SWAN SONG / damian wayne

EIGHT, RUNAWAY

FIVE YEARS AGO,

SCHOOL FUCKING SUCKED. Odile had registered that less than a day into her new international school and promptly reflected that to Remiel. She had much better things to do than learn about English literature and science and things she already knew about, things she could learn elsewhere.

It was a complete waste of time.

But Remiel hadn't agreed. You need to learn to be around kids your age. You have to know what life is like for a normal person.

No. No, she didn't. Odile would always stand out, no matter where she was, no matter where she went. She was a dead girl walking. She wasn't meant to be standing here. She wasn't meant to be enjoying life and smiling and living when the Eyu Sect was gone.

She'd made promises, and the guilt was killing her.

It was swallowing her inside and out. And if Remiel wasn't going to let her do what she wanted, she'd go off on her own.

That was what made her decide to pack up and go. Aged fourteen. Grimly determined, perhaps a bit unrealistic, but with a plan nonetheless. She needed to improve. Learn more. Start looking for clues, for a trail, for some way to investigate.

Not go to school.

So, on one night when Remiel was out on patrol and Odile was left in their apartment, she packed up and left. She'd bought three plane tickets, all on the same day. Two, on the accounts and identities that Remiel knew and used herself. One to Gotham. One to Changsha.

And then, under another identity, one she'd kept a secret from her mentor, a ticket to Guilin.

Seraphina al Ghul had made her a promise. No doubt, eventually, Remiel would locate her. Or Seraphina would give in and tell Remiel where she was. But before then?

She'd figure it out.

I'm fourteen. Damian pulled off more impressive stunts at this age.

Somehow, she got on that plane.

And then, a few hours later, with nothing more than a single backpack and some money, she landed in the city of Guilin. Tourist destination, known for its beautiful mountains and caves, and unbeknowst to most, the League of Assassin's largest base in China.

Another two hours later, she stood before a stunned Seraphina al Ghul.

"Odile, what...?" The woman shook her head in absolute disbelief. "Does Remiel know you're here?"

"No, and you're not going to tell her." Odile stared back at her, determination in her eyes. "You told me... you told me you'd help me when I needed it."

"Odile, what happened?"

"Sera, it's killing me. I can't sit in Hong Kong studying an some fancy school when my sect remains unavenged."

Seraphina al Ghul sucked in a breath. "Is Remiel not letting you investigate?"

"How am I supposed to investigate when I have to go to school every day?" Odile shook her head in disbelief. "And I need... I need to train more. I need to learn more. I need ways to investigate. By myself."

"You're certain this is the path you want to continue down?" Seraphina asked quietly, something indecipherable entering her expression. "Certain?"

Thing was, Odile had never really spoken to Seraphina about vengeance. She'd never even told the woman herself what happened back then with her sect, the things she'd witnessed. Not the way she had with Shan Ling, though she'd started hiding the bits and pieces she'd discovered over the years from the other woman. Shan Ling would, inevitably, end up passing things on to Remiel.