This chapter will focus on Oliver Queen, his friends, and his family. It has similarities to the first episode of the first season, but I am just starting this story so cut me some slack. Italics mean narration by Oliver.
Leave a review after reading, please. I appreciate some feedback.
The Glades was known as the home for the poor and the criminal of Silverstone City. There are plenty of people who are afraid to enter the Glades due to fear of getting mugged or raped. Those who lived in the Glades know the place like the back of their hand. There are those who prey on the weak, while others are either homeless orphans or members of harmless street gangs.
Laurel Lance and her two friends Joanna De La Vega and Emily Nocenti were currently walking home after spending an entire night shopping for new clothes for the new school year, which was coming in one week. Laurel was never the shopping type of girl, but her friends talked her into it.
"That wasn't so bad now, was it?" Joanna asked Laurel.
"I guess not," said Laurel.
"I can't wait to see you in that new black jacket, Laurel. You're gonna look 'bad'," said Emily.
"I'm a lot more excited to see her in that gorgeous pink T-shirt," said Joanna.
"The boys could just eat her up," commented Emily.
"Unless 'Tommy Merlyn' has anything to say about it." Joanna teased Laurel.
"Tommy and I are not a thing, Joanna," said Laurel.
"You guys went on five dates, and you're telling me that you're still not officially BF and GF?" questioned Joanna. "Is this about Oliver Queen?"
"Oliver and I are over," said Laurel.
"Right. Right. He's a back-stabbing, selfish jerk who cheated on you with your sister and led her to her death," said Emily sarcastically.
"I never said it like that," said Laurel.
"But you're thinking it," said Joanna.
Laurel sighs. "Look, you guys forget that he spent one whole year on an island all alone. No matter how mad I am at him, I... wanna be there for him."
Joanna and Emily exchange looks.
Suddenly, a man comes out of an alley and points a gun at the three girls.
"Wallets. Watches. Jewelry. Now!" he demanded.
"I knew it was a bad idea to walk home," muttered Laurel.
"You have ten seconds before I shoot," threatened the armed man.
All of a sudden, an arrow comes out of nowhere and knocks the gun off the man's hand. A green-hooded figure jumps down from above and lands in between the man and the girls. He was equipped with a bow and arrow.
"Who the hell are you?!" asked the surprised man.
"Someone you should fear," said the hooded man in his deep voice. "Leave them alone and I won't hurt you too much."
The man refused to back down. He started throwing punches at the hooded man, but the mysterious stranger dodged every single swing. The hooded man catches the man's fist with his own hand before hitting his stomach with his knee. He throws a series of hard punches and swift kicks at the mugger. He finishes it off by shooting an arrow at his heart, killing him instantly.
The three girls were amazed by the hooded man's skills, but were shocked by his decision to kill the man.
"Thank you," said Laurel.
"The Glades are not a safe place at night, Ms. Lance," said the archer.
Emily whispers, "He knows your name."
Laurel asks the archer, "Who are you?"
"A friend," replied the archer.
The archer shoots an arrow at the top of a building and swings upwards. The girls watched in awe.
The green-hooded archer sticked to the shadows until he arrived at the old factory in the Glades owned by Queen Consolidated. Underneath the abandoned mill is what appears to be a base of operations. There was a table full of arrows, a shelf full of materials, medical equipment, a salmon ladder, a tennis ball machine, a table filled with scientific equipment, an advanced computer system. The archer puts down his bow and lifts the hood as he looked at himself in the mirror.
Had anyone been inside the lair, they would recognize the archer as Oliver Queen, the son of Moira Queen and the late Robert Queen.
"My name is Oliver Queen. I was stranded on an island with only one goal: survive. Now, I will fulfill my father's dying wish. To use the list of names he left me and bring justice to those who are poisoning my city. To do this, I must become someone else. I must become something else."
One week later...
The first day of the school year in Silverstone City has come. At the Queen mansion, Oliver and his 12-year-old sister Thea were both in a hurry to get ready. They both overslept, so they were moving as fast as they could.
"Oliver! Thea! You're gonna be late," called their mother, Moira.
"No need to rush them, Moira," said Walter, Moira's new husband.
"You know Oliver has a knack for being late, and do I have to remind you of the twenty-seven warnings Thea received last year for being late?" replied Moira.
"Coming!"
Oliver and Thea were speed-walking downstairs, all dressed and ready to go.
"Oh, look at you two," said Moira, smiling at her children. "I never though I'd relive this moment ever again, seeing you two trying to be late every morning."
"Well, things change," said Oliver. "I'm trying to better, remember?"
"Well, you've been back for two weeks and you haven't slept with any girl, so that's a start," commented Thea.
Oliver laughed a little.
"Or are you still saving yourself for Laurel?" teased Thea.
"I... don't think she wants me in her life anymore," replied Oliver, hanging his head in sadness.
"Don't say that, Oliver. Laurel may be mad right now, but in time, she'll accept you as a friend again," said Moria.
"Alright, let's go," said Walter.
Oliver and Thea board the car as Walter drives away. Moira watched the car leave and smiled, really happy to see Oliver back.
After dropping Thea off at Silverstone Elementary, Walter drives Oliver to Silverstone High. Oliver stared at the many kids outside the school for a pretty long time.
"Nervous, Oliver?" guessed Walter.
"Very," said Oliver. "All that solitude on the island... I don't know if I'll ever fit in again."
"You wanted to change, right?" asked Walter.
"Yes," replied Oliver.
"Then don't be afraid to show your new self," said Walter.
"Thanks, Walter," said Oliver, getting off the car. "Still not calling you dad."
"That'll do, Oliver," said Walter half-sarcastically.
Oliver walks through the front door and immediately caught the attention of everyone inside. Almost everyone started at him as he walked across the hall. He felt nervous at first, but did his best to keep a straight face. He heads to his locker and opens it. After getting the stuff he needs, he closes it, only to see someone standing right next to him. It was his best friend, Tommy Merlyn.
"Oliver Jonas Queen," greeted Tommy.
"Tommy," greeted Oliver.
The two friends shared a brotherly hug.
"Strange to be back, huh?" guessed Tommy.
"Well, it's only been one year. It's not like I was gone for five years or something," replied Oliver.
"Hey, have you called that CatCo intern I told you about?" asked Tommy.
"Tommy, I made myself clear. I don't want to be that kind of person anymore," said Oliver. "Sure, I still like to party, but when it comes to girls, I wanna choose one based on my feelings, not hotness factor."
"This is about Laurel, isn't it?" guessed Tommy.
"Uh..." Oliver paused.
On cue, the aforementioned teenage girl showed up behind Tommy.
"Speak of the devil," said Oliver.
"Oh, I'm the devil?" questioned Laurel.
Tommy turns around and greets her. "Hi."
"Hi," greeted Laurel. "Hey, Ollie."
"Uh, hi," greeted Oliver.
Tommy looks back and forth between his two best friends. "This is awkward."
"Understatement of the century," said Oliver. "So, Laurel, uh, is there something you need?"
"Actually, Tommy is leaning towards my locker," said Laurel.
"Oh, sorry," apologized Tommy, stepping aside. He looks at Oliver and asks, "Wait, how'd you get your locker placed next to Laurel's?"
"That was my sister's idea, actually. She interfered with my parents' meeting with the principal, and she was very, very persuasive," said Oliver, putting emphasis on "very".
"Nice to know Thea Queen is still the #1 supporter of Lauriver," said Tommy.
Oliver and Laurel both laughed a little at the sound of their "ship" name.
"Okay, shutting my mouth," said Tommy, realizing how awkward the moment is becoming. "Hey, Laurel, I heard you and your friends almost got shot last night."
"What?" asked Oliver, pretending he didn't know.
"Didn't you watch the news last night? Witnesses reported a green-hooded man rescuing Laurel and her friends from an armed man last night," said Tommy.
"Oh, my god. Laurel, are you okay?" asked Oliver.
"Yeah, I'm fine," assured Laurel. "Thanks to the hooded archer."
"Who is he?" asked Tommy.
"He never took off the hood, or even gave me a name," said Laurel. "I never even got to thank him."
"Well, I'm sure he knows you're grateful," said Oliver.
"How can you be so sure?" questioned Laurel.
"Well, a guy just shows up out of nowhere and saves you. How can he not expect you to be grateful?" replied Oliver.
The bell rings.
"Time for class," said Laurel. "See you boys later."
"Bye," said Oliver, watching Laurel walk away.
"Well, that was, uh, less awkward than I thought," commented Tommy. "Thought she'd be angry if she so much as looked at you."
"I guess she's more mature than we thought," said Oliver.
During first period, Oliver was looking for a place to sit. The entire classroom was almost filled up when he showed up. There were only two seats left in the front row. He sat down and waited for the teacher. What caught him by surprise is the person who was sitting next to him.
"Hey," he greeted.
"Hey," greeted Laurel.
"I, uh, didn't know you were sitting there," said Oliver awkwardly.
"Between you and me, I think the guys were setting you up," said Laurel.
"It's really hard for me to keep my distance if everyone keeps pushing back to your side," said Oliver.
"Oliver, I never wanted you to keep your distance," said Laurel.
"But, Laurel, what happened with Sara..." Oliver paused. His nerves tensed at the memory.
"Sara's gone, Oliver. And you're here. I have to learn to accept that," said Laurel. "After our first 'lackluster' meeting when you came home, Tommy told me that we have too much history together to just push each other away."
"So, you're being nice because of Tommy?" asked Oliver, putting emphasis on his best friend's name.
Laurel was a little stunned that he asked that question.
"Laurel, I know," said Oliver.
Before the conversation can go any further, the teacher comes in.
Later that day, at lunch, Oliver was sitting alone in the cafeteria, until a certain Merlyn decided to join him.
"No way I'm letting you eat alone," said Tommy.
"I figured," said Oliver.
"Look, Laurel told me that you knew," started Tommy.
"It's not really hard to see," said Oliver.
"Just to let you know, she and I aren't officially a 'thing' yet," said Tommy. "And I am so sorry about that..."
"Tommy, I was dead," interrupted Oliver. "You don't need my blessing. If you two want to go out, then go ahead. Besides, I don't deserve her. I never did."
"Ollie, I know you're sorry about Sara. I miss her too, but you can't let that keep you from patching things up with Laurel," said Tommy. "I want it to be just like old times. You, me, and her. We're like Han, Luke, and Leia, or Ferris, Cameron, and Sloane, or the three stooges..."
"Laurel will kill you if she heard that," said Oliver, laughing a little.
"I know," said Tommy. "I just don't want this whole sister issue to get in the way of you two for the rest of your lives."
"I'm trying," said Oliver honestly. "But I think it's best to take it slow."
"Don't care how you do it, just as long as in the end, we all live happily ever after," said Tommy.
After finishing his lunch, Oliver decided to head to the computer lab to "do some research". What he didn't expect to see is a blonde teenage girl sitting there by herself. Her eyes were seemingly glued to the screen and she was typing fast.
"Um, hello," greeted Oliver.
"Oh, hi," greeted the blonde. "I'm Felicity. Felicity Smoak."
"Oliver Queen," replied the rich boy.
"I know who you are. Pretty much everyone in Silverstone High knows who you are. You're like the hottest guy in school," babbled Felicity. Realizing what she said, "And when I said hot, I meant to other girls. I mean, a lot of girls stare at you and, uh... I'm gonna shut up now."
"You don't happen to be friends with Tommy Merlyn, are you?" asked Oliver.
"No," said Felicity.
"Well, I think you two make quite a pair," said Oliver.
Oliver sits down on the teacher's table and takes out his laptop. He tries to make sure that Felicity can't see what he's doing. He started looking up on Adam Hunt. He checks his phone and saw that Hunt hasn't made the money transfer that he threatened him to do last night. He decided to pay him another visit tonight.
At gym class, Coach Ted Grant made the class do a few laps around the gym before moving onto rope exercises.
"Okay, class, now, you know the drill. Climb up the rope and ring the bell at the top," said Ted. "Merlyn, you're up first."
Tommy takes a few deep breaths and stretches a little before climbing. When he was halfway to the top, he started to struggle, until he lost grip of the rip. He falls down and lands on the cushion below.
"Ow," whined Tommy.
"Alright, Queen, show us what you got," said Ted.
Oliver wasted no time and grabs onto the rope, pulling himself up. Everyone was surprised as they watched Oliver make it to the top no problem. He rings the bell before climbing back down. Oliver is met with surprised faces.
"Wow, Oliver," reacted Ted. "Do a lot of working out on the island?"
"Well, you gotta stay fit to outrun the wolves," replied Oliver.
"There were wolves on the island?" asked Tommy.
Oliver just laughed a little, telling everyone that he was "joking".
After the school day was over, the Queen's car returns to the Queen Mansion. Thea comes out and greets her mother. Walter exits the car, but no one else came out.
"Where's Oliver?" asked Moira.
"According to Tommy, he jut ran away from school after the last bell," said Walter.
"Where do you think he goes?" asked Moria.
"Probably meeting someone special," joked Thea.
Moria and Walter glare at Thea when she started laughing.
"Well, what else?" said Thea. "Hey, my friends and I are going to that new bowling alley that just opened."
"That's in the Glades, dear. You're not going anywhere near there, at least not without Walter," said Moira.
"Besides, don't you have homework to do?" added Walter.
"It's only the first day in school," said Thea, heading upstairs.
"I worry about her," said Moria.
"As much as you worry about Oliver?" questioned Walter.
"Sometimes, I forget that he spent a whole year on his own on an island," said Moira. "If he wants to be alone, then maybe it's for the best that I let him."
The clock strikes 9 in Silverstone City. Adam Hunt's building is under protection by the police after Hunt reported to Detective Quentin Lance that a hooded archer attacked him yesterday.
"You don't think this hood guy is real, don't you?" Hilton asked Quentin.
"My daughter mentioned someone with the same description saving her and her friends from some punk," said Quentin.
"Hey, why isn't Joe here?" asked Hilton.
"He's got business on the other side of town," said Quentin.
Meanwhile, inside Hunt's office, Hunt was throwing a tantrum during a phone call.
"I don't care how much it costs! Just make sure the deal goes down!" he yelled.
Suddenly, the power goes out.
One of the SWAT team members outside Hunt's office reported to Lance.
"Power's out. It must be the hood guy," he said.
Hunt's bodyguards took out their guns and scouted the area, keeping an eye out for anyone wearing a hood. Three arrows come out of nowhere and kills three bodyguards in an instant. The archer descends from above and engages both Hunt's men and the SWAT Team.
The archer unleashes a series of attack combos and takes down anyone in his way easily. The SWAT team started firing their guns. The archer was swift on his feet and dodges every bullet. He throws flechettes at the SWAT officers, impaling their legs or arms. Hunt's men engage the archer, but all they get are arrows to the chests or necks. The archer breaks one's arm before he could fire his gun. He then directs the gun at another thug and shoots him in the leg.
The archer punches one man in the face before using him as a human shield against another man firing his gun. The archer disarms the man with his bare hands before kicking him through the door to Hunt's office. The thud made Hunt almost jump off his chair.
The archer shoots an arrow at the doors and pushes a button on his bow. The arrow blows up the door, allowing the archer to get inside.
"Adam Hunt, you have failed this city!" shouted the archer.
"Please, don't kill me," pleaded Hunt.
"I ask for one thing, and you chose to do the wrong thing," growled the archer.
Oliver raises his bow and fires his arrow. It passes by Hunt's head and hits the wall behind him.
"You missed," taunted Hunt.
The archer jumps on the table and grabs Hunt by the suit, raising him off his chair.
"You kill me, you're painting a target on yourself," said Hunt.
"I don't care," said the archer.
The archer throws Hunt down to the floor. Hunt crawls backwards in fear as the archer walked towards him. Unfortunately for Hunt, he corners himself by crawling to a corner. Before the archer can make his move, he heard people coming upstairs. It was Quentin and Hilton along with a few guards.
"SCPD! Put down the bow and put your hands in the air!" yelled Quentin, aiming his gun at the archer.
"You're making a mistake," said the archer.
"Says the man who kills people with arrows," replied Quentin. "Now, put the bow down."
Oliver was slowly putting down the bow, until, in the blink of an eye, he activates a function on his bow, unleashing flares all over the room, blinding everyone. When the flashing stopped, the archer was gone. While everyone focused on looking for the hooded man, the arrow on the wall was transferring money from Adam Hunt's account to Oliver's secret account.
Meanwhile, Walter drops off Tommy and Laurel at the bowling alley. They were asked by Moira to keep an eye on Thea.
"Remind me why we're doing this again?" started Laurel.
"Because we both care about Thea," said Tommy. "Besides it won't be all spying and reporting back. We can still have fun while we do our duty."
"So, this is like our sixth date?" questioned Laurel.
"If you can call it a date," replied Tommy with a smile. "How many times are we gonna treat every single one like it's nothing?"
"You're not exactly the one-woman type, Merlyn," said Laurel.
"Depends on the girl," said Tommy.
"Are you sure your name is not secretly Tommy Queen?" joked Laurel.
"Hey, when I asked Ollie to call that CatCo intern, he said no. He's changing his approach on girls," said Tommy.
"I'll believe it when I see it," said Laurel.
Unbeknownst to the two of them, there was someone on the next building watching them from the emergency exit. It was Oliver, still dressed as the hooded archer. He was heading back to the foundry when he saw Walter's car. He followed it all the way to the bowling alley.
"I know you're mad, Laurel, but you can't be mad at him forever," said Tommy.
"Tommy, I'm not mad," said Laurel. "I just... I want to patch things up with him, but he's being distant."
"Well, he just came back from a year-long vacation on a deserted island so I don't blame him," said Tommy. "You're not still... in love with him, are you?"
"My feelings for him disappeared once I heard about the Queen's Gambit," said Laurel, feeling sure.
"Well, let's talk about Ollie later and focus on the other Queen sibling," said Tommy.
They head inside the bowling alley. Laurel, however, stopped when she felt that someone was watching. She looked up at the emergency exit of the next building, but nobody was there. She shrugs it off and follows Tommy inside.
Oliver returned his secret base and looked into the computer. His trick arrow has successfully transferred $40 million from Hunt's account to his secret account. He then returns the money to the people whom Hunt has stolen money from. He looks at his father's list and crosses off Adam Hunt's name.
"It's a start. There are many more corrupt souls in Silverstone City, but I am coming for all them. I will make them right their wrongs if I have to force them and I will make sure that my city becomes a safe haven once again, for my father."
That's it for now. The next chapter will be about Barry Allen and his friends and family.