Chapter 2

28th November 2006, 10.00 AM

Church St, Manchester, M4 flat, top floor

United Kingdom

After a quick shower, Esme cooked pancakes for her breakfast. Besides pasta meals, it was the only food she knew how to make. As Esme was eating her breakfast, she turned on the television in the living room which faced the kitchen and watched her favourite channel, the BBC News to see anything interesting. After watching the news for thirty minutes besides the upcoming English Premier League matches, Esme did not find anything interesting.

Finishing her breakfast, Esme went to her laptop in her room to book her flights, one economy class flight from Manchester to London and a first class flight from London to Gotham since Manchester airport does not have a direct flight to Gotham. 'If I have to sit for seven hours on a plane, I might as well pamper myself,' Esme thought.

After booking her tickets, an instrumental song different from her calling ringtone play from her phone, indicating a text message. After checking her phone, message was from her cousin and best friend, Kathy.

The text was 'Hey Esme, wanna go shopping at the Arndale?'

'What a coincidence! I was planning to go there anyway' Esme replied.

A few seconds passed, Kathy respond, 'Brilliant! Meet you there at 12'

After the text, Esme prepared herself for her shopping trip which took 15 minutes. The Arndale was just a few blocks away from Esme's flat so she only need to walk there which also one of the reasons she picked the flat two years ago after getting her PhD and at same time as when she needed a place to stay after getting a job at Gray Genetics Manchester Branch.

After applying her makeup, Esme take a look of herself at a mirror next to her bed. She wore a black thick long sleeve shirt beneath a purple double breasted jacket, a black skin tight leather pants and a pair of black leather gloves for warmth. Satisfied with her look, Esme grabbed her bag and wrapped her forest green scarf that she made herself from knitting around her neck before leaving her apartment.

11.15 AM

Caffe Nero, Piccadilly Garden, Manchester, M1

Since Esme was 45 minutes early for her meeting with Kathy, she decided to stop by at Caffe Nero, an Italian café 4 minutes' walk from her flat for her expresso drink and read The Daily Mail newspaper. After finishing her drink, she tried some of the paper's puzzle, especially Sudoku. There were six puzzles in the newspaper and Esme finished each in 3 minutes and after that she read some articles. After that she read some poorly written tabloid level articles. While reading about an article about some research on a cure for cancer, she got a text from Kathy. 'I'm at the BANK store. Where r u?'

Esme folded the newspaper and put it in her bag before replying to Kathy, 'Hang on, I'm just leaving from Caffe Nero. I'll be there in five.' Then walking from the café she made her way to the Arndale.

28th November 2006, 12.05 PM

L13, The Arndale Shopping Centre,

Manchester, M4 3AJ

United Kingdom

Esme entered the Arndale through the Market Street entrance. Her cousin and best friend Kathy were waiting for her at the Bank. As Esme navigate her way through the shopping centre, passing by various shops she finally found Kathy window shopping at the Bank. From an outsider perspective, both Esme and Kathy can be mistaken for twins due to their similar appearance. Despite that, there the two women have differences such as Kathy having a long straight red hair compared to Esme's short curly brown hair and in terms of personality, Kathy was friendly and open while Esme was very much aloof and standoffish.

As Esme made her way to the Bank, she found a woman with long red hair who is wearing a white top and knee-length light blue skirt under a white coat complete with white leggings and brown boots. 'That must be Kathy' Esme thought as she approached the woman, who noticed Esme from the window shop and turn to her. Upon recognizing Esme, the woman smiled at her.

"Esme! There you are. How come you're not fired from Gray Genetics with that green dye at the tips of your hair" Kathy greeted.

"Hey Kathy, it's good to see you. The dress code in the company doesn't involve hair. Also my job as a financial anaylsis doen't involved meeting other people" Esme replied with a small grin.

"I see but at this hour George and I usually have our lunch and you just went to Caffe Nero, so do you mind if we had our lunch first at the food court?" Kathy asked.

"Oh, him" Esme said with a deadpan, almost bored voice. "I haven't eaten anything so I don't mind having lunch with you. I hope dear George doesn't mind."

Kathy frowned at the way Esme said about George. "He's my fiancé! Please try being nice about him. He's a wonderful man and I can't wait to marry him. I don't understand why you don't like him."

Both women are at the elevator as the conversation goes on. Esme scoffs and reply "Who says I don't like him? I just don't trust him that's all. Asides from claimed being an orphan and inherent a manor somewhere in Oxford he could be a conman trying to kill you for life insurance or sold you to sex slavery!"

"That's preposterous! I know you can be paranoid but this is ridiculous. Look I came here to catch up with you not arguing about my fiancé. Can we just drop this?"

With a sigh Esme relented," you're right. I'm sorry I overreact but I'm just worried about you and I'm sure our dear baroness of a grandmother is high on the moon about your upcoming nuptials."

Kathy just shook her head regarding Esme's antics about the people she dislikes, namely George and their grandmother Margaret, the Baroness Gray. The elevator was now at the food court floor. After picking their lunch, Esme and Kathy found their table in the middle of the food court. Both women continued their conversation as they ate.

"I was planning on buying a new watch and maybe some golf clubs for George this Christmas, what about you?" said Kathy

"Right, Christmas. Well for you I'm planning to make a scarf for you. I found this yarn that match your hair; for our Uncle Charles, maybe a hard drive to make his job at the MI6 easier and last but not least our only male cousin Albert a bottle of his favourite scotch" Esme replied.

"What about our grandmother? Don't you have anything for her?"

"Hmph! What about her? She doesn't want anything from her illegitimate and least favourite granddaughter that's for sure."

It is well known among the Gray family that the baroness only took custody of Esme after her parents' death because she is by blood a Gray and she did not acknowledge her eldest daughter marriage to a son of a mob boss while Esme always viewed her grandmother as a stuck-up, self-important old crone. As a result, both did not get along well.

"Blimey Esme! Christmas is coming. Can't you just try to get along during our annual Christmas dinner?" Kathy said exasperated.

"Well…about that I forgot to mention that I can't be there because my Uncle from Gotham need my help" Esme sheepishly reply.

Kathy eyes became wide as saucers as Esme mentioned her uncle from Gotham. "What!? Are you saying you rather go to Gotham and help your paternal uncle you barely knew than spending Christmas with us?"

"I wish but it seems urgent and apparently he roped me in without my consent. Besides, it's been 16 years since I've been to Gotham. That place maybe the most crime-riddled city in the world, I've spent 10 years of my childhood there." Esme said.

"I have a bad feeling about this. Do you have to go?"

"I already booked two flights, one to London and one to Gotham. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Esme reassured Kathy. "Now that we done with our lunch let's go shopping"

Both women spent the entire afternoon shopping, Kathy buying gifts for her fiancé and her family while Esme bought a hard drive, a bottle of Talisker scotch and some clothes and a luggage for her trip to Gotham.

Note: The BANK that Kathy mentioned is a clothing store in UK, NOT an actual bank. I decided to re-write the story because 4 chapters without Edward are a little too long. Next chapter I'm planning for Esme to finally arrived in Gotham. It will involve the Maronis and Edward. I hope I write them well.