A/N: Hi people of the world! i have emerged from my cave with a plot line that I can follow happily and the upsetting news that:

I STILL DON'T OWN YOUNG

GOTHAM CITY

AUGUST 14 2013

20:02EDT

JAILBREAK DAY

When most people think of Gotham, they think of the Dynamic Duo, or of crime infested alleys and the joker. What people don't think about are the consequences of the crimes. Death, murder and toxic gases are second nature to the children of Gotham. The street rats. Orphans crammed into juvenile detention centres because the orphanages are overflowing as it is. Kids that learn to fight instead of play. They have to learn to survive the actual inmates. Kids that will never be adopted.

It's in one such centre that this story begins. The story of a street rat that learned to fly.

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If you go down into the east side of Gotham, you tend to expect the unexpected. Cats crawling everywhere, manic laughter following you down the streets; a world of darkness and filth.

Situated in all this is Gotham City Correctional Facility. Or as the inmates have 'affectionately' called it: Every Childs Hell! It was a classic correction facility: High walls painted white, but over the years gone grey; small bared windows and a guard outside the door. The only way to tell the orphans from the delinquents was the fact that the orphans wore black jumpsuits instead of orange ones.

This day happened to be a very special day for one of these children. A girl named Sophie Macmillan. It was her birthday. Six years to the day since she came here. Six years since her parents were killed. She would turn eleven and then she would break free of this hell. It was all set. As soon as the time reached 20:10 she would act.

She was sitting at her table, alone as always. Anticipation mounting, she glanced at the clock. 8 minutes. She could deal with that. She glanced around the dinner hall. There was Jake, threatening the new kids; the delinquents mingling with long term 'renters'. That's what they called the orphans. Renters: because they didn't belong there.

'As if we had the choice' she thought savagely, as she watched a new orphan being 'taught the ropes'. What a joke.

Would she miss them afterwards? Hell no!

She chanced a glance at Mary. Mary was Sophie's personal guard. Dressed in her uniform she struck you as oddly intimidating person. With short cropped hair, muscular build and permanent scowl, she was exactly what you would expect from a cop that guards misguided kids. But Sophie knew better. She knew that Mary was a true re-incarnation of the virgin mother. Or at least she would have been if Sophie was religious. Mary was going to get Sophie out because she honestly pitied the little black haired girl; the one that grew up too fast.

Swift eyes followed Mary as she crossed the hall. Demented smirks flew across the inmates faces as they watched her go to Sophie's table. They all thought she had done something wrong, that she was going to get punished.

'Suckers' she thought as Mary forcibly grabbed her arm and removed her from the room. Because tonight Sophie wouldn't be running laps around the gym will the 'instructors' threw stones at her. Tonight she was breaking free.

Keeping up the facade of being stubbornly defiant, Sophie was led through the grimy tiled halls one last time. Soon they had arrived at Mary's office. Closing the door behind her, Mary bent so she was looking up into Sophie's clear green eyes.

"We have roughly 5 minutes to get you out of here Little One" she whispered. She had a surprisingly soft voice for a cop that spends most her time shouting.

"I know, Mary. I promise I'll get out. I promise I'll go to the place you told me about. Don't worry sweet mother, I'll make it out"

"Alright; here" She handed Sophie a black backpack. "It has plenty of rations, a blanket and several water bottles. That should last you until I can move you."

Mary stood from the ground, kissed Sophie's forehead and led her to the window. A blast of cold, stale city air blew through the office as it was opened. Hugging Mary for one last time, Sophie quickly clambered onto the windowsill.

"Be silent, be swift and don't you dare give up Little One" and those were the last words they would say to one another, as Sophie dropped down onto the filthy pavement below. Landing cat-like, she raced to the emergency gate. Sliding Mary's pass through the receiver, the gate clicked open and Sophie Macmillan raced out into the Gotham streets.

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GOTHAM CITY

AUGUST 15 2013

03:00 EDT

Sophie had run all night. That was a dangerous feat in itself in Gotham. But she was determined. Mary had made a safe house for her and she was not going to end up as a stray. No she would get to the safe house, she must. Mary had told...no ordered her not to give up; she will never give up. There! She finally found it.

It was a derelict two story house. Nobody had lived there for some time but all the local street rats stayed well clear of the place. The demon cat lived there. That's what they said. The windows had been boarded up and the door was swinging off its hinges. The garden was overgrown, with thick, waist high grass that Sophie had to wade through; finally getting to the worn and chipped stone stairs. Fear bubbled in the pit of her stomach. Something was very wrong. Every instinct in her body told her to run, escape while she could. But that was stupid, why should she be scared of an old house. Albeit a very creepy and dirty old house, but an old house none the less.

Shoving her feelings of fear aside Sophie moved away the cobwebs and entered.

The hallway was dark, dirty and depressing. The wallpaper that was once a pale lilac was tattered and hanging off the walls. Claw marks decorated the walls and furniture like a personalized sign. A sign that read: SCARY CAT CREATURE LIVES HER. DO NOT ENTER!

Well Sophie wasn't scared of any cat; spiders on the other hand were another story. A story that is still painful for her. And one that will probably be dragged up again judging by the amount of cobwebs in this place.

The claw marks decorated every room Sophie investigated. After exploring the bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and dining room, Sophie finally settled down in the living room. It was a spacious room and had the least cobwebs so hopefully the least amount of spiders. Sophie's eyes ached from staying open and her earlier fear was back again. Shaking her head, she refused to rest. A strange feeling had entered Sophie's heart. Cold dread had gripped her. Something was about to happen and god damn her if she was going to sleep through it.

Slowly the grey light of dawn seeped through cracks in the boards and walls. Then suddenly there was a yowling sound. A small creature had just darted from the chimney. Its great green eyes staring at Sophie with a glint of hunger. It was a cat.

A tom by the looks of it. Black fur was matted and bloody. Chunks were missing and scars were visible in the half-light.

"You're the vicious cat creature that haunts this building?" she breathed. It came out as a question and Sophie immediately felt like an idiot. 'A few hours out of hell and I'm already going insane! Talking to cats!'

Then the remarkable happened. The cat bowed its head.

"Can you understand me?" she whispered, disbelief and wonderment colouring her voice. Slowly the cat bowed its head again.

"I'm not the first human you've done this to, am I?" The cat slowly turned its head; no.

"Could you keep watch while I sleep, please? It's just; you seem like a fighter, someone I can trust"

The cat walked over to her and curled into her side. Its warmth was comforting although it was small. With a small smile, Sophie curled up around the cat and pulled the blanket over both of them. She had made a friend. A friend that everyone else was scared of. With her mind made up she let sleep claim her. She was going to be friends with this cat and she was going to look after it like she would do a human. And with the dawn of a new day, it looked like a bright future for Sophie.