JADE (young justice/robin)

9. mystery girl

Mount Justice
September 16, 14:55 EST

The Bat was monitoring the travel route for Megan and Boy Scout's transit. They were on some undercover mission within Belle Reve.

"Why couldn't I be sent in?" I rasped, scanning the route with him. I hated to talk, but I loved to pester the Bat.

"You're not blonde," his gravelly voice said simply.

"Didn't ask," I argued.

"Wouldn't look real."

I scoffed. How would you know, you haven't seen it yet. I propose we go blonde together, Bats. Make it a little girls night.

I stood there, watching him, waiting for him to give me something to do. I started shifting from heel to heel and sighing dramatically to keep him aware of my presence.

"The League has everything handled," he grumbled. "And if there was something happening, what makes you think I would send you in alone?"

I pointed between us. You go with me, Bats. It'll be like our first date. I spent my entire childhood in constant action, always someone to fight, always trouble to cause. Then, when things slowed down in Gotham, I had Bubs to keep me company. Now I spend most of my time waiting for boring missions or not getting assigned to them at all.

"I enrolled Eden at the stem school," he changed the subject.

Then the bigger issue finally registered in my head. School? What happened to keeping her hidden?

"Milton is a privately owned academy funded by the Wayne Foundation," he explained, creepily reading my mind. "I can enroll her without any existing records."

My brows furrowed angrily. That wasn't the point. The point was to keep her from being out in the open.

"She deserves a chance to be a normal seventh grader," he reasoned, still reading me like a book. "You can't expect her to stay indoors for the rest of her life. That's the very thing that's made her grow to resent you."

My mouth shut at the sound of that. I'm giving her space, that's what she wants, but I'm keeping her safe, that's what she needs. I just hated that her resentment was the price.

"In the meantime, I have something to keep you occupied."

A million vile thoughts ran through my mind that I'm sure the Bat didn't want to hear.

"Gotham Academy operates under the same Wayne Foundation system as Milton," he continued. "I've enrolled you."

I laughed right away. Right, good one Bats. He didn't shift, still watching the computer route intently. That was a joke, right? Right?

"School starts at 7am sharp."

I shook my head quickly.

"Then stay in the cave with nothing to do," he said, turning the monitor off, and beginning to stalk away.

I weighed my horrible options, before running to catch up with him. "No uniforms," I begged.

Gotham
September 19, 06:50 EST

I was messing with the tie that was too tight on my neck, resorting to just loosening it so that the knot fell in front of my chest.

I've passed Gotham Academy multiple times while I was out doing sticky fingered runs for groceries. Every time I'd always see the same thing: preppy little nerds running around in their slacks and skirts. I never thought I'd be one of those nerds.