A New Beginning

What Did I Do?

Artemis' POV

"Artemis Lian Crock!" I hear my mother yell furiously from the living room as I climbed through my window. Crap. I was still in my Arrow uniform. Mom didn't know about my hero persona, of course. She hated heroes. I would be insane to tell her that I'd become one. She didn't want me to be a villain if I didn't want to be, but she wanted me to be either a Shadow or normal. I was neither.

"In a minute, Mom!" I called back, throwing on a way too big T-shirt and slipping off my boots and pants so I was in my usual pajamas. I ran into the living room where mom was. Dad was there, too. He was smirking. 'Oh, no,' I think. If Jade told Dad about the Arrow thing...

"What the h*** are you thinking?!" Mom yelled. "Becoming a hero?! Really? After all that we've done for you, you go to our enemies?! Seriously? You stupid little b****! F*** you! Get out! I never want to see you again! Ever! Get out! Pack up and leave through that window of yours. Don't you dare come back! Ever! Am I clear?!"

I was terrified, but I nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Good! Go!"

I ran to my room, holding back tears. As I packed my bags, I let the hot tears stream down my cheeks. Why didn't my parents love me, even though I can't help but love them? Or Mom, at least. Why couldn't my family be normal? Why couldn't I be normal? Why'd I have be like this? I carefully took the posters of the walls and folded them up as small as they would go and put them in my bag. When I was done packing my sheets and blanket, along with Jade's, my few clothes, my hygiene stuff, amy dearly beloved teddy bear, and the posters, I slipped through my window. I'd never been so grateful for Ollie, Dinah, and the cave.

I pulled out my phone and flipped it open. "Hey, Ollie."

"Hey, Artemis," Oliver replied. "What's with the 3am call? Miss me already?"

"No," I said. "Mom found out that I'm a hero now and she kicked me out of the house."

"Oh, my God," Ollie said. I could hear him talking to somebody. Probably Dinah. "Ok, kid. You wait in the parking lot behind your apartment. I'll pick you up there. Hold on."

"Ok," I said, and hung up. I sat on the fire escape,seven feet up, swinging my dangling legs. At least I had Ollie. A black sports car pulled into the lot and Ollie climbed out. I jumped down and ran over to him.

"Hey, kiddo," Ollie said. "You ok?"

I nodded, but Ollie could see the tears that I was holding back. He pulled me into a hug. "Hey, it'll be ok. I know that it hurts, but you'll be ok. I promise."

I nodded and let him lead me into the car. Soon I was snuggled up in my room in Star City. It was huge and had this awesome floor to ceiling window all the way down the left wall, across from the door. The bed was a ginormous loft bed, with a huge canopy and a couch, a desk, and a fish tank in the wall underneath. It was awesome. No wonder, they'd had me help design it.

I fell asleep, knowing I still had a day of training at the cave the next day.

-The next day-

I walked towards my room after my shower. We'd been training all day and I was was worn out. I just wanted to take a nap before going back home with Dinah and Ollie. I heard adults talking in one of the many unused rooms. I walked up to the door and pressed my ear against it. Yes, I was eavesdropping. But I didn't care. I was curious.

"Well, it's not safe to let her stay!" I heard Superman say.

'Who's he talking about?' I thought, confused.

"She's a child!" That was Ollie. It hit me that there were really only two shes that they could be talking about: M'gann and me. M'gann wasn't exactly a threat so that left... me?

"She's a child of villains, Oliver!" That was Wonder Woman. I was stunned. They were clearly talking about me. I thought that Diana liked me. She sure acted like it.

"Yes, a child who just got kicked out of her home by the very villains who raised her! What is wrong with you people! You like the girl, Diana! Do you really want to kick her streets?!"

"Of course I don't! But it's not safe for us! You have no true way of knowing whether or not she's a double agent! Do you really want to risk the lives of the League and the Team by allowing one person to stay safe? She is not that important! If she needs a place to stay, we will make sure she gets placed in a nice foster home, but it's just not safe to allow her to stay here or with any of us!"

I had a sickening feeling in my stomach. They wouldn't kick me out. Would they?

"Oliver and I both thoroughly researched her before we let her join. She means no harm. Oliver is right. She's a great kid who just got kicked out of her house by her own parents for being a hero! She is not in any way a threat. Diana, Clark, you're both being ridiculous! Artemis does not deserve this sh**!" Hold on. Was the Batman standing up for me? Yes. Yes, he was.

"How about we just settle this the way we usually do: with a vote," Flash suggested.

"No," Batman argued. "There. Is. No. Reason. Not. To. Trust. Her."

"Even if she betrayed us for some reason, she's one fifteen year old girl. We could beat her. Just let the kid stay."

'Yes,' I mentally urged. 'Let the kid stay!' I decided to head to my room. With Ollie, Dinah, and Bats on my side. I had nothing to worry about, right? Right?

I walked to my room, where I heard voices. "I don't think that this is a good idea," Megan's voice said.

"It's a great idea!" I heard Wally argue. "She'll get mad, and quit, and then we'll have Roy on the team! We all would rather have him anyway! But he won't join as long as that stupid b**** who replaced him is on the team!"

"I do not like this plan," Kaldur said. "But I agree that it is probably the only way to get her off the team." The others made sounds of agreement, including Megan, who muttered a reluctant "I guess."

My eyes burned with tears as their words registered. They didn't want me, either. Someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around to see Ollie and Dinah standing there. They both looked crestfallen. "Artemis," Ollie said quietly.

"Yes?" I answered, panic rising in my voice.

Ollie couldn't continue, so Dinah did as Ollie pulled me close to him and held me tight. "The League has decided that it's not safe to allow you to stay with the League anymore. That includes the cave and our house."

I looked up at them in horror. "I-I'm not allowed to stay? Where will I go? What am I supposed to do?!" Dinah joined the hug.

"The League will make sure that you get put in the best foster home available. I promise. But that's the most that the majority of the League would agree to. I'm sorry, Artemis. I'm so sorry."

I pulled myself out of the hug, anger overwhelming me. I shook my head. "No. I'm allowed to make my own decisions. And my decision is I'm not going to live with total strangers!" I ran.

"Artemis!" Ollie yelled. "Artemis!" Dinah joined him. I could hear them running after me.

"Bye, Green Arrow, Black Canary!" I called behind me, anger clear in my voice. I reached the Zeta tubes, typed in a code, requested the location to be hidden and teleported away before they could catch up to me.

I walked out of the tube into the alley, where I collapsed. A tear ran down my cheek. "Why me?" I whispered. "Why does everybody hate me?!" I was sobbing now. "What did I do?!" I cried out. "What did I ever do to deserve this!" I curled up on the ground, sobbing harder than I ever had in my life.