As they stared up at the dilapidated grocery ceiling, Ashe flipped the card over and over in their hands. They were lying on the floor, their backpack under their head like a pillow, deep in thought. Jason Todd has been missing for the past two weeks. Ashe had come back to the abandoned store that the street kids lived in, hoping that he would just come home. But he hadn't. There was no word from him and no one else had seen him either.

Batman doesn't kidnap people. Ashe thought as they idly fidgeted with the card they had received that night. That man in the alley, he's the reason that Ashe was so late. If they had gone straight to Jason maybe they would have caught him before he disappeared.

Holding the card in front of them, Ashe thought about the offer. If Jason wasn't here then why would they stay? They could take up the mysterious man on his offer and make some money and bring it back here to the kids and look for Jason in their spare time. The man didn't seem evil, as long as Ashe wasn't killing anyone then why not? Ashe wanted to do good for Gotham but maybe watching out for themself first should be a bigger priority.

Ashe stood up and grabbed their bag determinedly. Waiting for Jason was getting them nowhere. They were going to find the man. On the card was just an address. Having no idea what else to do, they decided to keep moving.

Upon arriving at the destination, Ashe was greeted by the same strange man that they had met before. He took them on a tour of the base of operations. For a relatively unknown crime syndicate, it was a rather impressive location. Barracks, common room, a training room, and an office for the mysterious man.

The man came to a halt at the end of the tour and turned to Ashe. "You may refer to me as The Boss. When you join, you are expected to leave behind all ties to your old life. This includes your name, a new one will be chosen for you. You move so quickly you are barely visible. You shall be called Ghost from here on out. Understand?" his tone was cold and decisive.

Without saying anything, Ashe nodded.

The Boss gestured for another boy around Ashe's age to come over. His hair was golden with a vivid crimson streak running through it. "This is Flare. He is also new. The two of you will train together. I expect great things from both of you." With that, the man turned and left them.

The days turned into weeks and then into a month that Ashe had been with this group. The time blurred together. Ashe underwent intense training every day, not only for their meta abilities but also for battle. Ashe was already outperforming their teammates and developing into a skilled combatant. They'd been assigned to a variety of easy tasks, ranging from theft to moving product to guarding the Boss. Nothing that Ashe had done so far felt particularly sinister, but then again they had given up on the moral conflict of it all. This wasn't the road they had envisioned, but it was a necessary evil.

And whatever money Ashe got, they would bring back to the street kids. Tonight, Ashe would sneak off from the base to deliver food and supplies back to their old home. The deal was that joining the gang would mean no contact with their previous life, so Ashe would have to be careful. They were in a little over their head. While the Boss had said there were no strings attached, Ashe was coming to learn that this was a lifetime deal. From talking with others in this crime group, Ashe had learned that anybody who had ever wanted to leave or had broken any rules would come up missing.

So, in the dead of night, Ashe stealthily escaped the barracks. As they walked through the streets of Gotham, they felt a weight lift off their shoulders. It felt like they belonged there. They took their time making sure they weren't being watched. They started walking to the abandoned grocery shop once they were confident it was safe.

They pulled up the broken chain link fence and entered the building. Immediately, the young child Theo came running up and hugged around Ashe's legs.

"Wow, it's so good to see you, Ashe! I can't believe both of you came home on the same night!" Theo yelled excitedly.

Ashe patted the kid on his head and pulled him back. "Both of us?" They asked confused.

Theo smiled and pointed. "Mhm Jason got here about an hour ago. He's been looking for you!"

Ashe's heart pounded against the inside of their chest. As soon as they spotted him, they froze. Jason Todd hadn't seen Ashe yet so they had a moment to gather themself. It had been a month since Ashe had seen him. He looked different. His shoulders looked broader and his body more muscular. Even in the short amount of time, he somehow looked much older. He didn't look like the same kid Ashe had known. But then again, Ashe probably looked different too.

With unsure steps, Ashe approached Jason. "Hey, Jay… let's uh talk outside."

Jason nodded and followed them outside, "Ashe, life has been crazy. You've got to listen-"

Ashe turned away from him. "Jason Todd, I thought you were dead." They said coldly. "You were gone and no one knew what happened to you."

Taken aback by their harsh tone, Jason was stunned. He knew Ashe was mad, they never called him by his whole name. "Listen, I can't explain everything but Bruce Wayne adopted me and-"

Ashe flung around in a fury, "Bruce Wayne?! What do you mean adopted? . You. Were. Dead." They emphasized.

"Yeah, alright, I'm sorry or whatever," Jason shook his head in frustration. "But you can come with me! You can come back to the manor and we can figure it out."

"I don't want to run away to a billionaire's mansion!" Ashe shouted, piercing the night's silence with the force of their voice. "I'm trying to protect these kids. Did you forget where you came from? You just take off without looking back to live some cushy rich life? You just forgot about everybody here? About me?"

The two of them froze. Jason didn't raise his eyes to meet theirs. Ashe crossed their arms, half-embarrassed of their outburst. They didn't mean to put so much venom behind their words. The silence was thick and sickening. With every beat, Ashe's heart felt pierced by agony. The distance between them seemed to grow as the seconds went by. Ashe didn't want to hurt Jason, but him waltzing back here like everything was fine after abandoning them was a torment that Ashe had been dealing with for the past month.

Breaking the silence, Ashe began to walk towards Jason, their footsteps reverberating through the night. Ashe stood next to him, facing the other direction, not making eye contact. They took his hand in theirs and gave it a heart-aching squeeze.

"I'm sorry I can't come with you. My life just isn't the same as yours anymore." They let go and took two steps past him. Ashe struggled to hide the solitary tear that was running down their cheek.

"I hope our paths will cross again, Jason Todd."