School breezed by and Arrow was enjoying it except for the work given to her. She didn't really understand it but with the help of Pomona, Ali, and Buzz, She was able to comprehend some of the subjects.

Around the end of the day, everyone was getting picked up by their parents and the quartet was waiting for their guardians.

"So, were you able to understand the geometry Arrow?" Pomona asked

"I'm trying to get the hang of it but I'm kind of getting it" Arrow replied

"I don't get it at all" Ali slumped down relaxed

"You don't get anything, that's why you don't burn all of your homework" Buzz argued

"Okay, I didn't burn all of my homework" Ali countered

"Tell that to your Science, English, History, and Math notebooks which are gone"

Pomona and Arrow shook their heads and Arrow turned away.

She looked straight ahead and spotted a black car. She squinted her eyes and furrowed her brows. Then she realized that it was the same car that the guys in the black suits drove.

"Hey Arrow what's wrong," Pomona asked seeing her petrified expression

Then on cue, shots began to fire and the four kids began to run

"Get inside, HURRY" a janitor yelled. The four kids then ran inside the building and straight toward the office. They caught their breath.

"Stay inside, I'm gonna call the cops," the janitor said, running to the principal's room.

"What the talon was that?" Pomona shouted

"I don't know" Buzz freaked out.

"I think those were The Malicious Mobsters" Ali deduced

"Sorry, the who?" Arrow asked

"The Malicious Mobsters, they are the most dangerous gang to roam New Mushroomton, They were known to be killers, and they never attack without reason...maybe someone provoked them…" Ali told.

Arrow then slumped down. She had just pissed off the most dangerous gang and It was all for a ruby.

"Shantar's Talon" Arrow whispered to herself.

"What…" Pomona turned to her new friend.

"I think I might have something to do with this" Arrow spoke quietly to them

By the time the cops arrived, Colt was on the scene. Luckily no one was hurt and it was only Arrow, her friends, and the janitor. When the officers said it was safe to come out, Arrow, along with an angry Buzz and concerned Ali and Pomona came out

"You stole what?!" Buzz yelled at her

"It was only just a gem" Arrow calmly replied

"Are you kidding me, you stole one of their finest gems, of course, they're going to be after you stupid"

"Hey you watch your mouth, you're lucky I didn't crack your head open or worse get shot by those guys," Arrow said getting angry

"Guys, can we please just chill?" Pomona asked

"No, because she's a thief" Buzz points at Arrow

"Oh, so just because I stole before, means that you don't trust me now," Arrow said placing her hands on her hips

"Yeah, thieves aren't supposed to be trusted,"

"You know what, if you knew my circumstances, you would've done the friggin same, pal"

"All right, that's enough" one of the officers held Buzz and Arrow away from each other, trying to defuse the situation. "What's going on?"

"Thanks to Miss Sticky Fingers, we all could be killed by the Malicious Mobsters," Buzz said sneering at the elf girl across from him

"I didn't ask you to be dragged in this, and I saved your ass at lunch, so the least you could do is thank me rather than blame me" Arrow yelled

"Says you Juvenile delinquent" Arrow was about to do something but...

"Okay, Okay...We'll take it from here," Specter said, trying to calm everyone down.

"I'll take Arrow home," Colt said, taking the teen with him.

Unbeknownst to them, Two men in the black car were hidden watching the scene from afar. Then one of the men's phone rings.

"Hello" an elf responded. He was on speaker

"Did you get the kid?" the boss asked

"No, She's with the cops" the satyr answered

"Augh, As long as those cops are around her, she's untouchable, make your you follow her every step, but watch for the cops, next time she's alone, she's yours"

"Roger that" the men respond

"And give me every detail about her, I wanna find her, I wanna know where she lives, her life story and everything"

"You got it, boss"

On the ride home nothing was said. Colt glanced quickly at Arrow who was staring ahead

"Arrow, that Buzz kid, he was just scared...I'm sure he didn't mean it" Colt said

She didn't say anything

"When people are scared...they say the wrong thing"

"He said the same thing one of your officers said...juvenile delinquent," She said quietly.

"Now listen-"

"Just because I did something wrong in the past, doesn't mean that I don't want to make it right...I want to give it back… but I don't want anyone to get hurt. How's that for a juvenile delinquent" Arrow ranted, then faced the window again.

Colt was shocked that she wanted to make things right. But he didn't want her to be hurt

"...I talked to Reese and Matthew…" the centaur told her.

"...What did they say?" Arrow said not looking away from the window

"Well, Reese said that She was wondering how you were doing...and I just learned something new about you"

"And what's that"

"That Arrow isn't your real name...It's Avery"

The girl began to soften hearing her real name for the first time but she shook her head

"It's Arrow now...Avery is in the past"

"She really wants me to take care of you kid…"

Nothing was said. Then thunder struck with rain following after making Arrow jump

"Scared of storms…" Colt chuckled.

"Me scared...No" the thunder contradicted her statement

"Let's get home before it gets worse"

All Arrow could do was stare out of the window of the lightfoot household. Shadow was in her arms shaking. The poor dragon got very clingy when it came to storms. Then thunder clapped, making Arrow jump and Shadow gave out high pitched barks.

"Shh, you're okay Shadow, I'm here" Arrow soothed, gently petting him to calm him down.

She then stared ahead. The storm reminded of something familiar

There was 8-year-old Avery/Arrow trying to sleep in the apartment. She was lonesome since Mr. and Ms. were arrested 6 months ago and she was still trying to adjust that she was all alone. It was the same storm but this was worse as thunder and lightning clashed and rain poured and the wind blew in all directions, worst of all it took place at night.

"Those aren't gunshots, it's just thunder Avery, you're okay." She spoke to herself

The rain poured harder on the window of the apartment

"That's not the police running in, It's just raindrops pouring on the window" Avery shut her eyes tightly, clutching onto her blanket. She was inside the heavy sleeping bag. It didn't provide much but at least she was warm.

Then the wind blew harder making her frightened and she heard a creek outside.

"That's not a tree, about to fall down on the apartment...Get it together Avery, everything is in your head, just go to sleep, go to sleep-" then a whimpering was heard from outside, frightening the child

"What was that?" She whispered. She slowly got out of the bag and she looked out of the window. She was in a large red sweater and gray sweatpants. She opened the window only to be met with the wind blowing in her face.

She looked around to try and listen for the whimpering again. Then a high-pitched bark was heard. She turned and saw a yellow and purple dragon hatching being blown around in the wind. She gasped and she began to climb out of the window. She puts a can of soup on the window so it can keep in place. She climbed down the ladder and began to run towards the hatchling, despite the wind blowing the 8-year-old back and forth, her feet were soaking wet with every step she took and trying to see, but the wind won't allow her. The dragon yipped seeing the little girl trying to come to his rescue

"Please," She called through the storm to the dragon. "Come to me"

The dragon whined and backed away from her

"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise" She called. Then lightning struck and the dragon raced into her arms.

Avery/Arrow span around with her short shaggy hair blowing in the wind. She turned to see something dark and cloudy coming towards them. The child ran back to the apartment and climbed the ladder as quickly as she could, gripping the little dragon who whined and yipped. She turned to see it coming closer. She luckily made it back to the window, She let the dragon in first and climbed in, shutting the window and drawing the blinds behind her. She clutched onto the little guy while the lightning and thunder boomed back to back. Finally, the storm began to calm down.

"Are-Are you alone too?" She asked the little dragon. He barked, confirming an answer.

She felt that the dragon was still shaking and freezing cold. She looked around and she found a large blanket near the door and gave it to the dragon. It took it and it felt warm and not shaking anymore

She giggled and smiled. "Are you a boy or a girl" the dragon then lifted its right leg to reveal the gender making the little girl guffaw

"You're a boy" the dragon barked to confirm it.

"What do you think of the name Shadow" the dragon yipped and howled happily at his owner giving him a name

"Shadow it is" Avery/Arrow chuckled.

Shadow then ran into his owner's arms and fell asleep. She took the large blanket and covered the sleeping bag she slept in and the sleeping dragon. She too fell into a deep sleep

"Arrow…..ARROW" Laurel called her, pulling the teen out of the flashback. The teen glanced at her

"You've been spacing out lately….Are you okay"

"Yeah, it's just….This storm reminded me of the day I rescued Shadow" Arrow replied softly

"You rescued Shadow?" Barley asked, coming over. "Tell us what happened" Ian, Barley, Laurel, and Colt gathered around her

"Well, This happened 6 months after Mr. and Ms. got arrested. It was a storm like this but it was worst….I was scared out of my mind and I heard whimpering and barking...that's when I found Shadow wandering around...I called him to me and We went inside. Gave him a blanket and We hit it off and became companions ever since" Arrow told

"That's sweet" Barley complimented. Then Ian thought about something

"You know...When you were out there stealing, don't you regret doing it sometimes" Ian asked

Arrow had to really think about it. Sometimes when she stole, she would sometimes regret it...Even made her feel guilty about the crime that she committed

"Yes...Sometimes stealing isn't a choice, no one would hire me to work because I'm a kid and I had to provide for Shadow and myself alone so...

"That wouldn't work out, would it" Laurel commented

Arrow looked away sadly "It didn't work out for that oil tycoon guy either" She whispered.

They all turned to her "Who…"

"This oil tycoon guy...I don't know his name"

"Oil tycoon…" Colt repeated. He trotted to Laurel's computer and pulled him up.

"Mercedes Goliath, He committed suicide 3 years ago in his safe room in a foggy night."

"That headline is wrong" they slowly turned to her

"Did you….Did you kill him?" Ian slowly said. Arrow slowly nodded her head

"Why would you-" Barley was about to explode on her.

"I'll tell you what happened...I was 10 at the time... I was minding my own business and then I saw this big guy walking about in rich clothing and he had loads and loads of money…" Arrow started. The family exchanged looks.

"If there's one thing That Mr. taught me well...Is to get to know your targets...I stalked him for a few weeks...I knew everything about him...He was a rich man...He had a daughter who was spoiled like him...Ooh, She was a brat….He was a bad man too...treated his employees with disrespect...intimidated people to get what he wants, tricked people out of their businesses, and got away with it...Then I decided to follow him home one day and his house was as big as his ego. So I came up with a plan to rob him on a foggy night...It was safe for me because you know...A week after my plan was in action….I snuck to his house...The funny thing is...He had no guards or guard dragons around nor any cameras, so it was easy on my side. I swear it, His house was so huge that it could be a maze in there like you know the ones you get lost in a garden…"

"A Hedge Maze" Ian replied

"Exactly...The safe was easy to find...When I opened it...He had lots of cash and gold everywhere. I took as much as I could and stored it in my bag. Then He heard something downstairs... he ran in and saw me...I was lucky I was armed in case anything went wrong...He never thought a little girl would steal from him. Then I saw that one of his hands were hidden in his robe and I was scared that he was armed. I yell at him for what he had in his robe… I saw him just standing there and he yelled at me to drop my gun, Mr. gave it to me before he was arrested...I yelled at him to show me his weapon first before I drop mine...Then slowly, he pulled out something silver...I couldn't see it because he was at least 7 feet away from me...I took my gun and pulled the trigger 3 times and down he went...I checked his robe...It turns out it was just a locket of him and his daughter…" Arrow began to break down into tears.

"I didn't know he wasn't armed, I was terrified for my life...I didn't know until I was too late...Then I heard his daughter yelling...I didn't know what to do...I was just standing over the body...So I placed my gun on his hand...took a dollar, wiped off my fingerprints, and ran...As I ran away from the house I heard his daughter cry...Since then I regret it...I forgot that I still had his stupid money, so I wasted it somewhere, I forget now...but the worst thing about it is... rumor on the street was that the oil thing had lost business since his daughter became the heir since his sudden death...Other businesses he tricked out of were up and running again...then I never used a gun again…" Arrow looked down and faced away from the family.

Colt was about to open his mouth and say something but

"I know, you would've arrested me if it weren't for the whole fostering thing"

"No, I wasn't going to say that...At least not at the time...You were a kid and you were scared at the time...I'm sure that…" Colt didn't know what else to say.

The Lightfoot family were speechless that she would commit the crime of murder at a young age...But she at least felt the regret of her actions and they knew on the inside she wanted to change but being stuck as the way she is it might be difficult

"You know...I'm kinda thankful for the whole foster thing" Arrow admits

"Why's that?" Laurel asked

"Because this could give me a chance to change what Mr. made of me...Ms. didn't want to steal anymore because she was parenting me...Mr. could care less...I sometimes even wonder if they are my...adults or not" the family gently smiled at the part of her wanting to change.

"You mean parents?" Ian corrected him

Arrow nodded.

"So they never let you call them Mom and Dad?" Barley asked her.

Arrow shook her head.

Tears were falling down her face because it was a weak spot...Mr. had always told her that Mom and Dad weren't really necessary because it was a certain luxury and it was something that they didn't have so she had to call them by Mr. and Ms. which she couldn't say until she was a toddler

"I'm going to question them again tomorrow...they left out a certain thing before a guard took them away…"

Arrow's pointy ears perk up at this "What did they leave out?"

"Something about your real mother…But we should get some sleep..time passed us by when you told us your story"

Arrow frowned "Alright...Goodnight" Arrow then fell asleep while the others depart. Then a certain dream came

There was 8-year-old Avery/Arrow and Mr. and Ms. returning to their raggedy apartment. They were successful at another robbery. They had a bunch of food and supplies that could last them for a long while. The youngster had a look of uncertainty looking back

"What's wrong Avery?" Ms. asked, sensing her unsure behavior

"Mr. Ms. ...Why do we steal?"Arrow asked, letting the question out. She's been too scared to ask because Mr. might get mad at her for asking

"What did you say, kid?" Mr. asked coming over

"I-I-I was…"

"What did I say about the stuttering

"I was asking why do we steal?" the girl blurted out

The two adults look at each other and back down at her and Ms. knew that there was no escaping her question

"Well, we do it to survive...if it weren't for that we'd be dead..and you wouldn't have a home would you" Mr. answered bluntly

Arrow then looked away and nodded her head. Mr. then grabbed her cheeks and turned her towards him

"I said, wouldn't you…" Mr. asked raising his voice

"Matt…" Ms. said trying to calm her husband

"Reese please…" Matthew said. He then turned back to Avery/Arrow

"Wouldn't you" Avery didn't answer "WOULDN' YOU?!" Mr.'s yells often scared her and a small no squeak out of her mouth. He released her and told her to leave, which she did so hastily.

"Was that necessary Matt" Ms. stepped in

"Yes, it was...You were the one that said it...a question always deserves an answer...She'll thank me one of these days"

"Have you ever took the time to realize that she is a child and she's still learning…"

Avery/Arrow overheard the conversation, her lower lip quivering from earlier, shaking with tears streaming down her pudgy cheeks, and gripped onto her large grey sweater with brown and white stripes. She slowly walked away into her room.

"I'm just saying Matt we can change the way we do things, like not stealing all the time"

"Not all the time...just when we need it"

"Oh really" Reese then walked toward the corner and picked up a guitar "Then how do you explain this...or this( she picked up a clock) or how about this(picking up a baseball bat)"

Matthew then stuttered trying to defend himself

"Listen to me...we need to own up to our problem and deal with it"

"Well we can't because we have a kid that might be like us"

"A thief... is that what you want her to be known as for the rest of her life?!"

"YES...And she's going to have to do it or not…" then police sirens went off

Avery/Arrow burst in "It's the fuzz" she yelled

"What are they doing here?" Matthew asked alert

Reese with no time gets a small backpack, packed a change of clothes, food, and water, and gave it to the girl

"Avery do you remember that place Mr. and I showed you…" the girl nodded wildly

"We need you to go there and hide…I also have your blanket" Ms. then retrieved it from the girl's room and placed it in her bag

"But what about you…" Avery asked, worried about her guardians.

"Don't worry about us...we'll-we'll come back for you" Matthew said

"Do you swear it" It was their way of saying do you promise?

"Yes.."

The girl gave them a neutral smile. They heard the cops knock on the door

"This is the police we have you surrounded"

Then Mr. went into the kitchen and opened one of the drawers and pulled out a gun and came back to the girls

"You might want to take this too

The little girl's eyes widened seeing the gun for the first time.

"Matthew"

"The kid may need it.." Matthew then stuffed the gun into her backpack

Then the pounding at the door came

"NMPD, open the door NOW"

"Run kid…" Matthew whispered

"What?"

"I SAID RUN"

Avery/Arrow then began to run for the window. She looked down and saw police cars surround the apartment complex

"We're surrounded…" Avery said

"Matthew, what are we going to do?" Reese cried

"Shut up...I got to think…"

The pounding grew louder and louder causing one of the nails on the door to fall off

Matthew then ran over to Avery

"Kid...I want you to listen to me this is very important. Go out of the window, climb the ladder once you're out, and get on the roof, do I make myself clear

"What about…"

"I SAID DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR, I'm not asking twice

"Yes sir" Avery squeaked. She immediately ran for the window

The husband and wife look at each other.

"Are you sure she's going to be okay on her own?" Ms. asked.

"Does she have a choice, it's either there or the fuzz catching her"

Avery then climbed out of the window and glanced back at the two adults still inside. The police then busted the door to get in and arrest them. The girl witnessed the cuffs being placed on them and she desperately climbed to the roof and raced away from the scene before the cops could catch her

By the time she was at the apartment, it was about to be sunset. She climbed in through the ladder and went inside by the window. She saw that everything was prepared for her from a place to sleep, to a cooler where she can eat her food. She closed the windows and drew the blinds and she sobbed for the rest of the day until she fell asleep

Arrow then jolted awake. She was sitting up on the couch and she was met with the sun in her face and was melt with Laurel working out again. She then plopped back down on the couch with a hand on her head and groaned.

"Hey..you feeling okay.." Laurel asked

"No…" Arrow groan. She then felt her head pound and her stomach starting to churn.

"You wanna stay here today?"

Arrow nodded her head. Sometimes that dream made her sick to her stomach. Shadow and Blazey race to her and began to sniff her

"I'm f-f-fine guys" Arrow struggled to say as her head pounded harder and harder.

"Mmm I don't think so...If the dragons can sense that you're not okay then you're not okay," Barley told her while munching on his cereal

Then Arrow got up slowly and made her way into the kitchen where she spotted the trashcan and she opened it and was bent over

"Oh boy," Ian said in the middle of making his toast. He rushed over and held back her hair as she began to toss her cookies in the trashcan

Colt walked and saw her vomiting. He went into the home phone on the wall and called the school and told them that she was going to be absent because of her sickness.

The boys then walked her back to the couch with Shadow and Blazey running after them, occasionally making them trip over the dragons. Barley then fetch some medicine from upstairs and brought it back to the girl

"What's that?" Arrow questioned

"It's medicine...it'll help you feel better," Ian told her. They made her open her mouth and she took the medicine even though it made her gag. They laid her back down and they told her to get some rest. They all left fr school and work while Arrow stayed with the dragons.

About 4 hours later, Arrow woke to licks from Shadow and Blazey who were on top of her. She slowly got off the couch and she felt better. She decided to walk around stumbled on her backpack and a piece of paper came out.

She picks it up and she saw that t was the stick drawing that she drew. Then tears began to form. The dragons curled around her legs whimpering. Then She had an idea. She raced for the stairs not before grabbing another piece of paper. She went inside Ian's room and looked at the picture of young Barley, pregnant Laurel, and their father. She quickly took it down and snatched a pen from his drawer. Shadow and Blazey growled

"Relax, I'm not going to steal it, I'm just going to...draw something and its for...my muse I guess" Arrow then started to draw while looking back and forth from the picture to the blank paper. The dragons tilted their heads as they watched her draw.

By the time she finished, she looked slightly proud. The drawing was given a slight update. The two adults kind of matched the picture but She drew herself being held in Mr.'s other arm while the other arm was being occupied holding Ms and they were all happy. Arrow then smiled and whistled for dragons. They woke up and saw the finished product. They yipped and howled happily making her chuckle.

"I think today's the day," Arrow thought out loud writing down her name and Mr. and Ms's on the drawing. She placed the picture back where it was and stared at the two drawings. "Today's the day that I give them these...Mr. and Ms." Arrow raced back down the stairs and came back in her hoodie and jeans and red sneakers. She decided to sneak out the window not before looking at the dragons.

"Please behave yourselves...I'll be back before you know it." Arrow then jumped out of the window and fleed to the street.

Colt and Specter came back to the prison to question the two. The two adults were sitting across from them in the interrogation room.

"So we meet again..." Mr. huffed.

"Listen, we're not here to joke around...we're here to discuss something that was left out from last time," Specter told them

"Let's speak about it, whatever it may be" Ms. obliged.

"It's about her real parents" Colt explained

"Well it's simple we're not her real parents" Mr. blurted out, crossing his arms

"You didn't answer my question...What happened to the kid's real parents"

"Well...We don't know for sure about her father but we have seen the mother" Ms. began

"And where is she now?" Specter asked. Ms. cringed and Mr. rolled his eyes

"That was years ago…" Ms spoke quietly

"What are you talking about?"

"What she's trying to say that it was 13 years ago and it was when we first got the kid the night she died." Mr. finished.

The two cops exchange looks.

"And how do you know this?" Specter asked

"BECAUSE WE WERE THERE, I WAS THE MAN WHO SHOT HER!" Mr. yelled.

Arrow then sneaked into the police station and she heard yelling in the interrogation room and she crawled towards it and she briefly spotted Specter and Colt with Mr. and Ms before listening to their conversation.

"Let me guess the girl doesn't know anything about this" Specter

"We wouldn't know how to tell her...She's never asked about her real mother" Ms. explained

"Because one time she brought it up, I told her to never ask me again" Mr. fought

Arrow's brows furrowed at this.

"Why did you keep this from her?" Colt growled

"What were we supposed to tell her, we killed your mother so you can be with us," Mr. said with sarcasm

"What?" the teen said quietly

"Which is technically what you did," Specter told them.

Arrow then looked down at the pictures she drew. She felt her head spinning, her stomach churning again. The guardians have lied to her all of her life and just used her. So she slowly got up. She felt her vision blur as she took slow steps. They luckily didn't see her leave. She walks then turned into a run which Specter heard.

She stepped out of the room and saw the girl throw away something on the way out with a few officers watching her leave. She stepped toward the trashcan and she uncrumpled the drawings and she gasps and went back to the room

"What are those Specter?" Colt asked

Specter showed him the drawings. Ms. tilted her head. The cops gave them the drawings and All Ms could do was gasp and cried. Mr. rolled her eyes.

Arrow ran off onto a bench that was 10 ft near the police station and she broke down. Choked cries came out. She covered her mouth. Her hoodie was on her head. A waterfall of tears streamed down her face. She had a mixture of feelings racing in her mind; Sadness, anger, betrayal, and most of all hurt. After all of those years that she's been with them, they lied to her. She was so hurt that she didn't notice the two guys from yesterday come towards her.

She looked up and she slowly began to make a run for it. She heard their footsteps chasing after her, but her feet moved faster. The cops also see this too and they come in the chase. The chase ended in an alley, where she was cornered

"End of the line, kid," the elf said. Arrow looked above their heads and saw that the sun was setting and her eyes widen in horror

"Please, stay away from me…" Arrow warned

"Or what kid, you got nothing" the satyr replied. Arrow looked at the sun which very close to being set and the moons were about to rise

"If you don't stay away from me now, something terrible is going to happen…"

"Alright kid, we're going to give you to the count of 3 to come with us...1...2-"

"Parker, look," the satyr said pointing towards her. Her eyes glowed, her horns grew and her wings began to sprout.

"It's too late…" Arrow said in a monster like voice. The cops then came to the scene only to find the men frozen. They look in the direction that they are looking at and they are face to face with a large light blue and dark green dragon. Colt, Specter, and Gore were just as speechless as the dragon stepped out. Colt noticed that the dragon had the same eyes that Arrow had when they glowed.

The dragon then roared catching everyone's attention. They all screamed at the sight of it. One of the other policemen came outside and drew his gun and shot the dragon's arm. Then It roars and it spotted Gore, Colt, and Specter.

It was about to lunge at them but turned away. Its wings came out and took flight away from everyone.

The men fleed away from the scene with the satyr had his tail between his legs and ran in their car.

Colt then looked at the remains of Arrow's clothes and spotted that they were ripped open and torn to shreds. The other two officers approached him.

"What that dragon who I think it is?" Specter asked Colt

Colt took the piece of the hoodie and showed them "It's Arrow…"

A/N- I'm so sorry that this one took so long...I was in a bad writer's block and I already have the next chapter in my head but I hope you are enjoying the story