The Angel of Death

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

All four boys were watching me with an odd kind of wary curiosity. The youngest, whose name I remembered was Damian, looked outright pissed.

Bruce cleared his throat, pulling their eyes to him. "Everyone, this is Nico di Angelo. He'll be living with us for a while." I saw one of the boys, one of the older ones, shoot Bruce a look. "Nico, this is Dick, Jason, Tim and Damian." Each of the boys nodded at their names.

Jason was the one I thought I recognised. There was something about him that seemed really familiar. He had black hair with a white streak in the front, and cold blue eyes. I looked a little further, to his soul. My eyebrows raised when I felt the unique crumpled-ness of it.

His build and age were similar enough, and combined with his recycled soul, I was pretty sure I knew exactly who he was.

I smirked at him. "Ever died before?" Immediately, the atmosphere in the room plummeted. Jason paled, and the others stiffened. My smirk grew. I was right. Jason and the man with the red helmet were one and the same.

"Almost," Jason answered smoothly. "I'm in witness protection because of it. Most people think I'm dead."

I quirked an eyebrow. "You're in witness protection, so you're hiding in your own home?"

He shrugged. "It's the last place people would think to look for someone who's hiding from something." I hummed. His words resonated a little deeper that I felt comfortable with.

"So I'm sworn to secrecy and all that?" I guessed, looking to Bruce, who shrugged. "We won't make you sign anything if that's what you mean, but we would appreciate it if you didn't let slip he's here."

I nodded, looking around the room again. My eyes caught on the bookshelves, and I studied the titles. I could see some volumes that looked like they weren't in English, but that may just be my dyslexia acting up.

"Where are you from?" Tim asked and I shot my eyes to him.

"What do you mean?" I asked carefully. He looked suddenly scared. "Oh, I didn't mean to offend you or anything, I was just wondering if you're from around Gotham or not?"

I breathed a mini sigh of relief. I wasn't sure what I thought he meant but felt a weight lift off my chest. "No. I've been around a lot, actually. I was born in Italy but moved to America when I was ten. I lived in Los Vegas for a while, then I travelled for a bit before coming back."

He nodded thoughtfully. I could tell he wanted to ask more, but kept quiet. I had purposely left my parents out of the conversation and would be happy if it stayed that way.

Bruce dropped a hand on my shoulder and I flinched. He noticed and gave me an odd look as he pulled it away. "Something came up at the office, and I've got to clean up and head over, so I'll trust you four to give Nico a tour and get him settled as best as possible. I'll be home for dinner, okay?"

When he got his required affirmation, he turned and headed up to the second floor disappearing behind a door beside the second staircase. I heard a shower turn on a moment later.

Dick stood up, taking charge. He smiled brightly. "Hey Nico. I guess the first order of business is to get you a room." He started towards the stairs, and I sighed. This was going to suck for my ankle.

"All the guest rooms are along the right side of the second floor, our rooms are on the left, and Bruce's and Alfred's are on either side of the stairs at the back. This is my room, that's Tim's, Jason is two doors down, and Damian is on the end. You can pick whichever room you like, they're all the same, but we can head out tomorrow and pick up painting and decor stuff for you."