ROGUE| DICK GRAYSON

prologue

"You're dead–" A gruff voice said as she dangled upside down from a building.

The man yanked her ankle, and the girl fell onto the roof into a somersault, landing it. The voice spoke up then, "–again."

The girl stood tall, not looking away from the man in front of her. If she looked away, she was scared that she'd be actually dropped.

The man had only one good eye as the other had a burn mark from his right eyebrow to the cheekbone. His hair was greying, but he didn't look a day over thirty as he was still as strong as ever. He had pale, sharp features and his nose was crooked from how many times he has broken it.

"Five hours."

The brunette wanted to fall to her knees in defeat, or yell and scream at the man in front of her. But, all she did was nod. Knowing if she did anything else, she might get stabbed, literally.

Rowan started to walk to the edge of the building, prepared to catch the railing as she fell. But, before she could, he continued, "I thought better of you, Rowan."

The girl nodded, "You always do."

With that, the girl jumped off the building, mentally preparing herself for the training session.

"One minute and twenty-three seconds." The man held a stopwatch, "Your whole team could be dead by then."

Rowan stood there in twenty-degree weather, drenched head-to-toe in water. The girl didn't even shiver as the wind picked up. Her almost black hair was matted as the girl relished in the oxygen.

Rowan was quickly growing sick of her father's comments, "I understand that, but that's my best time yet." She watched as her father glared into her eyes, "Doesn't that count for something?"

Her father stepped towards her, making her feel weak under his stare, "It doesn't count when you're standing, surrounded by the bodies of your teammates." His voice was deep and menacing.

Cain Blake has always seemed to be rough, but he did it out of love. He did it so his daughter wouldn't end up like his last. He was training her for the biggest moment of her life. Sure, he was putting more than enough pressure on her, but he was making her strong; independent.

The girl started to walk away, but she stopped to look back. The human-sized glass container that held her in, was glaring back at her. Almost like it was saying, 'you'll never be good enough.'

The Black Canary stood outside the Blake residence in civvies, ready for her god-daughter. Dinah rang the doorbell, hearing a muffled, 'coming!'

Soon enough the wooden door opened to a brunette with shorts and a t-shirt on. Her hair was in waves and her pale skin contrasted against the warm sun.

"You need to get some sun," Dinah spoke up, putting a hand on her hip. Rowan merely rolled her eyes. The blonde woman knew her since the day she was born. To be exact, Dinah was in the delivery room with Rowan's mother, holding her hand through it all.

Rowan hopped down the steps, "Morning to you too, D." The two began jogging down the sidewalk, doing their morning run. It was about five in the morning and they both had a big day planned.

"No, I'm serious, Row. You look like Bella from Twilight."

The teenager scoffed and nudged Dinah, "Hey! At least I don't look like I should be on the Real Housewives of America." Dinah just laughed back as a reply.

Rowan could feel the mood shift as Dinah got ready to talk, "So, there's this new league for people your age and I think that–"

The girl stopped running, causing the blonde to do the same, "No, no, no."

"Now listen, Rowan–"

"–You remember what happened last time someone from the Blake family tried that?"

Dinah shook her head and rubbed her temples. She understood the young girl's hesitance, but it was not like they were cursed.

The blonde nodded, "Yes. But, you're not your sister." She put her hand on Rowan's shoulder. Dinah loved the girl's eyes. The left was a dark shade of blue, while the right was a deep green. The doctors called it, 'Heterochromia.' But, Dinah just loved to call her 'Dizzy Devil' from Tiny Toon Adventures, a show they used to watch when she was little. But, it seems she's all grown up now.

Dinah watched the girl shuffle her feet, thinking it over. Rowan's voice turned almost quiet as she looked up at the blonde, "Will you be there?"

The woman nodded, "Of course."

"Then, what's the worst that can happen?"