For several months, Carole decided to prove her ability by training hard. Very hard. She would go to the gym and work for sometimes hours at a time.

One day, nearing Carole's thirteenth birthday, John Stewart came to a decision while his daughter was at the gym. He took the old fashioned route to the gym: walking.

~Let me apologize for what I'm about to say~

"Carole."

Carole silently pushed the barbell back up from her chest, then moved them down. Up. Down.

John contemplated his daughter, gifted with superior strength from her mother's side. "I've come to a decision."

"I already know the decision," Carole gritted out resignedly. "Wait, Carole. You're too young. Too inexperienced."

John shook his head. "Well, if you're that convinced, maybe I'd better leave you to your illusions."

Carole sat up, wiping sweat from her forehead. "What do you mean?"

"Your mother and I have decided to ask about whether or not you would be admitted. Batman's already got three or four kids in the business, much less supervised than you would be. If you were careful, we were considering letting you start small."

Carole's mouth opened and then closed again, eyes round. "Really?"

"Yes." John gestured at the barbell. "You're strong, fast, and with training, could become as much of a warrior as your mother was."

"Is," Carole corrected.

"This, from the girl who claims we are too old," John said bemusedly. "We will talk to the Justice League founders and discuss whether or not you would be permitted to enter for the smaller missions for now."

The sparkle in Carole's eyes faded and she looked down as she grabbed her towel.

"What's the matter? Nervous?" John asked.

"I just don't want to fail," she said quietly.

Her father rested his hand on her shoulder. "You won't. You'll make us proud whether or not you get in the Justice League. You know that?"

"Yes." Carole stood up. "Thank you." She smiled. "Thank you very much. May I go tell Mrs. Adams?"

John nodded. "Of course. Share the news with your friends."

Carole took off into the air, flew through the gym door, and started for the north end of Mowbridge.

~But trying to be genuine was harder than it seemed~

The thing about her town, Mowbridge, was that people knew about the superheroes, and they were fine with Carole's wings. Carole had even made friends with some of the people there, and not all of them were her own age.

Vera Adams was a fun-loving 49 year-old widow, and a good friend of Carole. She'd come from a poor background, and fell in love and married a rich man. After her husband died, she remained in the mansion and tended to lose track of time.

She had one child, a son named Martin Jr., whom Carole spent much of her free time with. It was only natural that she, after sharing her concerns with them, would wish to share her accomplishments, dreams, and hopes.

Smiling, Carole flapped double time to pick up speed. Today was a victorious day.

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think in a review, it helps me out a lot. As always, I'll see you next time.