Chapter 1: Having a Tick

It's not simple to explain, but the children certainly had a tick. Social workers and therapists did their damnest to try to understand this tick but to no avail. The children were of no helping. Varrick was the easiest to reason with, he answered when necessary and gave non-questionable responses considering a child of his age that had just been through a traumatic childhood.

"Ok Varrick," a middle aged bespectacled children's counselor said. He clicked his blue pen over his note pad, his round glasses sliding down his nose as he observed the nine year old blonde haired child before him. The boy wore a large plain red t-shirt that was at least two sizes bigger than his lean figure, dirtied blue jeans and scuffed white knock-off converse. "Tell me how was your day today."

"Fine," Varrick barely spoke above a whisper. The boy glanced, bored, out the window that gave him a clear view of the school's playground. He immediately spotted his sister Vanice sitting by herself on the swings, biting down on a PB&J sandwich. Her hair was pulled into a tight high ponytail that reached to the middle of her back. The hair gel she used to slick her hair down, caused her odd hair color to standout under the hot summer sun.

"Hmm," the counselor took note of the boy's actions. "Did you have a good summer break Varrick? Anything you'd like to share?"

"Not really," Varrick said, cool blue eyes shifting its gaze back to the counselor. "We got moved to another group home. Vanice and I aren't allowed to share a room anymore. I stay with the older boys. Summer was really slow and I didn't really do much but read."

The counselor immediately jotted down what the boy said. He was surprised with the boy's sudden urge to share. "Separation Anxiety?" the counselor wrote down from what he gathered from the boy.

"Speaking of your reading," the counselor said as he put down his notepad and leaned over his desk towards the boy. A smile stretched out to its greatest capacity, revealing yellowing teeth from a heavy smoking habit. "Your IQ test came in, you scored really high and the school's interested in sending you to a gifted program if we get district approval."

"A different school?" Varrick asked, his brows rose in apprehension. His shoulders curved into his chest like he was trying to cocoon himself away from the man before him. "What about Vanice? If I go to a different school we'd have to leave our group home."

"Well you see," the counselor cleared his throat, "Vanice didn't score really high; or high enough. She might need to be put in a special needs class. She might have to stay behind at this school."

"She's fine," Varrick interjected, peeking out the window once again to spot Vanice. She was surrounded by a small group of boys and girls. It looked like an innocent circle of kids to an outsider. Varrick started to clench and unclench his fists over his laps. His breathing started to quicken and started to break out in a sweat over his brows. "It's all those pills she's taking. It messes with her. She can't think straight. It…it's poisoning her."

Varrick's eyes were glued on the crowd forming around his sister to the point that he couldn't spot her anymore. His eyes dilated and he stood up from his chair.

"I need to go to the bathroom," Varrick said

"That's fine," the counselor said, dismissing the boy's behavior, "You can go back to your recess, we're done for now."

Varrick on cue on dismissal, flung his Batman backpack over his shoulder and rushed out the office. Slamming the door shut. He could feel his heart beating in his veins as he rushed down the dirty rundown hallways of his school until he reached the exit that lead to the playground.

He dropped his backpack as soon as he stepped into the hot sun. He dug through he backpack in a frenzy, he hearing became plugged and his surrounding became distorted. He couldn't focus on anything else but his task at hand. He pulled out a pair of scissors.

He approached the crowd, pushing every child in his way and squeezing through the circle until he reached the center. There he saw his sister, Vanice on the ground. Her head was scarily close to the iron bars that held the swing to the ground. Two girls who looked a year older than them were tugging on Vanice's ponytail. Gum was pressed into her slick dark green hair and white sundress dirtied by mudballs thrown at her by the boys that were egging the two girls on.

"Spazz! Spazz!" the kids chanted until it became an irritating ring in Varrick's ears.

"GET OFF HER!" Varrick screamed, lunging at one of the girls that were pulling on Vanice's hair. With scissors in hand he plunged the weapon deep in her forearm, drawing immediately and turning to the other girl who was kicking at Vanice's side.

The girl made a move to inch away and run, but before she could make speed Varrick had grabbed at the braided blonde hair and pulled her to the floor, straddling her and about to bring the scissors over her face.

To the spectators watching, they would have sworn Varrick was just trying to protect his sister. That is until they saw the menacing smirk that spread over his features as he had pinned the girl down.

Two older boys rushed in and tackled Varrick from the girl, who immediately got up and ran in obvious tears and stained blue jeans.

Varrick was pinned down but thrashing. School officials were rushed to the scene. Two burly men held the boy down as he continued to kick and scream.

"Call the school nurse!" One school official yelled, "We need to subdue him."

"Fuck you!" Varrick screamed, kicking the man in his stomach, making the man to lurch.

"Fuck you, you fucking pig fuckers!" Varrick half screamed, half laughed. He shook his arm to harshly, it made the one of the men holding him down shoulder's to dislocate and fall over.

The more Varrick struggled more the teachers and security came forth. Among the disaster the other children were escorted back into the building. A teacher had ran back in the building to call for an ambulance and Gotham Police.

Vanice caught up in the disorder had slipped away, knowing not to get too involved until she noticed a nurse procure a needle over her brother as more men had pinned the screaming child.

"Hold him still," the young nurse said as she flicked the needle to get rid of any air bubbles, kneeling next to the side of Varrick's head ready to inject the fluid into his neck. "We still have to be gen-"

The young nurse fell to the ground. For a moment they all stared at the woman as she lay unconscious, blood starting to seep into the dirty mud soaked ground. Behind her stood Vanice. White dress tattered and dirty, hair disheveled and face none the better. She stood there, looking over the fallen body, a large sturdy rock, half the size of her immature chest held over her head.

She stared at the body, then at her brother who was now calm and looking at her with the rest of the adults as blood dripped from the rock.

Vanice then smiled at her brother and dropped the rock like it was an old toy of no use. She knelt over her brother, stroked his blonde hair and let out a sigh.

"Breathe, breathe," she cooed.

The twins definitely had a tick and that was each other.


It's been a while since I've been on Fanfiction! I'd really like to focus on this story! Please review! It gives me motivation to continue! :D

I'm debating on whether to turn this to a mature rating or leave it a Teen. Hope you liked this!

Let me know your thoughts! Reasonable criticism is appreciated!