First Kill

Chapter 1

I lost count of the number of churches that were passing by. It felt like every mile I would see a little white church, or a church made out of six or seven buildings. How could there be that many churches in this small of an area? But the answer was already in front of me. I was in the south.

Georgia to be exact. A state that for most of my life was reserved to thoughts of southern belles flouncing about a plantation. The modern idea of Georgia wasn't a good one. I imagined small towns who try to hold onto their honor by painting their houses with cheap paint or better yet, by putting stupid garden statues in their brown grass lawns.

My twin brother Logan was absorbed in his phone. He was pounding the screen trying to keep up with the gossip in Gotham. Him and I look a lot alike. He has bright red hair that's cut short, looking very puckish. We also have grey eyes, which by the way is a bitch if you want to know what's going to look good on your eyes, get with the program Almay, you give blue, brown, green, and 'hazel' eyes color palette, where's the love for grey eyes?.

Dad on the other hand was keeping quiet. I wondered how he was holding up. This was his crazy idea. But that doesn't mean I should be angry. The man is going through something that I hope I'll never have to go through.

See, Mom died two weeks ago on friday. She didn't get gunned down in some mugging gone wrong. Hell she wasn't even run over by a car. My mom had a brain aneurysm and didn't wake up one morning. Logan and I were pulled out of school to bury her. You don't know what it's like to lose a parent. Or maybe you do. And if you do and you've had a good relationship then you know the pain you feel. After two weeks it's become a sinking feeling. Sure we're on vacation, but when I get home Mom's still not going to be there. I've been told it's best to take it one day at a time. I guess that'll work for now.

"Lynn, what's the next part of Betty's directions?" My dad says. Since we got across the mason-dixon line my father's accent has been sliding every other sentence till suddenly after we passed North Carolina he was in full lilting sound. Logan was passing me looks over the glow of his phone.

I pulled out the computer paper that somehow through this trip ended with a chocolate stain on it. "Right, so once we get to Hamlet take a left on Flint street, then take a left after the third church on the right."

"She didn't write that." Logan said leaning over. He scanned the paper and flopped back onto his side of the car. "My god, we're doomed. How many churches are there in that town?"

Dad shrugged. "When I lived here it was seven churches. But the city had grown a bit."

Now I could see the city. Okay it's more of a town… no scratch that. It's a village. Everything in this place is run down. As we drive down the main road I see an antiques store that has a closed sign, maybe they're open on the weekends. Then on the opposite side is a fish and tackle store.

"Dad," Logan said looking around. "where's the starbucks?" He was suddenly frantic looking.

"Don't worry." I said smiling. "I bet the rednecks will know."

Dad looked at us through the rear view mirror. "Kids. This was my home town. I want you to not nag about it."

I didn't complain out loud. We'd had a fight a few days ago when he said I was going to be spending my summer in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. Did Dad care? Nope. He was so excited that his old friends wanted to see him. So instead of his kids getting to stay in Gotham and have lives, Dad is shipping us with him here. I saw it's unfair, but I've had the conversation and have lost.

As we pull onto Flint street I notice there are kids my age. They're all sitting on the back of trucks at a small burger joint. Well it's not Starbucks, but at least the food looks edible. Logan on the other hand started to get his charming smile on.

He moved closer. "Hey Lynn, what do you say we get ourselves a down home fling or two?"

I looked at him scrunching my face. "Are you serious?"

"What? Just think, we'll walk into school in August and be asked. 'what did you do this summer' then break out and say. 'Well I had a hot romance with a southern girl who had bright blond hair and wore a bikini with short shorts, just like in all the country videos."

Logan looked at me like he had made the best plan to save his popularity at school. Good for him, but that's a game I didn't want to play, at least not that way.

"When we get settled could I use Betty's phone to call David?"

David, David Sterling. He was the cutest boy in my class. He was rugged and was the kind of guy who would help sick puppies if he had to. I just loved him, only I'm so not his type. See, Logan got the sporty jock look, me I'm sixty percent marshmallow and forty percent pizza flavored Combos, no was I could date a guy like David. I would need to drop my calorie count and start doing push ups to be as physically fit as he is.

"Sure." Dad said taking a left onto this small two lane road. "What's the last instruction?"

Logan snatched the paper form me. "Go past the old Keeny house, we'll be at the dead end."

"Old Keeny house?" I asked.

"Just the neighbors. Not sure who lives there anymore." Dad said.

Again we became quiet as I watched the fields pass us. Corn, soybeans, corn again, some large leafy plant that I guessed was tobacco. I didn't know they still grew tobacco down here? But smokers need their fix somehow.

Just as I'm about to lose hope I see it. A white beam that looks like it's going to pierce the sky. A church out here? I look closer and can see a whole compound through the tall corn that blocks my view.

"Is that the Keeny house?"

"Yeah," Dad said. "It's more like an estate. That families been on that property since before the founding of the U.S, cool right?"

"Same family lives there?'

"Yep. Though if you can help it, don't go over there. I think Martha is still alive and that woman is mean. She gives the south a bad name I'll tell you what."

Logan shot me a look. Yep, we lost our dad to his accent. The only cure would be good smoggy air from Gotham, and that was a few months away.

I look back outside and see a scarecrow hoisted above the tall grass. He looked like a sad fellow, his red flannel shirt had hay poking out of it and the large straw hat had holes from neglect. Looking at the lone figure I didn't notice we were slowing down.

"This is it! Home sweet home."

I looked at the white farm house. It was a snap shot of an old 50's commercial or something equally as white bread america. The house had three stories to it. The shutters to the house were painted a glossy black. There was tin on half of the roof and I could see lacy curtains in the window.

Logan picked his phone up as I saw our Aunt bustle out of the house. Aunt Betty, I'd only had half understood phone calls, and pictures of her when she was my age to go off of. She was a plump lady with blond hair that she had perfectly placed, like in a commercial. She was dressed in a t-shirt and mommy jeans that were stuffed in cowboy boots.

I looked at Logan as the two of us stepped out of the car. As soon as I did I let out a groan. Last stop we took was when we entered Georgia, over two hours ago. I stretched as Dad gave Betty a platonic hug.

"Oh my goodness." she said. Her accent hung so heavy that I thought her voice was made out of glue. "You must be Lynn. Are you growing up to be a big girl!" She said rushing up to me.

I prepared myself for her hug, and sadly I didn't prepare enough. The woman could hug like a bear! She let me go and I had to take a few deep breaths of air.

Logan didn't have it any better. Betty though looked unfazed as she marched us up to the house. As I walked up I noticed cats running about. Oh god, she isn't a crazy cat lazy? I swallowed my pride as we walked into a house cut from a southern living magazine.

Everything rang of southern charm, that could be good. Maybe I could learn how to bake or something useful this summer.

Logan took one look around the house shrugged and pulled his phone out. He took a moment and looked at me. "I can't get signal?" he muttered.

Betty turned to us. "So Steven you'll be in the guest room. Logan Lynn follow me."

She moved us up a set of stairs and to the second floor. The Southern living feel was upstairs as well. Betty waddled along until she came to a room that screamed boy. It only needed a bb gun on the wall to make it complete.

"Logan you'll be here. It was your father's room when he was a boy. Ain't it just darling?" She said patting him on the back.

Logan was still looking at his phone. "Umm Aunt Betty, what's the name for the Wifi?" He asked.

Betty didn't answer him. "Now you kids will have a ton to do out here. You can go for long walks, head into town, there's a nice burger joint that I used to go to when I was a girl. Also you can help me around the house. Now I clean the house often, everything has it's place. You make a mess you get to clean it up. Ya hear?"

Logan and I nodded. Betty took us to another set of stairs and as I slowly walked up Logan looked at me. "I'm not seeing any Wifi. Hell I'm not seeing any computers."

The attic had been turned into a picture of sweet sixteen fashion. Everything as a soft shade of pink or white. The bed was framed by a large canopy that looked similar to a Pinterest DIY picture. The furniture looked original, but painted in a creamy white. The windows had large window seats that sat in front of large swinging windows.

"Now this was my room when I was a girl. I've redone everything to sure a young womans tastes."

I looked around the room. I could feel the pink attack my system. Oh god, there were even cute baby pictures on the vanity. I looked over at Betty and tried to put on the biggest smile I could. "Thank Aunt Betty. It's wonderful."

Betty nodded like she knew this room was Gods gift to a teen. She moved closer. "Now The roof outside the windows have a lovely view over our farm and Mrs. Keeny's farm. Go on and look."

"Aunt Betty?" Logan said again. "What's your wifi called?"

"Shh Logan, don't you see your sister is going to have a moment here."

I opened the window the warm summer air hitting me again. I slipped through the window and found the roof to be pretty level where I was. Then I looked out. I could see high above the fields now. It took my breath away. The neat little rows of corn and soybeans were a patchwork around the houses. There was a path a tall brown grass that I could see a clearing. In the middle of the clearing was the same Scarecrow. I liked the way he looked standing out there. Maybe I could go investigate that later.

Past the houses I could only see fields and trees. There was so much space here. So unlike Gotham with it's twisting turning roads and dark alley ways.

Starting to sweat I slipped back into the room and closed the window. I looked back at Betty, for her over decorating mind she did care. I gave her a smile. Maybe she knew I needed something like that. A little place to call my own. I mean Dad's parents died a while before I was born so Betty might know what I needed in that moment.

Logan waved his phone up at me. He wanted me to ask Betty. "So Betty, I brought my computer, could I get the Wifi information for it."

Betty blinked her large blue eyes. "Well dear, I don't have wifi here."

I could see Logan pail. "No wifi?" He stammered.

"Nope. Don't see the reason for it. We have cable, that's all the information you need. Fox news and the local news. Why kids?"

Logan looked at me. "No cell signal and no wifi."

Betty looked a little confused. "This was a time for you kids to get away from all that technology. Not good for you. You get to learn how to fish, mudding, and hell I'll be teaching your sister how to bake."

Now we knew Betty's true purpose to get us out here. She wanted to turn us Gotham kids into nice law abiding southern kids. All I have to say to that is, good luck.

We unpacked the car. Logan was in a sour mood for the rest of the day. And once I got everything unpacked I opened up the window and crawled out onto the roof. It was starting to be night time and the heat was dying away. I pulled out a book I was reading. Well not really what I was reading, but what Mom had been reading.

I looked at the cover. it was worn from many readings. Mom's favorite book. She said she could open to this book up and read it. I thought it was sweet and had brought it along. I'm not much for classics, but I could always try giving this a good read.

'Phantom of the Opera'

I mean I've seen the movie, and mom always had the stupid music playing. So I should be able to get the jist of the story even if I get bored halfway through.

So that's how I spent my first night in Hamlet Georgia.

Authors notes: Hey, I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter of 'First Kill'. This is my first Fanfic that I've had the nerve to post in five years, so bare with me. I'm using as much of the comic book lore as I can for this story. Next chapter will be the big meeting for Lynn and Crane, and it's one of my favorite chapters. As always comment and if you see any errors please let me know and I'll try to correct them, I don't have a beta reader at the moment so I do all the editing myself.