Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or any of their original characters.

Chapter 2

Orenburg, Russia - 11 years ago

The world was black and cold. That was the first thing she knew when Bex first awoke. The second was the growing wetness of the fabric pressing against her face. When she had started crying she wasn't sure, but now that she was aware she could not stop. Even so, she could not make a sound, could not let the evidence of her growing fear show, because the third thing she knew was that she was not alone. Wherever she was, there were others with her and if they heard her crying then they would know that she was awake and weak and the yelling would start again. So would the pain.

She bit down on her lip to stifle her sniffles, so hard she almost immediately tasted blood, and did her best not to move. Remembering the old rhyme that Jade and Artemis had taught her in the darkness of their room whenever daddy started yelling and they needed to be quiet, she closed her eyes and began to silently recite to herself:

Blue brook, blue brook

So clear and bright

Here to light my path this night

Blue brook, blue brook

Protect where I tread

Lest your waters then run red

Red brook, red brook

Through the woods you run

Warning others of what was done

Red brook, red brook

Off with my spirit you send

And thus my story there must end

She didn't know how many times she went through it in her head before the rocking beneath her finally stopped. The muttering of voices filled the previously quiet space with words she didn't understand and her breath caught in her throat. Before she knew it she was being yanked up and tossed out. As she slammed into the ground, something cold and soft cushioned the blow slightly, though not enough to keep pain from shooting through her small body. She let out a whimper and curled in on herself, trying to lie as still as possible to make the hurt stop.

"Вставай!"

She flinched at the shouted word and tried to make herself even smaller. Another muttering of strange words and then she was being wrenched up and to her feet.

"Ходьбы!"

A fierce, cold wind came up and bit at her hands and feet, fluttering her cotton nightgown, and Bex started to shake. She didn't know what they were saying, she didn't know where she was, and she didn't know who these people were. The only thing she did know was that she was cold and scared and she wanted to go home. She was so close to crying again and her eyes began to hurt from the effort of holding the tears back. The man let out an impatient growl and she felt a hard shove between her shoulder blades, making her stumble forward. "Walk!" The word sounded funny and she could barely make it out, but finally there was a word she understood. She slowly started to walk, the ground cold and crunching under her bare feet. Snow. Wherever she was, it was snowing. Her body gave another shudder as the warmth was slowly leached from her body and feeling began to drain from her feet and hands.

She must have been walking to slowly because after a minute or so a rough hand grabbed her by the arm and began to haul her forward. A little cry escaped her as pieces of ice and the rough ground it lay on tore at her feet. Whoever had a grip on her arm gave her a quick jerk. "Прекрати!" She still didn't understand, but it was the same tone daddy used when he wanted her to be quiet, so she bit her lip and kept silent.

They didn't walk for too long before she was being shoved up a set of steps where she heard a loud noise and the dragging sound of something scraping against another thing. There was a final harsh gust of wind as they moved forward and then she heard the dragging sound again and it was gone. The ground beneath her changed, becoming smoother and lacking the crunch and bite of snow. She was inside a building now. She let out a slight breath of relief. She still couldn't feel her feet, but at least the ground wasn't hurting her anymore.

They started forward again, but this time they walked for a long time. Bex became dizzy with how many times she was forced to turn around some unseen corner and her small shoulders grew sore from the times she was shoved into that corner in the process. Eventually they came to a stop, the hand yanking her back when she tried to continue forward. There was a rustling beside her as the person shifted slightly. They were moving, doing something, but she didn't know what. "Черный дельфин плавает в одиночестве в свете." The string of strange words shattered the silence that had surrounded them for so long and made Bex jump. There a whooshing sound and then she was being roughly pushed forward onto the floor. She heard them step in beside her and then another whooshing sound. Suddenly they floor below them was moving, dropping. An elevator, she realized.

Down, down, down they went before coming to stop. Just as she was shoved in the elevator, she was pushed just as roughly back out. Her knees must be black and blue by now. This time, though, the man didn't wait for her to stand, simply latched onto her arm and began dragging her. Her shoulder and arm burned from the harsh grip and awkward angle and she cried out in pain.

"Заткнись", he growled and gave her arm another yank. She bit her tongue to keep from yelping again and eventually managed to scramble to her feet, relieving the pressure. Her little legs began to shake from exhaustion, but she did her best to keep up. It wasn't long before they stopped once again. There was a soft beep and then she was being thrusted forward into what felt like a metal chair. She felt around with her hands and righted herself. There was another beep and the sound of the door shutting.

It was so quiet. Was she finally alone? Deciding she must be, she began to shake. Her little hands gripped the sides hard and her terror began to grow. Finally, she allowed the tears to come and before she knew it she was sobbing. She reached up and began tearing at the bag over her head, desperate to get it off. When she did, she was immediately blinded by a light dangling from the ceiling. She flinched, dropping the bag, and shielded her eyes. It took a moment, but her eyes adjusted and she looked around. Turns out she wasn't alone after all.

The room was small and dim, though brighter than it had been inside the bag, with stone walls and concrete floors and right across from her was a man. He was older and tall with black and white hair. His face was lined with thick brows and two ropes of hair trailing from either side of his nose. He was dressed funny too with big black boots and a long green cape with a collar. They were the brightest green she'd ever seen. They were also the coldest she'd ever seen. Feeling them seemingly seeing right through her, Bex shuddered and immediately shrank back. She refused to meet his eyes and he approached her from his spot by the wall. He was so tall. He towered over her. And the moment he knelt down to her level, forcing her to look at him, she knew this man could hurt her. He could hurt her badly if he wanted to. He cocked his head to the side as he studied her.

Too late she realized she was still crying, her breathes coming out in gasps. No, no, no! He couldn't see her crying. He'd see how weak she was. Daddy always said crying was for weaklings and no daughter of his was a weakling. If she was weak that meant pain. He'd be so mad if he knew. Just like this man. He'll be mad and he'll hurt her and it would never stop.

She saw him notice her tears, saw his mouth turn down and his eyes narrow into a glare. It scared her so bad and before she could stop herself, she was stuttering out, "I-I'm s-so s-s-sorr-y. I-I p-promise I'm n-n-not w-weak."

He cocked his head to the other side and remained silent for another moment or two. And then he spoke.

"No need to apologize, Rebecca. I know you're not weak."

His voice was soft and gently accented. He sounded nice. Bex's eyes widened. Daddy never sounded like that. It was strange.

"In fact", he said, still in that quiet voice, "I'm so very glad you're here. Rebecca, my name is Ra's. Ra's al Ghul. And we are going to be very good friends."

Then he smiled. And she forgot about nice and gentle vs yelling and rage. Somehow this was far, far scarier.


Hey, guys! So remember what I said about not expecting new chapters? Well it's still true! However, I decided that y'all deserved at least one more chapter out of me today, so I worked fast and managed to crank this one out between classes. I really hope you guys like it! Please review and let me know what you think. Again, I know I'm rusty, so please be gentle with me! I'm still fragile. ;D Thanks!

~SAA~