I was one of the few at my school chosen for an exchange trip to Gotham City. It was supposed to be a learning experience or something like that. I really wasn't too sure of what to expect from Gotham. All of the brochures made it out to be a beautiful city filled with big city action. To tell the truth, I was a bit nervous because I had never left my state before.
I sat on the plane, clutching the directions to my host's house. I had read the paper over and over again. My host's name was Bruce Wayne and he was the head of Wayne Enterprise. With that in mind, I knew he had to be fairly wealthy. Gotham was a very large city and to hold that kind of authority was something very impressive.
I was really impatient for the plane to land. My ears had begun popping painfully. It was my first time on a plane and my ears hadn't really coped all that well with the air. The plane was now descending and I peered out my window to see how long it was until we'd land.
"Passengers, please remain seated," the intercom said. "Welcome to Gotham City! Please, enjoy your stay in clean, safe Gotham."
Their description sounded much like the brochures I had read about Gotham. The intercom repeated in several different languages after that. The sign above me flashed and told me it was alright to unbuckle and get off the plane. I could hardly hear anything because my ears had been popping so badly. I grabbed my purse and bustled out of the plane and into the terminal.
I found my luggage and left the airport to find a taxi.
Gotham really was a huge city. People were everywhere and I suddenly felt very out of place. I am from a small coastal town on the west coast. I looked around to see if there was a taxi. I had never ridden in a taxi. Everything in my town was pretty bunched together.
I saw one and I signaled, but it drove past me. It was okay though because I saw another one. I signaled, but it drove past me just like the last one. I groaned and snapped my fingers in annoyance.
"Stupid taxi!" I hissed under my breath.
I was brought out of my thoughts when a limo pulled to the side of the road where I was standing. The window of the limo rolled down and I saw that an old gentleman in a tuxedo was the driver. He looked very efficient.
"Are you Nikki Williams?" He asked me.
I didn't know the man, but he obviously knew me.
"Yes, I am Nikki Williams," I answered.
The man smiled at me.
"Hello, Miss Williams, my name is Alfred and I am Mr. Wayne's butler. Please, get in the back so I can take you to the house. Master Wayne is waiting for you and he's rather impatient." He chuckled at that.
So, I climbed into the back of the limo. I stared in awe at the inside. Limos for me only existed in movies. Alfred pulled away from the street and we were driving through the busy streets of Gotham City. Cars drove carelessly around. Everything I had heard about driving in large cities from my friends was true.
"How was your flight?" Alfred asked.
"It was fineā¦I guess. It was okay for my first flight. I'm just glad that I'm not dead and also that my ears are reverting back to normal. I can actually hear now," I smiled and Alfred laughed.
I gazed out the window at Gotham City. It really didn't appear to be the safe and clean environment that the airport had made it out to be. I actually saw quite a few bums and the streets were filthy. It looked more like it had never emerged from the Great Depression.
Alfred turned on the radio and turned it onto a news station.
"Gotham's criminal activity has been going down. Could it be the mysterious Batman? Marley, what do you think of Batman?" A woman's voice on the radio asked.
A man's voice came on.
"Well, Nancy, I think he's a fake. Anyone who refuses to show his face to the world can't be trusted. Batman's been tricking us. Batman's a criminal just like the rest of 'em!"
"Thank you, Marley," the woman said. Then in a much louder voice directed at the listeners, she said: "Please, call in to express your opinions of Batman!"
I thought about this Batman character they had talked about.
"Hey Alfred," I said. "Who's Batman?"
He didn't answer right away. He searched for the right answer. I waited patiently, curious on whom this Batman was.
"Batman is the dark knight who protects Gotham," he answered.
"Then why are they making him out to be a bad guy? I always just assumed that protection was a good thing. "
"You'd be right to assume that, Miss, but unfortunately, Gotham City doesn't see eye to eye with logic most of the time."
"Oh."
Pretty soon out the window I saw a huge mansion. I was shocked when we pulled into its driveway. The driveway was very long and I marveled at the mansion.
"Does Mr. Wayne live here?" I asked.
"Yes, Miss," Alfred said.
The mansion was truly amazing. I had never seen anything like it in my home town. The limo parked in a large garage. Alfred got out of the car and opened my door for me. Then he led me into the mansion.
The inside was even more amazing than the outside. Several statues from other countries lined the wall of the entrance foyer. Alfred had gone back to get my bags.
"Welcome, Miss Williams," a voice said. "I am Bruce Wayne."
I got my first look at Bruce Wayne descending the stairs toward me. He was a handsome man with black hair and a square jaw. He, like Alfred, was also dressed in a tuxedo.
"Hello, Mr. Wayne," I said politely. "Thank you for letting me stay here. If you like, you can call me Nikki."
"Alright then, Nikki, you can call me Bruce," Wayne smiled at me. Then he glanced at his outfit. "I don't usually dress like this, but tonight I'm hosting a party. Do you want to attend? It's here."
"I'd love to, Bruce, but I didn't bring anything formal to wear," I replied.
It was true. All I had brought was my school uniform and some street clothes for the weekends. Besides that, I had never been to a formal party. The only parties I had ever been to were small town lawn parties and barbeques.
"That's alright. Alfred picked up a dress for you. It's in your room. Do you like purple?" Bruce asked.
"Oh yes, it's my favorite color! But you didn't have to go through the trouble of buying me a dress."
"I know, but I did. Alfred, show Nikki to her room."
"Of course, Master Wayne," Alfred bowed and then motioned for me to follow.
I followed Alfred up the stairs and to my room. I knew at once that I'd get lost in the mansion. It was so big!
"Here you are, Miss. The dress is in your closet." Alfred bowed and left.
I walked inside my new room and my jaw dropped. The room was about four times bigger than my room back home. There was a large king sized bed and a big screen television. A computer sat on a desk in the corner and I had a walk in closet. Alfred had already dropped my luggage off.
I walked into the closet and saw the dress. It was a purple strapless floor length gown. On display above the dress on a model was a matching pair of earrings and a necklace. They jewelry sparkled with diamonds. Bruce Wayne had to have been very rich if he could afford all this on a whim.
My room had its own bathroom, so I showered before putting on my dress. It was a beautiful gown and the jewelry was fabulous. After I was done getting dressed, I dug out my curling iron and curled my black hair. Then I applied my makeup. I admired myself in the mirror and decided that I would fit in quite nicely at the billionaire's party.
I came out of my room and met Bruce halfway down the hall. His eyes sized me up.
"You look beautiful, Nikki. How old are you?" He asked.
"Eighteen," I told him.
"You look a lot more mature than eighteen," Bruce commented.
I got that a lot. I guess my figure had just developed faster than most girls my age.
"I don't think anyone here will even know that you're in high school," he said.
"I don't mind," I said. "It really doesn't matter to me. Bruce, when does the party start?"
"Soon. The guests should be arriving at anytime now. Come, we must meet them in the party room."
So I followed Bruce to the "party room". It was the size of a gym, filled with pool tables, tables for eating, chairs, and a buffet of food. I saw what seemed like a hundred champagne bottles out and there was even a small dance floor.
"My gosh, it looks wonderful," I said to Bruce.
"Thank you," he smiled. "Alfred was the one who insisted on the dancing. He says its time I start dancing."
"That's right, Master Bruce." Alfred came up behind us. "A handsome gentleman like you should know how to dance. It's a very traditional art."
Bruce began toying with his bow tie. "I wouldn't really consider myself a gentleman who did traditional art. Alfred, you know me. Me dancing is an accident waiting to happen!"
We all laughed at that. Then we heard several cars pull into the driveway. People began entering and I was immediately thankful for the dress Bruce had provided. All of the people looked like they were pretty wealthy people. Some came over and slapped Bruce on the back.
"Wayne!" They exclaimed and then saw me. "And who's this beautiful young woman?"
"Gentlemen, this is Nikki Williams. She's my exchange student for the next month. "
One man groaned.
"You mean she's a student? Darn it. So that means that if I dated her I'd be a pedophile!" He moaned.
"No," I grinned. "I'm eighteen. I'm considered a legal adult."
The man's face brightened. Bruce's eyes narrowed.
"I'd never allow her to date you. She may be eighteen, but I'm her legal guardian. As long as she lives in my home, she won't be allowed to date you." After Bruce said this everyone around us started laughing.
The man hung his head. Soon everyone was chatting away and I went off to explore more of the party. It truly was amazing. A woman with blonde hair and a white dress approached me.
"Have you seen Bruce Wayne?" She asked.
"He was over there a while ago, but I'm not sure where he is now," I answered.
"Thank you. Aren't you Nikki Williams, Wayne's exchange student?" The woman asked. I nodded and she continued. "Nice to meet you. I'm Vicky Vale."
"Hello Miss Vale," I said and shook her hand.
"I really must find Wayne. Thanks for your time, Miss Williams." And then Vicky Vale left. She weaved in and out of people, hoping to catch Bruce.
I continued exploring the party. I talked to a few people and ate a bit of food. I watched the dancers who were on the dance floor. I couldn't imagine Bruce dancing like that. I smiled at the thought. I liked Bruce a lot. He was very rich, but he was also very nice and didn't seem like your typical rich person.
I enjoyed the party for several more minutes. Then I saw Vicky Vale and a man leave the room and go out into the hall. Bruce followed them. I waited for them. I wondered what they were doing.
Suddenly Bruce came out. He bustled by me.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"I have to go. Take care of the guests," he said very quickly.
Then he was off.
