The Ghost of You
Disclaimer: I don't own Batman Begins
Chapter 2: Staying Silent
The Joker's last victim, Amanda Morrison, sat separated from the rest of the juvenile deliquents. She looked around her while the physcologist tried to get her to talk, and her attempts had failed. She went with the doctor's explaination of 'post-traumatic stress' but it didn't seem right to her. She had seen one of the violent nightmares the girl was plagued with, it wasn't post-traumatic stress. Amanda Morrison had been psychologically scarred, nothing Gotham Youth Detention Center could cure. This girl needed a stable place to stay and it wasn't here. She sighed and when someone knocked on the door, she got up. It was the person who had hired her for the girl.
"So, has she talked?" The man asked.
"No, she's staying silent." The woman replied. "It's her way of dealing with all this."
"Well, we found a home for her." The man said.
"With who?" The woman asked.
"Someone who was willing to take her in." The man replied. "I guess her father was a friend of his."
"That's good. she needs the change. This place doesn't do her good at all." The woman said. "When is this person coming?"
"Any moment." The man replied looking at the woman's report.
Someone did come and it was a man who looked like he was in his early 70s.
"Are you..." The man asked.
"No, I'm just here to pick up Miss Morrison." The other man replied. "I'm Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler."
"Doctor White, I thought you found a relative of hers." The woman said in a whisper.
"Miss Quinzel, I couldn't find any living relatives. But apparently, Mr. Wayne was a good friend of her father's." The man named White replied. "So, Alfred, I'll let you take Amanda."
While Miss Quinzel got Amanda, the elder Doctor White took Alfred off to the side and mentioned one last item.
"Make sure Mr.Wayne takes it easy on her, she's hasn't said a word since she's left the hospital." Doctor White said.
"You shouldn't have to worry about it, Master Wayne understands what she's going through." Alfred replied.
The woman had come out with Amanda who was as the man said, silent. Alfred had seen pictures of her in the paper before but that's when she was much younger. Now, at 15, she looked like her mother with dark hair and a olive skin tone but her brown eyes were her father's. When they reached the building, the lobby was buzzing with people so they went unnoticed. And when they reached the penthouse, it was silent but the view of Gotham was clear. Amanda didn't know where she was but didn't care. It was away from the Detention Center where that woman tried to get her to talk. Alfred had showed her to where she'd be staying. It was two o'clock in the afternoon, so it was still early in the afternoon.
"If you need anything, Miss Morrison, just come and find me." Alfred said to her.
She nodded and started unpacking. It was about the same size as her old room but rather bare, but who gave a darn? It was a roof over her head. She heard another voice after a few minutes. She could hear any of the conversation really but it got a little clearer.
"The police found her unconscious, Alfred?" The voice asked.
"Yes, sir. And a video tape that contained her parent's murders." Alfred replied. "They're saying that she was shown the tape."
"She didn't deserve to see that. Has she said anything?" The voice said with a bit of a growl.
"No, sir. She's been silent since I brought her here." Alfred replied. "And I'm glad to get her away from that dreadful place."
"So it was that bad?" The voice said.
"Yes, the man who was supposedly trying to help made her worse." Alfred said. "She looked like she hated the man. I don't blame her."
"Who's worse, Alfred? The Joker or that man?" The voice asked.
"You're quite right, Master Wayne. Considering the Joker's new class of criminal, some men are better than others." Alfred replied.
The conversation stopped there and Amanda still didn't come out. Instead, Bruce had come into her doorway, she was startled for a moment but recovered quickly. She looked at him and thought he wasn't all that intimidating. She kept her mouth closed.
"I know what you're going through, I didn't want to talk for a long time either." He said.
She looked up at him understanding what he was saying.
"Things will get better, don't worry." Bruce said.
Amanda nodded and he left her be. Maybe being here wouldn't be so bad after all.
