-ONE-

Six years later

A young brunette stood with her jacket zipped up, and her hood over her head, walking down the bustling street. She noted the three policemen near her place of residence, and immediately ducked into a nearby alley. She looked at an old homeless man seated next to the dumpster, and handed over a wad of money to him. "There." She said, her voice heavily accented. "I paid up. Now give me my payment, or else suffer at the hands of Syn." 

The old man handed her a bag and said, "You, Ameera Khouri, are a spitfire if I ever saw one." 

"It's sad that you still think that's my name, Samuel Kensington." She chuckled, looking at the contents of the bag. Her eyes glimmered like liquid gold under the darkness of her hood, as her gilded eyes locked with Samuel's grey ones. 

"Well, what is your name?" He asked with a hoarse chuckle, his eyes glittering strangely. 

She kneeled in front of him, coming to eye level, as she whispered, "That's for me to know, and you to find out." She tossed a blanket around him, and walked off.

As she walked up the metal steps of the old apartment building where she lived, Sana pulled her hood off, releasing her long, brown hair from it. Once she entered the small store room where she lived, she put the bag down and emptied its contents onto the old mattress in the corner, which she called her bed. She'd pulled off her jacket, when something startled her. 

"Nice house." Chuckled a voice from the corner. In her surprise, Sana flung a dagger at the intruder, and put up her fists, her cuts showing through the fingerless gloves she was wearing, which had holes on the knuckles. The intruder had apparently caught her knife, because he sent it back towards her, making her use her shadow magic to catch it. 

"Waller asked me to personally bring you over." He said, "Sana."

"Did my mother send you?" She asked, her face paling more than it could ever. 

"No." He replied simply.

"Then how do you know my name?" She raised an eyebrow, fists still up on guard. 

"I'm part of the Justice Society," said the man. "The name's Carter. Carter Hall. It's my business knowing about vigilantes and shapeshifters who go around calling themselves Syn, changing their birth name locally, so forth." 

"You know, if Mrs. Bose sent you, just tell the truth. Don't bullshit me with this 'Justice Society' thing." Sana put down her hands. "And don't call me by my real name. The reason I stopped using it is so that I wouldn't be found. Only one person knows my real name, and that's confidential." 

When Carter approached her, she sent a swift right hook to his jaw, making his head snap left. Massaging the place where she hit, he said, "I know you're not a trusting person, Sa--" He corrected himself when she glared at him, "I mean, Ameera. But please, you're one powerful being. We need you." 

"I'm sorry, 'we'?" She scoffed in disbelief, "I haven't worked with a team in six years. It's always gonna be 'me'. Never 'we'. By the way, want coffee?"

"What's the chance to ten that it's poisoned?" Asked Carter. 

"Mm...ten out of ten. Nice work, Sherlock." She chuckled, taking her knife and using her t-shirt to wipe it off. 

He smirked, "Don't change the subject here, kid." 

"I'm nineteen years old. I'm not a kid." She rolled her eyes. "How old are you, forty? Forty-five?" 

"That's none of your business. I'm gonna be very harsh here now," Carter admitted, "You have no family, no job, no home, and you misuse your power to a criminal level. You have one friend, and thus have no way to put yourself to use. Because no one wants an enhanced, homeless kid with not a penny in their name working in their communities. What I'm offering can give you everything. A home, a job, and a family. Take it or take it. There's no second option." 

Sana threw down her knife, letting it embed into the hardwood floor. "Will food be taken care of? After all, I am only an enhanced, homeless kid with not a penny to her name." The mocking tone she used set Carter's teeth on edge. 

"Yes, there will be food." Said Carter. "Now pack your stuff and meet me on the roof in five."

Five minutes later, Sana's little storeroom home was barren. She barely had any belongings, and a precious few clothes, all scrounged from drives set up for the homeless, plus a few necessities, had all been packed into her spelled bag. 

"How much stuff can you fit in that thing?" Asked Carter, having put on his suit. She put her bag securely on her back, and said, "As much as I want to fit in it. Plus, it's light as a feather." 

"Well then, Ameera, let's get you to another home." He opened out his wings and added, "I hope you can fly." 

"Oh please, Mr. Rip-off shifter." She let feathered wings of a golden eagle stretch from her back, and felt talons grow on her hands as she added, "I can fly ten times better than you. Give me our destination and I'll be there in twenty seconds, tops." 

"Fine. It's the Hawkman headquarters. Try to figure that out." He chuckled. 

She laughed, "Oh you clueless little thing." Before she took the shape of a magnificent golden eagle, and flew away so fast, she'd reached before he'd even taken off. 

Shifting back and shaking feathers out of her hair, she noted, "Not the classiest of places, but it'll do." 

"Holy shit, is that my best friend I see there?!" Squealed a voice from near her. Sana's head whipped to the side, for her gold eyes to land on her best friend and ally, Maxine Hunkel. Or, as she was more commonly known as, Cyclone. 

"Oh my god, Maxie!" Sana hugged her friend, and the redhead grinned, "I'm so happy you're here. Honestly, I thought they weren't going to recruit you." 

"Oh yeah. I'm a part of a team now." Sana gritted her teeth. "Great."

"Chill out, Sunny. I'm here, right? Just as promised." Maxine flicked a curl away from her friend's face. "You didn't put even a little bit of deo, did you?"

"Nope." The brunette awkwardly chuckled. 

"What would you do without me?" Asked Maxine, handing the girl an aerosol can of deodorant. 

"I would die." Replied Sana, spritzing half the can over herself. "God, when was the last time I'd taken a shower-?"

"My house, three days ago."  Maxine replied. "Oh, by the way, Al, this is my best friend, Sana." 

"Actually, it's Ameera. I don't let random strangers use my real name ninety percent of the time." Sana replied. 

"Don't listen to her. She's Sana, whether she likes it or not." Said Maxine. 

"Cool. So, where are you from?" Al asked. "Your accent is kind of...foreign." 

"I'm from New York. My parents were, um, Egyptian." Sana thought of a lie on the spot, earning a look from Maxine. 

"Sunny, can I talk to you for a second?" She asked, walking over to the brunette and catching her by the arm. 

"Do I have the option to say no?" Sana raised an eyebrow. 

"Nope." The redhead pulled her away from the confused boy, and said in a fierce whisper, "Your dad is dead, and your mom's Khandaqi. You're a Khandaqi for Christ's sake. Stop hiding your identity!"

"Excuse me, darling, but my identity is a problem, considering the fact that I am in hiding from my mother, who could find me at any possible time in the press of a button." Sana snapped.

"Your mom loves you, okay? It's about time you stopped this shit and went back to her." Maxine replied, raising an eyebrow. 

Sana chuckled dryly, "It's cute that you believe my mother loves me." 

"She was harsh, but she didn't mean it."

"Doesn't mean she can say it." 

Maxine knew this was a losing fight, and walked back to the waiting Al, Kent, and Carter. 

"Come on, kids. It's time." Said Carter, leading them onto the ship.

"Well, here goes nothing." Replied Sana, taking Maxine's hand nervously as the stepped onto the massive cruiser, which would take them on their first adventure. 

----
BIG THANKS TO Mercy_Stark for commenting!

Second, I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS CHAPTER <33 

Third, 10 comments, please <3 and vote as well <33

FOURTH

YOU

FABULOUS BISH.

KEEP SLAYING.

Fifth, have a fabulous day/night!

With love and hugs,
Daisy Rose