Life's Canvas

Pain all the same

Author's Note: Ughh ! I am soo sorry you guys for the late updates i really been busy and didn't have enough time to update. I hope you guys didn't forget about the story though.. Sorry guys Yet again Or is it too late to say sorry ? my bad that song is stuck in my head by Justin b. ! But I hope y'all enjoy this one though I will update later on 2'Mr ! 

Chapter 19: Pain All the Same

Life's Canvas

Chapter 18: Pain All the Same

Richard shifted his position on the couch, tugging Kori up closer to him. He sighed wearily. This was not a tale he enjoyed recounting. Kori touched his arm gently, letting her hand linger a moment as to tell him she was there. "Well… I was born into a family of acrobats. I know, kind of weird that I used to live at the circus, but it's true. There was me, my mom and dad, and my brother. Our little family was called the flying Grayson's, and we were famous for our closing act. That act was probably one of the most dangerous, because it was done without a safety net… but we were good, so it didn't much matter.

"When I was about seven or eight, maybe nine, we came to do a show here in Gotham. As you can see, I never left. There was a gang lord that the owner of our circus owed some money to. I remember hiding behind one of the tent flaps, watching the two of them bickering back and forth. The circus owner refused to pay any money. The gang lord left, but not without some violent threats. I guess I was scared, because I never talked to my mom and dad about it. I just went and got ready for our performance.

"Kori, you should've seen it. It was completely full in the big tent, and there were lights flashing and it was just the most exciting moment of my nine-year-old life. To say the least, I was too drunk with adrenaline to be thinking about the gang lord's threats. In fact, I was much more consumed by the rumors that the almighty Bruce Wayne had come to see our show. When it was our time to go up… everything went perfectly. I was a star, the youngest trapeze-artist out there.

"So I finished my part of the show and I was just standing up there on the platform when my parents went out to do the final act, with no safety net and all. It went smoothly at first, and then I heard the most sickening sound in the world," Richard paused, a slight shudder running through his body. Kori squeezed him tightly. "I heard it; there was someone cutting the ropes. I tried to find out where it was coming from, I swear, but I couldn't see anything with all those lights. And then I looked up to yell a warning to my parents but all I got out was this worthless little scream… 'cause they were already falling.

"I watched them die, Kori… both of them. And I heard them hit the ground… I-I saw their bodies break." Richard shook his head, eyes closed. "I guess one of the goons set the circus on fire, but I don't remember much other than getting down the ladder and running over to my mom and dad and looking into their eyes. That was the worst part, because you can't even pretend their alive when you see their eyes. It got really, really hot and I realized the tent was on fire and there were people screaming and crying, but I was just… lost. Everything seemed to be dim and unreal. That's when Bruce grabbed me. He literally grabbed me around the waist, hoisted me over one shoulder and left the circus without a word.

"It's hard to imagine Bruce having done that, but I guess fifteen years ago had him a little more daring and whatever… I remember screaming for my parents, and crying, and wanting to kill myself for being too late and too stupid to warn them. But that was that, and they were gone. Bruce made me his ward and I left what was left of the circus to move into Wayne Manor. About a week later they told me my brother had died in the fire," Richard fell silent. "The rest… well, I was kind of a crazy kid and being the heir to the Wayne fortune… you could pretty much look up the rest of my life in the Gotham Daily tabloids," Richard muttered bitterly.