyone among those she encountered in this school she was attending now... and common threads upon which to socialize were somewhat few and far between.

She could go weeks without speaking to anyone, lest called upon in class. The greatest pressure to interact came during lunch periods, where she did her best to forego the process of having to pick a group to sit with by sprinting to the lunch room as quickly as she could in order to secure a table before other students arrived, thus making others decide on whether or not they wanted to sit with her; a conundrum she was far more comfortable with.

It helped that Alyssa rarely wanted to eat what the school was serving, so there was no requirement to go stand in line for food.

'Are you that girl?'

'Ew, don't sit with her, she'll shank you.'

'I'll give you five bucks if you ask her out.'

Her table tended to remain rather empty until the last trickle of students were forced to find seats. In turn, Alyssa found herself sitting with people who, much like her, had very little interest in being social with one another, or her... and frankly, she was fine with that.

I want to be fine with that.

I'm not fine with that.

She wanted someone to talk to... but who could she talk to? What could she say? Behind a stone face and her book, an insecure creature lived. A creature that didn't know what she could possibly say, now that she had an identity that was designed to keep others away. Worse, those spare few who did sit next to her during lunches appeared to have their own identities that she could not begin to understand; a favoring for black clothes and make-up and a smoldering glare was the daily affect of one girl who fearlessly took the seat next to her. Alyssa might have made an attempt to say hello, if not for the headphones that flagged the girl as not wanting to speak to anyone, ruthlessly loud music pounding through them. Next to her, a boy dressed and composed in nearly the exact same fashion- the two exchanged a notebook and a pen to converse. Another girl sat at the far side of the table, with a pad of paper and a pen, skipping food and instead focusing on the creation of figures in her notebook. Some realistic, others abstract, but she curled tightly around it whenever she had the feeling that someone might be looking, protective and insecure. At the last, a boy who ensured there was always an empty chair between himself and whomever was next to him. Again, the want to be left alone was rather openly expressed, and silence reigned at Alyssa's table, leaving her feeling alone in a room that was often too loud to hear one's own thoughts.

After months, a decision was made. She needed a group of some kind. Not the kind that had gathered around her during lunches, where they simply tolerated proximity to one another- a social group, with which she had some sort of common ground to begin with. A beginning stance that gave her even the faintest sense of knowing what she was doing. That would be a beginning, yes? A starting point with which to begin possible relationships; a common thread that unified herself and her peers in a single interest.

Alyssa joined the track team to fulfill that purpose- to make her attempt at blending in, despite all the blockades in her head. She wanted connection, if possible.

If possible. If safe.

'That crazy girl tried out for the girl's track team.'

'I was at the try-outs, she was really good!'

'Must be from running from the cops...'

Rumors of why aside, she remained secure in the belief that it was a good decision on her part... better than silence. The taste of all of the accumulated curiosity had grown sour on the back of her tongue, and she ached for a new sensation. She wanted someone to look at her in a different way that wasn't as an object in a scandal. The idea of Alyssa Kartright needed to take on a new facet, and new depth, if she was to have any hope in all of this.

She needed this to go well.

Without any frame for comparison, it was Alyssa's opinion that Gotham County High was a nice school. The building was large and sprawling, the library was full of books she had not yet read, and she found the brick walls comforting to her personal sensibilities. However, it did fail somewhat in the way that there were far too many students for the building; a trip out the rear doors to get to the outdoor track, built around the football field and lined with metal stands, led a student first through a corridor of six outbuildings in which additional classes were conducted during the day, and driver's ed was provided for those eligible, after school. Boredom seeped out of those portable and temporary structures whenever she passed them, a sense of obligation aligned with getting one's driver's license that she'd not yet committed herself to.

Past those accommodations, a chain link fence separated the track and field from the rest of the school grounds; the gate of which was currently swung open and allowing other girls to pass through who were dressed in similar manner to herself. The uniform for track had not been provided, but specified for each individual girl on the team to purchase on their own; a set of black shorts and a white shirt were required, black or white socks, and black shoes. Many of the girls had cut or ripped their shirts open at the sides, allowing the spring air to flow through them and assure greater comfort once practice got underway. Alyssa herself had followed suit when she'd seen other girls maiming their clothes, opening her white shirt from the underarm down, and tying the lower hem back together at her hips, enjoying the level of freedom it provided.

That said, she was certain this was the first time she'd been outside in anything less than a turtleneck and full length pants. Indoor gym classes had required athletic wear of some kind- enough freedom had been provided for the selection of long sweat pants and a thin cotton shirt that, again, covered her arms, though glimpses of her body still fueled the rumor mill. Today, where shorts reigned supreme, she was aware of eyes that lingered on her freckled skin; but not for the brown spots that covered her pale expanse. No, no, they were looking at the ridges of tissue that evidenced times her body had been damaged and healed; scars that decorated several parts of her person, and only seemed to confirm the violent stories that circulated through the school about her now that they were revealed for all to scrutinize; not just the lucky few girls in the changing room who dared to steal a glance.

She had no shame for her scars, but she disliked the way the other girls looked at them.

Auburn hair had been tied back, where wayward curls could not get in her face during practice. Moving through the opening in the fence, Alyssa reached up to tug her pony tail and ensure it was tight, while observing other girls on the team going straight into stretches before the coach arrived. Green eyes danced over a number of little groups, two there, three here, another two beginning to walk around the track, a clump of four near one of the goalposts and not appearing interested in participating at all- Alyssa's decision had her moving for the grass of the field to do the prudent thing and stretch near a pair of girls who were working together. They were both seated on the ground, legs spread out to either side and their feet touching. They held one-another's hands, one leaning forward as the other leaned back, and then vice versa, the pair of them pulling each other back and forth to stretch their legs, shoulders, and back all at once. It appeared that one girl, who was quite tall, was quite a bit more flexible than her stretching partner, who was rather short and made noises of effort every time her partner tugged on her to stretch a little further.

As good a place as any, Alyssa decided, to set herself on the grass and stretch her own body. She began with a squat, one leg cast out to her side to bend deeply and find the stretch within her inner thigh, then sifting over to the other leg being bent beneath her while the first was stretched out and away. She settled her hands on the ground after that, casting both legs wide and dropping her hips to ease down until her bum was on the ground. Once there, she stretched her body forward and laid her face down into the grass, hands reaching as far forward as they could and breathing deeply to enjoy the feeling of her body waking up for more strenuous activity.

"Oh my God, what happened to your shoulder?"

Disgust, shock, mixed up with a heavy dose of surprise. Green eyes peered up from beneath strands of red to see that the two girls who were stretching as a pair had taken notice of her, and it was the shorter girl, who had dark hair and eyes with medium-toned skin, who had asked a question.

It was the kind of question that, months ago, at the beginning of the school year, Alyssa would not have attempted to answer. She would have kept her silence and let people guess at what it was that had left her body this way. The scar in question, a series of ridges and pink divots at the top of her right arm where her collar bone stopped and joined the joint, was an old memory inscribed into her flesh that she doubted any of these girls wanted to have recounted for them... but the whole point of joining track was to try and find some people with whom she could be social with.

She was here to end the silence.

"It's from a fight I got into as a child." Alyssa answered.

"It looks like something tried to eat you." The short girl commented as she leaned back, still stretching with her partner- the tall girl had light hair and skin, but dark eyes that were looking on with curiosity, but not judgment.

Alyssa mused on that thought for a moment- not entirely untrue, but hardly correct, either. "Someone." She noted in correction. "You see, the scarring is from human dentition-"

"Someone bit you? Gross!"

Alyssa found herself at a loss. Her explanation was left half-spoken, shrugging faintly and sitting up herself to lean back in the grass and prop herself up on straight arms with locked elbows. "It's alright, I won."

The other girl, the taller one, finally spoke. "How did you win after they bit you like that?"

Surprise, pity, the taste of sympathy- bittersweet and searching for a harmony. The taller girl knew what it was like to be hurt, to bleed. Her eyes had a memory, just out of reach.

"Several broken bones tend to go a long way-"

"How can you still wear tank tops?" Again, the shorter girl had interrupted, stopping Alyssa before she could manage to explain nor tell a story. "I'd be so embarrassed if I had scars like that! I'd never let anyone see my skin ever again!" She'd broken hands with her partner to instead hug herself, protective hands running over her own smooth skin as if she worried it might have changed simply by looking at the way Alyssa's skin was ridged and puckered.

"I find no embarrassment in it. My scars are proof that I survived." Alyssa responded as she lifted herself up to switch into a lunge, hands folding over her knee as she once again bent deeply to find the stretch for herself. The mark on her shoulder was hardly the only one on display at that moment. Additional rips and tares that were healed years ago went down her right arm, along with unique puckers from pins that had held broken bones in place during their own mending process. Her left arm had a single long strike down the back, and the top of her forearm remembered more taring that left some of her skin warped and free of freckles, little pock-marks on either side ensuring that the stitches used to hold that particular wound closed were never forgotten. Her legs were not quite so dense in their damage and healing, but there was another mark on her left calf that was nearly identical to the one on her right shoulder; teeth that had bit into her and tried to rip part of her away before being otherwise dissuaded.

"I think it's cool that you're still confident enough to show your skin." The taller girl said, standing up and reaching her arms towards the sky. Her hair had been contained in a high tail, and she flicked it back with a friendly smile towards Alyssa. "Ignore Erika, she can't get over her magazines."

"Not even!" The short girl, identified as Erika, quickly protested as she pushed herself up from the grass as well.

"Says the girl who won't push in practice because she doesn't want thick thighs. Hell-o! You joined track, muscles are a thing."

"I didn't join to earn prizes! I just wanted friends to exercise with so I don't feel guilty about eating my favorite snacks..."

"I rest my case." The taller girl smirked as Alyssa stood up from her lunge stretch, looking at her with her own measure of curiosity now.

"What does that mean?"

"It means she made my point for me." The tall girl chuckled with a lop-sided smile. "C'mon, coach will be here soon to start drilling everyone. We should warm up a little bit. Jog with us- we'll do half the track and walk back around."

"So, why did you join track?"

The tall girl had started something of a domino effect when she'd gotten up to begin a warm-up jog, other girls who were stretching out in the grass getting up to join in. There was a sense of natural leadership about her that Alyssa found both familiar and comforting... still, as they'd begun their way around the track, she had not been expecting conversation. "Hm?" Her head twisted, auburn bangs fluffing up and flying back from her forehead as they got moving. The tall girl was already in her rhythm, long legs moving with ease and grace. Alyssa, not much taller than Erika, still had little difficulty in keeping up with the pace that the tall girl set. Erika, on the other hand, lagged somewhat behind the pair of them, pushing herself just to remain on their heels.

"Why did you join the track team?" The tall girl repeated. "Exercise, trying to get a scholarship, just really like running?"

"Oh, ah..."

I wanted to make friends.

"I like to run." Also true; not the core reason, but still true. "It makes me calm."

"Were you on a team at your old school?" The tall girl asked. "You already seem really well conditioned."

"I do not have an old school."

Liar. Not a school like this, but it was a school- just a different kind.

"Last winter, I was a ward of the state." Alyssa continued, "Now I have a foster family, so I live here."

The information was presented in blunt monotone; facts relayed without inflection- but they caused shock and surprise in the girl running at her side.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to pry..."

"It is okay." Alyssa looked ahead. "You are curious, just like everyone else... it is okay, if you want to ask me things."

The tall girl was quiet for several long moments, unsure of how to approach the invitation. Her silence clung on until they were nearly a quarter of the way around the track, before finally; "How did you end up with the state?"

"I ran away." Alyssa answered. "The people I was with, they were not my legal guardians. They were doing things that were... incorrect. So I ran."

True enough, with many details omitted. In Gotham, however, Alyssa had come to understand that a certain level of tragic happenings were not uncommon.

"Were you kidnapped, then? Oh hell, is that why the cops were with you on the first day of school?"

So this girl had not been immune to the rumors. At least Alyssa had the assurance that she wasn't deaf.

"They had follow-up questions." Finally, after months of speculation, someone got to hear the truth. It was not nearly as scandalous as the student body expected. "They are still looking for the people who had me before."

"Still looking?"

"They were never caught... it is a long story."

"So the people who took you are still out there... and you're supposed to just go to school and act like everything is normal?"

"Heh..." Humorless, a chuckle managed its way out of her. "Yeah, that is correct. Close my eyes and pretend all is right with the world."

"Listen, don't mind Erika, or any of the other girls. They might be a little weird at first, but they'll warm up to you. We're a team. We look out for each other. Remember that, okay? You run into any trouble, you let us know; we'll stand up for you. What was your name, again?"

"Oh, um... Alyssa. Alyssa Kartright"

Not true. A false name, a false identity, constructed. Required. She didn't want to be Alyssa Kartright, but it was required of her to be someone. Picking and choosing, which information to speak truly, and which to falsify, left her with a twisted stomach and an uncomfortable tension in her neck.

"I'm Kendra." The tall girl introduced herself. "You got anything going on after practice? We can hang out, if you want."

"... hang out?"

"Yeah, Erika and I have this Chinese place we like to go to after practice. It's just a few blocks from school. Cheap food, terrible for you, but damn tasty after a workout. You're welcome to join us, if you want."

"That... that is very kind of you, but... My... ah, Molly will be waiting to pick me up after this." She'd found her embarrassment, over her lack of understanding of how socializing was done, as well as her obligation to report back to her foster mother. "Another time, perchance?"

"Sure! Do you have a cell phone?"

"I do." Alyssa reported.

"Cool." Kendra smiled, her expression warm. "I can give you my number, and you can text me later. I've got my license, so if you ever need a ride, or wanna hang out, just let me know."

"You are... incredibly welcoming." Alyssa did not know how to process it at first; she'd done this in hopes of making some kind of connection, but she had not expected it to come this quickly. Then again... it appeared that Kendra recognized something in her, and sought out that connection, too. Maybe everything was going exactly as it needed it, but it still had her off-balance.

"... thank you."

:The Author's Corner:

Holy moly it has been forever since I've written something for this website, and man-oh-man did I miss it.

Thank you all for reading, I will see you on the next chapter. I'd be thrilled if you'd take the time to leave a review, and I'll do my best to be timely with the next installment. PEACE!

-Loor