Prologue

Artemis was not watching Wally run. She had simply chosen to stop at the bleachers near the track field to rest. Anyone who knew her (or thought they did) would believe it. Wally West was the jewel of Gotham Academy's track team, the fastest, and hardest, runner since his Uncle Barry had graduated. He would arrive early and stay late, just to run around in a circle. Artemis didn't get it. Then again, she shot arrows repeatedly at a red dot.

As Wally finished his lap, Artemis could tell he was in his "happy place," somewhere between exhausted and rejuvenated, because though his jog had a bounce to it, it also had an almost unnoticeable limp. The lean redheaded boy jogged over to his things, and after chugging the life from his water bottle, pulled his Flash t-shirt on.

"Hey beautiful," Wally called, shouldering his duffel bag and startling two girls out of their whispered giggles. One of them looked up like she was about to say something, but Wally just walked past her and continued on his path towards Artemis, "been waiting long?"

Artemis Crock and Wally West were not a couple; you couldn't even call them friends. Yeah, Artemis would come over for supper and maybe they'd end up making out in his basement, but it was just as likely they'd start bickering and she's leave before desert was even served. They were not dating, but that didn't stop Wally from hitting on her in public.

"Only the twenty minuets it took you to run in a circle," she retorted, ignoring the glares both girls gave her. Artemis was used to being treated differently at Gotham Academy, coming from a not-so-respectable family rumors about how she got her scholarship at GA flew like wildfire.

Some said she had slept with the school's main benefactor, Bruce Wayne, to get it. Other's clamed it was his son, Dick Grayson, and there were even a few people who swore it was both. It didn't help that she hung out with Wally and "super-hot bad boy" Connor Kent.

Artemis often wondered what people had said about Kal, another scholarship member who lived in her neighborhood. He had graduated last year along with Dick, being the first kid from Blood Alley to graduate from Gotham Academy. Artemis would soon be the second.

"Whatever," Wally rolled his eyes and hulled Artemis's loaded quiver into his other shoulder, "the others are waiting."

Megan Morse and Connor Kent sat on a bench outside Gotham Academy's main entrance. Megan's dark red hair twisted in the wind slightly as she talked, gushing and giggling and clapping her hands together. Though Connor was considered one of the hottest guys in school, not many people were willing to face his steal-cold blue eyes. In fact, the only girls who talked to him on a regular basis were Megan and Artemis.

Megan was the second youngest in a large family, though both she and her younger brother were outcasts. Out of all seven kids, they were the only two born from her father's second marriage. She had been living with her uncle for a few years after her sibling's mental abuse began to weigh too much, but she didn't mind. John was kind, and happened to live only a few houses away from Connor and his family.

The two were in the beginning stages of a relationship, and it was slightly awkward and embarrassing for them both of them whenever they were alone, which was why they were both secretly relieved when Artemis and Wally showed up.

Artemis and Connor had known each other for three years. They had met before the Academy in a group therapy session run by Kal and his mom. Among other issues, they both had anger management problems and had been pared up during one of the classes. After their "I feel angry because…" sentences turned into a contest on who's dad was worse, Kal kept them together to see if they could break through to each other.

Recently, Conner had made amends with his dad. Artemis tried to feel happy for him, but it left her no one to complain about her own dad to and she had a sinking feeling that part of their relationship had rubbed away.

Though most people knew Artemis was from the Slums, and more specifically Blood Alley, not a lot of people knew her childhood background, which was fine by her. On "Take Your Kind to Work Day" in third grade, most kids went with their dad to the newspaper or an office job, Artemis helped her dad rob a bank. She never really talked about it to anyone, but Kal knew, being from the same world and so did Dick (with a little help from the police commissioner's daughter).

After they made their greetings, the group started towards Wayne Manor. Even though Dick had graduated last year, it was still their place of choice to hang out. Mainly because, let's be honest, he had the best snacks and newest games.

The four of them were an odd group, it could be called a "gang" in some parts of town, with the daughter of two criminals and a boy to could bench-press twice his weight, or a "social gathering" in others, with the fact that 90% of them came from decent homes and one member was the son of a multibillionaire, so they just called themselves a team. The Team to be more exact, no one was quite sure why, but it felt right.