Thea is nine, she goes to Starling City elementary. Her older brother, every day after school ends, he walks her home. Oliver is his name. He is eight years older than her. Thea waits patiently under a shady oak for her brother.
Poor Thea is not the average girl at her school, for many reasons. She is the daughter of Moira Queen and Robert Queen, the owners of Queen Consolidated. Thea's brother is also known to the students as a vigilante, he protects the children from bullies like Chein Na Wei and her goon, the Bronze Tiger. But when he transferred to Starling High, Starling City elementary was left unprotected.
"Hey loser." Slade said, he is an older kid from Starling High. He occasionally comes to the elementary to tease and beat up the youngest, weakest kids who can't or won't put up a fight.
"What do you want Slade." Thea said as she quickly got up to her feet.
"Me and Floyd where lookin' for something to hit." He responded. Floyd Lawton cocked an eyebrow. Thea's expression changed, her only thought was to run. She made a move for the front gate but Floyd was faster. he gripped her by the arm.
"Now we are going to have leverage over that stupid rich-boy." Floyd laughed while Thea uselessly struggled in his grasp. She cried for them to let her go. Slade pushed her out of Floyd's claw-like hands and into a wire fence.
"Ten seconds head-start." He said. Thea looked him in the eye fearfully, but when he started counting, she darted in the other direction. Three seconds after they stopped counting, Slade was on her. He held her arms down, Slade handed Thea to Floyd who took her hands behind her back and they again, shoved her against the wire fence. Tears welled in her eyes and Slade smiled. Floyd looked a little uncomfortable, beating on a little girl. But Slade happily slammed his fists into her stomach and his grin widened at every shout of pain. A few other kids joined him in his fit of rage, Chien Na Wei being one of them and another being a boy everyone calls Brick. Thea cried for help, and her brother. All that came was more pain and rude insults somebody would occasionally throw at her in between kicks and punches. Thea was sure she'd have bruises, if not fractures. her ribs hurt really bad and she felt winded from the blows to her abdomen. Slade hit her eye, and it was now swollen shut. Blood trickled from a cut on her head and fear surrounded her.
"No... please." She said. Slade laughed and his friends joined in.
"Why would we stop, we're having so much fun!" A figure in a green hoodie jumped of the roof and landed roughly but steadily on the pavement.
"Because she told you to." It said. Slade ignored the green hood and hit Thea over and over while the rest of them fled.
"STOP!" The figure yelled, he barreled at Slade and knocked him away from Thea who laid utterly still, not moving and from the looks of it, not breathing. The green hood tied Slade to the bloodied fence and picked up the small girl, who was now passed out. He ran down the alley, out on to the street and to the nearest hospital. Before he entered, he whipped of his hood.
"Help! somebody, help her." Oliver cried. A nurse hurried over and checked her pulse, a steady beat. Another came over with a first aid kit and a different hospital staff questioned Oliver on what happened. He told them he found a gang of bullies beating her and scared most of, he told them how he tied one to the fence and how he needed to see his sister. A doctor had moved Thea into a hospital room so the nurses could monitor her better. When Oliver walked in he was startled at what he saw. Thea had broken at least two ribs, both where treated. Thea's arm was in a cast and there is gauze wrapped around the cut on her head. There is a bag of ice on her eye and wires sticking out in every possible direction. Oliver was distraught. His sister, his baby sister, stuck in this hospital because he couldn't get there in time. This was his fault.
"Hey, bro." Thea said weakly.
"Hi Speedy, how are you feeling?"
"Great." Thea joked tiredly.
"Get some sleep." Oliver said, petting her cheek. Thea forced a pained smile. Oliver was furious at what Slade and hid gang had done to his sister, he's out to kill.