Chapter 30

                                    

                                          
Damian POV
                          
They didn't heal him at first. They didn't douse him in Lazarus water as he thought they would but instead they kept him broken as he was in a medbay bed. His mother had only come down twice but she wouldn't answer any of his questions and he had decided that when he got home he would rip her sketch from his book and toss it in the ocean.
                          
When? His mind got stuck on the one word of when he got home. Not if but when. He didn't doubt his father's capabilities to find him, but he doubted his mother's determination to try again even less. And she had made it perfectly clear that the next time she came for him it wouldn't be him directly.
                          
She'd start by killing the baker they bought their bread from, Gregory was his name, and old man that started the bakery with his wife and continued it on after her death, then the manager at their usual grocery store, Wendy, her dad owned the place and she'd worked her way up after collage, then his school principal and some of his teachers and finally his football coach. 
                          
Then she'd go to his friend's but she wouldn't touch them, she wouldn't leave so much as a fingerprint on them, or at least not physically. She'd kill off their families one by one until they hated him enough to leave him forever. 
                          
She'd layed that all out for him when he was still in chains during his brutal torture and he knew she'd do it. That was the sick part. Normally mothers would threaten their children that they would sleep outside if their rooms weren't made or they wouldn't be allowed to go to their friends if they didn't do the dishes but those were empty threats and most mothers never went through with it. Talia was not a normal mother. If she threatened to throw your Chemistry teachers into the Bermuda triangle she would. Which was what made him agree to taking his place in the league. He couldn't protect all those people, couldn't hide them away forever without an explanation. 
                          
The next time Talia came in, hips swinging and hair flowing down her back, she was smiling at him and had a bit of dry blood on her hands. He controlled his emotions as he turned his head to look up at the ceiling, expression blank. 
                          
"Damian." her voice was calm and patient with a hint of malice. He didn't look at her. She stepped closer. 
                          
"Look at me." He ignored her. 
                          
Maybe it was childish but he had spent a lot of time with Dick and Jason so maybe that justified it just a little. He would've ignored her all day if it weren't for the searing pain that suddenly exploded in his rib cage causing stars to dance in front of his eyes. He blanched and suddenly the weight was lifted. He looked down to find two manicured fingers pressed down onto his broken ribs. 
                          
Finally he turned to look at her. She smiled her secret smile as if she'd done absolutely nothing wrong and was simply asking about his day. 
                          
"Good." she said then walked to the front of the bed knowing that his gaze was glued on her. 
                          
"Now that I've got your attention, there are some things we need to discuss." 
                          
He nearly told her to kindly go to hell because Alfred had been teaching him manners and of course 'No, no Master Damian you must always say something kindly even when being rude.' 
                          
"We both know you can't be trusted yet. Not with the full league anyway." 
                          
"You wound me mother." he rolled his eyes feeling like a real teenager. 
                          
"I see your father has taught you sarcasm, or perhaps his legal little lap dogs." she scrunched up her nose in disgust of the thought of his three brothers. 
                          
"Nevermind that, we'll get it out of you. Now you need to be re-educatated on the ways of our people." 
                          
He said nothing as she circled him once more. "To be a leader Damian you need to be willing to do anything it takes to keep your legion from falling. We both know where your loyalties lay and I can do little to change that."