Artemis shot up with a scream stuck in her throat, "WALLY!" She looked around the room in fear, where was she?
Now she had woken up in a strange room all alone and confused. Hearing footprints rapidly approaching the room she was in. Artemis looked around for a weapon but finding none she curled up in bed. She could pretend to be asleep and get the jump on whoever was after her.
"Artemis are you okay? You sounded like you were having a nightmare."
Artemis shot up ready to attack and stopped, her mouth dropping open in shock. "Mom?"
"Artemis honey what's wrong?" Paula asked reaching out to touch her forehead only to have her hand batted away.
Artemis ignored the hurt look the imposter gave her, glaring. "Nice try but my mom is in a wheelchair. So whoever you are-"
"Wheelchair? Why on earth would you wish for something like that? Is that what your nightmare was about?"
"Listen lady, I don't know who you are but I have friends in high places. If you don't let me go the League will bust in here-"
Paula let out a snort of laughter, "I knew I shouldn't have let you eat that cold pizza. Now you're dreaming about superheroes."
"I don't know why you're laughing. They'll be here any second and they're gonna take your ass to jail."
"Okay young lady I've had just about enough of this."
"You've had enough of this! I've had enough of this. You crazy bitch."
SLAP
"Artemis Lynette Crock!" Paula shouted. "Who do you think you are?"
"Mom?" Artemis whispered, "But you're walking! Why are you walking? You're supposed to be in a wheelchair. Is dad still Sportsmaster?"
"Are you sure you're okay? Maybe I should take you to the hospital."
"Just answer the question!"
"Don't raise your voice at me young lady!"
"I'm sorry mom just please answer the question."
"No your father is not Sportsmaster whoever that is. I've never heard of Sportsmaster."
"So where's dad?"
"Honey don't you remember? We divorced when you were young. You stay with me and Jade stays with your dad."
"So you were never Huntress? Jade's not an assassin."
"Please, Jade couldn't hurt a fly."
"I don't understand." Artemis said shaking her head. "This doesn't make any sense."
"Relax. I'm sure its just nerves from starting at a new school tomorrow."
"School? I go to Gotham Academy right?"
Paula raised an eyebrow, "You sure do have quite the imagination tonight but no. You're starting at Lysuam Kharam."
"What I've never heard of it."
"Did you hit your head before bed? You've been wanting to go there since forever."
"I'm just a little whelmed. The team! I can't believe I forgot about them."
"Who?"
"The team! Robin, Kid Flash, I have to find them."
"Never heard of them."
Artemis felt her stomach plummet. If her parents weren't criminals then it meant that she wasn't a superhero. But what did that mean for her friends. She didn't how any of them became superheroes. All she knows is that Wally blew himself up for some reason or another. She wouldn't even know where to find them. The Zeta beam wouldn't even recognize her. There was nothing she could do for now.
"Try to get some sleep sweetheart." Paula said kissing her cheek.
Artemis nodded biting her lip. She placed the pillow over her head closing her eyes. Maybe this was all just a dream. Or a horrible nightmare.
A rap on the door awoke Artemis from her sleep, "Artemis wake up you'll be late for school."
Artemis shot up looking around the room before wilting, instead of her run down crummy apartment room she was in some unfamiliar clean room. She so wanted it to be a dream. Why couldn't it just be a dream? Worst of all she had no idea what had become of her friends? Another knock on the door and Artemis sighed getting dressed. At least she had clothes and there didn't seem to be a uniform that was a bonus. A small one at least.
"Do you want a ride?"
"Yes please."
She had no idea where this school was; of course she'd need a ride. What was the name of the school again Mrkaham, something?
"Well come on then."
"Have a nice day at school sweetheart." Paula cooed driving away.
Artemis sighed staring at walls of Lysuam Kharam. It felt so wrong. She rubbed on her arm and walked forwards anyway, maybe her friends were in the same predicament as she was. They could be in here too looking for her. With that in mind she sped up pushing past the entrance doors. Once she found them they could end this horrible nightmare and go home.
Megan Morse hated her parents, she hated her brothers, and she hated her sisters. Then she felt promptly guilty for even thinking that in the first place but she couldn't help it. She was the odd one out in her family. They all had black hair and dark eyes but she had bright red hair, weirdly glowing amber eyes and freckles. Her dad apparently had red hair but he was gone and it didn't matter any more. Her family had moved from Bialya, they had gotten tired of being treated like second-class citizens. It didn't make sense but redheaded citizens were often treated harshly, even people who associated with redheads. They didn't know why but that was the way it was. It's not like it mattered her family still treated her like crap. Then she thought about other kids who didn't have families and felt guilty. It's not like her mother or her siblings treated her badly. But being the only one with red hair in the family, they treated her like an outcast not on purpose of course but they still did it regardless. It didn't matter she was used to being treated wrongly.
She had run away once. It had been a bad day and it had only gotten worse when she got home. So she left it had taken her a whole day but she had made it too her uncle's house and begged him to let her stay. Instead he had called her mom and was sent back home. Her uncle told her that he had asked her mother permission for her to stay but she had refused. Megan didn't understand it her mother had always treated her worse then her siblings but when she tried to leave she was refused, it didn't make sense. Her siblings only treated her worse after that but it wasn't anything that she couldn't handle she was use to it.
Megan was also use to people giving her strange looks in the hallway and whispering and snickering behind her back but it didn't bother her. She was use to feeling awkward in her own skin. She always has and most likely always would. Didn't matter anymore. Megan Morse had always pretended it didn't hurt her and she was so good it now it was almost like it didn't hurt. That's who Megan Morse was.
Connor hated Lysuam Kharam. The students were rude, stupid, and loud. The teachers were even worse. Clark Kent hated Connor. Lois Lane hated Connor. Lex Luthor hated Connor. He was use to hate everyone hated him and he hated everybody too. That's how the world worked around him. He smiled bitterly to himself. Connor could remember when he thought it wasn't fair when he tried to get somebody to like him but it didn't work. He was the kid that had two dads, and one mom due to insemination gone wrong and nobody wanted him. Nobody ever wanted him.
Even if he hated school it wasn't horrible. The other students avoided him like the plague something he was glad for. He fit in the stereotypical delinquent even if he had never gotten in trouble in his life. No most people just assumed that he'd end up in jail on account of his quiet grumpy behavior and solid large stature. Connor hated it at first but now he was glad. It prevented bullies from bothering him, teachers from calling on him, and students from teasing him. It was lonely, oh so very lonely. He had spent his whole life in an orphanage until he had run away to find his parents. Clark Kent had completed ignored him, Lois had scowled at him, and they had sent him away. Later he found out that he another father how he didn't know. He didn't question. Connor could feel his heart beating widely, someone would want him. Luthor did want him; he wanted to use him, after exposing him for the cold-hearted bustard he truly was Luthor also wanted nothing to do with him. Connor was sent back to the orphanage except he didn't go back, instead he ran away. Making a cave his new home. Connor was smart he knew a lot of stuff but he didn't want to be used again so he kept it to himself. Instead he stole some S shields from Luthor which were just envelopes filled with some thousands of hundred dollar bills. It was wrong but Luthor deserved it. Connor still didn't understand how he go enrolled at Lysuam Kharam but it didn't matter at least he had something to look forward too, even if all the students and teachers hated him and he hated all of them. Hate was a familiar friend.
Kaldur liked to swim. Swimming was nice, swimming was fun, and swimming was free. In the water he wasn't bound by everyday problems. People didn't give him strange looks and fake smiles. The water was real there were no lies. Lysuam Kharam was a place full of lies and horrible people. Kaldur and his would be Uncle were from a small country called Vlatava a place surrounded by water. It was wonderful people were always kind and he had friends.
It was troubling being in a new place where people were mean and rude and hostile for no reason. Where people pretended to like you and then shunned you once you were gone. He had adjusted though he was an adapter, a survivor. The one thing he liked though was the pool. Kaldur liked to pretend he was from another place when he was in the pool. It made him feel secure and safe, he never felt as safe as he did when he was in the pool. Arthur his sort of dad would give him weird looks sometimes but it never bothered him. Nothing bothered him as long as he had a pool, or an ocean. A large body of water where he could feel safe and wonder what his purpose on earth was.
Richard Grayson was the most popular boy in school. Everyone loved him, everyone envied him, and everyone wanted to be him. Being Bruce Wayne's adopted son had its benefits. Richard Grayson didn't trust anybody. Nobody at all. He didn't let people get close, the last people he held near and dear to his heart had fallen to their deaths and he was left an orphan. Richard Grayson was street smart he had to be. He had stayed in a juvenile hall following his parent's deaths. The orphanages were too crowded. Everyone thought they could pick on the poor orphaned circus kid. What they didn't know is that he grew up in a circus and a circus was not a nice place to raise a kid no matter how clean it may look. Acrobats weren't just flexible they had to have strength too and a few people learned this the hard way. When Richard had started art Lysuam Kharam he had to teach a couple of older students not to mess with somebody just because they looked like an easy target. He had been in more fights, had been given more detentions then anybody in the school but it didn't matter. He was Richard Grayson and nobody touched him.
Richard Grayson didn't have friends. No instead he had posses, allies, and acquaintances, but no friends. He never had anybody come over his house to hang out. People didn't get to call him Dick because A. It allowed for two many name callings and B. He didn't have any close friends to call him Dick. Richard was a popular he had it all and he had a wall of ice protecting him and he wouldn't have it any other way.
Wally West had tried to run away three times after the third time he was found he gave up. There was no escaping his life. He hated school, he hated his parents, he hated everybody and he had no remorse. He kept up a fake mask of optimism but in reality he was scared little child waiting, wishing, wanting somebody to just end it all. He was too much of a coward to do it himself.
Lysuam Kharam was hell on earth. Everyday he was beaten by students at the school. They didn't appreciate his quiet, shy, brilliant personality. Nobody liked the fact that, he was smarter than everyone attending the school maybe even some of the teachers. They tried to beat the smart out of him. If they were smart they'd know it wouldn't do a damn thing. His parents didn't love him. Wally West was an unloved child. His parents hated him, resented him, and took out their frustrations on him. It wasn't every day but it was enough that he had come to see bruises as a normal part of his whether from his peers or his parents it didn't matter he always had bruises.
Wally West like to eat, he never got to eat much though and often felt like he was starving but there was nothing he could do but deal with it. There were days where Wally felt he could eat a horse, but never got the chance so he didn't know how much he could eat. Wally West in short was a loser; he had no friends, no anybody. He ate his lunch under the bleachers, and stayed in the back of the classroom to avoid being called on. His peers didn't appreciate his answers much. The teachers seemed to get a vindictive pleasure calling on him, but he never lied or said he didn't know the answer he just answered the question plain and simple. Wally West use to be really optimistic, he always hoped that one day he would be saved. He never got saved, the hope died, the optimism faded and Wally West became the quiet, nerdy loser who was bullied and beaten almost everyday of his life. To him everyday on earth was hell.
