Hello! Quick note to those of you who just picked this story out of a line of Wondergirl stories: This story is part of a series I am currently in the middle of writing, known as the Memoirs of Heroines. I suggest starting with Batgirl, then Supergirl, and then this one, as each story builds on the other, with the same characters and timeframe. It may clear up some of the more obscure details you are bound to encounter in this story. While I sincerely hope you read my other stories to get the full picture, I suppose you could just get away with this one. Who knows? At the end you may want to read more.

Anyway, on to the story…

Memoirs of a Wonder Girl

I remember the moment clearly. It was one of those defining moments that you never forget; the type of moment that offers a cross road that you have to chose. I could just imagine Janus, the trickster god of choices, standing before me, with both of his heads grinning at my inner turmoil.

I was only fourteen years old, and at the time, I was ready to choose what any normal teenager would have chosen. The only problem with that was that I didn't grow up like every other teenager.

My name is Cassandra Elizabeth Sandsmark, and even though I was born and raised a sister of the Amazons, I wanted nothing more than to leave my island home.

Don't get me wrong; I love my sisters and my Queen Hippolyta. They've been there ever since I can remember, instilling in me the values of our sisterhood. We were blessed by the goddesses with eternal youth, stunning strength, and a home independent of the toxic world of man. The indestructible gauntlets that had been on my wrists in even my earliest memories were our reminder of the one time we allowed ourselves to fall to the tyranny of men.

Our beautiful Queen Hippolyta had been tricked by the deceitful Heracles, and as a result, most of our race perished at the hands of the men who 'bought' us. Aphrodite saved us, pulling our souls from the lost lands of Hades and built us new bodies from the very Earth. We were allowed to live separate from the men who had destroyed us, with our gauntlets—forged from the chains that had bound us—to provide us strength and ensure that we never made the mistake of venturing out again.

For thousands of years, my older sisters lived in the literal paradise of Themyscira, in eternal youth, forever training and honing their skills in combat and traditional sports of the day. Each of them can attest mastery in a multitude of fighting styles.

You may be wondering how they can be my older sisters if all Amazons were rescued by Aphrodite so long ago. Well, I am one of three sisters who were crafted millennia after our sisterhood separated from the world of men. Although it was explained to me in much more regal terms, essentially, it comes down to this: our Queen Hippolyta is a mother at heart. Whenever she feels the mothering urge grow within her, she crafts a child from the earth, the same way Aphrodite did when she revived the rest of the Amazons, and with the blessing of the gods, breathes life into the little sculptures, producing a very real, very authentic Amazon child. The children were to be raised as Amazons, and, at the age of twenty-five, they were given eternal youth. The first child she created was Princess Diana, the strongest, wisest, most beautiful of us all, blessed by Athena, Aphrodite and Artemis at her birth.

The second child, created when Diana reached adulthood, was named Donna Troy; the night of her birth was the night Asteria, Titan of nocturnal oracles and falling stars, fell to Earth. As a thanks to Hippolyta for sanctuary on the island men could never visit, the ancient goddess blessed Donna, and as the child grew, although she easily excelled in the fighting arts that we all trained in, she demonstrated a strange sort of knowledge—at times she would look at one, and see what she called a different 'version' of them, from what she believed to be a separate universe. The knowledge weighed heavily on Donna. She was granted eternal youth at the age of twenty, and then set herself apart from the rest of the sisters, choosing to live in a secluded tower of the palace in prolonged meditation.

After it became apparent that Donna's oath of seclusion would not be broken, Hippolyta began to pine for a daughter again. She was very careful with this child, and took the utmost care in crafting the child before she finally breathed life into her. This child was different from the other Amazons, with blond hair and eyes the color of the sky. This child had a skinnier build, but was just as capable of strength as the other women of the island. From the moment she took her first breath, she was wailing loudly for the world to hear, intent on showing everyone just how powerful she could be.

This little child was me.

I had no desire to leave my home, at first. I strove to match each of my sisters, aware of how much I differed from them, with their thick black and brown locks and deep brown eyes. The only other person on the island who had blue eyes was Diana, and she was the image of Amazonian perfection. As another daughter of Hippolyta, I felt compelled to match my sister in everything, no matter what the event. After a while, I think she realized my motivation, and instead of allowing me to compete with her, she opened the door to true sisterhood, and became my very best friend.

So naturally, the night she left Themyscira is a bit of a sore subject.

One day four summers prior, when I was only ten years old, a great light appeared in the sky, like a streak. It landed beyond our realm, and so Hippolyta was perfectly willing to ignore it. Her proclamation of disinterest, however, did not reach Diana. My closest sister was determined to know what danger the falling star presented however.

I followed her that night—I don't know if she knew—but I followed her when she climbed Donna's tower to visit our unofficial Oracle.

"Donna," she said, grabbing our sister by the shoulders, "Donna, listen to me, I know it causes you pain, but I must know: does the danger that lies beyond affect us? Can I stop it?"

Donna's deep brown eyes focused on Diana, and grew large with disbelief.

"It was not another world I saw," she mumbled, "It was this one."

"Donna?" Diana leaned back, confused by her words, but Donna had new life.

"Diana," she started, but then she paused, and a moment later, I heard the door slam shut. When I moved to check, the door was surrounded with a strange glow. When I stepped closer, I realized it was to keep me, or anyone from hearing the conversation within. I ran down the steps, out of the tower, and away to my sister's room, determined to wait for her.

Instead, I fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke to alarms and a frantic sisterhood. Diana had left in the night, and she had taken the sacred relics—the lasso of Truth, forged from the girdle of Gaea; the sandals of Hermes, which allowed for flight and speed; and her own ceremonial tiara, traditionally worn annually at the Amazon Games. Hippolyta was furious; she locked herself away for days, summoning one god after another in an attempt to call her wayward daughter back, in vain. Diana never returned.

The event had an affect on Hippolyta though. It may have been driven by her sense of motherhood, but she denied it vehemently. After a full moon had passed, Hippolyta addressed her subjects, calling for a 'scouting' party of sorts, to go forth and live in Man's world. She suggested that Diana's flight from Themyscira would lead man to the rediscovery of our sisterhood, and that sending a faction out would mean not only knowledge of man's ways, but information of their military tactics, so that we could better defend ourselves. The faction set up in Athens, beneath the ruins of the Parthenon.

Years passed; I continued my training, void of my best friend, and hurt and confused by her absence. A month after my fourteenth birthday, my mother announced that the she, Donna, and I would be departing for man's world, to check in with the faction in Athens. I remember feeling a mix of fear and anger at her announcement; this was the world that had taken my best friend away from me, and I hated it.

But at the same time, it held a sense of mystery. I wanted to explore—I wanted to fight what Diana saw. The fact that Donna was moving from her seclusion to join us weighed heavily on me as well: there had to be a reason.

So together, the three of us traveled to Athens, and that is where my story really begins.

I walked as calmly as I could through the city streets. I led Donna on my arm; the multitude of people in this city was far too much for her to take in, so, to save her sanity, we tied a white scarf around her eyes. Although she, like my mother and I, had changed into the modern clothes of Man's World, her long, flowing 'maxi' dress, and the ribbon of fabric around her eyes made her look like Truth embodied.

"Are we at the market yet?" she asked timidly, although I could clearly hear the strains of excitement in her tremulous voice. We had snuck out from the Parthenon as my mother and the other Amazons dealt with 'business'. I wasn't old enough, and Donna's oath of seclusion included the politics of our sisterhood. So instead, Donna had made her way to my quarters and convinced me to walk with her. She wanted to 'see' a flea market, although the name alone turned me off.

"I still don't know why you want to go to a market filled with fleas," I muttered, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my jeans.

"Trust me," Donna smiled, "when we get there, you'll see. Do you still have the mortal money mother procured?"

I thought of the wad of neatly folded paper in my pocket. "Yep, she didn't want anything to do with it after we got our clothes."

"Wonderful," Donna grinned, "We may need it."

I opened my mouth to speak further, but we turned a corner, and a wave of musk hit my nose. Before us, in a haphazard array of stalls and cloth, laid the flea market.

"Wonderful!" Donna said, as if she was actually looking through her cloth, "We're here!"

I still didn't like the idea of a flea market, and judging by the condition of many of the vendors, it seemed as thought there could very well be fleas in this market. But Donna wanted to continue, and I wasn't one to deny her. So we walked through the rows of stalls, allowing Donna to take in the atmosphere and allowing me to gaze half-heartedly at the array of products offered by the greasy salesmen. We had just passed a stall with many 'hand-painted' ancient Greek vases, when Donna pulled me to the left.

"Here," she said, "This is the one."

The stall in front of us held many t-shirts with odd symbols on them. Some held a red 'S' on a yellow background, some held a stylized black bat in a yellow oval, while still others had a yellow lightning bolt, or a strange black and green shape that I had never seen before. I was admiring a red tank top with the yellow lightning bolt settled neatly in a white circle over the center, when Donna pulled me to a back corner.

"This one," she said, pointing to a set of black and red tank tops with golden 'w's layered on top of each other.

"Ok," I said, pulling those two to me, "You want these ones then? Did you even look at them?"

"I don't need to," she said, cryptically, "Besides, they aren't for me, they're for you."

"What? I don't want these, Donna."

"Yes," she said, closing her hands around mine, "You do."

I felt as if a cold breeze blew behind me, punctuating the importance of her words. I looked down to the t-shirts in my hands, and let the fabric shift under my fingers. They were surprisingly well made, and the shield on the chest seemed to be sown in actual gold. I looked back up at Donna, who gave me a reassuring smile. I sighed and turned to the vendor, who seemed to have a prosthetic leg and brace.

"Just the two?" he grumbled.

"Please," I answered, pulling the money from my pocket.

"So you're a fan of Wonder Woman?"

"What?" I started to ask, but Donna quickly cut in.

"Yes, we're quite big fans," she answered, "She's different from the others."

"What on Gaea are you talking about?" I hissed as the man took a bill and handed me the t-shirts in a bag.

"Trust me," she replied, thanking the man and pulling me from the tent back into the streets, "C'mon, we need to get back now."

"Wait, what? We haven't even seen the whole thing!"

"Doesn't matter."

"'Doesn't matter'? You're the one who pulled me here!"

"Hush, Cassandra, you're making a scene."

I let out a frustrated breath, and fell into step with my sister, unaware of the twin set of investigative eyes I now had glued to my back. I was more than ready to be done with this world.

Later that night, the Athens party hosted a celebration for our arrival, filled with the best food I had ever tasted. Even Donna, still with her white scarf, had come out to join; she sat next to me, carefully picking at her food, as if she was waiting for something. Next to us, seated at the head of the central table, our mother stood, raising her glass to the ceiling.

"Sisters!" She called, attracting the room's attention, "the Gods have smiled on us this evening!" The room cheered with her, then fell to quick silence for her to continue. "I came at the behest of my daughter, Donna. In her meditations, she foresaw our journey, and convinced me that the time had come to see the progress of our sisters."

That was news to me. I shot a look a Donna before I remembered that she couldn't see me through her scarf. She sat straight, as if she was suddenly a statue; every muscle in her body was clearly waiting for something.

"And what progress they have made!" Hippolyta continued, "It is comforting to know that we have such a branch in Man's world, should we ever-"

A sudden commotion in the hall outside the room interrupted her, and in one swift motion, our Queen reached for her sword; immediately, everyone else in the room drew their own weapon, save for Donna, who let out a frustrated sigh and stood.

"Mother, you have no need to worry," she said shortly, "The people your guards are apprehending are our friends and sisters."

"That's impossible," Hippolyta scoffed, and, pointing to the sisters closest to the doorway, continued, "You, go help them. Bring the intruders before me."

The selected Amazons leapt into the fray, and as Donna started to protest, our mother simply commanded, "Hush, Donna, we will see who is right."

A moment later, the sisters returned, wrestling in a young girl, about my age, with flaming red hair, bright green eyes, and the scowl of a fighter in a black body suit decorated only with a stylized blue bird. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in the sheer amount of opponents she would have, as the rest of the sisters hauled in another body I easily recognized.

"Diana," I gasped, standing immediately. I turned to my mother for confirmation, only to find her face twisted in a mix of emotions.

"How dare you!" My mother shrieked, flying towards Diana with her sword raised, "How dare you return to my presence!" Before she could strike my eldest sister, Diana broke free of the guards holding her and threw up her wrists. Hippolyta's sword bounced cleanly off my sister's gauntlets, effectively stunning our mother.

"I did not return to cause you grief, mother!" Diana cried.

"She speaks the truth!" Donna added, pulling me with her to stand between our sister and our mother, "Hear her out! This is important."

"Why are you here?" Hippolyta was still seething, and I wanted nothing more than to run and hide. Standing before an angry Amazon Queen was downright stupid.

"I," Diana paused, and I felt Donna shift, sending a message to Diana by imperceptible movement, "I received word that there were Amazons in Athens, and I wanted to check the rumors."

"To what end?" Hippolyta spat, "You chose which world you wish to live in. Did you just think we would welcome you back?"

Diana's face fell in hurt.

"I did not choose Man's world to spite you, Mother. I chose it because it needed me. I felt a call four years ago, and I have finally found what that call was leading me out to do." She motioned to her companion, who was clearly confused by the happenings.

"Wait," she said, "I thought you said your mom was on Themyscira!"

"Clearly," Hippolyta hissed, "I stand before you. State your name, mortal."

The girl looked to Diana, who nodded. The girl took a deep breath, and looked up meet Hippolyta's eyes. "My name is Barbara Gordon, but when the night falls, I am known as Nightingale."

"How did you meet my daughter?"

With another nod from Diana, the girl continued, "In my world, Diana is known as the crime fighting Wonder Woman." I felt my stomach drop to my feet, but the girl continued, "I used to be known as Batgirl, sidekick to Batman and Robin, of GothamCity. One night, after we finished fighting a bad guy, they…well, things had been building for a long time, and so I guess I really should have seen it coming, but I mean, he was my best friend, and then he just, he just…" Barbara had dissolved into tears, sobbing over some aspect of her story. To my eternal surprise, Hippolyta put her sword away, and knelt down to hold the broken girl by her shaking shoulders.

"He hurt you?" She asked softly.

The girl sniffed and nodded, "He was my very best friend, for eight years, and then he just, he just turned on me, even after I saved his life."

Hippolyta was still for a long moment, gazing at the girl as she slowly took control of her sobs again, and settled into quiet tears. Suddenly Hippolyta squeezed the girl's shoulders before standing to face Diana again, with an entirely different emotion.

"You're training her, aren't you? You took her away from them and started to train her." Diana nodded, face straight. Hippolyta nodded and looked back at Barbara.

"You know the pain of the Amazons; we were betrayed by man, and it was only by divine intervention that we were allowed a second chance. My daughter clearly sees promise in you, and if what you yourself said is true, then I believe she is correct. Orana," she turned to the leader of the Athens faction, "I will need a private conference room. Are there any rooms currently in disuse?"

"Yes, my Queen. Allow me to lead you to it."

Hippolyta turned to Diana and Donna, "I will need the both of you to accompany me. Cassandra," she turned to me, "Take Barbara to your quarters. I will send for you when we are ready."

Hippolyta, Diana and Donna swept away with Orana, and the rest of the sisters returned to the feast, although now it was accompanied with a rush of whispers. I turned to Barbara, who was still wiping away stray tears.

"Want something to eat?" I asked, motioning to the food at the table.

"I…um…" Barbara, looked to the food, clearly uncertain, so I made the decision for her; I piled two plates with a bit of everything, and handed one to her.

"C'mon," I said, motioning to the hall, "They might be a while."

"Oh, ok," she said, following me as quickly as possible.

We walked in silence to my room, but once we were inside, and settled on the bed with our plates between us, I had to break it.

"So," I started, "This guy…he was actually a 'friend' of yours?"

"Yea," she said, popping a grape into her mouth, "He was my best guy friend."

"Wait, wait, wait, you actually consider men to be your friends?"

"Yea," she said, looking at me sideways, "I have a handful of guy friends, it's just that Robin was…" she trailed off, apparently lost in the memory of 'Robin'.

"Well, I wouldn't trust him," I said, picking up a chicken wing.

"Huh?" She wasn't expecting that statement.

"Just look at his name!" I said, pulling the meat off, "what kind of name is 'Robin'? It's not exactly masculine."

Her lips started to quiver, and for a moment, I was afraid I had said something wrong. Instead, she cracked up laughing, rolling back and holding her stomach. I smiled at her laughter and sat back against my pillows, "See? Not very scary, is it?"

"No!" She laughed, wiping away new tears of joy, "He's really not!" Then she looked at the plate of foreign food in front of her, and, with only a hint of uncertainty, pulled out a wrapped grape leaf and held it up to her mouth, sniffing it first.

"It's good," I smiled, "Promise."

With my encouragement and a deep breath to steel herself, she took a quick bite, and started chewing as if the food was going to hurt her. Then, with a moment of surprise, she looked back at the roll and then at me. "Is that sautéed rice?"

"Yep," I smiled, "I think there's some eggplant in there too."

"It's delicious!" she laughed, and took another bite.

In that moment, everything 'different' about us disappeared; I knew without a doubt, as she continued to slowly pick new foods from her plate, and I continued to offer comments about the components, and fill her in on Amazon lore, that we were meant to be friends. And that meant only one thing.

It was time for me to follow Diana.