CHAPTER ONE: The New Girl
JOEY
Being the new girl was a strange experience for Joey. Her adoptive father had always had her home schooled by private tutors, but after years of pleading with him, he'd finally agreed to let her enroll in Gotham High School. Now she sat in front of a very intimidating man. That didn't bother her. Her father was one of the most intimidating men on the planet.
Principal Wayne was looking over her records. "Joanna Grace Luthor... Age sixteen... Junior... Excellent grades, several academic achievements, active in community service... You seem like a very well-rounded student, Joanna. We're happy to welcome you to Gotham High School."
"It's Joey, actually," she said quickly. "But thank you, Principal Wayne."
"Of course." He smiled at her and Joey understood why people were so drawn to this man. He practically oozed charisma. "Miss Lance will show you to your first class, Joey."
A woman walked into the office and smiled at Joey. "Hello, Joey. I'm Miss Lance, the head of the guidance department. If you need anything to help ease your transition, my door is always open," she said pleasantly.
"Thanks," Joey replied. She followed Miss Lance to a room down the hall.
"This is your English class, with Mr. Kent." Miss Lance opened the door and motioned for Joey to follow her inside. "Mr. Kent, this is Joey Luthor. She'll be joining your class from now on."
Joey thought Mr. Kent stiffened slightly at her name, but he recovered quickly, flashing her a kind smile. "Welcome, Joey! Have a seat anywhere that's open," he said.
Joey kept her head down as she headed to the first empty seat she could find. She sat down and looked next to her to find a boy staring at her. He smiled at her cheerfully and said, "Hello, Gorgeous! I'm Wally. Wally West. Nice to see some new blood around here!"
"Hi, Wally," she replied, returning his smile. He seemed kind of goofy, but at least he was friendly. "I'm Joey."
A girl with blonde hair smirked at her. " Don't mind Wally. He's a moron. I'm Artemis," she said. "And this is Barbara." She pointed to a girl with glasses.
Barbara smiled, too. "Welcome to Gotham!" She said enthusiastically.
"Thanks," Joey replied. At least the other students were being welcoming. Some of her nerves calmed down.
The door opened and a boy rushed inside. "Sorry, Mr. K," he said. "But I swear, I have a really good reason for being late!"
"Here we go," Wally said with a laugh.
"Dick, this is the fourth time you've been late, and it's only the second week of class," Mr. Kent said.
"I know, Sir, but my lunch exploded."
"Your... Your lunch exploded?"
"Yeah! There I was, simply minding my business, when it just went kaboom! I mean, what are the chances, right? I thought I just packed a ham and cheese sandwich and some brownies, but apparently, some kind of chemical was all over it, and as soon as the subway started moving through the tunnel, it exploded! I have no idea what happened, but it made a real mess, and, you know, a guy's gotta eat. So I got off of the train and went back home to grab a fresh sandwich and find a couple more brownies... And here I am!"
"Dick..." Mr. Kent shook his head. "Just have a seat, okay? And try not to bring any more explosives on the subway." He went back to writing the notes for the day on the blackboard.
"Of course, Sir!" Dick cheerfully walked over to the seat behind Wally. "Sup, Wallster? Babs? Artemis?" He paused when he saw Joey. They locked eyes for a second, and that was when she felt it...
A chill ran up her spine. "Dick, have you met Joey? She's new," Barbara said.
Dick continued to stare at her for a moment. He seemed so familiar to Joey, but she couldn't figure out why that was. "Hi," she finally said after a moment.
"Hi," Dick replied. He didn't seem so chatty now as he studied her.
"Wow. You're the first person to ever leave him speechless!" Wally said with a laugh. "Does Dick have a crush?"
Barbara looked down at her notebook with a frown on her face. Artemis smacked Wally on the back of his head. "Idiot!" She snapped at him.
"Ouch! I mean... Sorry," Wally said automatically. "It's just that Dick's got a response for pretty much everything under the sun, but he's suddenly awfully shy. Did you finally hit puberty, Buddy?"
"Did you?" Artemis asked Wally. "Because if this is as good as it gets for your looks... Well, you can always use your hand when you're lonely!"
"Did I ever tell you that you're kind of mean, Artemis?" Wally asked. "I'm just wondering why Dick suddenly went all quiet on us."
"I'm just taking in the new girl's face and committing it to memory," Dick replied casually. "It's nice to meet you, Joey. I'm Dick Grayson."
"You really go by Dick? You don't hear that much in this day and age," Joey said. "I mean, it's short for Richard, right? Most guys would go by Richie or something."
Dick shrugged. "My family always called me Dick. It stuck. They're dead, so it would be messed up to change it now, right?" He laughed casually.
Joey stared at him in surprise. Artemis smacked him on the back of his head this time. "Boys, I swear!" She said. "Don't mind him. He blurts that out all the time like it's nothing."
"Why shouldn't I? It's true, and anyone who googles my name would come across it anyway," Dick said. "What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is that most people freak out about having dead parents, or at least put more emotion into the mention of them than someone puts into talking about the weather."
"They've been gone for a long time, Artemis... Why dwell on it? I can't change it."
"I'm sorry," Joey said. "I don't have a family, either."
Dick looked surprised now. "You don't?" He asked.
"Well, I sort of do... I was adopted by my father, Lex Luthor, but-"
"Your father is Lex Luthor?" Wally asked in shock.
"Did you not put that together from her last name?" Artemis asked, rolling her eyes. "How many people with the surname Luthor do you think there are in Gotham City?"
"I never knew my biological family," Joey explained.
"I did," Dick said softly. "Maybe you're luckier. I mean, at least you don't know what you're missing, right?"
"I guess... Who do you live with?" Joey asked.
"Only the coolest guardian ever," Dick said grandly, his face lighting up with excitement. "Bruce Wayne took me in after my family died. He's great."
"Bruce Wayne... As in our principal?"
"As in the richest, most awesome bachelor in all of Gotham? Yeah, one and the same. I'm the luckiest kid in town."
"You guys both got adopted by rich bachelors," Wally said with a laugh. "You already have a ton in common! It's totally fate that you met."
"Ahem... May I teach my lesson now?" Mr. Kent asked with a patient smile.
"Go on, Mr. K!" Dick said. "Enlighten us with your great wisdom!"
Joey tried to focus as the lesson began, but she kept finding herself watching Dick instead. She noticed that every time she glanced at him, he was watching her, too. She couldn't explain it, but she knew he was feeling the same strange sensation that she was.
BRUCE
"This could be trouble, Diana," Bruce Wayne said with a frown. "What exactly were you thinking when you allowed that corrupt lunatic Lex Luthor's daughter to enroll in this school?"
"I was thinking that every girl deserves a solid education," Diana Prince replied. "I was thinking that she is an innocent child and cannot control who her father is. And I was thinking that keeping the girl close might actually be beneficial to us. We can keep an eye on her and ensure she stays on the right path."
"I just don't want to risk this ending badly, Diana. The safety of our students is at stake."
"You saw her record. She is exactly the sort of student we strive to enroll here. She seems like a lovely girl."
"And her father seems like a wonderful man until the skeletons in his closet come out to play."
"We have yet to find solid evidence of Luthor being involved in anything illegal, and even if he is, the girl is just a teenager. I am sure she is not involved in any of it."
"And if it turns out that she is?"
"Then we will deal with her accordingly... Just give the child a fair chance, Bruce. Please."
"Fine... But I'm going to have Dinah keep a close eye on her."
"That's fair." Diana smiled at him. "Now get back to work, Bruce. I'm sure everything will be fine."
"I hope you're right." He frowned again before returning to the mountain of paperwork on his desk.
DICK
Dick was seriously distracted at lunch. He watched the new girl, Joey, as she ate by herself. Her long black hair had been pulled back into a messy ponytail and he studied her features. There was something familiar about them. He continued to stare at her. What was it about her? Dick wasn't sure why he was so fascinated by this girl. Was it because she was new? There had to be more to it.
"Ah, lunch! My favorite subject!" Wally declared, snapping Dick out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, it's probably the only subject you're getting an A in," Artemis teased him. Wally sat beside Dick while Artemis sat across from Wally.
"Hi, Dick," Barbara said shyly as she joined them. She sat down next to Artemis. "Is Joey alone? We should invite her to join us."
"You're right," Wally said. He shouted, "Hey, New Girl! Over here!" Artemis whacked him. "Ow! What was that for?" He protested.
"She has a name," Artemis pointed out. "Joey, come sit with us," she called.
Joey smiled and stood up, carrying her lunch and her backpack with her as she headed to their table. "Thanks, Guys," she said as she sat beside the girls.
"So, Joey, where did you go to school before?" Barbara asked.
"I had private tutors," Joey replied.
"Fancy! Living the good life, just like Dick," Wally said with a laugh.
"You mean Mr. 'The Subway Blew Up My Lunch'?" Artemis asked with a laugh. "Like there's anyone who doesn't know Principal Wayne has you driven everywhere. He'd have heart failure if you ever took the train to school!"
"It sounded better than 'I overslept and stopped to eat the delicious breakfast Alfred prepared.' So sue me," Dick said with a laugh. "I was up all night hacking a website."
"Criminal," Artemis teased him.
"Hey, Guys!" Billy Batson said as he joined them. "Meatloaf surprise again? Ugh." He crinkled up his nose in disgust as he looked at the food on his tray. "The surprise will be if no one pukes this nasty junk up!"
"Seriously," Dick agreed. "Billy, have you met Joey? She's new."
Billy seemed to notice Joey then. "Oh, hi! I'm Billy Batson. Nice to meet you! Beware the cafeteria food. It may try to eat you."
Joey laughed. "Thanks for the warning," she said.
Dick shifted slightly and his hand brushed against Joey's. The electric shock that hit him must have hit her, too. They both pulled away suddenly, staring at each other.
"What on Earth was that?" Barbara asked.
"I think she means what the fuck was that?" Artemis chimed in.
Wally shrugged. "It was science! Her energy field reacted to his, resulting in a literal spark. Romance is in the air!" He joked.
Artemis swung at him, but Wally knew it was coming and took off running, calling over his shoulder, "Catch you guys later!"
Artemis frowned. "Jerk. He knows no one else can run that fast. I swear he's not human."
"And that's why Wally's the star of the track team," Billy said with a laugh.
He'd better stop showing off, Dick thought. Wally had been his best friend ever since freshman year. Dick was one of the only people who knew Wally's secret... He was a superhero known to the rest of the world as Kid Flash. Likewise, Wally was the only kid in school who knew that Dick had a secret identity of his own. He was Robin, faithful sidekick of Batman, also known as Bruce Wayne. Wally was also the only person on the planet who knew that Dick had been toying with getting a new identity since the new school year had started. It wasn't that he disliked being Robin, the Boy Wonder. In fact, he loved it... But he was starting to feel like he could be more than just Batman's sidekick... He just didn't know what, exactly, that meant.
HARLEY
Harleen Quinzel smiled at the artwork in her notebook. It wasn't until Mr. Napier called her name that she realized she should probably be paying attention to the chemistry lesson instead of doodling.
"Harleen Quinzel!" He snapped.
"Yes, Mr. Napier?" She replied innocently, flashing him a sweet smile.
"See me after class."
Harleen sighed. "Yes, Mr. Napier," she said.
When the bell rang, Harleen went straight to her teacher's desk. "You wanted to see me?" She asked, expecting to get yelled at.
"Harleen... I have a proposition for you," Mr. Napier said, surprising her.
"Okay... What is it?" She asked curiously.
"I need a teacher's assistant... Someone to stay after school with me grading papers and exams. You're very bright, Harleen, but you clearly need a... challenge. Would you be interested in the position?"
She stared at him in confusion. "So... I'm not in trouble?"
"Of course not... Everyone gets bored when they aren't challenged, Harleen... May I call you Harley? I think it's a cute nickname, don't you?"
"I like that, actually," Harleen replied. It was cute. Maybe she'd take the nickname on officially.
"So, what do you say, Harley? Do you want the job?"
"Sure! I mean, yeah... Definitely. Thank you, Mr. Napier."
"Mr. Napier's so formal... If we're going to work together, you should call me something more casual... My first name is Jack, so... How about... Mr. J?"
Harleen... Harley smiled. "Okay, Mr. J. I like that."
"Great!" Mr. J replied with an enormous grin that made Harley smile wider. "I look forward to working with you, Harley." He touched her shoulder for a minute before sending her on her way. Harley left feeling oddly happy. None of her teachers had ever shown that much of an interest in her before. They generally wrote her off as a very bright but fairly insignificant girl who got distracted by pretty colors and all of the thoughts in her head. Mr. J seemed to understand her somehow. Maybe this year wouldn't suck so much after all.
LEX
Lex Luthor cleared his throat in annoyance as his guest walked into his office rather late. "You know, if I cannot trust you to keep a simple appointment, Joker, how am I supposed to trust you to execute this plan with me?" He asked.
"Cool your jets, Lex," the Joker replied casually. "I had to speak with one of my students after school."
"I still can't believe you're a chemistry teacher... I expected your cover identity to be a bit... darker. Scarier, even."
"Take one of my pop quizzes sometime and I promise you'll see why people fear my cover as much as they fear my true identity."
Lex shook his head. "Regardless, my time is not to be wasted! We need to discuss our plans, and our time is limited because my daughter is due to arrive any minute."
"So stop wasting the time we do have and talk, Lex. Unless you want your precious little girl to get suspicious."
"Definitely not. She must not know the truth behind our plan until the time is right."
"Feeling a tad overprotective there, Daddy?" Joker taunted him.
"Joanna is nothing more to me than a tool in my quest for power... However, she isn't ready yet. Until she is, we must protect her from the truth."
"Of course! I wouldn't dream of messing up your carefully crafted plans, Lexy-Boy! Tell me, what's my next move?"
"Joker, it is vital that you-"
"Dad? I'm home!" Joanna called as she entered the house. Lex spun toward the door, panicked.
"Get out! Now!" Lex told Joker. He spun back around and realized the Joker had already vanished.
Lex took a deep breath as Joanna walked into his office. "Hello, my darling!" Lex greeted her, pulling the girl into a hug. She might be a pawn in his plan for world domination, but Lex had raised Joanna ever since he'd paid for a healthy newborn infant to be abducted. Infants made excellent test subjects, especially when he could control everything she consumed and came into contact with. Over time, however, he'd come to enjoy watching her grow. He'd taken pride in her accomplishments. He'd found her charming as she matured. He'd come to care for her as if she were truly his daughter, but he couldn't let that stand in the way of his plans. When the time came, Joanna must play her part, no matter what he had to do to ensure it happened.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for reading the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. I welcome and appreciate feedback. Stay tuned, there's more to come!