Hi guys, I bring you another update. I just want to warn you, this chapter, though not my best writing, is very sad.
III.- The Abuse (Or The Day I Became Hollow)
Suddenly, the group of friends found themselves transported to a dark office. There was a woman in a desk, and in front of him were three people. Bruce Wayne, Jack Haly and Dick Grayson. The billionaire philanthropist was looking all serious and business like as he stared at the woman typing something in her computer. Jack Haly looked terribly sad, looking down with a couple of tears forming in his eyes, and finally, little eight year old Dick Grayson was there, looking somewhat lost. He was lost. He had just seen his family fall to his dead, and now only his uncle remained, but was comatose.
The friends watched anxiously. Tim looked down and folded his arms. "By the look of everyone's face, I don't think this will be a pleasant memory…"
Barbara nodded. "I don't think anything is pleasant after this, Tim…"
Conner looked at Bruce Wayne, he looked tired, worn off. "I guess Dick meets Bruce shortly after his family's falls. But where are we?"
Kaldur grimaced. "I believe we're about to find out…"
Suddenly, the woman looked up, she had an unfriendly look. "Listen, Mr. Haly. I do believe you have no petition to ask for the boy, since he has no blood relations to you and you can't provide for him."
"I've provided for him all his life!" exclaimed Haly outraged.
The woman looked unchallenged. "That may be, but since his parents are gone and the only blood relative he has left in paralyzed, I make the decisions. You are not qualified to take care of him, not while running and international circus. And since the boy was orphaned in Gotham, and his recent birth records indicate that was born in American soil, I am the one who is going to decide where he stays…"
"Nonesense!" exclaimed Haly with tears in his eyes. "You can't take him. He might be a gothamite, but his family has been with Haly's Circus for four generations. We are his family, and we will care for him!"
"Sorry, Mr. Haly, but the custody of Richard John Grayson will be given up to the State of New Jersey and carried out in the City of Gotham," said the woman and looked like a dangerous criminal. "Sorry sir, but you have to leave…"
"No, please!" said Haly as he tried to persuade the woman. "I'm the only family he has left! His friends are at the circus, his family was raised in the circus. He belongs with us!"
Bruce Wayne stood up and placed a comforting hand over Haly's shoulder. "Mr. Haly…"
The woman, the pathetic social worker, glared at Haly. "I will ask you once again to leave my office, or I'll call security."
Haly looked down, defeated. "Dick…"
Dick finally reacted, looking at his grandfather figure. "Mr. Haly? What… going on?"
The older man embraced Dick, strong, and cried on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Dickie, I'm so sorry. I failed you…"
Dick, who was still traumatized by his loss, looked at Haly with a lost look. "They're going to take you away too? But…"
Trying not to make it harder for the boy, Haly let go and slowly pushed him away. "Listen Dickie, I'll come back for you. I won't give up. I love you, little bird."
Dick looked like he was hit again in the heart. "But… I want to go with you! And I want to go see Raya and Raymond! Please, don't leave me! Please Mr. Haly! Don't let them take me away, I don't want to go! I want to stay in the circus, with you and Raya and Raymond and everybody!"
But Haly, sobbing, let go of the boy and walked out, to not make it more difficult. "I'll come back for you, little bird, somehow…"
Bruce held Dick tight as the little boy tried to push forward to embrace Haly. "Please, no! Please Mr. Haly, don't go! I'll be a good boy, I promise! Please don't leave me with them…"
Haly walked weakly towards the door, sobbing profusely.
Bruce held him tight as Dick cried harder and harder every single moment. "It's okay, little boy. You'll be alright… I'll take care of you…"
Dick, however, just cried.
The woman cleared her throat. "See, Mr. Wayne. Although your social and financial position as Gotham's wealthiest… we cannot deny that the boy will be in capable hands with you. However, there is a standard protocol we must follow, and that's why the kid will be placed on a facility until the paperwork for his adoption can be processed…"
"You're sending him to an Orphanage?" asked Bruce with an angry tone, still holding to the crying little boy in his arms. "Those monsters will eat him alive! Those kids are not raised properly and prey on the vulnerable. I'm not sending him to that place…"
"Actually," said the woman, growing nervous, visibly. "All orphanages in Gotham are full. Our only resort is to take him to Gotham's Juvenile Center…"
Bruce paled. "You're sending him to Juvie?!"
Dick looked up, teary eyed. "What's a Juvie?"
The woman nodded, clearly not caring less about Dick Grayson. "Yes, the boy is of gipsy heritage. We don't know how he can fit in an orphanage, Juvie will be his home until he's ready to go with you…"
Bruce was clearly mad, angry. He punched the desk and exalted the woman. "If you think for a second I will allow you animals to take him to Juvie, then you're dead wrong. You're judging him by his origins, that's discrimination. Racial discrimination. Also, you know full well that he doesn't deserve to be there. Surrounded by criminals and careless guardians. Are you insane?"
The woman stood up, fuming. "Listen Mr. Wayne. One more word and I will tear your adoption application to shreds. I don't care who you are, or who this boy is. He is going wherever I see fit."
Bruce looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel. "Listen, Miss. This is not over. You may win this round but I promise you, I will make sure you don't terrorize children anymore. Mark my words, miss…"
The woman fumed. "One more word, Mr. Wayne… and you'll never adopt this boy…"
The philanthropist looked down and growled. He looked at the crying Dick, who looked so small and vulnerable. "Mr. Wayne…. What are they going to do with me?"
"Listen Dick," said Bruce, kneeling to his height and hugging him. "I'll take you home with me. You'll have a new life. But that will take a couple of days. You will be sent to somewhere… awful. I can't lie to you. You're going to have to be strong. Very strong. Never forget that I will be fighting constantly to get you with me as soon as possible. You need to promise me you will be a brave big boy and strong."
Dick, still crying, nodded. "I want Mommy and Daddy… I want John and Aunt Karla and Uncle Rick…"
And that's when it broke the Team's hearts.
Zatanna was slowly crying, Barbara was speechless, M'Gann was trying to hold on to the psychic plane and control all these emotions. Kaldur was dumbstruck, Roy was fuming, Conner was shocked and Tim looked hurt. But Artemis, Artemis was deeply affected.
She grew up in a dysfunctional family with a careless father and an absent mother. She knew what it was to want a place to call home. But seeing Dick like this, it surpassed what she knew about the former Boy Wonder. "Dick… why didn't you ever tell me?"
Suddenly, the Team was transported to the cafeteria of the Juvenile Center. There were criminal boys and evil kids mocking the others. They were all strays, and even worse, some of them were rooting psychopaths. And the guards, they looked carelessly after the boys they were supposed to take care of. They laughed at their expense and abused them, treating them like dirt. Most kids ignored them or fought back, but they were really damaged kids.
And Dick, he was just a poor little orphaned boy.
"Hey circus brat," said a young criminal as he approached Dick and threw the food tray on top of Dick. "I heard you're leaving soon. I was thinking of making you a party. What do you say?"
Dick, now messed with food, looked scared. "Please, I didn't do anything to you…"
"You were born," said the young criminal as he grabbed Dick by the collar and pulled him closer. "I hate gypsies…"
And then he punched him, right in the face. And Dick grunted in pain, getting a bloody lip.
He was hit again, with everyone looking and cheering for the criminal boy. Blood was starting to splatter on the ground.
M'Gann looked horrified. "No, please tell me this isn't how it came out…"
And then the monster hit the little boy again.
"We have to do something!" said Tim in hysterics, watching as the little version of his older brother was beaten down. "Please, we have to help him! Dick!"
Barbara hugged Tim close, as the current Robin was trying to break away and try to do something. "This is a memory, Tim. This already happened… We can't do anything…"
Roy grunted, kicking the air, looking away. He could not bear to see any longer. "Those monsters… they abused Dick! They hurt him! M'Gann, get me their names. I don't care if that happened eleven years ago. I'll hunt them down and kill them…"
Then, they were stopped by the whistle of a guard.
Dick was a bloody mess, and the monster just threw him to the ground. The young criminal looked at the guard, who was a tall guy in a jumpsuit. "He started it…"
The young acrobat was too weak to mutter anything.
The guard growled and picked Dick up by the collar of his clothes. "I hate kids like you, Grayson. Thinking you can start trouble because some billionaire is going to adopt them. You won't get away with it, not while you're here. You may be going tomorrow, but I'll make sure you learn your lesson…"
And so the guard dragged Dick, and they were all shifted to a cell.
The guard just threw the little boy to the cell and closed the bars. "You'll stay quiet there, or I'll make you sorry…"
Finally, the lights were turned off and left Dick in darkness. But not silence.
The Team was heartbroken when they heard the sobbing coming from the little boy. Hard sobbing, broken heart cries. Dick was injured, abused by both staff and inmates, and humiliated. He was just eight years old.
Tim finally dropped to his knees and started crying as well. "Please, M'Gann. Just stop this…"
Artemis shook her head, with tears on her own. "Keep going M'Gann. I need to know… we need to know… Dick can't bear his pain alone. He has to share it with us. We need to see…"
That statement left M'Gann crying on Conner's arms, but she nodded, shifting them to another memory in Dick's broken mind.
Sad wasn't it? I know, I said he'd be raped... and he will, just not yet. I'm moving the rape part to later into the story, as he was raped in the comics by a vigilante named Tarantula. I'll try to adapt that storyline here. Anyway, next chapter will be Dick arriving to Wayne Manor and maybe his discovery of Bruce Wayne being Batman. If that's too short, I'll start his training as Robin too.
I might take a couple of days to update because my next update will be "The Deathstroke COntract"
I hope I earned my review!
