It was during a circus performance by the world-famous Flying Grayson's, that their youngest member, Richard "Dick" Grayson began to feel uneasy. Unfortunately for the young boy, it was already too late. He was forced to watch as his whole world cru...
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After running away from his home and the memories it held, Dick was left to wander around the dark foreboding metropolis known as Gotham City. He had heard the stories of how life in Gotham was like, but never really took them to heart. Most of the stories just sounded too exaggerated and he found it hard to believe that a city could be like a living nightmare. Yet there he was, at what he could only assume was the downtown area of Gotham. In that short period of walking around, Dick had already gotten the gist of what Gotham was like; cold and ominous. For any normal person visiting Gotham, they would've wanted to get on the next train or bus out, but Dick didn't. He didn't feel anything, still too numb from what happened earlier. He no longer had something to lose and nothing to hold him back from doing something dangerous. He no longer had his parents and he knew that he was too young to be taken in by the circus, which left him with nothing to go back to. He had no home and no family. He continued to wander down random streets with no real destination in mind. His feet started to ache and his body felt heavy, he knew he had to find somewhere to rest and soon. He didn't want to gamble on sleeping out on the streets, so settled on looking for a safe enough building to rest for the night.
It must've taken Dick an hour before he stumbled upon an orphanage. It then took him several minutes of hesitation and arguing with himself before he finally gathered the courage to step through the wrought iron gates. He wanted desperately to stay ignorant to the fact that he too was now an orphan and it was only fitting for him to stay with others just like him. But on the other hand, Dick was much different from them, he had visited many cities whilst travelling with the circus for most of his childhood and was extremely independent for his age. He had experienced much more than any normal child. He wasn't uneducated either, for his parents and many of the other kind circus members had taught him everything they knew.
Dick was almost chanting to himself not to run away, his brain reminded him that he had nowhere else to go but here. As he approached the steps leading up to the front door of the orphanage Dick started to feel dizzy and a knot formed in his stomach. Each step he took became increasingly difficult as his legs shook and knees buckled until finally his exhaustion got the better of him and he collapsed on the doorstep.
From inside the orphanage in a small dimly lit office, sat the head care worker and manager of the orphanage working their way through a small pile of important files. A robust woman in her mid-fifties with flaming curls of red that perfectly framed her face and grey eyes that held much warmth to them. An ex-warden matron with a cheery demeanour and a desire to help those in need, her name was Judith Newell. She had finished with the last of the files and had put them away safely into a filing cabinet, after turning off the desk lamp and locking the office door she made her way to bed. It wasn't until she had reached the hallway when she heard what sounded like a thud against the front door. Curious but apprehensive of what she may find, Judith slowly turned the handle hoping to find nothing rather than something potentially dangerous given how late it was and the rough area they lived in. As she opened the door, a small child appeared crumpled on the floor at her feet. Startled, she immediately scooped the child into her arms pushing the door shut with her hip and rushing to the nearest couch. Placing him gently onto the couch she called out to one of the eldest children in her care to help her, after shouting several times Judith heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs and not long after the figure of a half-asleep girl staggering into the room yawning. Judith quickly ushered the child over and told her to watch over the unconscious boy whilst she went to fetch some supplies from the first aid kit she always kept stocked for emergencies. Ten minutes later, Judith returned and took over from the now fully awoken teen named after the month of May. She then told May to go fetch a bowl filled with warm water and a towel so that she could clean the young boys face. While May was busy doing what she was asked of, Judith checked over the boy for any injuries; releasing a relieved sigh when she found none. May returned soon after and handed the requested items to Judith, Judith thanked May then told her that she could return to bed. She cleaned the dirt from his face and then placed a blanket over him letting him get the rest he so obviously needed, once satisfied, she too retired to her room.
