Gotham's Hellhound
By TimeAndLife21
Chapter Two
Waking up is not easy for Sophia to do when she had just taken care of a corrupted spirit the night before. She wondered if the heroes of the world all have this kind of problem. After all, if crime never sleeps, they must be going on at least two hours of sleep max.
"Ugh…" She moaned and placed a pillow over her head.
"Get up! It is time for learning!" Kritanta spoke taking brief control over her body to make her get up.
"Ten more minutes…" Sophia said as she felt her body being controlled to get up and make her way to the bathroom.
Her hand reached up to hit the light switch which blinded her for a second or so and she hissed at the intrusion of light.
"I thought you were excited for the beginning of a new school year? Do you not want to go to this 'Gotham College' that you speak of?" Kritanta questioned.
"I just don't like mornings…" Sophia said as she stood in front of the mirror of the bathroom.
Her black hair was all tangled up, she seemed to have dried drool on her face, there was gunk in her eyes from the restless sleep she had, and her pajamas were all askew on her body.
In short, she looked like a crazed inmate from Arkham Asylum.
"Don't I look lovely?" She muttered as she started to shed the pajamas off her body.
If she was going to get up and get ready for school, she was going to take a shower beforehand. She stripped off her pajamas and saw that she had a bruise on her shoulder from hitting the wall the night before.
"No wonder I feel sore today." She said as she yawned.
She carefully unwrapped the bandages that were on her wrists, and she winced as the bloodied bandages came off revealing the hand shaped burns that was around her wrists. It was starting to scab over but there was still a bit of raw flesh that was still healing up.
"Ouch…" She muttered.
"We need to work on burning away spirits, without burning yourself. You are almost getting the hang of it." Kritanta snickered.
"Laugh at my pain, why don't ya?" Sophia muttered back.
She turned on the water and pulled the pin for the shower head. If the water was too warm, she would fall asleep… So she tweaked the know for cold water and stepped in.
"WHY IS IT COLD!?" Kritanta shuddered in her mind and as soon as she said that a shadow-like substance raised from every pore of her body from her skin and slithered out of the shower, taking on a solid shadow-like form of a very big, very feral like wolf-dog Hellhound.
"That is COLD! Who are you? Mr. Freeze?" She snarled, baring her white fangs, as she laid down on the bathroom floor.
"I have to wake up somehow." She chuckled as she grabbed her orange oil shampoo and cleaned her hair with it.
She made sure to shave her legs and armpits. In the slightly cold water, it was easier to shave. She turned the water up a little to luke warm when she washed her body with body wash, careful to scrub lightly on her wrists, She finished off with washing her face and behind her ears with a face cleanser, leaving her face tingly and fresh.
She opened up the curtain and stepped out onto the fuzzy and ugly looking bath mat that caught the water running down her legs. She twisted her hair to wring out the majority of the water from it, before grabbing a towel and wrapping it into it to dry.
She wrapped another towel around her body, avoiding the large Hellhound that was lying on the floor, and got in front of the mirror. She wiped away the steam and she looked mostly human now.
All she had to do was put on makeup, do her hair, and get dressed.
"What time is it, Krit?" She asked as she grabbed her eyeliner, eyeshadow, and mascara.
Kritanta looked at the small LED clock that was on the bathroom counter and spoke, "It is 5:30."
"Good, plenty of time to get ready and walk to school." Sophia remarked.
She carefully put on her eye makeup with finesse and made sure to accent the color in her eyes. Simple is good for now. Afterwards, she took off her towel as her body was dry, and put on her underclothes before she put on her school clothes.
Pale blue cotton underwear, and similar matching t-shirt bra was put on, after that, she put on a white undershirt to that the color of her bra doesn't bleed through. She put on the white blouse and buttoned it up, then put on a modest white half slip on then a khaki skirt that reached her knees, calf high white socks, and brown penny loafers.
"Now the rough part…" She sighed to herself.
She took off the towel off her head and her hair was still a bit damp. It reached down her back and she has contemplated more than once to cut it all off. She grabbed a hair oil bottle and pumped it three times to get the amount needed for her hair. The orange scent calmed her and she rubbed the oil in her hands first, before running it through her hair from the roots to the tips. She had to do another pump of three to make sure the oil was distributed throughout her damp hair. It was to protect her hair from heat and frizzing.
She shook her head and grabbed her hair dryer, plugged it in, and turned it on a medium setting. She didn't want to fry her hair. She dried her hair until it was slightly damp and silky smooth.
"You take too long doing your hair, child." Kritanta huffed.
"I like my routines, Krit." Sophia smiled as she pulled her long hair into a double waterfall braid around her head, before pulling her hair up into a bun to keep her hair out of the way.
Stylish, sleek, and cute at the same time.
She looked at herself in the mirror and turned around admiring herself. She wasn't vain, far from it, but she wanted to make a good impression on her first day of school. This is no normal school that she is going to, oh no.
She was going to Gotham High Prep Academy.
It's one of the hardest schools to get into. Applications to get in were scarce, and the entrance test was almost college level.
Just because she prowls around at night hunting for corrupted spirits and the occasional demon that comes out, doesn't mean that her education has to suffer. Before she was kidnapped, before she became Hellhound, she wanted to become a teacher to school kids. Especially to underprivileged children in poorer areas.
Well that dream died. Public school became a painful reminder of her used-to-be friends and peers only knew her as 'The Girl Who Got Kidnapped'. She couldn't function around them anymore. She hated being touched by anyone who wasn't her family member, hated being asked questions about her 6 month hell, and the worst part of it all was that she had a slew of problems that came since she escaped.
She had become anti-social. She lost friends that she had been with since kindergarten. She didn't trust any authority with the exceptions of the very, very, few. She became an outcast at the public school. Keeping to herself and the being inside of her.
The years of therapy she had been going through, (She had her therapist on speed dial), the prescriptions that she will take to help her focus and stay sane, the support system she has (Her brother was her solid tie to the real world and the only person who knew of her and the being inside of her), and the coping mechanisms of a beauty routine, fashion, and parkour training.
It was the same kind of routine that she had followed since her therapist suggested it. A routine that she can have control over. When her Therapist suggested a form a exercise to help her, she went to parkour. Honestly it was a bonus for her since she needed to learn how due to the powers she wielded.
These were the things that kept her from spiraling into a self pitying loathing and depression. These were a few ways to keep her sanity. Being a Hellhound on top of it all gave her a purpose in life to leave her past behind. It was difficult, but she would make it.
This school year was going to be different. She was going to get involved again. They even have a track and field program that she could try out at. She still had a pit in her stomach. What if this school is just like the rest?
"You are thinking too deeply again, Sophia. You are shaking." Kritanta spoke as she stood up on all fours.
The Bathroom was a bit small, to be expected, but Kritanta stood beside her, her height almost to her elbow. If she were to walk out with her, people would think that she was some sort of exotic species of big dog.
Sophia raised her shaky hand and placed it on Kritanta's head and rubbed it. For her own comfort rather than Kritanta's.
She looked at her reflection. She looked young even with the makeup on. She took a deep breath and counted to ten. She looked like the typical teenager, but her eyes…
The dark brown eyes held the bright green glints of the lazarus pit waters.
She shook her head before she reached underneath the sink for medical supplies. She grabbed the big tool box that she had put under there and opened it up. It had practically everything in there, short of IVs and blood packets. She grabbed a tub of burn cream, opened it up and slathered the cooling cream on her wrists. She really hoped that it wouldn't scar. That would be unfortunate.
After putting on the cream, she carefully wrapped the crisp white bandages around her wrists. She made sure that it didn't bundle up and she wrapped it snuggly.
After she was done, she tied them off and observed them. Her hands looked like she was getting ready for boxing. At least she might be able to get away with that.
Now it was time to go to breakfast, and she needed her medication.
"Okay, lets go." she smiled as she turned and left the bathroom.
As they walked down the short hallway, Kritanta then jumped up, put her front paws on her shoulders turning into a mass of shadow and sunk herself into Sophia's body through her clothing. Sophia couldn't stop herself from shuddering a little. After 5 years of having Kritanta being a part of herself is something that she is still getting used to.
She entered the kitchen in which her brother was already up and dressed for his work. He wore a bit of a casual suit with a lab coat. On the right side of his chest, was a Wayne Tech symbol. He had started interning there just three months ago as an assistant to Lucius Fox. Mostly in Cyber Security and the occasional work in the Research and Development division.
He had square glasses on and his hair was styled so that it didn't look like he just rolled out of bed this morning.
"Morning Elliot." She smiled as she took her seat at the small dinner table.
"Hey, Soph." He looked back at her fondly. "Give me a minute. I'm almost done with the eggs."
He platted the eggs and grabbed a tiny cup, went around the kitchen island that was smack dab in front of the way to the table, and placed the plate in front of her with the small cup.
There was already apple juice in front of her. She looked down at her plate as saw that there were two sunny side up eggs, seasoned with salt and pepper, two floppy strips of bacon and a biscuit with raspberry jam on it. The tiny cup however had 3 pills in there. One for anxiety, one for focus, and the last one was a multivitamin.
She huffed and spoke in a creepy way, "Hello my allies, are you ready to work magic on my broken mind?" She wiggled her fingers at the tiny cup as if she was performing a spell.
"Stop talking to inanimate objects, Soph, they make you look insane." Elliot laughed at her.
"If I was insane I would have been put into Arkham Asylum by now." She smiled as she took the tiny cup tossed the pills in her mouth, and immediately chugged the apple juice so that she didn't have to taste the pills.
"That, little sister, is a terrifying thought." He said honestly as she sat across from her with his own plate of food. "Although, knowing Arkham, you would find all sorts of crazy damned spirits there, right?"
"We could do that, but it would take a lot of work." Kritanta popped out of the collar of her shirt, her puppy head looking like a bobblehead doll, bright green eyes half lidded in thought. "While there are spirits and possibly demons there, thus far they haven't caused massive amounts of damage or even try to bring the place down. It's safe to say that we will be fine."
"You know… I could have lived my whole life without knowing that...thank you, Krit." Elliot said blandly as he paled just a bit.
Sophia raised her eyebrows a bit after taking a bite of her egg.
"We live in a city where supervillains bust out of jail, and cause havoc on a weekly basis, and you are worried about demons and spirits?" She questioned.
"The fact that there is a literal Hell, Purgatory, Heaven, and other places that should have stayed biblical that have basically become a reality, you know, really kinda screws up any kind of normalcy in my life. The things that come with that are damn terrifying." Elliot sighed as he took a swig of his coffee.
"You thought it was cool in the beginning. Especially when you found me trying to do a fire spell. That went over really well." Sophia smirked pointing a fork at him.
"The novelty wore off… and I took the blame for you because God knows what would have happened if mom and dad found out about your little friend there…" Elliot shrugged. "On top of your medical stuff and everything else, they might have done something drastic…"
"Which won't happen anyways." Sophia huffed.
Since her recuperation from being kidnapped, her parents walked on eggshells around her, fearing that one wrong word, one wrong sentence, one slight touch on her body, would send her into an anxiety ridden panic attack or a PTSD flashback. The only one who accepted her and still treated her like normal was Elliot.
There were nights when she couldn't sleep, couldn't stay alone in her bedroom for too long, and having a hellhound inhabiting her body and getting used to that, it was Elliot who would let her crawl into his bed and she would sleep soundly throughout the night. He was the only person she could trust steadfastly.
He has been her rock and anchor for the past five years. Despite the age difference between them, he had become her sole caretaker. Her parents, though they dearly loved her, still treat her like a stranger on the street.
"So, new school starts in an hour. Want me to take you there? It's on the way to Wayne Tech." Elliot finished up his food.
"I was thinking of walking to school today…" She poked at her eggs before she devoured them.
"You think you can do that? There are crowds out there, and I know you still flinch when someone bumps into you." Elliot spoke before drinking his milk. "You've gotten better, I admit, but don't you want to take this slow?"
Sophia looked down at the puppy head that was Kritanta. Kritanta was looking up at her and gave her a brief nod.
"I have Kritanta to keep me from getting too nervous, and I took my meds. So I should be good for the day." Sophia spoke confidently.
Elliot was silent for a few minutes, weighing in on her words before nodding.
"If you say so… you can always call me if you need me. Mr. Fox is an understanding guy, he wants to meet you eventually." Elliot said as he picked up his empty plate and cup and taking it to the sink.
Sophia quickly finished up her meal, Kritanta took her last piece of bacon and gobbled it up greedily. She took her plates to the sink for them to be washed later, and she went to the living room where she had her backpack and blazer for school.
She grabbed them, put them on and double checked if she needed anything else.
"Do you have your mini-taser on you?" Elliot called from the kitchen.
"Why would I need that when I have Krit?" She answered with a smile.
"You are still human! Take the taser just in case. I modified it to give it a much more nasty shock than what the police use." Elliot smiled proudly at himself. "I mean...I know you have been doing this for a while, but you are still my baby sister."
He walked up to her and slowly wrapped his arms around her short frame and pulled her to him in a soft hug. She put her face in her brother's chest, smelling the cologne that he has always prefered. Old Spice. She hugged him back tightly and smiled.
"I'll be fine...I promise. If I feel uncomfortable walking to school today, I'll let you drive me. Okay?" She looked up at him still hugging him.
"Sounds like a plan to me." He chuckled as he placed a hand on her head, careful to not mess up her hair.
The two siblings split apart after their hug.
"I do have something for you, before you leave the place." Elliot smiled as he reached for his pocket.
"A present?" Sophia raised a brow.
"Is it chocolate covered strawberries?" Kritanta spoke as she popped out of Sophia's collar again.
Elliot chuckled and shook his head.
"No… I figured you would like it. I know we are not particularly religious, but I saw this the other day and I think you would like it." He smiled as he held out his hand and opened it up.
She looked down at his open palm and saw a necklace. It was a holy cross necklace. It didn't have the figure of Christ on it, but it was still a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. There was three pale blue stones shaped in triangles pointing inwards on the top parts of it. It was about the size of her pinkie finger, but she smiled widely.
"I know that it looks expensive, but I figured…" He was cut off.
"Elliot, thank you." She took the silver necklace and put it around her neck, avoiding Kritanta on her shoulder, and laid it inside of her shirt.
It rested on her sternum perfectly and she felt warmed by her brother's thoughtfulness.
"I love it. I don't think I'll ever take it off." She smiled and gave him a big hug.
"Well, I'm glad you like it. I just figured that this can be your first day of school present. Just be careful." He said as he hugged her back.
"I will." She said as she stepped back and put on her backpack.
She grabbed her cell phone and headphones and put the earbuds in her ears. She accessed her music and turned on Queen's Under Pressure.
"I love you, Elliot." She spoke as the beginning notes started up.
Kritanta absorbed herself into Sophie's body and took residence in her head to listen to the music.
"Love you too, Sophia…" Elliots said as he opened up the door.
She left the apartment with a smile and waved goodbye at him before taking off down the stairs, with Under Pressure blaring in her ears.
TAL21: Well that took me long enough. The second part of this chapter will come up soon. But I've been putting the first part off long enough and I really wanted to get the ball rolling. I hope that you liked this part of the chapter that describes her home life with her brother and her little friend. Her parents are out of the picture (Alive I might add) but even after 5 years they still treat her like a porcelain doll ready to break, which is why she is living with her brother because he gives her more stability and helps her with routine and makes sure she takes her medicine. As for Kritanta, if you would like a better description of her, just imagine that her and Sophia's relationship is similar to Venom and Eddie Brock, without the biting off people heads and and insatiable desire to eat chocolate; instead of black goo, just think of shadows literally coming to life. XD So yes, I do give a little bit of credit for the idea from Venom. :) And don't worry, Damian will be coming into play soon.
There's not much for shout outs due to the lack of reviews. Please leave awesome reviews and opinions of the story so far! I would love to hear from you guys and i would love to respond to any questions you may have! See you in the Next Chapter! :D
Question Time!: If you were to give a theme song to your favorite Batman Characters, what would they be? Mine is Jason Todd's (Stronger by Empathetic or Sound of Madness by Shinedown), and Damian Wayne's (I am Machine By Three Days Grace or Dance with the Devil by Breaking Benjamin). Great songs great comparisons. :)
KEEP ON READING AND WRITING! :D