My name is Dick Grayson, and I have two identities. How I got them is a bit of a long story.

I was born in Haly's International Traveling Circus. It was a great life full of excitement - and danger - and laughter - and surprises. Always new surprises. Always new places to visit and new faces to see. I've been to more countries than I can remember. I've met different kinds of families all over the world.

Whenever we stopped somewhere, I went into town in my free time and got to know the people. I've met so many kids over the years. I was sad to leave friends behind, but it was okay, because there were always new friends to make.

I had a mom and dad. I had an aunt, uncle, and cousin. We were trapeze artists - the Flying Graysons. And I thought I was the luckiest boy in the world to be born there.

Then when I was nine years old, a crime boss named Tony Zucco tried to threaten Mr. Haly into giving him protection money. Haly refused. And Zucco sabotaged the trapeze. And then...

It's not just a saying - the world really does go black before your eyes during moments like that.

My uncle was the only one who survived, but he was paralyzed in both his arms and legs. He was sent to live in a special home, unable to take care of me. I wasn't hurt because I wasn't even in the act - I wasn't old enough to try the really big stunts with them.

After that, Bruce Wayne came to my rescue. When he was my age, he watched his parents got shot and killed by a mugger. I guess he saw himself in me.

So now, I have two identities. To the public, I'm the legal ward of Mr. Wayne, billionaire playboy turned responsible philanthropist, but that's not the real him... and it's not the real me.

To the criminal underworld, I'm Robin, protégé of the Batman, and training to be a crime fighter under one of the greatest in the world. The thing is... that's not the real me either.

The real me doesn't exist. It disappeared when I left the circus.

I live in Gotham City. I go to a private school. And I was fine with that at first. It was just one big change after a lifetime of changing to new environments... only it didn't change. The same streets. The same rooms at the mansion. After traveling for my whole life I was suddenly stuck in one place all the time.

It went on for weeks. Then months. I love fighting crime but even that started to feel like the same old thing after a while. It just drags on and on. People want me to move on with my life... but I'm not moving... and this life isn't mine.

I feel like a square peg shoved into a round hole. I keep trying to adjust but it's not working. Every day is the same old thing. I get up. Go to school. Everyone there only cares about the same old stuff, like being cool and fitting in.

I'm not normal.

Sometimes, I get scared that the "real me" is dead too. It died along with my family. And none of us are ever coming back...

.

Wally and Dick sat together on the high rooftop. The night wind blew through their hair.

"Okay then. That's a lot to take in..." Wally said. He turned his head to look at Dick. "But why are you telling me this? What exactly made you come see me?"

Dick didn't reply right away. He stood up, walked to the very edge of the roof, and looked over at the ground below.

"It's a long story."

.

Author's Notes: It might seem random, but I was inspired to write this after seeing "The Space Between Us." (The critics are wrong; it's a great movie. Go watch it.) Its plot really has nothing to do with the plot of this story, but they both have the theme of being "different" in a new place.

It seems to me that Dick's past in the circus is easily overlooked. I decided to emphasize it and make it a bigger part of who he is, instead of treating it like an easy explanation for his agility. It's not a unique fanfiction, but I thought I'd enjoy examining Dick's struggles in adapting to city life. This story is another sudden experiment made by compulsion, and I'm eager for feedback.

Disclaimer: This is fan-written story that uses, without permission, the likeness of "Robin," "Batman," and other characters owned by DC Comics. I make no profit by posting this story online.