Justice League: Generation Worth Millions

Chapter 11: Business as Usual

I finished putting sunscreen on and prepared to empty my mind by swimming in the garden pool. It was my favorite pool at the manor because I liked to hear the birds sing in the trees.

I sat on the lawn chair for a bit, watching the blue water reflect the sun off the surface. There were a lot of memories by this pool, this was where Bruce had ended the first tour of the mansion the first day I'd arrived. It was also the sight where I met Tim for the very first time.

It had been a really hot day, I had no intentions of swimming in the pool. I was working on homework. Baby birds were branching in the trees nearby, one fell out and into the water. I panicked, not wanting to see the little guy drown, so I reached forward to help him. I got him out and placed him under the tree, but his parents didn't understand I was helping him, and they attacked with furious pecks into my head and tugs on my hair.

I screamed, and threw my arms around the air to ward them off, but they wouldn't let up. Next thing I knew, I was splashing around in the pool. He showed up, jumping in shirtless to retrieve me. When we were out of the water, I pushed him aside roughly, and Bruce ran over to see what all the commotion was about.

"What are you doing!?" I yelled at the green eyed stranger.

"I thought you were drowning", he said. "But I guess I was wrong, you just swim like a stupid seal."

I scoffed at him, "A stupid seal!? Do I even look like I wanted to go swimming?"

Bruce came between us, "Alright, calm down." He gave the boy a skeptical look, "Tim, go put your shirt back on." Then he turned to me, and saw the gaping cut I had on my forehead from the angry parent birds.

He gently dabbed it with a coat. "Alfred, get the first aid kit!"

Alfred was there moments later and he fixed up my head in no time with expertise.

"What happened?" Bruce asked after I was bandaged up.

"Yeah", Tim added rudely, "I had to jump in and ruin these new jeans for no reason."

I glared at him and told the story of the baby bird. Tim had laughed out loud, and Bruce was amused, giving me a warm smile and suggesting we all go inside the mansion for some lunch and a formal introduction with our neighbor, Timothy Drake.

I met Dick Grayson a few days later by the same pool, too.

"So, you must be Krystal, the one who jumped into a pool to save a baby bird from drowning and not minding the angry parents that misread your intentions." He said to me in a friendly way. He was visiting Bruce for the weekend, and was excited to meet me."I'm Dick Grayson, Bruce adopted me after I lost my parents and raised me. So, legally, I'm your older brother", He smiled, holding his hand out.

Unlike Tim or Bruce, when I'd been bitterly defensive upon first introduction, Dick was the complete opposite. I had smiled at him and shook his hand, "I'm Krystal, the one who jumped into a pool to save a bird, and Bruce's long lost daughter, apparently." I loved him as a brother from the start.

I smiled at the memories, and gazed at the tree where the baby bird had fallen out. The same parents returned annually to nest, I liked to feed them. Now, they trusted me enough to sit in the tree, so long as I didn't make any sudden movements.

My phone buzzed. I pulled it out from under the towels, it was a text from Tim.

Tim: MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!

Mayday was a key word we used whenever we were caught in a situation we didn't want to be in and couldn't get out of. The reciever of the text would come with a good reason and call them with an 'urgent' situation.