Buildings suffocated Amanda as she walked down Gotham's sidewalks. The place was so loud, cars honking their horns, children screaming for the latest toy in the store's window; it didn't help that Amanda had suffered from another episode the night before. With a clenched hand she heaved her luggage off from the ground as she looked for a good place to rest her head. A sophisticated looking coffee shop caught her eye, it was only a few blocks down, and it wouldn't kill her to walk a little longer.
The coffee house had a total opposite feeling than the streets of Gotham. Inside the walls were painted a light yellow, bringing life to an otherwise dull grey city. There was a special kind of silence there that seemed to ease or even erase any anxieties a person may have felt before stepping inside. Amanda's eyes found an empty wooden table at the corner of the shop, overlooking Gotham. She took a seat and reached into her clutch purse, pulling out her cell phone, still no calls. Amanda's mind drifted away from the madness that she knew Gotham would bring but to what she had left behind. There was a man waiting there for her, asleep in their queen sized bed, about to wake up and find nothing but a small note. And that wasn't even enough to explain what was going on. With a groan Amanda hid her phone and looked around. People were quietly reading and drinking coffee. A few tables down she spotted two teenagers talking very quietly, almost discreetly. Amanda gave a small smile, young love, she thought.
"Hey lady!"
Amanda looked over at the short man who was calling her.
"Could you hand me that newspaper over there?"
It was then that she noticed the black and white, crisp newspaper that sat in front of her. A big picture of a grand mansion was on the front cover. It seemed familiar and then the words "Bruce Wayne" jumped at her and that uneasy feeling took over. She grabbed the paper and opened it. She had read the first paragraph when the man again called for her, this time not as politely. Amanda looked at the man.
"Who's Bruce Wayne?"
There was a dead silence that filled the room. The room had already been quiet but her question created a whole new level of quiet. She could almost hear everyone's heart beating. Nervous that she had said something wrong she handed the man her newspaper.
"You're not from here are you?" he asked with a smile and when she shook her head he laughed and the volume in the shop turned up a notch so that there wasn't that uncomfortable silence. "Everyone knows Bruce Wayne. He's a millionaire, the richest man in Gotham. His father practically owned Gotham."
Amanda stared at the picture of the house, "where can I find him?" The man gave a good hard laugh but Andy just watched him sternly.
"Oh, well since it's pretty early in the morning I'd guess you could find him there." And he pointed at the Mansion in the paper. "It shouldn't take longer than 15 minutes by car." He said watching as Amanda got up to gather her things. "Can I ask what your name is?"
Thinking quickly Amanda replied, "Violet Lewis."