Memory Watching

Chapter 3

She herself got in the car, and drove away, towards a building with a sign that said 'Gotham Juvenile Detention Center'.

The screen faded, leaving the horror struck faces of the team.

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Artemis broke the silence that had descended like a cloud onto the surprised teens. "Robin..." she turned to the teen in question.

"Stop," Robin said quietly, "I don't want your pity, I got enough of it to last me a lifetime after my parents died." He looked at each teen in turn. "I guess these have been pretty pointless for a while," the glasses were whipped off of his face and tucked into a pocket.

Wally scooted close to his best friend. "I think you might need comfort, though, dude. From what you've told me, these next few memories are harsh." Wally's arm was no around Dick's small frame, enclosing him in warmth.

The screen swirled with brown, gray, and lots of black, then morphed into a shape that Dick recognized. It was a room, but it looked more like a cell. The white tile floors were so dirty that it looked like there was no tile, only dirt. The walls were the same way. There were bunk beds pushed against one wall, and the other wall had a shower and toilet partitioned off by a raggedy blanket. The beds had thin mattresses, moth-eaten pillows and blankets, and were hanging off the wall by chains. There was a dried puddle of blood in one corner.

There was a creaking, and then a taunting voice. "Hey, gypsy boy!"

It was then the team noticed the small boy from earlier, huddled in the corner where the blood was, looking even smaller in the baggy clothes. If they looked closely, they could see every rib defined from starvation. When he looked to the much larger boy who was taunting him, his face was yellowish and gaunt, his eyes sunken in and holding a defeated look. It was saddening. Wally's arm tightened around Dick.

"What? Gypsy lost his voice?" the boy tainted. His hair was sandy, and his face marred by scars. His brown eyes gleamed with malice. He advanced, and Dick tried to make himself smaller. "Speak, dammit!" He kicked out, and hit Dick in the ribs. He kicked again, and there was an audible crack. Dick let out a cry of pain, and the boy smirked. He punched this time, going for the face. Blood spurted out of Dick's nose, and the Dick that was watching all of this was flinching with every blow.

Once the beating was over, Dick was panting with pain, and had bruises and blood all over him.

"Sleep tight, gypsy," the boy spat as he turned and climbed into the top bunk.

The image shifted to an office type room, with a desk and a chair behind it, with two wooden chairs in front. A man they recognized as Bruce Wayne sat in one chair, Dick in the other. The fat man from the earlier memory was sitting in the chair behind the desk, some papers and a manila folder in front of him.

"Are you sure, Mr. Wayne? This boy is very quiet," the fat man asked.

Bruce nodded, set in his decision. "Yes, I am very sure."

The fat man handed over the papers, and pointed to certain places. "Sign here, here, and here, and he's all yours."

Bruce took a pen from a cup on the desk and signed the papers stating that he would adopt Richard John Grayson, and he would become Richard John Grayson-Wayne. He handed the fat man the signed papers, and he placed them in a filing cabinet.

"You are free to go, Richard," the fat man said grudgingly.

Dick just nodded and followed Bruce when he stood up to go home. Once they were out of the nightmarish building, Bruce tried to start up a conversation. "So, um... are you excited?" he asked awkwardly, he was new to this whole parent thing.

Dick just nodded and stared ahead, in awe of the car they were approaching.

When Bruce got into said car, Dick followed, even more in awe. When they arrived at the mansion, however, Dick finally broke out of his mood. A cheek splitting grin appeared on his face, and he looked to Bruce before running and cartwheeling up the rest of the way to the big house. He knocked on the door, and an elderly man answered.

"Ah, you must be Master Richard. Master Bruce has told me so much about you. My name is Alfred, and I hope you will be most comfortable here." He moved to the side so that Dick could cautiously enter the house. He looked around and explored, finding new and exciting hiding places wherever he went. He learned to avoid the creaky floorboards that he could remember after a few hours, and then Alfred was calling him for dinner. 

The picture faded out, and left the team in silence once more.

Hey, guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, most of the time it won't take me this long, but I was busy setting up my account on ff.net, and starting new stories. I also had a hard time deciding which would be my next memory to cover. If you have any ideas, let me know by commenting! Thank you so much for reading, and don't worry, be happy!