Chapter 1: DON'T HATE MEH xD

I shrugged not looking up from the mandarin I was unpeeling. The foot tapped my knee again. "Well?" I looked up and I examined the boy standing over me. A smile played at the corner of my lips but I shrugged again with closed eyes and a resigned expression on my face.

"I wasn't planning on it," I mocked going back to my mandarin. Feet shuffled as his co-workers got ready for a beating. He made an inhuman sound and whacked the fruit from my hands. I watched it splat against the ground in an orange mess and a cold black worm awoke in my stomach.

"Give me your damn money bitch!" He grabbed my school tie this time and held his face right into mine. I could smell his foul breath when he growled again. "Hurry up runt!" He spat at me. I sighed and shoved my hand into my pocket. For a slight moment, I believed to see his light brown eyes light up at the motion, but he quickly snorted in disgust at my submissive nature. I smiled looking him in the eye and pulled out my hand holding many metallic objects.

"You asked for it remember?" I whispered and threw the little silver objects into his chest. The tiny points stuck to him like spiders on their webs. With a surprised hiss, the boy dropped me and hurled backwards. I landed on my feet with a thud and watched the boy and his co-workers trying to pull the little objects off himself.

"What the—" a tiny puff of smoke followed the yellow-white sparks and the boy didn't get to finish his sentence. When the small cloud of smog cleared, all of the bullies were sleeping comfortably on the floor. I dusted my hands and turned back to my seat and the lunch I still had. I smirked; glad to be rid of those half-wits.

"Heart!" I looked up from packing my things. The thrill bell had just rung and I needed to catch a seat at the tables outside the library. "Stay behind. We need to talk about something." I sighed and glared at the other library kids who were snickering and whispered between themselves in hushed voices. When they were out the door, I slumped back into my seat. Looking up at my teacher, I found he was smiling. Strange, I thought he was going to get up me about what happened at lunch.

"Aren't you angry about the whole lunch incident?" I queried. He shook his head, his broken glasses slipping down his nose. I frowned not sure about this situation anymore. "So what?"

"You've gotten an invitation. You're… uh… How do I say this? You're 'experiments' have caught the attention of some very special people." I was sure my eyebrows had met at the centre of my forehead by now. Quickly I ducked my head and cleared my expression before looking up at him again.

"Don't tell me the FBI is trying to buy my work." I mocked. The teacher gave a slight laugh and pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"No, no. Nothing like that. They're called the Justice League-" My eyes widened breaking my mask again. "-I'm sure you know them well." His smile had grown and my brain was, for the first time in a long time, overworked. Why? When? Who? How?

"Well? Heart?" I blinked. My bag had moved and a very formal paper was on the table before me. Scanning it quickly found it really was from them. They had found out about my 'gadgets' and liked what they were. I frowned again, didn't they have Robin? And Batman? I mean they don't need me.

Do they?

"I'll think about it," I mutter, folding and slipping the note into my shirt before hurry out the door, leaving my math book behind. I rushed past the library, ignoring the jeers, and mocking, and headed straight for the side gate. I vaulted over it easily, practice, and came up to the wooden fence surrounding the private property. The cold worm was squirming in my stomach again, and I clutched it closing my eyes tightly shut.

They wouldn't want me. Not with this.

But I still got that note. I still gained the invite. I shook my head and turned around, facing the school and leant against the fence while trying to control my breathing. Energy coursed through my veins and I smashed my hand into the fence making the single panel splinter. I relaxed feeling the black hole inside me settle again.

"Fuck this! I'm not doing it!" I cry, my eyes still closed tight. Memories rose and my feelings changed repeatedly although the darkness in my stomach was asleep. "No! I can't, not like this." I turn and run away from the school, away from the road, away from the fence, straight for my sanctuary.

Thankfully, my breathing had settled but my brain hadn't. Questions were around every corner, every turn to the solution made a dead end. I had no mentor, but I did have a— I shook my head vigorously and picked up the wooden blade with shaky hands. Its handle was longer than a normal sword and the point was curved only slightly. Although I loved this blade, or at least the real one, I use it in drastic situations otherwise, it's my little gadgets that get the spotlight.

Shoving the small trapdoor I slip into the dark room built around the base of the tree with its treehouse. I slapped the wall and the tiny window opened shedding enough light to see the most of the room. The tiny part that was shrouded in darkness had allsorts of obstacles to practice for my 'nightwalks' through the town. There were ropes winding everywhere and one end hung by my head. I pulled it and several dummies all sprang up from the floor, the ropes breaking away from them as soon as they stood up.

I released my end of the rope and leapt forward, my wooden blade slicing through the air and smashing head on with the closest dummies chest. It immediately fell back on the ground and I spun around swinging my sword at the next dummy. I watched them all fall to the ground, my breathing ragged and my sword arm was shaking with adrenaline.

Slumping against the wall, I let my sword slip from my hand and my head leant back. I closed my eyes and listened to the birds outside fall silent in the darkening sky. No. They weren't going to sleep. My eyes flew open and I leapt up staring out the tiny window. The birds were nowhere to be seen, though one lone raven flapped quickly away turning into a black dot in the sky.

"You can't control the animals can you?" She mutters. I spin around and the blade was kicked away swiftly. All I saw was a black flash and she was standing right in my face with a blade to my throat.

"I thought you could though Mum," I say with a smile. She tenses then relaxed. Putting away her blade and pulling off her pitch black mask. She was smiling too.

"I can't trick you anymore. But I thought you'd be here after Mr. Soat told me what happened." My feet were suddenly really interesting and my ears burned. "Could I at least see the note?" I nod and tug another rope, which allowed a ladder to tumble down from the treehouse. I climbed up it and waited for Mum to follow while I unfolded the letter. She had thrown her blade and mask up before her and now she was dusting herself off.

"This place needs a cleaning," she states and looks around with judgmental eyes.

"No! Don't you dare bring any clean things in here." I thrust the letter to my mother to distract her. She took it, sitting back in the armchair I had hauled up here when I first made it. Her eyebrows furrowed and she read the entire thing. I sank to the floor ready for a lecture but she just stared at it. Her face was expressionless when she stood, gave me the letter again, and went to leave.

"You can do what you like." She gave me a weak smile and I stared at her. She said something else but I didn't quite hear it.

"Pardon?"

"Just don't be the same as your father." Then she was gone. I stared at the leaves where she had disappeared then looked back down at the letter. I read it repeatedly, unsure of my decision. I'd have to sleep on it; the invitation said I had 24hours to decide so I'd use them.