I don't remember much of when I was with my parents. We lived in a traveling circus. We were part of a circus clown and an acrobat act, the best in the world. My life has been alright besides the lack of my family members and friends. I learned early on to take what life gives me and run with it and i realized that tomorrow is not promised for everyone. I have been to 15 foster homes since i was 8, I always seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't understand why it always has to me. I have been arrested countless times, all for something I wasn't the cause of.

My name is Sonya. Just Sonya. I don't know my last name, i've never had a reason to ask. I'm in a car on my way to Gotham City and i'm nervous as hell. Instead of a foster home they are sending me to an orphanage. I am 13 years old and still being transported to a different child care provider. I guess nobody wants me. I never asked what happened to my parents, but do i really want to know. Who knows I might find my family here or maybe at least some peace of mind. The car slowed down and i looked out the window, The orphanage looked more like a prison than a home. Iron fence topped with barbed wire lined the property. the windows and doors had bars set into the frames. This has to be the worst place i have been to yet. I opened my car door and slid out of the beaten up filthy truck that i have been trapped in for 6 hours. I straightened my skater skirt and followed my social worker to the door. She rang the doorbell and kept glancing behind her as if expecting something to attack us. She cleared her throat and rang the doorbell more furiously. Next thing i knew the door swung open to reveal a plump old lady in an alarming pink dress with matching flats and bright red lipstick."Why hello! Come in, Come in!" She seemed way too enthusiastic for my liking. She grabbed my wrist tightly and pulled me and my social worker inside roughly. "We are so glad to have you here. If you would please follow me." She proceeded to give us a tour of the orphanage. The children here look sickly and malnourished. It was a very depressing sight to see. Some of the younger children hid behind something as she walked by. An uneasy feeling tugged at my stomach as we walked through the house. The walls were dark and the wallpaper was peeling off the walls in some places. The lady roughly shoved a door open."Sonya, this is where you will be staying." I tried to hide my disgust. There had to be at least inch of dust settled on the grimy old mattress that I will have to call a bed. Something scurried across the floor by my bed, I'm assuming that it was a mouse. How this place passes a health inspection is beyond me. "Thank you. I will be unpacking now if you don't mind." The two adults proceeded to walk down the hallway, i'm assuming to sign papers. This has to be some sort of a joke. The window above my bed had no glass, just curtains. On second thought maybe i'll just leave my stuff in my suitcase and backpack. I flipped the mattress sending dust everywhere causing me to cough and sneeze. There was an old T.V. in the corner but i doubt that it will work seeing the condition of the rest of the room.

There was a knock on the door frame. My social worker, Kandy O'connor, walked into the room. "I feel bad leaving you here. I wish i didn't have to." I sighed

"Do we at least know what school I will be attending?"

"When we mailed your school records here you were granted a scholarship."

" You're telling me i'm going to a private rich kid school aren't you."

"Gotham Academy is a really nice school and a little birdy told me that you won't be the only 9th grader in 11th grade classes."

"Kandy, how in the hell am i supposed to afford a school uniform? It's not like i have a foster parent to buy me one."

"I have that one covered," Kandy smiled and pulled a wrapped package out of her oversized purse."think of it as another going away present." I smiled and gave her a big hug.

"Thank you so much Kandy!"

"Don't mention it," Her phone beeped and she frowned,"I'm so sorry Sonya, I have to go my next appointment is in minutes with Bruce Wayne and i'm already running late." She gave me a small hug and walked out the door and into the hall. I am really going to miss her. I sat back down on my bed and took out the small mirror that people say used to belong to my mom and i looked into it. My blond hair fell in loose curls down to my shoulders. A long thin scar ran acrossed my slightly crooked nose, Kandy said that it was from an accident in the circus. I evidently tried to master the trapeze and didn't let go of the bar before it hit the post. I always laughed at the thought. A little 5 year old me swinging from the trapeze. I dug through my bookbag and found the old scrapbook that Kandy gave me at my going away party. She said that my mom had made it. The first picture was of me and a boy with raven hair and astonishing blue eyes. We were sticking our tongues out at each other and I had one hand on my hip.The next picture was of me and the same boy but this time our arms were linked and we were smiling. I was wearing a dark blue t-shirt with the words "The Flying Graysons" printed across the top. The boy had on a red shirt that said the same thing as mine. I really was starting to wonder who this boy was. I flipped through the pages of the scrapbook, glancing over the pages. Halfway through the book the picture started to have captions saying what shows or towns we were performing in. The last four pages was the last show in the book, Gotham City. Day one showed pictures of me on the trapeze, soaring through the air. Day two, Me and the raven haired boy in clown attire, smiling brightly. Day three, Me and my parents on the trappeze. then I came to day four. The first picture was of me and my family along with the boy and what i'm assuming to be the boy's family. We were all smiling and it looked like boy and I had been laughing. The next picture shocked me, it was a newspaper clipping with the heading "DEATH OF THE FLYING GRAYSONS." Two people were sprawled out on the ground under a broken trapeze wire. The boy was crying over the two and I was pulling him back trying to comfort him. I flipped the page trying to find out more but the other side was blank. I have fragments of my memory from that day but nothing to really grasp onto, no names or anything. That's how my brain deals with trauma, it gets pushed to the back of my head and after a few years I will forget the bad pieces of it all. I remember that my parents died in a similar accident during the next show in Happy Harbor but that's it. There was a knock on the door frame. It was Kandy. "Why are you back here?" I asked.

" I mentioned you at my meeting with Mr. Wayne and he was interested in adopting you." She was smiling brightly and so was I. "He is downstairs waiting-" I jumped off my 'bed' and sprinted down the hall then slowed at the stairs, not wanting it to seem like i was too eager. A tall man with neat black hair and a dress suit stood by the door. He turned to face me.

"You must be Ms. Quinzell." He said smiling. I gave him a weird look. Quinzell, that's my last name?

"I usually just go by Sonya."

"Hello Sonya, nice to meet you. My name is Bruce Wayne."

"Very nice to meet you sir."

"How would you be interested in becoming my ward."

"Anything sounds better than here." I said with a small smile. He chuckled.

"I can understand that. If you could go collect your things we can leave after I sign the papers." I smiled and turned running up the steps.

I checked the clock in what i guess was my old room. I have been in and out of an orphanage in less than 4 hours, that has to be a record. I threw the scrapbook and mirror back into my backpack and slung it over my shoulder grabbing my suitcase in the process and i started down the stairs.

By the time i got to the bottom of the stairs, Bruce was waiting by the door. Kandy had already left as she was late to another meeting. "Are you ready to go Sonya." I nodded my head eagerly. We walked out the door and down the walk. A very expensive looking car was parked at the end. I stopped outside of the car trying to figure out where I was to sit. In all of my foster homes i was never allowed in the front but Kany and Serenity's mom let me sit in the front if i wanted. So instead of hoping in the car i just kind of stood outside of it with a very confused look on my face. Bruce was already in the car. He put down the Passenger side window, the one facing me, and smiled. "You can sit in the front seat if you would like Sonya." I smiled and climbed in. He started the car and we started out way down the driveway and onto the road.

"So Sonya, Tell me about yourself."

"I grew up in the circus as an acrobat and a clown, I know,its an odd mix. I don't remember much though. Tramma has that effect on me. According to my scrapbook I had a few friends, those of which i can't remember the names. I left the circus a month after boy that was evidently my best friend. His family's show was sabotaged and his parents were killed in the accident. He was a flying grayson." Bruce had this look of realization on his face like he just connected the imaginary dots. " A month after their death they say my parents slipped from their trapeze bars but i still think the were sabotaged just like the graysons. Like i said tramma makes me forget things so i don't remember exactly what happened. Afterwards I was taken to my first foster home. I was only there for a short while before the they would blame me for something i couldn't have been the cause of, like stealing or something like that. since then i have been tossed around foster homes for 5 years." I smiled to myself, impressed with myself for telling my story so quickly.

" I have another ward that lives in the manor " he stated. I prayed to myself that this kid would be friendly towards me. I'm really not very good with other people.

"I can't wait to meet him." I said pulling my most realistic happy tone. "Does he know that i'm coming."

" I actually forgot to call him so you will be a pretty big surprise." I started to get really nervous as we pulled into the driveway. Bruce parked the car and an older man opened my door.

"Hello miss."

"Hello." I greeted. Bruce walked over to us.

"Alfred, This is Sonya. She will be staying with us." I smiled and stuck out my hand.

"Nice to me you Alfred. "

"The same to you Ms. Sonya" He said shaking my hand. Bruce turned to Alfred.

"Do you know where Richard might be?" He questioned.

"Master Richard was in the lounge last time I saw him."

"Thank you alfred."

Bruce led me into the manor. I looked around amazed and almost dropped my luggage bag. He smirked as if he was truly proud of himself for my current expression. I felt under dressed standing here in a tattered skirt and tshirt. I continued to follow bruce up the stairs and into a hall. He pushed open a door that led to an amazing bedroom.

"This will be your room, Richard's room is only across the hall."

Umm... do you mind if i change into something else before you show me around. " I asked.

"No not at all. I'll be back to retrieve you in 10 minutes." With that he walked out the door.

I threw open my suitcase and dug to find the nicest shirt and shorts that i could find. I ended up with black high rise shorts and a maroon shirt with " The Flying Graysons" printed on the front of it. Kandy had gotten it for me for my birthday last year in memory of my days in the circus. I shook out my curls to they looked fuller and sprayed a small amount of perfume on the insides of my wrists.

There was a firm knock at my door. "Come in!" i called. Bruce walked in.

"Are you ready Sonya?"

"Sure."

"We're going to go see Richard first. so he knows that you're here" I nodded and he glanced at my shirt and smiled a knowing smile which confused me. I continued to follow him down the hall until we reached our destination. This door had "Lounge" inscribed in the top of it. Bruce pushed it open and the room looked kind of like an arcade. A boy with raven hair was standing toward the back of the room bent over what looked like a pinball machine. Bruce cleared his throat and the boy turned around, away from his game. As he walked over I could better see what he looked like. Those eyes. Where have I seen those eyes. His smile had the same effect. So familiar but i just can't place it. He stuck his hand out to me and i shook it.

"Hello my names Richard but you can call me Dick. Dick G-" Then it clicked in my brain.

"Grayson." I finished for him. A really confused look was plastered on his face while i smiled like an idiot.

"Dick John Grayson, you were in Haley's Circus with me. The only two child acrobats." The memories of the circus came rushing back to me. And my smile was starting to hurt i was so happy. Dick looked me up and down before it dawned on him who i was.

"Sonya!" He yelled excitedly. He almost tackled me in a hug. My memories lost from tramma came flooding back. My first time on the trapeze. Sleepovers with Dick. Painting each other with face paint before our clown performances. I was so happy. I have my best friend back.