It was a cold day in November. The leaves had fallen weeks ago and now the barren trees were a gloomy forefront to the even gloomier Gotham. I was sitting on the track that curved around my school's football field. Gotham Heights had lost in the first round of playoffs and cross-country had been a bust too. I hugged my knees and thought about this lousy first year. Mom had insisted that I go here even though all my friends went to a public school downtown. I was grateful for the chance to be something more than what my Mom got, really, but I wished I could mess around with my old gang. I missed my rag-tag bunch of misfits, though I knew they sure didn't miss me.
I was freezing, George should have picked me up hours ago. I grinned, maybe Mom would yell at him for this, he deserved whatever he got. Me and my step-father had not started out on the right foot. The first time he told me to call him dad, I burned his suit.
I fell back and looked into the twilight sky, over the horizon a light blazed on a cloud over Gotham. My stomach rolled, tomorrow there would be the outcome on the front page. Tonight I had to babysit the toddlers while Mom and George go out. Hopefully far away from what that signal.
It was getting darker by the minute and just as the sun had disappeared, I decided to set out on the walk home. Wind rustled the branches above her and whistled through the empty streets. It looked like there was something on the news. I looked at their faces and knew that whatever it was, I didn't want to know.
Though most of the houses in my neighborhood were cookie cutter, George wanted something more. He wanted to remind everyone that he was an art major. My house, as a result, is a nice little two-story, painted in a bright red and gold with green trimming. George modeled it after his favorite superhero. Mom humored him, saying it's a nice homage. I told him it was obsessive and stupid. That hero hadn't been seen in what seemed like forever. Now it was just the Bat.
Through the window I could see George inside, he was sitting on a chair watching the clock. I went to the backdoor, George looked like he didn't want to be disturbed. George had said I wasn't old enough to be trusted with a key to the house. Mom didn't set out a spare because she knew I didn't need one. After breaking into my own house I went to go check on the toddlers. Jackson and Edmund had nodded off long before I got home. Bee, however, was tossing about.
"What's wrong Bumble Bee?" I whispered.
"Bats...and Mommy...and coins! Daddy got a call from the police!" poor little Bee sounded terrified.
"It's just a dream, why don't you just calm down Bumble Bee. Mom is just probably stuck in traffic. It isn't anything to worry over." My own fear was hard to control.
Bee knew something was up, there was a look of hatred in her eyes that glared at me as I walked out. I raced downstairs.
"Where is she?" I whimpered.
"Two-Face held her hostage at the city hall. Took her with him to his warehouse. The Commissioner said that Batman was on his way. Dear God, I hope he gets there in time!" George couldn't control himself. He was crying, I felt like crying too.
I slowly made my way to my bedroom and closed the door behind me. I threw my jacket, kicked off my shoes and pulled my socks off. Then slid down the wall, my face in my hands, and let the tears come rushing down.
"God, if you are really up there, please don't let us lose her. George needs his her, the toddlers need her. Please don't make me lose another one of my parents! You already took one, wasn't he enough?" I prayed, whispering it throughout that terrible night.
My stamina was giving out when a phone rang downstairs. George's voice rang out the house, there was nothing that could contain his joy. It was a foregone conclusion on what happened. So I went to bed.