A Better Place?

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After the depressing talk with a very bouncy doctor, I overestimated my ADHD brains ability to not get tired. I was so tired, not only physically but mentally. The events that could unfold were unclear, I would run away but I had broken ribs and I know that I would be worse off than in a foster home. Closing my eyes I took deep painful breaths trying to think. Why couldn't I just think? Grunting I slammed my hands down on the hard mattress, there was a reason I could find a solution, there was none.

Opening my eyes I looked up to the dull grey ceiling with desperation, tears brimming my eyes but I didn't let them slip. I took shaky breaths, trying not to panic. Why couldn't it just be simple? Why was it me who had to suffer? I closed my eyes and let my head lull to the side, I just wanted to forget, why wouldn't sleep claim me? My face contorted in what could be called an attempt to block everything out, but when I tried to not think, thoughts tried to come through 10 times harder.

I made good progress as my shaky breaths became calm and evened out with darkness claiming me I thought what did I do to deserve this life?

In my restless sleep I was dragged into a dream, but different dreams. These dreams were more like nightmares. I can't control them or force myself to wake up, it's like a movie that plays in front of me. I opened my eyes into my subconscious and all I saw was inky darkness. Blinking I looked around the vast emptiness with curiosity and confusion, there was nothing, no scene playing out or even light. Then I got really dizzy, my vision blurred and the scene swirled around me. Getting very nauseous I fell to my knees and closed my eyes. When I opened them I was in an ally, the classic grime on the concrete and rusty fire escapes. I looked to the darkness enclosed ally end and I saw something that made my blood boil. The filtered yellow street light reflected off a man pinning a young woman to the wall, I could hear her whimpers.

"What do we have here?" The pig of a man remarked. The girl turned her head as the guy leaned in and deeply inhaled her in."Please" the young women whimpered as the guy brought a pocket knife up to her face caressing her cheek. I felt useless, I couldn't do anything in my dream and I had to watch the girl go through god knows what. I closed my eyes and let my head drop in shame, I couldn't stop my stepfather and now I can't even stop this thug.

"Release the woman," a boy's voice rang out through the alley. Opening my eyes I looked around to find the source of the voice but found none. The thug looked up from his task also confused with the young yet forceful voice.

"Come out kid," The thug shouted forcefully taking his attention away from the woman who secretly started to slide away.

"Now why would I do that it's so much more fun this way." The voice rang out but this time comically, then a laugh rang out. The laugh was bit creepy, it was like childish but threatening at the same time and it echoed in the small alley to where it sent shivers down my spine and by his expression it did to the thug as well.

A blur of black cut through the air to the thug, and in a second he was pinned to the alley wall by his hoodie sleeve. The voice in question jumped from the fire escape that was around 15 feet up and landed without a sound. I finally got a look at him and his appearance, he was kind of short with unruly black hair and an creepy joking grin and a really cool costume. It was a red zip up spandex shirt with black sleeves that cut off about to the elbows and black spandex tights that had red bleed down the sides, he had a black cape with yellow on the inside with a yellow weapons/tool belt, then his mask was black turning up at the end like wings and where the eyes are was white. Overall he looked pretty awesome and mysterious.

"Like a kid's going to stop me, frankly I'm a little underwhelmed" The thug snorted. The vigilante looked up and grinned again.

"Ok, 1, who has who pinned to the wall? And 2, why isn't anyone just whelmed? Like seriously are you really more than whelmed." He replied exasperated. He then proceeded to jump up and flip mid air pushing off the wall and landed on the thugs shoulders with ease, then he twisted his body so that he used his momentum to flip the thug and pinned him him to the ground. "Life lesson," The vigilante started "Estimate your abilities before a fight so it ends in aster." He said jokingly before punching the guy, hard.

He got up and walked over to the woman who had a tear stricken face. She jumped at him and captured him in a bone crushing hug muttering a thank you. "You're alright now do you need help getting home?" He spoke in a softer tone, gently detaching the woman from him.

"No I can get home alright thanks for saving me....."

"Robin". The woman smiled. 

"Thank you Robin let hope if we meet again it's not under these circumstances". Robin nodded and as the woman ran out into the street he muttered something under his breath.

"Good luck with that it's always in these circumstances when it's me." He looked to the street sadly before running up the brick wall behind him and flipping onto a fire escape.

"Is it time to turn in Bruce I have school tomorrow?" He questioned as he touched a finger to his earpiece. Something came through and Robin looked sheepish."Sorry batman, I'll remember next time, secret identities."

I got up of the concrete of the ally as Robin disappeared into the darkness and took one last glance at the dark stone walls before the inky darkness enveloped me once more and opened my eyes in the real world. Blinking the crust out of my eyes, I stared into the now dark room, night had fallen when I was sleeping. I thought back to the dream, it was peculiar, maybe my subconscious was saying that I wasn't useless and that I could be a hero but something told me that it was real. I thought back to when my mom let me watch TV and there was a program on Gotham crime, Batman was a badass vigilante and there was Robin, his apprentice. I thought back to when my dream was darkening and fading away, Batman's identity was someone named Bruce, this is crazy.

I sighed looked up at the ceiling before closing my eyes, and with less struggle I fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next time I woke morning light was streaming through the windows making the dull colorless room look a little fresher and homey. Blinking a couple of times to adjust to the light I attempted to scoot up further on to the bed and found that the stabbing pain in my rib was still present but dulled by drugs, my day just got a hole lot better. I pulled the thin white blanket up to my cold arms and breathed in the scent of hospital sanitized air.

When ever I tried not to think about it my thoughts always drifted to the subject of my dreams. Saying that they were weird would be an understatement I've never told anyone about them and I don't think I ever will. I had a dream once about a child running through the woods and falling down hitting his head and the next day the exact same child came up on the news pronounced dead. There was one that showed me a girl breaking into our apartment and a week later I heard a crash downstairs and some of our stuff gone. Then I had a dream right before the night, it was of her lifeless eyes, even though I tried I seemed to not be able to change what happens in my dreams. So what was the purpose of the dream from last night? All of these questions ran through my head as a knock on the door broke my train of thought.

A mid 30's looking brunette in a blue dress shirt and slacks was standing the doorway with a fake smile plastered on her face. I looked at her with an impassive face, discretely studying her. On her finger was a wedding ring that was shining brightly, happily married 2 years based on the ware. She was mad about something by the forceful way of walking, most likely job related. She also bites her lip a lot. Smiling back at her I started the conversation.

"What can I do for you mis....Deborah" I asked reading her name tag.

"Hello Perseus i'm here to talk about where you will be living,"I muttered a duh under my breath.

"I,m guessing that it involves the words 'foster' and 'home'" I stated sadly.

"Well young man we dug up a little if your mother's past and found that her name is actually Sally Dexter Wayne and you will be staying with your uncle Bruce Wayne at his manor" I froze as the words came out of her mouth, that was a turn of events, at least now a now why I had the dream, let's go live with Batman.

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