The New Teen Titans Part II: The Curse of al Ghul

Chapter 5: Sophomore Year

Bruce was on the verge of bursting a blood vessel with his kids - especially his youngest. Just when things seemed to be progressing, something always had to happen that set them back. First, that reckless off-planet mission with the Teen Titans, although Bruce was not quite certain what exactly happened there, but he hadn't had the time to look into that yet. Then his son decided to steal his sports car to take his girlfriend - Oliver Queen's half-sister, of all people, - on a date. Now this: inviting the daughter of Nyssa al Ghul to their own home.

And if there was something Bruce detested, it was being kept out of things, especially when his family could be at risk. Bringing an enemy into the Manor was not something he approved of, but unfortunately, his stern lecture the previous night came to no fruition. Damian was clever enough to use Bruce's words against him to win his case.

"You taught me about redemption, Father. When you first met me, I was nothing but a heartless assassin. Yet, you took me in and granted me the chance to better myself. Is it so wrong of me to wish the same for my cousin?"

Damn it.

What was Bruce supposed to say to that? He couldn't be a hypocrite and reprimand his son for wanting to help a family member despite their past. But just because he couldn't argue with his son didn't mean he had to trust the girl either—he was going to keep a close eye on Mara for the time being. In the meantime, he had to figure out what to do with her. He couldn't let Mara roam around the Manor by herself while he was away at work and Damian was at school, and it wasn't fair to give more work to Alfred either. The poor man had done his fair share of babysitting duties over the years. In the end, only one solution was left:

Enroll Mara in the West-Reeve School.

This was bound to be a disaster, Bruce knew, but he was running out of options. Hopefully, his son would be able to help his cousin adjust to normal life somewhat... Not that Damian was fully adjusted since Bruce still received calls from the school from time to time regarding his son's persistence in disrupting the class to correct his teachers, but there was still hope. It would be a miracle to not receive a single complaint call or detentions this year. One can dream.

"Good news, sir." Greeted Alfred as he finished a call, "West-Reeve High School accepted Miss al Ghul's enrollment despite the extremely short notice. They shall have her uniform ready for her when she arrives today."

"That was nice of them," Bruce remarked casually as he took a sip of his coffee while reading his work emails on his iPad.

"Of course," The snarky butler started, "- because this had nothing to do with the fact that you fund the whole school," Came the retort, dripping with sarcasm.

"Hn," Bruce grunted, his eyes remaining fixed on the screen. "Are the kids ready?"

"They should be, but where--?" Alfred looked behind him and then nodded, "Ah, there they are."

This time, Bruce looked up from his iPad to take a good look at the kids as they walked into the kitchen. Damian was already dressed in his uniform, sporting his customary sleepy and annoyed expression—a clear indication of his unwavering disdain for school and poor habit of sleeping late, a learned behavior from Bruce, sadly. Mara, on the other hand, was the opposite. She looked awake and alert. Too alert. Her posture was rigid and tense, guarded as if someone was about to attack her at any second. It reminded him a lot of his youngest. It took months for Damian to be able to sleep smoothly and be at ease in his own home. Bruce wouldn't expect anything less from Mara.

"Good morning, Mara." Bruce greeted, trying not to sound too intimidating, "As we discussed last night, you'll be attending school with Damian this year. We're keeping your last name a secret to avoid unnecessary attention, so you shall go by the name Mara Adler instead. Is that alright with you?"