Our Guiding Light was originally intended to be a stand alone story, but became something different as I typed, especially introducing the character Selena Lunarias. Selena was based on two models: Countess Elizabeth (Erzebet in Hungarian) Bathory of Esced, and actress Isabella Rossellini (daughter of Ingrid Bergman). Bathory, who was well known to be exceptionally beautiful had murdered countless young women, mainly lady servants and virgins of peasant birth. Theories strongly point to the idea that she bathed in their blood, believing that their blood would keep her "eternally young." These elements were what I used in the creation of Selena Lunarias, except I changed her criminal status to that of black widow, who also happens to be bi-sexual. The latter I changed to fit the modern times. Unlike my other female characters of The Fidget Connections who are merely victims of circumstance, Selena Lunarias is the ultimate bad girl, a zealot of the bat-culture. And as you will notice when you read, Fidget is morbidly terrified of her ... and not just because she caused him his disability to begin with.

"So, how many other girls have you met before me?"

Deniece was in the kitchen, boiling water on the stove while Fidget was at the counter, cutting onions. Normally, he would've grumbled and complained since the scent of onions irritated his nostrils and stung his eyes. He rubbed at his left eye with the back of his left wrist to wipe the tears away, only to discover that it made the problem worse. But since Deniece was used to conversing, cleaning, and cooking all at once, Fidget decided to swallow his pride and veer his attention away from the unpleasantness of the task. And Deniece wanted Fidget to share more information with her, and the two bats had made a pledge to each other. And Fidget had to honor that pledge.

"Four," Fidget replied. He wasn't always good at formulating sentences, so information he shared was usually kept at a minimal. The only times he was verbose were in fits of anger, especially when he and Deniece would get into arguments.

"What were their names?" Deniece continued.

Fidget took a deep breath. Sometimes it was grueling to be asked questions that he wish to not answer. But Deniece needed to know, none-the-less, and he had to keep her happy.

"Well ... da first one was named Marie."

Deniece's large ears twitched. "Marie? Is she French?"

Fidget nodded. "And she liked to wear pink a lot."

Interesting, Deniece thought. "What did she look like?"

"She had blue eyes," Fidget began, "cream-colored fur, and orange hair dat looked like a large flower bud."

"Sounds like this Marie was very attractive," Deniece replied, feeling only a hint of jealousy.

"Yeah, but she was a spoiled brat!" Fidget retorted.

Deniece stopped mid-task, curious about Fidget's reaction. "Oh? How so?"

"She always wanted stuff!" Fidget complained. "But she didn't like anyt'ing I offered her!"

Deniece turned her head in Fidget's direction, only to discover that the peg-legged bat trembled out of frustration. Clearly, the topic of discussion was making him angry. She saw him accidentally cut the palm of his hand with the knife. Deniece rushed to find a towel and gave it to Fidget so he could cover his hand. No different than when he broke the wine glass at the mention of Professor Ratigan, Deniece remembered. She recalled running his hand under the bathroom sink to clean his hand; this time she decided to let Fidget do that on his own since he didn't like to be babied.

"That was my fault," Deniece admitted apologetically. "I made you lose your concentration, asking such stupid questions. I guess I'm too suspicious of the idea there may be another girl."

Fidget shook his head. "No, I'm glad you asked. You needed to know."

Deniece smiled. "I'll take care of the rest, Fidget. Thank you for your help."

Fidget rushed to the bathroom sink to rinse his hand and wrap it with the cloth. But surprisingly, he didn't complain about the sting or his unfortunate accident with the knife. He didn't seem to be bothered by such idle things lately. Fidget couldn't figure out why, but something inside him was changing. It was as if he felt that same candle inside himself when the Christmas carolers serenaded him with their song. He recalled the same incident happening when he and Deniece talked about the news of Professor Ratigan's death after Queen Mousetoria's Diamond Jubilee. He had accidentally broken a wine glass, and Deniece caressed his hand so affectionately as she nursed it. Fidget raised his now bandaged hand to observe it. Ironically, it was the same hand that broke the wine glass ... his right hand. Fidget began to giggle uncontrollably at the thought of his own stupidity.

"What's the joke, monsieur?"

Fidget heard Deniece's voice behind him. He turned around to face her, but he did not stop giggling. Deniece noticed Fidget getting red in the face. When the peg-legged bat attempted to look her, he covered his face with his webbed hands like a child playing peek-a-boo.

"What are you embarrassed about?" Deniece asked, she herself began to chuckle. She took both Fidget's hands in hers and gently pushed them downward so she could see his face. But Fidget turned his head away, avoiding eye contact, still giggling.

"Look at me, Fidget," Deniece said, trying to make her voice sound stern, but couldn't help but giggle herself at the sight of Fidget's face. Fidget humbly obeyed, but then tried to cover his face again with his hands.

"Don't you dare!" Deniece reacted, again pushing his hands away, trying to be stern, but getting caught up in the giggle. Fidget looked like a shy little child right now, nothing at all like the criminal he used to be. Deniece found it hard to believe that they were one in the same. She guessed that it was because she was so used to the Fidget who gave her a hard time irregardless of the fact that she saved his life. Deniece could remember the peg-legged bat throwing the worst tantrums, being inexplicably ungrateful, and resorting to criminal tendencies (like trying to kill her with the poker). But seeing Fidget right now, trembling, acting so sheepishly to hide his face because he was embarrassed to be seen giggling!? Was this the same bat who was employed to the infamous Professor Ratigan? Was this the same bat mousedom feared?

Fidget suddenly began to calm down again, breathing deeply, but that sheepish smile never escaped his face. He lifted his hands again, only this time not to cover his face. Deniece sensed that Fidget was trying to speak. She knew he always used his hands whenever he attempted to speak, but could never figure out why.

"I'm ... not used to ... dis feelin'," Fidget began, his voice barely audible. "I just ... want it ... to last ... a little longer ..."

Deniece smiled. "What makes you think it won't?"

Fidget shrugged his shoulders. "Well ... you know ... some of ... my history ..."

"So what don't I know?" Deniece gave Fidget a suspicious grin.

"You ... wanna ... know more?" Fidget replied. "Ask ..."

Deniece wanted to know more but was afraid of agitating Fidget again on the subject of other girls. She liked seeing Fidget happy too much and wanted him to show that side of his personality more. It made him look so adorable.

"You wanna know ... what udher girls ... I've been with, right?" Fidget began, now seeing the situation reversed.

Deniece nodded. "Were there others besides that Marie that you mentioned?"

"Dhere was ... dis one udher," Fidget began, heaving a deep sigh as he looked at his peg-leg and crippled wing. "Dis one is ... da reason I can't fly anymore."

Deniece's reaction became dark with fear. "You mean ... one of them ... broke your wing?"

Fidget held out his crippled wing as an example. "She was your height ... and had your strength. And it all happened durin' a full moon."

Deniece rubbed her chin curiously as she pondered over Fidget's description of this girl. "Surely, it wasn't your own captain, Lillian Bates, was it?"

"What!? No!" Fidget reacted, then covered his mouth realizing that it sounded more rude than he intended. Luckily, it didn't faze Deniece in the slightest. She urged Fidget to continue. "She had fur as white as da moon, dark hair, and dark-gray ears. She also had dhese eyes ... dhey were an odd color."

"What color were they?" Deniece asked.

"Dhey were red and pink. One look at her and you'd think she was a rabbit."

"How pretty was she?" Deniece wasn't sure why such a question escaped her mouth. She wasn't jealous of this woman, she knew that for certain. After all, Fidget claimed this was the woman who caused his disability to begin with.

"Every crew member of da Nightwing Pirates fell to dheir knees at her presence," Fidget replied, "She could've picked any one of da crew members, but her eyes were so fixed on me. I t'ought she was just anudher prostitute."

"What was your reaction to her when she saw you?"

"Like da udhers, I fell to my knees as well," Fidget admitted, feeling slightly ashamed. "And I felt ... wet. But Captain Bates was unusually angry."

"Why was your captain angry?" Deniece asked.

"I t'ink she sensed somethin' ... off about dat woman," Fidget answered. "Captain Bates ordered me to stay away from dat woman. I ... don't know what came over me dat night. Usually, I would obey my captains orders, but ..." Fidget's voice trailed off. He clutched the left side of his waist with his hands, as if he were in pain. But it wasn't pain Fidget was feeling right now. It was dread.

"But what?" Deniece urged Fidget to continue.

"But dat time ..." Fidget tried, again using his hands to help himself speak, "... dat was da one time I did not. Dis woman, she ... called me into da cabin ... Every time I heard her voice, I got wet ... She told me she knew how to please me, dhen ... she would sometimes speak in dis strange language. I didn't understand what she was sayin', but ... I started feelin' really uncomfortable. She excited ... every aspect of my body, but my stomach felt queasy. You'd t'ink I would've been smart enough to run, but somethin' about her kept me frozen."

Upon listening to this description Fidget gave of the woman, Deniece began also to feel the same dread. She didn't have to ask twice to know what kind of woman this was. As much as their culture celebrated The Eve of the Guiding Light, this legend also had a dark side. A bat's passions peaked at the light of the full moon, but it also made a bat more vulnerable. The guiding light usually benefitted bat-kind only to bats who were properly trained and informed of the rituals. For those who were uninformed, blind-sided, or devoid of all emotion, it brought a world of chaos. Bats who fell under this category often reacted angrily at anything, even when unprovoked. Most of the time, other bats usually dismissed them as lunatics, and sometimes these bats were publicly humiliated to be taught a lesson. Deniece also remembered her biological mother tell stories of a moon temptress. This lady was described as a zealot, a plight to all bat-kind. This woman would often go after exceptionally handsome young boys. She would speak in the sweetest tongues, promising to grant them every pleasure imaginable, so that the unsuspecting boy's defenses were down and would allow her to touch every aspect of his body. The poor, foolish boy would believe that he is in love with the woman and would adhere to every single demand she provides. Before the ultimate fate of the boy was sealed, this zealous woman request one last favor of him to carry out. Sadly, the boy was much too open to refuse this woman's request and blindly followed her into a secluded place. And it was the last time anyone would see the boy alive.

But the legends did not stop there. Sometimes this zealot woman also tempted other girls, especially those who were peasant born and virgins. These poor, unfortunate girls' fate were crueler than that of the boys. These girls were tortured or slaughtered, their blood became the zealot woman's bath water. This woman twisted for evil thoroughly believed the women's blood kept her eternally young. Up until now, Deniece often dismissed these stories as fantasies of dying elders. And if situations like these did happen, it was very rare. Bats were generally too nosy to not notice something amiss. Besides, Deniece could never entertain the idea of a woman who desired to seduce a man, yet would not desire to bare children. But ... upon hearing Fidget's confession, there was no longer doubt in her mind what kind of woman he dealt with.

"What was her name, Fidget?" Deniece asked.

Fidget took a deep breath. It was if the thought of her name made him shudder. Employees of Professor Ratigan used to warn him again calling Ratigan a rat, especially after what had happened to that Bartholomew. All the professor's gang shuddered in the rat's presence, Fidget included. But somehow the thought of this woman he was seduced by made him shudder more. Fidget gazed up at Deniece before giving her an answer. "Selena."

Selena ... The name echoed in Deniece's mind like a song. She didn't know anyone under that name, yet something felt oddly familiar about the situation.

"Dove sei, ragazzino?" came a melodious voice.

The lovely Selena Lunarias sat on the Westminster Bridge as she gazed at the rippling water of the River Thames. She wore her dark gray cloak, which blended into the concrete of the bridge, so any passerby wouldn't notice her. The sound of the water reminded her of that evening on The Bloody Rose. That was when she first set eyes on that boy who was only fortunate to escape her anger.

"Don't try to hide from me," she muttered under her breath. "Even in a city as big as this, I can still hunt you down. I can spot my prey from a mile away."

Selena placed her webbed hand on her chest. Ever since that night she experienced a pain so sharp it threw her off balance, she felt slightly paranoid of it happening again. Luckily, it never did. But Selena seethed through her teeth in anger at the thought of another woman having more power than she did. Selena had always succeeded in getting her way, even if the boys she seduced were engaged. Selena could not risk her reputation as a black widow being ruined. If there was another woman who proved to be more powerful than she, Selena would kill her on the spot.

"Ti troverò, ragazzo!" Selena continued to whisper. "Se l'ultima cosa che faccio ..."