Wrong Parent (Dick Grayson)

1--Adopted

I can't say I had the ideal childhood.

You'd think that after a kid watches his parents fall to their death in some 'freak trapeze accident', you'd think my life could only get better, right?

Pft! Wrong!

Me and luck don't seem to get along very well. After the death of my parents, I was sent to an orphanage. No one wanted me. I didn't brush my hair or teeth, or take care of myself in any other way. I didn't see the point. It was usually the set-on-revenge look in my ocean blue eyes that drove potential parents away. I didn't care. Bad things happened everywhere I went. The library burned down after the first time I visited it, I accidently broke a kid's arm when I got mad at him, really anything and everything under the sun.

At nine, I was sure that no one would ever adopt me. I grew more distant from the other kids every passing day and I knew I needed serious mental help. You can't expect a kid to see his parents die and think he'll be fine in a few weeks.

I was surprised that anyone ever did adopt me. All my friends had left at a young age, and I hadn't planned on making any new ones. The only time I would ever talk to the other kids was when I told them goodbye when they left. I was more like a shadow then a person.

When I was first told that someone had adopted me, I didn't believe them. I had just turned ten over the weekend. I wasn't sure how to feel about leaving the orphanage and living with someone who wanted me.

When it came time to meet my new dad, I was getting really nervous. I wondered what he would be like. Nice, stern, abusive, a drunk, a criminal, the mayor. The possibilities were endless!

The first impression that I got of my new father was how big he was. He was wearing reflective sunglasses and a suit. He was massive, especially next to me. I was short for my age and I only ate halfheartedly.

"Richard," Miss. Penelopy, the owner of the orphanage, said with a smile. "This is Mr. Wilson. He wants to adopt you! Isn't that wonderful?"

I simply nodded to be nice. Apparently, all the paperwork was filled out already and all I had to do was pack up my stuff. No one said goodbye to me. None of them were my friends. I didn't have many possessions, but I still took my time collecting my few things. My most prized possession was a small stuffed elephant that I had called Peanut. He had been my only true friend ever since my circus days. I gently placed Peanut in my bag and walked out of the room. None of the other kids even acknowledged my existence.

I originally was writing this story as a one shot, but it got really long so the first fee chapters may come really fast.