"Hey, you!" Gizmo barked rudely. Kory had just bent down over the water fountain to take a drink when she heard the irritating short teenager snapping into her ear.
"Yeah, I'm talking to you, Carrot Top!"
She slowly lifted her head and looked at the three school troublemakers who were glaring at her menacingly. Mammoth jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Move along, sweetcakes. We're thirsty."
"Uh-oh, looks like the new girl is going to get broken in," Gar whispered nervously to Dick. He watched Jinx take a step towards Kory and toss a few strands of red hair off with a disgusted look on her face while Gizmo prodded Kory's shoulder.
"Ugh, what a hideous color your hair is," Jinx sniffed in disgust. "You've got to dye it or something, its just too loud for you."
Kory's green eyes flashed unusually bright and she straightened up, drawing her slim figure to a rather tall and dignified stature. She held her chin up and said in a firm voice:
"I am trying to get a drink right now. You will have to wait until I am done. And I am not changing my hair at all."
"Oh yeah? Is that so?" Mammoth growled, raising a clenched fist. Jinx withdrew a few sharp pens from her backpack. Kory's eyes lost their blaze for a minute and she took a step back. Dick braced himself, wondering if he should intervene on her behalf.
Without taking her eyes off the coming predators, Kory pressed her thum to the button the water fountain and took aim. SSSPPPPPHHTTT!
A jet stream of water sprayed out of the fountain and into the faces of Mammoth, Jinx, and Gizmo. They covered their eyes and shouted just before fumbling and slipping down into a large puddle of water on the tiled floors.
Kory released her grip on the water and took a step back. "I do hope you are no longer thirsty," she said softly.
"AAGGGH! I just bought this dress!" Jinx shrieked. She forced herself up and tossed wet pink bangs out of her face. Snarling and bearing her teeth like a tiger, Jinx grabbed the front of Kory's shirt. She raised a hand, ready to bring it down with a hard slap onto Kory's face.
"You're gonna pay for that, you little-"
WHAP!
The side of Jinx's palm never touched Kory's cheek. Instead, the girl saw a hand had grabbed her wrist in an iron grip, blocking her move. Dick had his hand around Jinx's own one, having intervened and put himself between Kory and herself.
"Don't you dare hurt her," he threatened in a low tone of anger.
"What is going on here?" a crisp feminine voice spoke up. All of the surrounding students parted just in time. A slim woman in a pressed gray suit had come forward and all the other kids quickly parted to make way for her. Her slim green cat eyes narrowed even slimmer as she walked up to the commotion, both arms folded over her chest in disapproval.
"P-P-Principal Wilson!" Jinx stuttered. Dick automatically let go of her wrist, but remained in front of Kory while Jinx took a step back, flanked by Mammoth and Gizmo.
"It was her fault, she started it," Gizmo began in a whiney voice. "She hosed us down and nearly ruined my laptop! We're soaking wet."
Mrs. Wilson's glaring eyes now rotated to Kory who shrank back meekly. The color had drained out of her face and her once righteous looking personality had melted away revealing a very scared and worried girl.
"Is this true, Ms. Anders?"
Kory's lower lip trembled uneasily. "I-I-did get them wet," she said quietly.
Dick took a step forward before Principal Wilson could even part her lips. "Principal, Kory Anders is a new girl here. Instead of helping her out, those three were harassing her. I saw the whole thing from the start."
He watched the teacher shift her gaze from him to Kory to the three students. A trembling amount of tension was building in the silence. He realized that Kory was starting to shake all over and immediately held her hand. It felt like holding a small bird with its pulse beating inside of his palm, all warm and vibrant.
"Very well. You three will be having detention this afternoon," Principal Wilson said. "And Ms. Anders, being that this is your first day here; I am giving you a fair warning for the future."
"Y-yes Principal, of course," she said, bobbing her head eagerly and drawing out a breath of relief,
"But, but," Jinx started to protest. The principal had already taken out a small notepad and begun to write something down in it. "Would you prefer two days of detention, young lady?"
Jinx's mouth snapped shut. Principal Wilson put her notepad back in her pocket. "And if this happens again, you will all be disciplined. Strictly disciplined," she added, pressing a clenched fist into her other palm. The principal turned around with her high heels clicking against the tiles and walked back towards the other hallway.
Mammoth was starting to wring out his shirt at this point. He and Gizmo started to slink off, but not without muttering, "Rotten scum buffers," under their breaths. Jinx pointed a sharp manicured finger in Richard's face, barely an inch from between his eyes.
"This isn't over yet, Pretty Boy." Without another word, she walked off with her shoes squelching slightly from the water.
Once they were gone, Kory let out a sigh of relief and turned to Dick. "Oh thank you, thank you ever so much for helping me," she gasped, shaking his hand vigorously.
"Dudette, that was SO cool," Gar popped up from behind her. "You really had 'em all soaked like that. Where'd you learn to aim like that? Can you teach me for home room?" he babbled on.
Kory gave a bubbling laugh. "I've learned a few things from my other home. It's good to bring everything you've been taught to a new place."
"Well, no need to feel alone anymore," Gar said proudly. "Your home is our home. Your school is our school. And your face...speaking of which," he added quickly, pulling out a camera. "Can I take your picture for the school paper?"
"Gar, why don't you let Kory get a bite to eat with the rest of us?" Vic suggested. Dick looked at Kory.
"Would you like to have lunch with us?"
"I would be delighted," she beamed. Dick offered her his elbow as if in a movie and Kory giggled, just before linking his arm around hers.
In the cafeteria, he couldn't help but notice the number of mustard packets that she had loaded onto her tray. "That's, um, quite a lot of mustard," he said, getting some juice for them.
"I have original tastes," Kory explained calmly. She and Dick came in front of a pile of what looked like purple Jell-O with strange orange blobs in it. She stuck in a spoon and dumped some on her plate with a splat.
"You're a very brave woman," Dick said gravely. Kory giggled at his remark.
They paid for their food and met up with Gar. He managed to stick his nose out of a large comic book picturing two space ships blasting each other long enough to glare at Dick. "How you two eat ground up cow knuckles is beyond me," he said somewhat heatedly. His own tray held a cheese sandwich.
"Hey, some of us can't live off of veggie burgers and soy links like you," Dick said defensibly, adding ketchup to his hot dog.
Wait a minute: Gar is a vegetarian. How do I know that?
They sat down to a table and were about to eat, when Vic looked up from his textbook. Two hotdogs fully loaded with everything from onions to chili to sauerkraut sat beside him, along with a mountain of French fries.
"You guys need to help me in science class. I can't remember all these things about bats," he sighed, drumming a pencil on his notebook.
"Um, they're rodents, they're ugly and creepy, and they eat bugs," Gar said, taking a bite of his cheese sandwich.
"Bats aren't rodents," Dick informed him, biting into his hot dog.
"Oh right, Mr. Know It All has to prove us wrong again," Gar sighed to himself.
"I take it you are a very smart student," Kory suggested politely.
"Are you kidding? Dick's in the top of the class," Vic said proudly. "Straight A student, great class presentations, and teachers know he works hard. Good thing he's got us to keep him from going off the deep end."
"Oh come on, I'm not that smart," Dick protested.
He tried to swallow but was hit with a mental burst of clarity, a sudden thought that settled hard as a rock in his stomach. He coughed a few times and rose from the table, no longer interested in lunch.
Vic looked concerned "What's wrong?"
"I'll be right back," he said, leaving the cafeteria. Dick found a payphone in the corridor and picked up the receiver. Making sure no one was in listening distance, he slipped some coins into the slot and pressed on the buttons.
There was a ringing sound for a minute, and then Dick heard a voice say, "Hello, you've reached Wayne Enterprises. If you know your party's extension, you may press it at any time-"
Instinctively his finger pressed on the 3 then 9 buttons. BEEP!
"Please stay on the line."
Music hummed in the background while Dick rocked back and forth on his heels. He tried to keep his heart rate and anticipation down. But if this was what he thought it was, then perhaps he would be able to tell the difference between fiction and reality. This could be his last chance to getting any answer about-
A woman's voice came on the other end. "Hello, Mr. Wayne's office, this is Seline speaking. How can I help you?"
"Yes, I'd like to speak to Bruce Wayne please," he said into the receiver.
"May I ask who's calling?"
Dick took a deep breath. "This is Richard Grayson, uh, John and Mary's son."
He expected the woman to say that Mr. Wayne was away, but instead her voice perked up cheerfully.
"Oh hello, Dick, how are you?"
"I'm fine," he said lightly.
"School is going well?" Selina asked warmly.
"Yes, thank you."
"I'm glad to hear that. Hold on, I'll put Bruce on right now."
There was a chime of music before a masculine voice had come on.
"Hey, Dick. How's it going?"
A deep vibration in Bruce Wayne's voice echoed like a faint memory in his mind. Dick's mouth had gotten very dry all of a sudden.
"Bruce?" he said faintly.
"Sure, its me. What can I do for you? Aren't you in school now?"
"Yes, but I had to ask you something important."
"All right, shoot," Bruce said lightly.
Dick took a deep breath to calm his beating heart.
"Does the name 'Batman' mean anything to you?" he blurted out.
There was silence on the other end for a moment.
"What?" Bruce finally said. His voice went up an octave.
"Batman," Dick repeated. "Does it ring a bell?"
"W-what on earth," he heard Bruce say. "Dick, is this some kind of a joke?"
"No! No its not," he said in defense, starting to feel somewhat tense and confused inside. "Look, in your house, behind the grandfather clock, there's a secret passage, remember? It opens up to a downstairs place."
"It does?"
A thin crack of the memory had filtered into Dick's mind. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on it.
"Yes. There's a lab, a training room, and computers down there. And a big black car."
"Hmmmm. Interesting. And do you know about this?" Bruce asked slowly.
Richard's fingers twirled around the silver cord of the phone tensely.
"You showed it to me."
Quiet. Too quiet.
"Dick, I don't know what you're talking about," Bruce finally said in a cool even tone. "Are you sure you're feeling all right?"
"Yes. Are you sure there's no cave in your house?"
"Positive. And there's no... what's his name? Batman? No one like that I've ever known." Richard's fingers had curled into the cord so hard that they were starting to turn red.
"I'll call Alfred, but as far as I'm concerned, the clock is bolted into the wall. I know my house, Dick. There's no passages or underground hideouts in it. Maybe reading all of those action comics have caught up in your brain," the billionare added with a laugh. "Or maybe your father is right about you working too hard in school."
"My Dad? You talked to him?" Richard blinked.
"Well of course," came the matter-of-fact response. "Who else works with me on the fitness marathons sponsered by Wayne Enterprise? Your father is a good person, Dick."
"Y-yeah, he is," Richard stammered.
"And he speaks so highly of you all the time," Bruce added. "I know it's only been a few times a year but always a pleasure to be in touch with the Graysons. Dick, are you sure that you're all right?" he asked tensely.
Dick ran a hand through his hair. "I, I'm not sure," he confessed. "Bruce, I'm confused. I think I'm supposed to be someone else."
"Like who?"
Richard frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. He tried to think, but couldn't come up with anything at all.
"I don't know. I think I'm-"
"ROBIN!" he heard Gar shout at the top of his lungs. Dick quickly hung up the phone and raced back to the cafeteria.
"He's on T.V right now, look!" Gar insisted, tugging on Kory's arm. Dick followed them and a lot of other kids to the kitchen. A heavyset cook with her hair in a net and a large stained apron had been drinking coffee and watching the news on a small televsion. Now she found herself bombarded by two dozen teens crowding around the screen.
"Hey hey. Easy guys, I'm watching here," she said in a grumbling voice.
"Sorry, Annie," Vic apologized. "Can you turn the volume up?" Annie sighed but reached over and twisted the knob. Dick peered over his friend's shoulder to get a better look at the screen where a reporter in a tweed green suit was giving the latest news. "This morning, GTI reporters were able to capture this live footage of the caped crusader in downtown Jump City," he announced. "At twelve thirty today, four unidentified men broke in Metropolis Technology Corporation and sabotaged the sixteenth floor."
The camera on television wobbled a moment just before a few masked thugs ran out of a large building and into a car. The reporter's voice continued over the broadcast. "The getaway was halted by Robin, the Boy Wonder of Jump City who successfully captured the thieves and turned them into the police."
Richard watched the screen carefully. A brightly dressed figure had leapt down onto the speeding car and landed on the front. Unable to see, the driver made the car swerve back and forth just before crashing into a fire hydrant. The boy, dressed in a red-and-green fighting uniform and yellow lined cape, had leapt off the car and landed on the pavement gracefully.
The thugs jumped out of the cars and two of them had pointed guns at the teenager. Whipping out two small red metallic weapons, he threw them at the thugs and the guns were knocked out of their hands. He then reached into his utility belt and fired a cable, tying two thieves together.
The camera zoomed in to the boy's face. His eyes and most of the upper part of his face were concealed in a black rimmed mask. Jet black spiky hair whipped back and forth as he jutted around like a hopping bird, his teeth clenched firmly into a look of fierce determination.
"Why you little," another thug snarled. He balled up a fist and prepared to knock Robin's teeth out. With a quick whipping sound, Robin caught the man's fist and socked him in the stomach. The last thug had already charged at him with an iron bar. Robin bent over just as the thug tried to crack his skull open. The criminal found himself flipping over the boy unexpectedly, followed by a superb martial arts kick in the stomach.
Robin finally managed to come to a halt and he turned back, looking at the four unconscious criminals lying on the pavement. His black cape blew in the wind, revealing the yellow lining. Just as the police cars were pulling up in the distance, he fired another cable, allowed it to attach itself to a railing, and swung off into the sky.
"There you have it, ladies and gentlemen," the announcer said. "Another criminal mastermind plot foiled again by Robin, the Boy of Wonder.
"Wow, checkout those moves," a kid said over his shoulder. "And that awesome outfit!"
"He looks soooo hot," a blonde haired girl squealed nosily into Richard's right ear.
"All right kids, up and out," Annie shouted. They all groaned and moaned, but she had snapped off the television and was waving them out. "Go on, scoot. Get some fresh air," she coached them while brandishing a spatula.
"Who is he?" Richard asked Vic. His friend shrugged innocently as the four of them sauntered past the cafeteria and into the gym area. "Search me. The whole city's been jabbering about it for weeks now," Vic said. He grabbed two dumbbells and began to pump them up and down with his powerful muscle laden arms. "Wonder where this Robin guy does his own workout stuff."
"Nobody knows what's his past or where he came from," Gar added.
"I, I think he's just wonderful," Kory added. The boys looked at her and she started to blush again, hands clasped to her chest. "Oooooh, Kory's got the hots for Robin," Gar laughed.
"Well, he sounds very courageous and brave," Kory said.
"You really admire that in a guy, don't you?" Richard asked her keenly. She glanced at him and again, their eyes met.
"I do, very much," Kory said at last. "I think-"
SPLASH!
Everyone jumped back, succeeding in getting just a few drops of water on their clothes. A young man had splashed to the surface of the gym pool, spraying water all over the place. His black hair, now damp, fell past his shoulders in a straight ebony waterfall.
"Duuuuude," Gar drawled out in an angry whine. "You almost ruined my hair! It took me weeks to get it this great shade of green."
"Really?" Dark eyes twinkled in amusement from his tanned face. "I'd say red is your color, judging by your face," the newcomer smirked. The young man boosted himself out of the pool revealing the long sleek look of a professional swimmer.
"Garth, is there ever a day that you're not in the pool?" Vic asked him. "You're becoming something of a merman these days."
Garth smiled and rubbed his face with a towel. "I've got to keep it up with the swim team. Tryouts start next week, you know."
A-A-A
Ten minutes later, near the soccer field:
Richard had decided to forget about the phone call and television newscast. Right now, he was glad enough to be spending time with the new girl.
"Aaahhh," Kory breathed out, stretching her hands up above her head and twirling around on the grass. "What a glorious day to be alive."
Dick tossed a Frisbee into the air and Kory dashed across the velvety lawn, her long legs stretching on as she ran. The girl leaped into the air and grabbed the Frisbee with an outstretched hand. For a minute, it looked as if she was flying through the air like an angel against the sky.
"Yoo-hoo, Richard!" sang an aggravating high pitched girl noise. Kory stopped to see a blonde in a blue and white uniform running towards them. Before either of them could do anything, she had come up to Dick and give him a sticky kiss on the cheek.
He only frowned at her and nudged back a bit. "Um, hi?"
"Oh come on, don't tell me you've forgotten your cuddly cutey, Kitten," she smirked, batting long eyelashes and blinking baby blue eyes.
"The cheerleading squad has picked me as leader," Kitten announced as if she just been elected queen of the world. She rested a hand possessively on his shoulder just before glancing at Kory who was standing a few feet away with the Frisbee.
"Richard, who is this?" Kitten demanded in a crisp tone.
"Kory Anders. She just moved here," Richard said. He watched Kory politely offer a hand to Kitten.
The blonde only gave off a high airy laugh and fluffed her hair. "Oh Richard, she's such a doll! No wonder the new girls think they've got you all to themselves. They actually think they're part of the competition already."
"What?"
"Oh please," Kitten smiled at her. "Boys like Richard have a certain 'ideal' people that they hang out with. And you know what they say, 'Gentlemen prefer blondes'."
"Excuse me, Kitten," Dick said, peeling her hand off of his shoulder. He took a step back to give himself some fresh air. "But I didn't say I was available to you. Or that I have an 'ideal' friend."
Her sticky sweet smile abruptly turned nasty from his comment. "Is that so?" Kitten hissed, sticking her face into Richard's own. "Let me remind you that my father is on the education committee, Mr. Grayson. So unless you'd like your own flawless reputation trashed, I'd watch myself." Her face resumed its sadistic smirk and she raised her blue and white pompom to his face, trying to ruffle and tickle him with it.
Richard pushed the feathery item away impatiently and glared at her.
"What's that about blondes?'
Another yellow-haired girl had popped up behind Kitten. And unlike the cheerleader, she was dusty from head to to and wearing scuffy jeans. Kitten didn't have time to make another snide comment because the girl had suddenly dropped a wriggling work onto Kitten's shirt.
The effects were marvelous. "Auuuugh!" shrieked Kitten as she began to dance up and down madly like a grasshopper, trying to wipe the worm off her. "Tara Markov, you are SO DEAD!" she screamed.
The scruffy one, Tara, motioned for Kory and Dick to follow as as they raced away as fast as their heels could take them. Only after rounding the other side of the school did all three teens collapse onto the grass, laughing until their sides ached.
"That was fun," Tara wheezed out.
Kory was also gasping for breath and her eyes were practically in tears from the joke. "But you may get into trouble," she added.
"Ah, she deserved it. Bratty spoiled princess and all," Tara shrugged. "She thinks I'm just a mole digging around in the dirt." Tara rolled her eyes and began to mimic Kitten:
"Oh Tara, you should really get out of those filthy jeans. I don't know why on earth you'd want to hike around a dirty old park instead of going to the mall. Haven't you put on deodorant today? Don't you even know what a brush is?"
Tara snorted as she finished her ramblings. "Hell-uh, can you say air head?" She took a lavender clip out of her pocket and put this firmly between her teeth while she pulled some hair back behind her ear. "Dat brat iff giffin the reft of uf girlf de bad neme," she mumbled while she worked on her hair.
"I beg your pardon?" Kory asked.
Tara took the butterfly clip out of her mouth and stuck it firmly behind her right ear. "I said, 'that brat is giving the rest of us girls a bad name.'"
A-A-A
The rest of the day passed by in a daze. Richard sat in class and listened to his teachers lecture but as the same time, found himself staring out of the window and watching small birds leap back and forth across the trees just before flapping off into the sky. He lightly doodled a few items in his notebook: tracing the rim of a mask in black, drawing in staffs and weapons, and rolling the letter R off his tongue and feeling the growl it gave in the back of his throat.
"Mr. Grayson?" the teacher said. He looked up and was handed several sheets of paper that had been stapled together. Dick took the essay, turned it over, and found a large red A inked on the top page.
BRRRRRIIIIING!
"Class dismissed," the teacher announced. Everyone gathered up their books and started dashing out of the door to class. Richard stuffed his essay into his bag, gathered his items and slowly slung his backpack over his shoulder. It had been a good day: great food at lunch, a brand new pretty girl as his friend, and an A on his report.
He walked slowly, mulling over his thoughts as he opened the door and walked down the hallway. Unsatisfied, he sighed and rested against the wall for support. Something was still nagging at him.
A few strands of exotic music drifted through the corridor, reaching Dick's ears. He was compelled to follow the melody, until it became stronger and more pronounced. He caught hold of a doorknob, turned it slowly, and peaked inside.
The shades had been drawn all the way down and whatever light was in the room was coming from a ceiling lamp that gave off a soft blue glow. Half a dozen kids were sitting on mats and sitting in various meditation positions. One girl was instructing them on chanting and breathing techniques when her eye opened and glanced at Dick.
"Sorry, wrong room," he started to say. She simply lifted up a hand.
"Wait, we're almost done," she said calmly. The girl turned to her class and repeated the chant one last time. "Find your center, breath, and focus."
Seven deep breaths were heard followed by a few long exhales.
The girl turned off the CD player and stood up slowly, stretching her arms above her head. "Nice job, everyone. See you tomorrow."
The other kids gathered up their things and left the room one at a time, chatting with each other and seldom taking notice of Dick. The girl was busy rolling up the mats and drawing the shades open. The late afternoon sunlight was still strong and Dick squinted from the harsh red rays streaming into the room.
The girl had turned to face Dick. Her features were pale but delicate, her short hair a deep shade of purple matching her amethyst eyes. They glowed with such depth and wisdom that Dick felt the strange sensation coming over him again; as if she could not only see him but straight to the thoughts in his head.
"I knew you'd be here."
"Raven," he said at last, putting the name to her face. His attention was briefly distracted by a silver brooch in the shape of a bird pinned to the collar of her turtleneck. Then he looked back at Raven and her deep cool calm eyes.
"How did you know I would be here?"
"My intuition is usually never wrong. I'm sure Gar will be up tonight trying to re-dye his hair, wont he?" she smiled dryly.
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Tea?" Raven offered him from a thermos. He gratefully accepted the cup from her and blew steam off the top. They sat side by side on the bench cupping their drinks in their hands.
"I'm glad you came by, Dick. You're one of the very few people I can tolerate after this hour." Raven took a sip from her tea and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
"Don't you enjoy giving a mediation class?"
"Yes, if only people would stop giggling and whispering during the session. It's enough to make me blow a fuse," Raven muttered under her breath. She breathed out and began to massage her temples to cool off.
"You need total silence and concentration for this sort of thing. And its not just hocus pocus muttering anything whenever you want to. It takes a great deal of value to balance out your emotions." Raven lowered her hands and looked at Dick.
"Speaking of emotions, I can tell that something is bothering you."
Dick turned the cup around in his hands, fumbling to express his feelings. Finally, he jumped up.
"Nothing is wrong, and that's the problem," Dick snapped. "I know its sound stupid, but I've got a nice life but I keep thinking I should be someone else. I think that I should be..." He hesitated and then shook his head. "Never mind, it's stupid."
"Dick, your opinion isn't stupid at all," Raven insisted firmly. "Please tell me what's on your mind."
"I, I think that this isn't my life I'm leading. And that I'm supposed to be that kid on television, the one they call Robin." There! That wasn't so bad, was it?
He watched Raven frown and bit her lower lip. She took a sip of tea and said nothing.
Ok, maybe it wasn't such a good idea. He already had the impression of a straight jacket and therapy coming his way. She'd think he was off his rocket.
"There's nothing wrong with that," Raven said at last. Her brow was already clearing up.
"There's not?"
"No, Dick. Not at all. What you have going on inside you is a quest for hidden potential. It's what a lot of people with admirable leadership qualities go through in life. And you're channeling it through this crime fighter."
"I don't understand."
"Put it this way," Raven said, locking her fingers together. "You're having a good life. It's been blessed ever since your parents were saved in that circus act. You've had everything nearly handed to you on a silver platter. You've got a nice family, you know wealthy people personally, are popular in school, and are well liked wherever you go. Richard Grayson is a model student and great friend."
"But because its all been coming your way, you feel like you should be doing more. You feel like you've never done anything all on your own. So you associate yourself with someone who is dedicated to selfless acts."
"You mean, I feel like I'm Robin because he's doing something great?" Dick asked slowly.
"More or less. You're identifying yourself with him. But the negative side is the danger in neglecting your own life. Why do you need to put on a mask and go stop bank robbers, when you've got people who need you right here?" Raven waved a hand out to the school lawn where kids were starting to head home.
Dick started to rub his own temples in thought. So he kept trying to push himself into the role of a caped crusader, while he was ignoring his life right now. Did he want to ignore the sweet tempered Kory, funny Gar, great Vic, and trustworthy Raven? What about his parents? Wasn't his life wonderfully secure and peaceful?
"What about all those years of training I imagined? Or coming up with the idea that my parents died in the circus act?" he murmured.
"An illusion," Raven explained. "Its called disassociation. Your subconscious created another life resembling that of Robin. But once you've found satisfaction in yourself, the illusions will disappear and you will be truly free."
A weight that had been sitting on Dick's heart had suddenly vanished. He felt the late afternoon wind blowing through the window, ruffling his hair and cooling his face "Then, the nightmare is over," he said softly. All thoughts of confusion and curiosity had ceased in his head. No more masks or questions. He had everything he wanted right here and now.
Calm relief turned into a thrill of delight and Richard started to laugh, jumping up excitedly. "This is great, just great!"
He suddenly grabbed Raven by the arms and pulled her close, a look of delight spread across his face. "Oh Raven, I could just kiss you!"
Her entire face clouded over like a rainstorm. "Don't push it," she warned n a gravel-like voice. He only laughed again and released her. "I wont, I promise. But thanks for your help, thanks a million."
Feeling light on his feet, Dick swung his backpack over his shoulder and ran down the hallway. He burst through the doors and danced across the smooth silky grass on the lawn. Swinging his bag aside, Richard let out the adrenaline rush of his athletic body and began to do cartwheels on the ground to let out his energy.
No more long nights in mysteries or cracking codes, he thought happily. I can have a normal life just like I always wanted.
"Kory! Hey, Kory, wait up!" She had just been walking towards her sister's car when she heard him calling her name. Kory saw Dick running up with beads of sweat on his face but a very delighted look in his eyes coming to her.
"Is everything all right?" she asked him.
"Everything is fantastic Kory. Hey! I'd like to know," he said as he took her hands into his. "That is, I'd be honored. . . if you would consider going to the school dance with me next week."
Her mouth fell open in alarm. "Me?" she said in a tiny squeak. "You want me to go to the dance with you?"
"That is, if you're game for it," he smiled. "Do you like dances?"
Kory's eyes danced as well for him and barely able to surpass her own delight, she nodded and jumped up on her toes for a moment. "Oh yes, I'd love you!" She gasped and brought a hand to her mouth, blushing as red as her hair.
"I, I mean I'd love to, Dick. I'd love to go to the dance with you."
"Hey sis, we're gonna be late," her sister called from the car. Kory turned back to Dick and gave him a quick but warm peck on the cheek. A wonderful warm dizzy feeling shot through his body just before she pulled back.
"I'll call you later on," he promised her. She beamed and waved at him just before running to her sister.
A-A-A
"Mom? Dad?" Dick shouted. He locked up his bike and practically tore down the front door, running through the house. What a nice place to live, he thought to himself. Pictures lined the walls showing him growing up: riding a pony, opening Christmas presents, at the beach with his parents. The soothing sound a clock ticked in the dining room and the breeze blew through soft satin curtains.
There were no spooky basements or hideouts; no loud beeping monitors or warning signals. Everything emulated the perfection of bliss tranquility and happiness.
"I'm right here, Dick," his mother called from the back kitchen door. Mary stepped in wearing jeans and a t-shirt, her black hair pulled back in a ponytail and her hands covered in thick garden gloves.
"Mom!" He dropped his things and collided into his mother's arms, to her astonishment. She dropped the trowel in surprise.
"Honey, I'm all covered in mud and sweat," she warned him.
"You're beautiful, Mom," he said. Dick embraced his mother gratefully, breathing in the scent of clean earth and lilacs. His mother's arms made him feel safe and secure, yet at the same time, strong and proud enough to do anything he desired.
"Why thank you, Dick," she laughed lightly, kissing him on his forehead. She held her son back at arm's length. "Why the sudden change in attitude?"
"I just had a change in mind," he announced. "And I got dinner on the way back, so you wouldn't have to cook." Dick plunked several hot cartons of food onto the table.
"Chinese takeout? Oh Dick, bless your heart. How'd you know I was just wiped out for the night?" Mary collapsed into a chair with relief.
"Lucky guess," he shrugged. "Maybe Raven's rubbing off onto me." Mary smiled, brushing black bangs out of his eyes and gently caressing his cheek. The same blue eyes, mother and son, gazed at each other and it was difficult to decipher who's admiration was shining stronger for the other one.
"Well, you're certainly sounding like your old self," she said with relief. "Are you kidding me? My life is a dream," he said gratefully.
Dick dashed up the stairs two at a time, unable to stop smiling all the way.
