As I walk down the cold streets of Gotham I wonder what I'm doing here.

I mean, I know what I'm doing, just not why. Why am I here? Why did all this happen to me? Why did I have to be born into a shit family? Why did they have to die? And why did I have to live on the streets when I'm just a ten year old girl? Why me?

Not only do I have to deal with all that shit, now I've gotten myself into something more stupid than ever before, all because of my big, fat, ego. See, I know that I'm just a kid, but I'm not stupid. I know how the world works, and I know what you have to do to live in it, but damn, it seems every time someone dares me to do something, or tells me I'm too young or scared to do it, I just have to. Cuz', shit, I've gone to far to be called a scared little girl now, maybe a few years ago, but not now.

No, I've changed.

So, now I'm doing something that is probably going to get my ass murdered, and then eaten. I'm going down to Killer Croc's sewers, to find him. What the hell's wrong with me? Can't I see I'm going to die?

Apparently not.

Whatever, let the beast eat me. That's just fine. Let's do this shit.

I stand tall as I walk into the sewers, with the boys following after me. They are laughing loud as fuck and talking like they are some hot shit. Idiots. Don't they know that Croc is gonna be able to hear them, hell, he'll be able to smell them. What the fuck do I care, idiots want to get their asses eaten then go ahead, fine with me. Your life not mine. I bend down to spread some of the sewer water on my wrists, behind my knees, and on my pulse. I hear the boys laughing behind me, but I don't care, I'm just tryin'a survive. The beast won't be able to smell me if I smell the same as everything around me.

"Hey Tris, I guess I can understand why your wiping the shit water on you, must be a step up." Adrian says, making his little groupies laugh, Adrian is the one that dared me to do this in the first place, he's a little shit but I got to hand it to him, he's got balls. No one fucks with me. Older than me, bigger than me, doesn't matter. You'll be down before you take your first swing. I turn around and give him my signature glare, the one that can make grown men pee their pants, the one that tells people they're going to be on the end of my stilettos*1 in about half a second if they don't shut their mouths. Like I said, Adrian's got balls, but no one can handle my glare. Adrian flinches visibly, while his friends blanch and take a few steps away from their leader. I feel a little bit of sadistic joy at seeing myself disband their group in less than a minute, I smile.

"Shut it, Adrian. Only a Dumbass like you wouldn't see that she's making herself smell like the sewers instead of food for the beast." Cara says, making my eyes flick to her's, my face transforms from the glare and sadistic smile combo to a genuine smile in a second flat. She smiles back at me, and starts to put the dirty water on herself as well. Cara is a street kid too, and even though she's five years older than me we get along really well. I met her a year ago when I was nine and she was fourteen. I saved her ass from some pervy old men and we've stuck together ever since. Cara was just as fierce as I was, and we understand each other.

Evander comes out from where he was hiding behind Cara's legs and scoops up some of the water to put on himself as well. He fumbles a little and Cara and I both immediately go to help him. Evander is the same age as me, but he is much smaller and not nearly as strong as I am, which makes him an easy target, if it hadn't been for myself and Cara he would either be dead, or something much worse. I met him the same way I met Cara, he was about to be abducted by some creepy ass dude when I showed up and told the guy to fuck off. I brought him home and he soon became one of our own. Cara says I have a hero complex but I just shrug. I'm no cape*2.

Cara and I help him to put the water on himself, and I hand him back to Cara to head back to the front of the crowd, I'm getting sick of the 'Awws' coming from the guys behind us. Anyone else would say it with affection, but they just say it as a insult, and it honestly pisses me off. We walk on and no one talks, all we hear is the soft drip drip of water and the scurrying of the rats around us. After a few minutes we are far enough that all light now comes from the small maintenance lights above our head, but those are few and far between. I begin to feel anxious and I know something isn't right. Over the years I've learned to trust my instincts, because they are usually right. I move in front of Cara and Evander and stop, holding out my arms so that they cannot continue. Cara gets the message and puts Evander down and quietly tells him to hide in the shadows, she then moves next to me, both of us standing protectively in front of Evander, ready for a fight.

One of the boys with Adrian moves to speak but I put my finger to my lips, silently telling him to stay quiet. Adrian walks in front of the group and strides towards me, sneering. "What? Is little old Tris scared?" He says loudly, making me cringe at his stupidity, he's going to get us all killed if he doesn't shut up.

"Listen idiot, something doesn't feel right, so you need to shut up, right now before you get everyone killed." I whisper to him, my voice dripping with venom, making Adrian's gang cringe, and look back longingly at the way we came. I turn to them a jerk my chin up the way we came, "Hey, if your smart you'll get out of here now." I say, giving them their chance, they look uncertainly between Adrian and I, before they looked back at the way we came and run. I'm relived, at least they had a head start, hopefully they would get out safe. Adrian, on the other hand was not as happy.

Adrian looked between my face and his men's retreating backs with enraged eyes. I instinctively moved in front of Cara and Evander, sensing he might attack. I began to walk in a circle to bring him away from my friends, he takes the bait and stops with his back to Cara, while my back is against the wall on the other side. We glare at each other, locked in mental combat he growls out, "No one tells my men what to do." I cant stop myself was laughing softly, and looking at him with disbelief, "Your men? Are you serious? They just left you to die. They obviously aren't that loyal." I say, and I see him getting even more mad by the second. At least he's focused on me, and not Cara or Evander. "You've been here, what four years? And you think your some bad shit, right? You came here as a scared little six year old, and you expect anyone to take you seriously? Please, go back to your Mommy will you?" He said, smiling evilly, I feel my blood boil, and I try to rein in my anger, but it doesn't work. I see Cara step back from Adrian, knowing that he had crossed the line. No one talks about my family. "My Mother is dead." I ground out, feeling the rage roll off of my body in waves. I see fear in his eyes and he quickly masks. He laughs and its a dark, ugly sound. I see Cara find Evander and press both of them against the wall behind Adrian in the edge of my vision, but I'm careful not to take my eyes off Adrian.

"Oh, right, Mommy Dearest and Daddy Dearest are six feet under. Well, you would know, wouldn't you?" He says, smiling when he realizes he hit a nerve.

"Are you saying I killed my family?" I ground out, wanting nothing more than to cut this asshole to pieces.

"You said it not me.." He says, faking innocence. He must see how mad I am because he decides to attack me. Which, honestly, isn't a very good idea. Who knows what I might do when I'm mad.

He rushes me, ramming me into the wall behind my back, making the old thing crumble underneath our combined weight as we crash through. We land with a loud splash is a pool of deep water, and neither of us can see a thing. We both sink into the water, wrestling each other blindly, both trying to get the upper hand. We punch and kick each other everywhere we can, before we come up, I see him swimming towards the side of the pool-thing, and follow him, still fuming. "Oh, hell no. You're not getting away that easy, asshole!" Growl out loudly, feeling the rage over power me and make me swim faster than I ever thought was possible. I go under the water when I'm a few feet from Adrian, slipping after him soundlessly. I watch him scramble out of the water, before I burst out of the water and jump a top him, pinning him underneath my small body. He faces me and screams loudly, I smile and silence him with a strong hit to the temple.

"That's right asshole." I say, proud of myself for winning the fight. I stand, ready to leave him there, but before I can even think of getting out, I sense a body behind me. A big body. Much to big to be Cara or Evander. It is only now that I realize he was not screaming because of me. I tense.

I go into defense mode immediately, crouching down and rolling away from the body, I turn and dive into the water, swimming to the other side of the room as fast as I can, I reach the other side and come up, curling my fingers over the edge, ready to jump out and haul ass all the way back home, when I look up I notice a pair of black dress shoes standing in front of me, one clean, the other scuffed and burnt. "Shit..." I hiss as I realize who it is. What is he doing here?

Now, Remember this isn't the actual story just yet, this is just a preview and little back-story on Tris one of the two main characters.

Please Read, Review, Favorite, and Follow if you want more, its the only way I know.

Adrian means: dark one.

Cara means: Beloved friend or companion.

Evander means: Good man.

1* The knifes, not the shoes.

2* Slang for Superheroes.

-GATP