Innocent (A Treacherous Novel)

2

Gotham City, New Jersey

November 21, 2002

Ashley could hear the voices coming near before she could hear them. She sat in the chair by the window and just stared out into the wide-open space that was owned by her family as the rain fell. "I'll talk to her" She heard her uncle promise. She sighed and leaned her head back against the backing of the chair and shook her head.

"I'm worried about her Ollie" Aunt Dinah said. "Last night she was screaming in her sleep for Rosalie to come back" She heard her aunt tell him. Tears welled up in the girl's eyes before she forced her emotions down and balled up her fists angrily.

"She's going to want her mom after what happened, it's only natural" She heard Ollie tell her before knocking on Ashley's door.

"It's open" Ashley said with a sigh as debated racing out into the pouring without so much as hesitation to get away from Oliver's prying. In all honesty, she loved her uncle. Sometimes he was just a little too much for Ashley's taste. She heard her door open and the heavy footfalls of the expert archer enter her room as her aunt retreated, no doubt to get Roy settled in a room while they were here.

"I heard what happened" Oliver said as he walked beside her and leaned on her tall chair as he looked down at the solemn child who was acting more like her father with each passing time he saw her.

"Everybody has" Ashley said to him quietly. "I was going to go to the library yesterday, but Alfred was watching the news. They were very-" Ashley cut herself off to try to explain to her uncle. "They were very loud about it" Ashley finished hesitantly.

"But?" Oliver asked her.

"I don't understand, what do you want me to say?" Ashley asked as she looked up into her uncle's sky blue eyes. "Somebody lost their parents two days ago, someone saying something to some billionaire heiress isn't that important" Ashley said monotonously, returning to looking outside. Oliver sighed and pulled her chair back and bent down in front of her so she was eye-level with him.

"It matters to me because you are family" Oliver told her. "Forgot the fact that someone died, we can talk through that later" Oliver said sternly. "We need to talk about what's going through your head because right now because if there is one thing that will never happen it will be us losing you" Oliver told her softly.

"None of you get it" Ashley broke down into sobs. Oliver's face contorted from one of peace and control to one of sadness, which sadly seemed to linger around the girl. "I'm the reason that mom was kidnapped in the first place, I'm the reason she died" Ashley sobbed. "Bad things follow me around, Uncle Ollie" Ashley continued. "I'm the reason people die around me" Ashley said quietly and pulled her knees up to hide her head as she cried. "People die around me because I'm bad luck and that's why nobody stays" Ashley said as her small body was wracked with sobs. Oliver frowned and acted on a whim. He picked Ashley up and sat down in the chair with the child in his lap. He embraced her tightly and didn't have to think about his words before he said them with conviction.

"You are not the one who is killing the people around you, Ashley. You've been dealt a couple of shit hands when it comes to fate, yes but you did not kill anyone. Not your Mom, not whoever died at the circus. I won't leave you if that is what it takes for you to understand that you are not a sign of death and destruction" Oliver swore.

"Promise me you won't leave me" Ashley said quietly.

"The only way I'm going out is old and grey kid" Oliver promised. Ashley buried her face into his shirt and Oliver held her tightly. "You're stuck with Uncle Ollie ,x till the end of the line now."