CHAPTER FOUR: Just A Little Bit of Magic

JOEY

It had been a week since she'd spoken to Dick or any of the others. Joey was kind of sad about that, even though she'd barely known any of them... They were the first friends her age she'd ever had. It helped that she had Megan and Conner to keep her company, though. Megan continued to be super nice, if a bit too enthusiastic. Conner had an attitude problem, but he'd sort of adopted Joey and, by extension, Megan. They were probably the only people at the school he somewhat tolerated.

Joey watched as one of the girls frowned at a boy who was harassing her. "Get lost, Ashton," she said sharply.

"You're such a weirdo, Zatanna," the boy taunted her. "I mean, what the hell kind of name is Zatanna Zatara, anyway?"

She smiled at him a little too sweetly. "You'll find out," she mumbled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing. Just being a weirdo." She smiled at him again.

Ashton shrugged and walked away. "Pirt dna llaf no ruoy ecaf," Zatanna muttered under her breath. Suddenly, Ashton tripped over absolutely nothing and fell on his face. He wasn't seriously injured, but his pride certainly took a hit as everyone began laughing at him.

"That was strange," Joey commented aloud.

"Not really," Zatanna said with a mysterious shrug.

"I guess it was just instant karma?"

Zatanna smiled at her. "You're new, right?"

"Yeah," Joey admitted. "I'm Joey. Joey Luthor."

"Zatanna Zatara. Pleased to meet you." Zatanna extended her white gloved hand toward her.

Joey shook it. "Aren't gloves a little bit formal for cafeteria food?" She joked lightly.

Zatanna laughed. "You are new. I'm a stage magician. Sometimes, I like to live the gimmick, you know?"

"You really do magic tricks? That's cool. I've never met someone with that hobby before."

"It's more than a hobby, Joey. It's a way of life." A girl who radiated rage and teen angst entered the cafeteria then and Zatanna added, "For some more than others."

"Who's the Goth girl?" Joey asked.

"That's Rachel Roth. She's sort of... Intense."

"Yeah, I noticed that."

"I'd steer clear. There's something not right about that girl."

Joey was sort of drawn to Rachel, but she decided to heed Zatanna's advice. There was something in her tone that told her she was genuinely trying to look out for Joey's best interest.

Megan came running toward her then, dragging Conner behind her. "Joey! I see you've met Zatanna. Isn't she great?" Megan asked.

"How do you guys know each other?" Joey asked.

Megan suddenly looked nervous. "Her uncle is a friend of my father's," Zatanna explained smoothly.

"Yeah," Megan said with an awkward laugh. "They work together sometimes."

"That's cool," Joey said.

"Conner, have you met Zatanna?" Megan asked.

"No," Conner replied. He didn't offer any other response.

Zatanna looked him up and down with mild interest. "Hi, Conner," she said. "It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah, sure," Conner said dismissively.

"Wow, Conner, you'd better slow down there. I can barely keep up with all your witty responses!" Zatanna said dryly.

"Whatever." Conner took his lunch tray and began walking away.

"He's just hungry," Megan said quickly.

"Right. I'm sure that's all it is," Zatanna said kindly.

"I'd better go join him... So he's not lonely," Megan added before hurrying after him.

"Could she possibly crush on him any harder?" Zatanna asked, shaking her head. "I don't get it. He seems like a jerk."

"I'm still not sure what Conner's deal is," Joey admitted. "But we get along okay for the most part." She was drawn to Conner, and she wasn't sure why. The more time she spent around him, the more he reminded her of someone, but she couldn't figure out who. He bore a fairly striking resemblance to Mr. Kent, although he swore they weren't related. It was more than that, though... Something else was familiar to her, and for whatever reason, Conner had decided to stay close to Joey. He kept anyone she didn't want around from getting too close, and for that, Joey was grateful.

"You should probably go sit with them," Zatanna said. "I don't mind the company, but if you stay with me, the other students will label you a weirdo, too."

"I'm okay with that," Joey replied. "I'll catch up with Megan and Conner later. No one should have to eat alone." She sat beside Zatanna, earning her a smile from her new friend.

"I like you, Joey," Zatanna said. "You've got guts."

"I don't care what people think. I'll hang out with whomever I please."

"So, what year are you in?"

"I'm a junior. You?"

"Senior. If you ever need a big sister, I've got your back."

Joey smiled at her. "I appreciate that."

Just like that, she'd made another friend. It felt nice knowing there were some friendly faces waiting for her in the high school.

A sudden wave of guilt crashed over her. She'd already made friends, but because one of them had freaked her out and the other had helped him cross a major privacy line, Joey had cut them out. Maybe she'd been too hard on them. She wasn't sure what to think anymore. "Have you been in this school long?" Joey asked.

"Since I was a freshman," Zatanna replied.

"Do you know much about the younger students?"

"Who are you looking for information on?" Zatanna asked with a knowing grin. She was ready to gossip.

"Dick Grayson... Can I trust him?"

Zatanna looked surprised. "Sure. Dick's a nice enough guy. He does stupid things sometimes because he's kind of impulsive, but for the most part, he's harmless. I mean, he had a really rough childhood, so... You know, that shapes people."

"What happened?"

"He didn't tell you? No, I guess he wouldn't. Dick doesn't talk about it much... His whole family died when he was about nine years old. They were trapeze artists, and there was this... freak accident I guess... Dick won't tell anyone the details, but I'm guessing it was pretty horrible. He watched them all die. He was the only one who survived."

Joey's eyes widened in horror. "That's awful!" She said.

"Bruce Wayne... yes, as in our principal... heard about his situation and took him in. There are certainly worse people to adopt a kid, but he's sort of... Well, intense. I'm sure you've noticed."

"Yeah, I have... But is he good to him?"

"Oh, sure. Principal Wayne has tons of money, so Dick will never want for anything, and he's not abusive or anything... He just keeps walls around himself all the time that are a hundred feet tall. I don't know if he lets down his guard around Dick, but it's got to be hard on him to have to deal with that level of intensity all the time."

"So you know Dick pretty well, then?"

"Not really. I mean, I've known the kid for a few years, but we never really hung out. Dick doesn't let people in either. He probably learned that from living with our principal."

"He let me in. He latched on to me right away."

"Then you're a very lucky girl, Joey. It usually takes Dick a long time to trust people. I can probably count the people he fully trusts on one hand. It might just be Principal Wayne and Wally. Maybe Barbara and Artemis. I'm not even sure of that."

"I flipped out on him... He did something stupid, with Wally's help, and I haven't talked to either of them since."

"Wally's a genius, but he's also an idiot. He's not a bad guy, though, and neither is Dick. You should try talking to them... They might surprise you, and I'm sure they feel bad about whatever they did."

Joey sighed. "I've been thinking about talking to them anyway... I feel like I was kind of hard on them, and knowing what Dick's been through... I feel like a creep ignoring him."

"Like I said, Dick does dumb things sometimes, but he means well. Look inside of yourself and figure out if you want to give him another shot. No one can make that decision except for you."

"Thanks, Zatanna. I appreciate the advice."

"What are honorary big sisters for?" She smiled at her. Then, she frowned at something on her lunch tray and mumbled, "Emoceb etalocohc." A minute later, she lifted her spoon to her mouth and ate some chocolate pudding.

"I thought they only had vanilla pudding today," Joey said in confusion. She very much preferred chocolate, but she'd settled.

"Nope. In fact, you grabbed chocolate, too," Zatanna said sweetly. "Didn't you realize that?" She coughed, although it sounded like she mumbled something under her breath again.

"What are you talking about?" Joey asked.

"Look down."

Joey glance down at her tray. Sure enough, she had chocolate pudding. "But... I swore it was... How the...?" She mumbled.

"I guess we got lucky," Zatanna said with a grin.

"Yeah... I guess so..." Joey mumbled. She began eating the pudding, happy but extremely confused. "You did magic, didn't you?" Joey asked suddenly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Zatanna said innocently.

"It was some slight-of-hand trick, right? Wow, you're really good! I didn't even notice you were moving."

Zatanna grinned at her. "You caught me," she said. "I figured if I could cheat the system, you should benefit from it, too."

"Thanks. That was cool of you."

"Of course."

They ate the rest of their pudding while engaging in pleasant small talk. Joey was glad she'd decided to talk to Zatanna. She couldn't understand why kids treated her like she was a freak. She seemed pretty awesome to her. Her mood was a lot better now. Joey decided she would give Dick, Wally, Artemis, Barbara, and Billy another chance. They'd been the first people to be friendly to her. She owed them the opportunity to make things right, especially since only two of them had actually done anything to upset her.

I'll talk to them later, she promised herself.

MEGAN

She sat and watched Conner as he watched Joey from a distance. "Do you like Joey?" Megan finally asked.

Conner seemed confused by her question. "Sure, she's okay," he replied.

"No, I mean... Do you have a crush on her or something?"

"No."

"You just... You keep watching her."

"Do I? My mind just wandered."

"Okay," Megan said. She paused. She could find answers, of course. All she had to do was dig a little deeper into his mind. She took a quick peak, just to see what he was actually thinking about.

Protect the girl, Conner thought. Above all else, keep her safe. You cannot allow yourself to become distracted! The mission must be completed. He recited this over and over, like a mantra.

Mission? Megan thought.

"What?" Conner asked aloud.

"What?" Megan repeated.

"Did you... Did you just say something?"

"Me? Oh, no," Megan said quickly. "Why?"

"I swore I heard... Never mind."

Megan smiled at him brightly until he looked away again. She took a deep breath. Hello, Megan! You can't think so loudly when you're looking around inside of someone's head. He's not supposed to know you can hear him, remember? She scolded herself. She'd nearly blown her cover. Batman was very suspicious of Conner, as was the rest of the Justice League... But Megan couldn't imagine him being a bad guy. He was just... Conner. And she really liked him. Still, his thoughts had been troubling. She made a mental note to try to figure out what he might be up to. That was part of her job, after all.

So is befriending Joey, Megan thought. She genuinely liked Joey and enjoyed their time together. She'd never really had friends before, and Joey and Conner made her feel like a normal high school girl. She didn't want to lose that, but she knew she had to be careful. Joey definitely didn't seem to be any sort of threat. Her thoughts were really hard to read, but what Megan had picked up wasn't especially alarming. Conner, however, was apparently another story.

I'm sure he's not a bad person, Megan told herself. He couldn't be. Conner had a good heart... She could feel it, no matter what his thoughts might be implying.

"Megan? Are you... I mean... Are you okay?" Conner asked awkwardly.

She practically melted. He cares about whether or not I'm okay? She thought with excitement. Then, she remembered she needed to answer him. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine," she said quickly. "I guess I just have a lot on my mind..."

Conner paused, studying her. "Do you want to get out of here?" He asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Like... Go somewhere... Other than here."

"You mean like skipping class? Together?"

"Yeah, I guess I do mean that. I mean, don't you ever want to spend time away from here? Some place where we can just relax and be... Ourselves?"

"I do, actually... But won't we get in trouble?"

"Only if we get caught." He actually smiled at her slightly.

His smile was what did it. "Okay," she said shyly. "I'd like that."

"Come on... Follow me." He took her hand and led her out of the cafeteria quickly. Conner looked both ways before he took off running, dragging her along for the ride. Megan was barely able to keep up as they raced through the halls, trying to avoid the eyes of anyone who would stop them from leaving. Finally, they reached the door, unseen by anyone else. They slipped outside.

"Success!" Megan cheered.

"Shhhh! You're going to give us away!" Conner said harshly.

Megan lowered her face, staring at her feet in embarrassment. Conner seemed to soften. "It's okay," he said, tilting her chin back up with his index finger until she was looking him in the eye. "Let's go."

"Where are we going exactly?" Megan asked.

"Anywhere outside... I just... I want to watch the sun."

"Watch the sun?" She repeated.

"Yeah... It's beautiful, isn't it? I like it."

Megan smiled. "I like it, too," she admitted.

They walked several blocks before finally finding a park. "This is perfect," Conner said. "That hill is really high up. Come on." He led her up the hill until they reached the very top. He motioned for her to sit down before he joined her. He stared up at the sun, practically glowing as sunlight surrounded him.

"This is nice," Megan said.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I'm not really allowed to do this sort of thing."

"Why not?"

"They won't let me."

"Who won't? Your family?"

"What? Oh... Yeah. My family." He sighed. "Sometimes, I wish I could just do what I wanted to for a change."

"I know what you mean."

"You do?" He looked at her with surprise in his eyes.

"Yeah. I mean... My uncle's great, but staying here with him comes with a lot of... Responsibilities. And I don't mind that. Really. But when he figures out what we're doing right now, he's going to flip out on me."

"Who says he has to know?"

"He always figures it out. I guess I just think too loudly." She laughed awkwardly. "Especially when I'm excited."

"No offense, but when aren't you excited?" He teased her.

Megan blushed. "I know you don't know what to do with me. I'm sorry I'm so socially awkward..."

"Megan... You're not so bad," he said softly.

She stared at him. "Really?"

"Really." He put his hand over hers on the grass and squeezed it. He kept his hand lingering there even after he released his grip, and she sort of never wanted him to move it ever again.

He's not evil, Megan decided. There had to be some other explanation. She allowed herself to slip back inside of his mind.

They're going to be furious, he thought. But it's worth it. This brief taste of freedom is worth more than whatever they can offer me. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Megan kept her thoughts in her own head as she wondered, Who is he afraid of? It's like he's being controlled... Maybe that's it! She looked even deeper.

They want me to protect Joey... And I will, he decided. But maybe I can be more than their slave...

Suddenly, his thoughts took a sharp turn. I am the Superboy, created to replace the Superman should he perish or turn his back on the Light. There is nothing else. That is my mission, my purpose for existing. Even being here is a betrayal.

"Megan... We should go back," he said.

"We don't have to, Conner," Megan said. She felt a deep sense of sympathy for him now. She understood what he was from his flashes of memory... He was a clone, made from Superman's DNA. She needed to turn him over to the Justice League immediately! But he was more than that. She knew he was.

"Yes. We do," he said sharply. She could tell his mind had shifted. He would not be able to fight his orders any longer.

I'll help you, Superboy, she thought. It wasn't her mission. In fact, it was probably the opposite of her mission... But Superboy, or Conner, or whoever he really was was connected to Joey and the people the Justice League had to stop from harming the innocent. Didn't that mean protecting him from those people protected everyone else, too?

"Okay," she said patiently. "Let's go back." She took his hand and they walked back to the school together.

DICK

He was seriously not whelmed. He'd been trying for days to figure out how to make things up to Joey, but nothing was working. Bruce had gotten all of the paperwork from Commissioner Gordon, but he hadn't shared any of the information with Dick yet. No one had been able to pinpoint where Conner Kent came from or how he'd ended up enrolled in Gotham High. And although Dick had signed the paperwork to exhume the grave of his twin sister, it hadn't happened yet. Some "concerned citizen" had objected to the exhumation anonymously, demanding the city step in and prevent the "desecration" of the infant's grave.

He was about ten seconds away from giving up all hope of anything good happening. "Damnit!" He cursed. He threw his backpack through the air and it landed impressively far away. He could have flung it further, but he hadn't really been trying.

"Dick?" Someone asked in alarm.

Dick looked up and realized Joey stood before him, his backpack in her hands. "Joey..." He said softly.

"I think you dropped this... Or, tossed it, actually... Really far. What are you, a baseball player? You'd make a hell of a pitcher."

"I'm stronger than I look," Dick replied with a shrug. "You're talking to me..." He added softly.

"I am."

"Not that I'm not totally whelmed about this, but... Why the change of heart?"

"I heard about what happened to your family," Joey said softly.

Dick tensed. "Who ran their mouth? Wally? It was Wally, wasn't it? It's always Wally."

"No. It wasn't Wally. I haven't talked to any of you since last week."

"Okay... So, you heard... And what?"

"I'm just... I'm really sorry you went through that, Dick... And now I understand why the idea that you might have another family member would be so overwhelming to you... And why you'd jump the gun and be stupid to try and find answers."

"Joey... I'm sorry. Really. I didn't mean to freak you out, and I should have talked to you before I just had Wally run a DNA test."

"How reliable is a test run by a kid anyway?"

"Wally's a lot smarter than he acts. He doesn't make mistakes when it comes to science."

"I'd take this more seriously if someone neutral ran the test."

"I could ask his uncle to do it. Mr. Allen doesn't mess around when it comes to science. He'll tell us the truth, not just what any of us may want to hear."

"And if the results aren't what you think they are... Will you let this drop?"

"Okay. I promise I'll let it go if the test results prove you're not actually my sister."

"Good. Then maybe we can be okay, Dick."

He nodded. "Thanks for giving me a chance, Joey. It means a lot."

"Don't screw it up." She smiled at him, then paused. "You seemed upset when you threw your bag, Dick. What's wrong?"

"Everything, basically." He sighed.

"Dramatic much?" She teased him, but he could see the concern in her eyes.

"I'm trying to have the grave exhumed... But someone is trying to prevent it."

"The... Grave? You mean your sister's grave?"

"Yeah. I think it's empty, Joey. And the fact that someone's going out of their way to try to prevent me from finding out is furthering that suspicion."

"Why would someone do that?"

"Because a body may not have been buried in that grave, but a secret seems to have been... And if we exhume the grave and nothing is inside of it, we'll have proof that something is going on." He paused. "There's one other thing, Joey..."

"What is it?" Joey asked.

"There's a picture of you in the police archives from the day you were born... You were wearing a necklace."

"Okay... So?"

Dick took a deep breath. He pulled the necklace out from beneath his shirt. "I have the exact same necklace. My parents gave it to me the day I was born."

Joey looked at him nervously. "That doesn't mean anything... It's a coincidence, Dick."

"Maybe," he said with a shrug. "But what if it's not?"

"Let's just go find Mr. Allen. He can settle this once and for all, and then we can let it go and move on, okay?"

"Okay," Dick agreed. "Come on. He's still in his lab." He walked ahead, hoping she would follow. She did, much to his relief.

When they arrived at the lab, Barry smiled at them pleasantly. "Hey, Dick," he said. Then, he paused. "And Joey. What brings you two to my lab?"

"Ba- Mr. Allen, I need you to re-run the test Wally ran on our DNA," Dick said.

"I see... Are you sure this is what you want, Joey?" Barry asked gently.

"At least this time, I know the test is being run," Joey replied.

"Very well. Come here. I'll swab both of your cheeks and do the test that way."

"How long will it take to get the results?"

"With my machines working their magic? Not long at all," Barry replied with a smile. He took the samples quickly and began running the test. He studied the results for an agonizingly long amount of time that was probably only thirty seconds or so in reality before he finally spoke. "Okay," he said. "There is no doubt in my mind that these results are correct."

"And?" Joey asked.

"Is she my sister?" Dick asked at the same time.

"The likelihood that you are not extremely close relatives is non-existent," Barry said gently. "A match this close indicates full siblings."

Joey swayed a bit, but steadied herself by grabbing onto a table. "Joey... Sit down, sweetheart," Barry said gently.

"I don't understand... My father said he found me, abandoned in the street, but..." She began. She shook her head. "No... No, I need to... I need to go home."

"Joey, please, you're in shock-" Barry began.

"I'm sorry we bothered you, Mr. Allen. I have to go," Joey said again. She took off running.

"Hello! Go after her, Flash!" Dick said. "She can't outrun you."

"That's not a good idea, Dick," Barry said. "She needs time to process this news. Give her the space she needs and I promise, she'll come back. And when she does, we can help her."

"Lex Luthor lied to her, Barry! Who knows what he'll do when he figures out that she's on to him?"

"She should be safe for now. Joey's a smart girl, Dick. I'm sure she won't do anything dangerous."

"But... She's my sister."

"She's your sister," Barry agreed. "And you have to let her figure out how to deal with that information on her own."

Dick felt like screaming, but he knew Barry was right. He couldn't risk driving Joey away again. She might not come back the next time. With a sigh, Dick mumbled, "Thanks, Barry."

"Do you need a ride home?" Barry offered.

"No thanks," Dick said. "I'll walk. I need to clear my head." He walked away before Barry could say anything else. So much for getting whelmed, he thought. Every time he thought things were going to be okay, something else happened. He had to get to the bottom of this, and soon. He didn't want his sister with Lex Luthor for a second more than was absolutely necessary.

BLACK ADAM

It was time. The man known as Theo Adam had transformed into Black Adam and had prepared the sacred hall Lex Luthor had built just for this moment. He waited for the girl to arrived. As soon as he sensed her, he called upon his darkest powers to entrance her.

"Welcome, Joanna," he said as he lured her into the room.

Joanna stared at him with enlarged pupils, completely under the dark spell. She bowed to him, saying, "Master."

"Yes, Joanna. I am a master of dark magic, here to teach you about the powers which you possess," he explained. "You have not been exposed to any masters in a long time from what I understand. Today, you shall learn of the chaos which lurks inside of you. I will teach you to call upon the spark of Set which lives in your heart."

"Set..." She whispered, seemingly intoxicated by the name of the Egyptian God of Chaos.

"Indeed. You were injected with the blood of one of his ancient Pharaohs when you were a child. The abilities this gave you had to be made dormant for the safety of all until you were old enough to gain proper control. Now, we must call forth this power."

Joanna nodded slowly, and the lesson began.

BILLY

He knew something was wrong. He could almost feel it inside of himself. "Maybe I'd better..." He mumbled. He nodded, deciding it was the right call. "Shazam!" He cried out, transforming himself into Captain Marvel.

"Billy? Is everything alright?" His uncle called in alarm. They'd just barely moved into the apartment Batman had secured for them. It was nice to have a place to call their own and not need to worry about sleeping on the street or fighting for a spot in the shelter. It might not seem like too much to an outsider, but to Billy, it was everything. Finally, he was home.

"Everything's fine, Uncle Dudley," Billy said. "I just... I think Cap's needed." Other than Batman, his uncle was the only one who knew his secret. He'd caught Billy transforming back one night a few months earlier. Instead of getting upset, he'd told Billy how proud he was of him and promised to keep his secret.

"Be careful, Billy," Dudley said, giving him a hug.

"I will. I'll be back in no time, I promise!" Billy said before racing out the door. He flew toward the source of his bad feeling... A random building that looked to be abandoned. "Hmmm... What is this place?" he wondered aloud.

He didn't have time to find out before Black Adam came running outside. "Oh boy. Showtime!" Billy declared.

"You!" Black Adam shouted.

"Me? You!" Billy shot back.

"You will not defeat me, Captain Marvel! For today, I am not alone!"

Billy raised an eyebrow at that. He was stunned when someone walked out of the building behind Black Adam. "Meet my ally... Miss Nox! Show him what you have learned, my dear," Black Adam said.

The woman, who was cloaked in darkness, looked toward Billy. "Power of Set..." She said. Her voice was familiar, but Billy couldn't quite place it because another voice seemed to speak with her on top of it. Suddenly, Billy was hit with an invisible blast of power that attacked him hard. He crashed down to the ground below, knocked out of the air mid-flight.

"Excellent work, Miss Nox," Black Adam said. He began his own assault on Billy.

Crap! Come on, Billy! You can do this! Billy thought. He began to fight back, crying out, "Wisdom of Solomon! Stamina of Atlas! Courage of Achilles!" Suddenly, the assault wasn't doing as much damage to him. He wasn't afraid, and he knew what he had to do. "Power of Zeus!" He cried. He sent an attack of lightning at Black Adam, extending it toward Miss Nox as well.

Miss Nox went down easily, crying out in pain. Billy automatically pulled back. He needed to defend himself, but that didn't mean he had to hurt this woman. That would be excessive. As the darkness around her began to vanish, he saw that she wore a black mask over most of her face. Only her hair, lips, and eyes were exposed, and her eyes were currently squeezed shut in pain.

She's new to this, he realized. He pulled back even more, focusing most of his energy on Black Adam. Miss Nox seemed younger than Billy had expected. He really didn't want to do any serious damage to her, especially when she was no longer posing a threat.

"We'll meet again, Captain Marvel! And next time, we'll be prepared!" Black Adam shouted. He grabbed Miss Nox and vanished.

"Okay... That was weird," Billy said. He had his strength back, so he began flying home. Yeah... Home, he thought, loving the sound of that. He decided not to worry too much about what had happened. Maybe Black Adam had taken on a sidekick. It happened. He'd tell the Justice League as soon as possible, but it probably wasn't anything to panic over. As he arrived back home, he cried out, "Shazam!" He raced into the kitchen and said, "I told you I'd be back soon, Uncle Dudley. What's for dinner?"

JOEY

She couldn't remember getting home, but she woke up in her bed just after midnight. Her arms were bruised, and she realized with a start that there was some sort of burn healing on her chest. "What the hell?" She wondered aloud. The wounds seemed to be old, but she was positive she hadn't had them earlier in the day.

She tried to think, but she couldn't remember anything from right after Mr. Allen had told her and Dick the test results. "I'm his sister..." She mumbled. She knew it must be true, but she still struggled to believe it. Dick was convinced, though, and there'd be no dropping the subject unless she found proof that he was wrong.

Joey decided to do something she wasn't supposed to do. She snuck into the attic, where her father kept his old files and other storage. She began looking through boxes quietly, not wanting to draw attention to herself and not sure what she was looking for. Finally, she found it... The box that contained all of the articles about her adoption, as well as some of her baby pictures.

She smiled at some of the photos, especially the ones of her father holding her looking like the proudest parent in the entire world. She relaxed, positive that whatever had happened, her father hadn't been involved. Maybe someone had kidnapped her, but gotten cold feet and left her behind. Maybe her parents had decided they only wanted one baby and they'd tossed her aside like trash. Alright, so maybe Dick was her brother, but he didn't know the details of why their parents had abandoned her anymore than she did. Her father couldn't have had any part in it.

She was about to close the box over when something caught her eye. She touched the necklace with trembling hands, not understanding why her father would have hidden it away unless it meant something. It looked identical to Dick's necklace, and she studied it, trying to understand why it was so important.

The inscription on the back of the necklace made Joey drop it in shock. To our next Flying Grayson. May our love be your net.

"Love..." Joey repeated aloud. "They put this on me... They loved me? They wanted me? That's not the kind of thing someone writes if they're just going to abandon someone..." She shook her head. What was going on? She slipped the necklace into her pocket. The chain was too short, but she could put it on another one. Something told Joey she needed this necklace now more than these people... Her parents... Had ever known she would.

"It's true..." She whispered. "But how much did Dad know? Did he take me himself, or did he really just find me? If he did... If his story is true... Why hide this from me? Why make me think they didn't want me?"

"Joanna? It's late," her father called from downstairs. "What are you doing up there?"

"I think I was sleepwalking again," Joey lied. She hadn't done that in years, although it might explain the injuries she'd discovered. She gasped as she looked down at her chest and realized the burn was merely a light scab now. The bruises had faded away entirely. Had she imagined them?

"Come on downstairs," her father said. "I'll have one of the staff make you some tea to help you sleep."

Joey quickly walked downstairs after closing the box and putting it back where it had been. "Thanks," she said. She looked at her father and couldn't imagine him ever doing anything to hurt her.

"Is everything alright, sweetheart?" He asked gently.

"Yeah... Everything's fine, Dad." She hugged him tightly before adding, "I love you."

He smiled at her. "Come on, let's get you that tea so you can rest," he said.

She nodded. "Okay, Dad..." She followed him to the kitchen and tried to process what she'd just discovered. Nothing made sense anymore, and she was starting to worry that nothing ever would again.