So this is a slower chapter but I hope you enjoy.
Laughter filled the Manor as Dick and Ann performed cartwheels, tumbles, and flips in their rooms and down the halls. Sliding down the banister with wide smiles on their faces and running through rooms until they came to an abrupt stop.
Looking up from the floor they were greeted by Alfred's stern look, "Young Master Richard and Mistress Marianne, I would ask that you not run through the house."
"Sorry Alfie." they chorused looking sheepish.
"We do not need to find something broken or for one of you to hurt yourselves."
"Sorry Alfie." Ann repeated. "We'll try to not practice in the Manor."
"Not unless we're in the gym anyway." Dick added smiling, scratching the back of his neck.
"I should hope so, Young Master Richard." Alfred said watching the two children head for the table. "Master Bruce regrets that he could not see you off to your first day of school for he was called into a meeting early this morning."
Both teens shoulders slumped at the news but they forced smiled onto their faces as Dick looked over to Alfred.
"That's alright Alfie." the boy said. "He has a business to run."
"And we don't want to be in the way." Ann said quietly grabbing a box of cereal.
"I assure you both that you are neither in the way or burdens." Alfred told them as they ate. "You have brought something back into this house that I have not seen or heard in years."
"What's that Alfie?"
"Laughter and light."
With those words the butler moved off out of the room leaving the two young heroes to their breakfast hoping that they wouldn't break anything on accident. They looked at one another and shrugged trying not to think too much about what their day was going to be like. Instead they tried to think about what Bruce would be having them do later training wise since he forbid them to go on patrol with him until he deemed them ready to face the psychos of Gotham. Both were nervous in their own right about this new concept of having to go to school, a private school at that. A place that they really had no reason to have entered before being home schooled by their mother since they had never stayed in one place too long with the circus.
"Think we'll like this school?" Dick asked pushing his chair away from the table.
"Guess we'll find out." Ann answered looking around before flipping out of her chair.
Dick shook his head but smiled at his sister as she reached up to touch her neatly styled black hair that she had braided.
"Why can't we wear our hair like we used too?" she asked with a sigh wanting to shake the hairspray and braids out.
"Remember what Bruce told us." Dick answered looking at his reflection in the window at his own gelled back black hair. "We can't let anyone know that we're Robin and Wren. Hairstyles are like showing out eyes in costumes."
"Right of course."
Collecting their backpacks they headed off to find Alfred who would of course already be ready to go just waiting for them patiently. The ride in the car was a quiet one with nerves building in both kids though they tried to keep it hidden from Alfred who saw right through them.
"Now I took the liberty of placing your schedules in your bookbags as well as a map of the school." Alfred told them as he parked he car. "I shall pick you up here at the end of school."
"Thanks Alfie." Dick told the man with a slightly shaky voice.
Alfred got out to open the back passenger side door allowing the twins to file out within his sight and the rest of the students. A girl with auburn hair and light brown eyes, who was about a head taller than them both walked up to them smiling.
"Ms. Warren has volunteered to show you both around throughout the day." Alfred said greeting the girl.
"It's my pleasure, Alfred." she said looking to Dick and Ann. "I'm Katherine Warren and you two must be Richard and Marianne Grayson."
"I prefer to be called Dick." Dick told her with a grin. "And she's Ann."
"Oh alright."
Ann elbowed Dick in the side smiling to Katherine, "It's nice to meet you Katherine."
She gave the taller girl a shy smile and a wave to Alfred as their small group walked into the building with the students outside watching them. This private school was a large campus even for young people mostly the rich though with very few scholarship students from other families. At this young age those were rare in the school but the children of the rich were abundant and they watched Dick and Ann as they walked behind Katherine. The taller girl was looking over their schedules leading them through the halls explaining classes and such things.
"So we have the majority of our classes together except two so if you have any questions just ask." Katherine told them smiling. "Oh and you guys can call me Kat. And if people stare at you just ignore them."
"Alright Kat." Dick said opening his locker where they stopped. "Hopefully this goes well."
Ann smiled as she and Kat talked about the art project that they had already been assigned while they waited on Dick to join them with the day only minutes from being over. The whole day had gone better then the small girl had thought with only a few awkward moments where she'd slipped back to her first language. There were also those who had stared at her and Dick with odd expressions, ones she couldn't place.
"Hey you still with me Ann?" Kat asked snapping her fingers in front of Ann's face.
Ann jumped slightly, "Yeah sorry was thinking."
"What about?"
"Just how today's been different from what I thought it'd be. Like making a friend."
The two girls laughed together, Ann looked around for Dick when she noticed a group of boys against the wall nearest the locker rooms. She watched as they laughed about something then her twin appeared from out of their ranks with a frown on his face. One of the boys grabbed his shoulder roughly pulling him back toward them whispering something into the smaller boy's ear.
"What was that about?" Kat asked when Dick finally joined them.
"Nothing really." the boy answered without looking at them.
Ann looked at her brother as he sat quietly on Kat's other side rubbing his arm and watching the other kids around them warily.
"Ann and I were just talking about the art project we were assigned." Kat told him. "Do you have any projects other than that English paper at the end of the year?"
"Nah but I'd like to know why they give out so much homework on the first day." Dick told them with a grin.
"Don't know. You'll have to ask the teachers that."
"Hey Marianne." came a voice making the three turn to the left to find Roxie Morris and her friends. "Can we talk?"
"Um sure?" Ann answered getting up. "I'll be right back guys."
The small girl got to her feet her mind telling her that she shouldn't follow Roxie but she did anyway against her better judgment. They headed back down the hall to an area where there were less students meaning less eyes for anyone to see what would happen.
"Alright kid so this is how this school works." Roxie started saying as she and her friends gathered around Ann pushing her against the wall.
"There's something you're not saying." Kat confronted Dick while they were alone.
"Everything's fine Kat." he told her.
"Come on even though we just met this morning I'd like to think that we're friends."
"There's nothing to tell but I'd like to think the same. That we have one friend among these kids."
Kat shrugged, "I can understand that. You're just now coming into the world of the rich."
"You're smart for your age."
"So are you kid."
Dick made a face at the name a memory of one of his circus friends calling him that days before the incident coming to mind. Kat grinned giggling at the face he made until he smiled as well happy to that the events of his past hadn't erased any of his happiness. She'd had a friend once who had been traumatized by similar events but her friend had never recovered.
"Hey guys I'm back." came Ann's quiet voice.
Kat jumped slightly not realizing that the smaller girl was there, "Holy crap! When's you get there?"
"Bout a minute ago." Dick answered laughing. "What's Roxie want?"
"Nothing really." Ann answered with a shrug. "Is it time to go yet this last period is taking forever?"
"I know right." Kat said smiling just as the bell rang. "And saved by the bell. Guess I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"See ya." the twins said heading off to collect their things then get to Alfred.
The day had gone alright for them but there were some that had made it worse what it should have been with some experiences. One good thing was that they had made a friend within Kat who somehow seemed to understand them thought they didn't know how. And now they could head back to the Manor to train and become Robin and Wren in order to protect the city though they would have to do their homework first.