All I heard was the sound of my heartbeat. It rang in my ears with each pound, getting more rapid and thunderous with each passing moment as I bolted from the partially destroyed manor.

Tear cascaded down my features, blurring my vision, but I couldn't stop them. She warned me, she said I had to be vigilant, and I let my guard down. My chest constricted painfully as I gasped for air, the cold wind of Gotham burning my throat. I didn't stop running though. That's what I was currently doing, running from my problems.

Maybe I was running, but I couldn't think there, I couldn't breath, the chaos constricted my lungs. I needed to calm down, even now the longer I ran away from the manor, the more exhausted and winded I became, the more I could breath.

After what seemed like hours of torturous running, my legs gave out beneath me and I fell onto the cold grass. I looked around in fear of my surroundings, since when was I in the woods? It was the dead of night and everything was silent. It wasn't the looming ominous looking trees that draped over the soggy ground, looming over me consuming any light that might have been there that I was afraid of. It wasn't even the deathly gloom that was covered in darkness, pitch black surroundings that made it impossible to see anything. No, it was the silence, everything was silent. The only thing you could hear was the constant thunderous pound of my heartbeat and my heavy pants gasping for breath.

She told me what the creatures were, what they could do, but it was so different than what I could ever expect. The amount of panic and terror that I felt could never have been anticipated, I still felt the traces of fear. I took shaky breaths shuddering at the memories. I curled up into a ball trying to retain any warmth that I had left but there wasn't much to scavenge from the hours before when the cold wind of Gotham burned into my skin.

My small form that was shaking and shivering, couldn't take much more, to much had already been committed.
I couldn't drown but I was drowning, drowning in my nightmares.
---FLASHBACK---

It started out with my normal routine, you know wearing Batman merchandise and stalking the Justice Leagues actions. I had become a sort of a non-official stalker for Bruce, spying on people who he thought were suspicious and people he wanted to keep an eye on. I know he didn't want to evolve me in anything, to keep me locked away and safe, but I didn't really give him much of a choice. If you haven't noticed, we Wayne's are very stubborn and I can proudly say that I out stubborn-ed him, don't know if that's a good thing though.

I know that the hero game is dangerous, and that Bruce didn't want me to be subject to it's faults but I can honestly say that no one knows about me. I mean the media knows that Bruce has a nephew living with him, but in the superhero and villain world, all I am is an informant, a stalker. The thing is, I'm perfectly ok with that title, 'world's best stalker', I mean it's fitting.

I always wanted to be a hero, but I am perfectly fine with being in the sidelines. In truth, I just wanted to feel like I had a place. Dick and Bruce are mega awesome super ninjas, and im.... me. Sure I have powers, but ones I barely know how to use, and maybe I can use a sword because of training with Luke, but I'm still a novice. The only thing I am good for is being a super stalker, so I'll take the title, I was helping the heroes be heroes.

All in all I was ok with life in the Batman world, but I wish that the Bruce world would die 100 times over. I would rather be kidnapped by the joker, be beaten by his crowbar as he says bad puns about smiling and then killed in the most cliché way possible, than be at this Gala full of pretentious, conceited wealthy individuals. I have many colorful words that I could use, but let's keep this PG and replace all the multicolored words with foods. Ready. Set. Go.

This Gala can go mashed potato in a hole somewhere while cranberry sorbate leaks out of all it openings. It's so gram cracker that I want to cream cheese it in the face while my subconscious pies it. All the people here, save for a few, are all lemonades and they can go cumquat themselves. See we're all PG here.

The worst part of this place would probably be that it was very... formal, meaning that you had to wear a suit. Let's get this straight, me and ties don't mix. These dress shoes are uncomfortable almost pass the point of being unbearable. I know I'm complaining an excessive amount but this place is a piece of minotaur dung.

"Hey Percy," Dick greeted suddenly, pulling me out of my thoughts. He was moving through the crowd of rich people with expertise, and came in front of where I was standing, which was a corner in the back of the castle like room. He was soon flanked by 2 redheads, who I instantly recognised, who looked about as happy to be here as I was. "These are my friends Roy and Wally." I smiled, he probably thinks I don't know who they are, time to have some fun.

"Yes Wallace Rudolph West, 15, lives in Central city with uncle, Barry Allen, and goes to Keystone high school, retains above a C average except in science where you have yet to get below an A. You also don't like keeping things in your locker since 5 dollars was stolen from it, but in reality you gave it to a girl named Linda to try and impressive her, than forgot about it." I finished leaving a gaping speedster in my wake then turned to the archer.

"And you Roy William Harper Jr, 17, lives in Star city with adoptive parent, Oliver Queen, is privately tutored by a man named Alfonso. Has quite the rep in anger management issues if I might say, and has great skills in archery." I smirked as I got an irritated reaction out of the older teen.

"I told you, he knows everything, he's our stalker." Dick stated with a grin and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Your whole family is full of stalkers." Wally concluded getting over his dumbfounded state.

"You can say that again." Roy seconded.

"It was nice meeting you guys too, now have a nice night." I started to walk away but Dick grabbed my shoulder and stopped me." What?" I asked a little irritated.

"That wasn't the only reason I came over." I sighed and gave him a 'go on' look. "We need your help."
---FLASHBACK OVER---

Everything was numb.

I couldn't see, my vision was darkened to the point where everything was a blank haze. I couldn't feel any panic though, everything was lost. I couldn't feel the burn in my throat as I took slow shallow breaths of the icy air. All feeling was lost, but I still felt the warm hands lift me up. Me being severely underweight, I was practically a rag doll, but these hands lifted me up gently and with care.

I was completely out of it, I could have been kidnapped, killed or rescued and I wouldn't be able to comprehend what was happening. I had a feeling, not a thought, a feeling that I was safe. I was to groggy to think, but I could still feel, even if I lost all feeling physically.

Warmth.

It was warm, these hands that carried me gently to a soft warm place, so unlike the forest floor. Warmth was blooming in my chest like a fire growing and spreading through my veins, warmth.

Pain.

I could feel the pain now, striking in my limbs like jolts of lightning shocking my nerves. As the warmth came, the pain came with it, but the immense relief that I could feel again, it was worth it. My throat still burned like it was frozen and my breath was in short pants, but it was becoming more bearable.

Opening my eyes, I could see, my vision no longer a haze of blackness. My surroundings were full of grayish colors, with hues of green and red, before my vision cleared. It was a room, like my old one before I came to the manor, but with green walls and a red comforter that surrounded me.

"You should be out like that in the cold." A feminine voice rang out through the small room. I swiveled my head slowly to the left where a woman sat at in a wheelchair;beside the bed. Her lips pursed, almost trying to stop herself from reprimanding me. She was around 40, but you couldn't really tell, her short black choppy hair framed the the woman's face that adorned vetiminese features and skin. The woman wore a white top under a blue blazer, and it seemed to almost give color to her pitch black eyes.

"Why did you save me?" I felt myself asking, with just a tad of fear etched in my voice. I could have asked many other questions, where was I? Who are you? But I was confused, people aren't this nice in gotham, they would be more likely to steal off your dead body.

She looked down into her lap for a moment, contemplating the question, before answering. "Lets just say I've been trying to do better." She answered with regret in her tone, not regret of saving me though, regret of something she had done. Sighing she pulled the covers up more on my body that still donned the shredded suit and slash marks. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened."

"I... I don't really know if I can explain it, it's a long story." She looked crestfallen for a moment before covering it up with her reprimanding expression.

"Well you need to sleep, we will talk in the morning." I stopped her before she wheeled out of the room with my arm. I closed my eyes tight trying to block out the massive headache that was forming before opening them back up and looking her in the eyes.

"Thank you... for saving me, most people in Gotham would just let me die." I gushed with as much sincerity that I could muster.

"Your welcome, now sleep." I found myself doing just that, I fell asleep in a strange ladies house to the throbbing in the back of my skull and the warmth of the red comforter.

---FLASHBACK---

"You want me to stalk Lex Luther." I summed up. I was ok with that deal, I have been keeping an eye on him anyway for suspicious activity.

"Not stalk." Dick corrected."keeping a close eye on." I rolled my eyes at his attempt to make this situation socially acceptable." There's a difference."

"No... there really isn't." I sighed and rubbed my temples, guess im going to give them secret information. "I'm guessing Bats doesn't know your investigating this subject or you would already know what's going on. I have been 'watching' Luther for weeks and know the information you seek."

"Well what are you waiting for, tell us." A certain speedster demanded and I gave him a cold glare that could almost rival Dick's, I had been practicing.

"Tell me Wallace do you know of the League of Shadows?" I questioned slightly irritated.

"Yeah.... what about them?" He asked and I smirked knowingly.

"That League is quite out of yours, the reason I was asked to withhold this information, especially from you three, is you would make the foolish decision to investigate this matter further." I was reprimanding them now, it would have been a hilarious having an 8 year old tell at you if I didn't put the warning edge to my voice.

"Why are they holding things from us?" Wallys voice held an murderous tone. "Do they not trust us?" I grit my teeth in annoyance as the Dick and Roy started to agree and rant about the unfairness of their life. Oh no, they are not getting the upper hand on this argument.

"Shut up!" I yelled with force and a glare, they immediately stopped talking. "Can you not see the kind of detrimental effects you could cause if you were to investigate. The reason bats is using me is because I can see them without them seeing me. If they knew that we know what there plans are then we would no longer know them." I took a deep and my voice lowered to a whisper. "They do trust you, with their lives, but it's being taken care of. Not everyone needs to know everything, because I know too much that puts a target on my head if anyone knew who I was." I sighed and closed my eyes, I shouldn't have yelled.

"I...I guess your right." I nodded in satisfaction at the archer and the other 2 were smart enough to keep their mouth closed.

"We shouldn't even be talking here, we could be traced." I rubbed my eyes as I internally repeated 'stupid'. "If you really want to know, ask Bats if I can tell you. Until then my hands are tied." With that I walked back to the party from where they pulled me into the garden. Dicks friends weren't that bad, but I wish they could see the bigger picture.

---FLASHBACK OVER---

In my dreams, I just stared at my sleeping form thinking about the earlier events. It wasn't really my fault, but I still felt like I was responsible.

All I could think about is that I should have told him, about the monsters, the powers, all of it. I led him to believe I was just a normal person, with powers, I thought that maybe if he didn't know, he would be safe. All I did was put him, Dick and Alfred in more danger, I should have never gone to live with them. Now here I was in some strangers house, watching myself sleep, but they were safe.

Then there was the point that they could take care of themselves....but would I really want to be a burden. I mean the look on his face when he found out why that... thing attacked, because of me, it almost made want to just break down.

I watched in disinterest as a blond girl entered the room slicing through my thoughts. She looked like a more Caucasian version of the woman that came in before with vibrant wavy blond hair that went down the her lower back. She stood over the bed where I laid sleeping with an unreadable expression, almost angry.

"Artemis" the familiar voice of the woman rang out through the hallway and the blond snapped her head up to the door.

"What." The girl, Artemis, replied through gritted teeth.

"What are you doing?" The woman asked unfazed by her defensive tone. The blond shrugged in response a continued to look at me, almost glaring.

"Why did you bring him here?" Artemis asked suddenly, vexed. "He could be dangerous....a test from dad."

"Would your father really be so low as to use a young child." The woman retorted, with an expression full of something like hope.

"He had no qualms in using me." The girl shot back darkly. I didn't know what she was talking about, but it seemed like she had some problems with her dad. "Jade was right, in this family, it's every girl for herself. And he." She jabbed a finger a my sleeping form. "Could be a danger to whatever is left of this family." The woman gave her daughter a stern motherly face that screamed 'stop arguing with me and do what I say'.

I got a little irritated that she was judging me before she had even talked to me, but then I felt a little guilty. In a way she was right, I wasn't a danger in the way she thought, but they could still suffer consequences of having me there.

Before I felt even worse about this situation, I retreated back into my subconscious and drifted through wherever it would take me. I couldn't bring myself to watch Dick and Bruce, risk watching them disown me and call me a dangerous freak. That leaves me to the dark abyss of my mind, to tired to think of a person to stalk or a memory that won't cause me to break down.

That's all I was now, wandering lost. I was lost in the world, the missing child. All I was in the world was the nephew to Bruce Wayne, the poor child who lost his mother to an abusive stepfather, and now lives with his famous uncle. I wasn't even needed, more of a burden on everyone who knows me. I was a lost soul in a field of lost souls, a child forced out of a childhood. I was no one.

But I could be someone.

I don't want a price on my head or a million people to know my name, but I want, no need for someone to listen to me, to hear my voice out of millions of voices. In the old greek myths, there was a place called the fields of asphodel. These fields contained the lost souls, souls that didn't use there voice, didn't do enough good to go to elysium, didn't have enough evil in there souls to go to punishment.

I don't have to be known I just have to use my voice.

I need to be heard before I can never speak again.

Will anyone even listen?