A/N: Hey friends! Thanks for staying with this story, sorry for the long gap, I've been awfully busy, but I hope this chapter makes up for it!

Leta Maison

Vermont Mountains, 8:45 PM

Superman's a fraud.

Leta's expression was stone cold as her chocolate brown eyes followed the man who was flying along the bus, making goofy faces at some of the younger kids who were too afraid to sleep. The sound of giggling filled her eyes and she craned her neck to see their tiny smiling faces in the seats behind her.

But she wasn't smiling. They didn't have a clue that he'd been the one to put them all there. Wrongfully. She couldn't help but feel the nagging sense of irritation toward the man who had once been a hero in her mind. Now he was just a some glorified super-powered cop who stole children from their homes.

For the good of the country, of course! Hell of an excuse. The League had to know this was wrong. When news first broke of the camps Leta believed the idea would be put down immediately by the League. And when it wasn't she wanted to believe they decided on it because there simply wasn't another option.

But she finally made herself aware of the harsh reality that they just wanted control. They wanted to contain what they couldn't understand and control it, even if it wasn't all of their faults. The few criminals that had run wild and destroyed all those cities, they were the ones who were nuts not all these little kids. Leta couldn't stand it, watching all of their distressed little faces, and terrified wide eyes. The League had to see it too, they had to look them in the eyes and tell them that they'd have to say goodbye to mom and dad for a long time.

But don't worry! You get to see them for a week on holidays and you'll be all free to go when you're 20! Some of these kids are still in the single digits, they could be here for over a decade. Or at least until the League snaps out of it or deems them worthy to be let go into the world. It was sickening. And here was this buffoon in red and blue and the iconic valiant cape making them laugh as if there wasn't a single bad thing in the world.

It made her furious. But what was she to do now? She didn't do anything when Black Canary and the big man himself showed up at her doorstep that morning. She simply nodded her head, pretending to understand why this was happening, said her goodbyes to her parents and kissed her little sister on the head, promising she'd be back soon. That was a lie, she was stuck here for another three years.

It was a preventative effort, she knew that. Of course they meant well, they're the freakin' Justice League. But this time they were wrong and she couldn't help but wonder if all these little kids were holding themselves together because they think the League actually cares about them. Leta wasn't sure if they did, truly. Maybe they thought they did, but they couldn't really if they made this decision. They just couldn't.

Leta finally tore her gaze away from Superman, setting her focus on the thick foliage and trees whipping past the bus. But almost instantly, something else caught her attention. A quiet sound among the giggles of little children. It wasn't a laugh, it was something else. It was whimper.

Leta furrowed her brows and shifted her gaze over toward the source of the noise, resting her eyes upon a young girl with velvety looking dark brown hair that cascaded over her shoulders in gentle waves. The girl wasn't too much younger than Leta herself, probably around fourteen or fifteen, but there was something in her teary, doe-like brown eyes that screamed fear and sadness.

Leta offered one last glance toward Superman, then pressed her lips together tightly in annoyance and returned her attention back to the girl. She slowly got up from her seat, eyeing the driver who maintained focus on the road. She then crouched by the young girl's seat, offering a small, gentle smile to her.

"Hey.." The girl's eyes snapped up to Leta, looking briefly fearful before she settled back against the window of the bus. "Mind if I sit here?"

The girl paused, seeming to ponder Leta's question before giving a small shrug of her shoulder, moving her hand up to nibble at her fingernail. Leta maintained her smile and slipped into the seat beside the girl, although being careful to give her all the space she wanted.

"What's your name?"

The girl paused, moving her hand away from her face again before responding.

"Amalia."

Leta smiled then, nodding her head.

"Nice to meet you, Amalia."

The girl offered a strained smile, then shifted her gaze back out toward the trees. Leta's smile faded slightly as she studied Amalia's distressed expression, resentment for the League once again bubbling up inside her. Then she moved to fold her hands in front of her, leaning forward casually.

"You look upset."

Amalia then turned her gaze back to Leta, looking startled for a moment before offering a sheepish shrug of her shoulder once again.

"I guess I am..."

Leta then straightened out her posture, struggling to keep the look of anger off her face, instead displaying an understanding one.

"You know the League they-"

"No, no-" Amalia was quick to cut Leta off, surprising the older girl slightly as she gave a tilt of her head. "It's not them... they were nice... you know? It's just... they put my brother on that bus back there. He's not a criminal, I swear it! He was just trying to help.."

Leta perked a brow, moving to prop her elbow up on the back of the seat and peer over it to eye the bus following behind their own. She'd recognized it as a bus for the more... troubled metas. The ones who had the highest potential of being future city-wreckers. But I guess it did make sense that there could be a mix up or two, or that they were taking every last precaution to keep even minor offenders at bay.

"What'd he do?" Leta slid her arm off the back of the seat and settled it in her lap, waiting for the girl to explain.

There was a moment of hesitation before the girl scratched the back of her head with a curl of her lip.

"Well.. you see our principal's car stalled and he's got zappy powers so he decided maybe if he just you know... gave it a jump start..."

Leta's eyes widened.

"Shit, did he kill the guy?"

Amalia quickly perked up and waved her hands, shaking her head frantically.

"No, no, no!" She then paused and tilted her head slightly. "Just... the car... I mean everything was settled but... he's got a criminal record and they said he had to be on that bus..."

She trailed off, her lip trembling slightly as she moved to drag a hand down her flushed looking face and look back toward the window.

"Hey, hey.." Leta slowly put a hand on her shoulder, compassion settling over her face as she offered another smile. "It'll be alright, I'm sure we can get everything sorted out once we get to the camp."

"You think so?" Amalia looked back to Leta, her flustered expression fading slightly.

Leta smiled and nodded, moving to wrap her arm around the young girl carefully and give her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"I'll make sure of it, kiddo."

Amalia's expression brightened, relief flooding her expression before a grin spread over her features.

"You'd do that?"

Leta scoffed and gave a small smile, removing her arm from around Amalia's shoulders and gave her a little nudge.

"Of course, that's what friends do, yeah?"

The young girl's despair seemed to dissipate instantly, being replaced by a bubbly presence and a grin that seemed to cover her whole face. She gave a glance over her shoulder toward the bus behind her before looking back to Leta, her wide eyes bright and happy.

The warring emotions bouncing around Leta's head became tame for a moment as she took in the girl's smiling face. Something in her mood had shifted. Maybe being the pessimist was bringing her down. If she was stuck in this hellhole for the next few years, she may as well make other people's time there more bearable, at least while she was around. Maybe she could even teach them to stick up for themselves, or stand up to the League. Something.

Maybe she could contribute to putting an end to this shit after all..