Kitten's Origin Story: Chapter One
Judy Williams was born in Gotham Hospital on August 28th to Delia and Keith Williams. Her parents hated city life, and Gotham had the worst of it. They only lived there because that's where Keith's job was. Her parents died in a car crash when she was 4. There weren't any family members to take her in, so she ended up in the overcrowded Gotham Orphanage. She was very meek and quiet and easily over looked. Her only friend was an old stuffed black cat that she had received from a toy drive one Christmas. She named it Snow, not realizing the irony of the name. She named it that because she felt like the city was more peaceful when it was snowing. Looking back at it, she was probably on to something. Gotham's crime rates are lower when it's snowing. The rest of her miserable childhood passed bye rather uneventfully.
She attended Gotham High, not a friendly high school. She stayed very quiet and shy. She was so quiet in fact that even though she was a track and field star, her coach didn't make her get up in front of crowds to receive rewards. Her coach made her do it once, and she actually fainted. Her grades were rather average, some better than others. She had friends but really preferred to be left alone.
One night, when she was 16, everything changed. She was walking to the orphanage alone one night after a track meet. It certainly wasn't wise from a young woman to be out alone on the streets of Gotham in the evening, but she always felt invisible, so she didn't think much of it.
Suddenly, a man approached her. "Hey honey, where are you going?" She avoided eye contact and tried to keep walking. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. "Now where do you think you're going?" Suddenly 3 more men came out of a nearby ally.
"H-h-home," she stuttered.
The man let out a blood curdling laugh while the other men smiled. "We'll see about that."
The men did horrible unmentionable things to her and left her bleeding in the ally to die. Her blood loss had already causes her the lose consciousness when she was spotted by a Miss Selena Kyle, who was making her rounds as Catwoman. Selena was compelled to help this poor girl.
When Judy woke up, she found herself all bandaged up and in a rather unfamiliar place with an equally unfamiliar woman sitting across the room. "I see you're awake." Judy suddenly became aware of her pounding headache. She put her head in her hand, feeling a bandage just above her left eye. "I'm afraid that cut looks like it's gonna scar," said the woman.
"What just happened?" moaned Judy, her voice reflecting her pain.
"Come now, you must remember. Or are you just hoping it was some sort of twisted dream?"
"You- you mean that really happened?" questioned Judy, still in shock. "We-we have to go to the police!"
"They won't be able to help you," said the woman. Her voice was smooth, but had a sad undertone. "They have their hands full as it is and they will never be able to find the man who did this to you in a city as big as this."
"Men," Judy whispered. "There were 4." The woman's face finally portrayed her pity and sadness for the girl.
Something began to nuzzle Judy's hand. She looked down to see a rather beautiful but fierce looking black cat purring next to her. She suddenly became aware that there were cats all over the room, even one on the woman's lap. She welcomed the cat onto the couch and its purrs grew louder.
"That's strange," cooed the woman. "Isis doesn't usually like strangers."
"Isis," Judy repeated, her focus completely on her new furry friend. She sighed. "I hadn't even had my first kiss before tonight." She was speaking to the cat more than she was to the woman.
"Selena," said the woman. "What?" asked Judy, her attention suddenly torn away from the cat. "My name is Selena, Selena Kyle," said the woman.
There was a moment of silence. "I'm Judy Williams."
"Well Judy, your parents are probably worried. I'd better walk you home."
Judy just looked down and turned her attention back to petting Isis.
"Hun?" asked Selena.
Judy looked up, a single tear running down her cheek. She quickly used her sleeve to wipe it away. She let out a nervous laugh. "My parents died in a car crash when I was four."
Selena had never been good with comforting people. She hadn't always been great with people on an emotional level in general. She leaned forward and looked straight at the broken young woman across from her. "Do you know the best way to get revenge on people; how to get revenge on those pathetic little boys who tore you down like this?" A devious smile spread across her face and her eyes twinkled. Judy couldn't help but look into her eyes. "Built yourself up stronger than they could ever be."
Judy visited with Selena every day for the next couple of weeks. For two people who were so different, they surpriseingly had a lot to talk about.
As time went by, Judy walked a little taller, talked in clear phrases, and even felt a little better. Selena had asked her to come back to her apartment after school to show her something that would change her life, but in all honesty, she had already changed Judy's life for the better. Her day only continued to get better. In 7th hour Biology, her favorite class, they were given new lab partners. She was put with her seemingly lifelong crush, Tim Drake. Tim was the heart throb of the school, with his athletic skills and brains. She had had plenty of opportunities to talk to him throughout her life, but this was the first time she actually had the guts.
"Hi, I'm Judy," she said, reaching her hand out to the young man.
He accepted the offer and shook her hand. "I know, we've gone to school together since second grade."
"But we have never been properly introduced," she countered. Tim couldn't have been sure, but he thought he saw her wink.
The class was assigned a partner project, so they made plans to work on it Friday after school. If it hadn't been for Tim, Judy would have rushed out the door to go see Selena. It just felt too good to finally be able to talk to this boy. He was very witty and she surprised herself with how witty she was back.
Selena was waiting for her when she knocked on the door. When the door opened, Isis rushed out and started rubbing up against Judy's legs. She picked up the purring cat and smiled at Selena who had seemingly just appeared in the doorway. "So what did you want to show me?" asked Judy. "A little impatient, aren't we?" said Selena with a sly smile. "Well you've kept me waiting," said Judy, returning the expression.
Selena led Judy into the sitting room where they had talked the so many times before.
Selena's face filled with the mischief of a person who has a proud secret. "Sit and wait here with Isis. I have someone I'd like you to meet."
Judy did what she was told and Isis quickly curled up on her lap.