A/N: Hello again! I hope you enjoy this fic, as I'm still really nervous about publishing my stuff! So, happy reading!
After class, she was stopped by her friend. "Jill, what's wrong?" Her best friend Tina asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Jillian closed her eyes, fighting the tears threatening to spill. "My grandma. She died." She croaked out in a whisper.
"Oh, no..." Tina whispered back, sorrow etched on her face.
"That's not all. As if that weren't enough, they're relocating me to Gotham City to live with a total stranger!" She said, her sadness clear in her voice.
"That's terrible! Your mom, your dad, your sister-! Oh my God, Jill! When do you have to leave?" Tina panicked.
"Tomorrow," Jill whispered.
"Oh my God!" Now Tina was crying, and the tears continued to spill on the way to their bus.
"I'm gonna miss you, Tina." Jill said, still sobbing.
"Don't forget to text me EVERYTHING!" Tina commanded, refusing to lose touch with her best friend.
Jill gave a sad smile and hopped off of the bus in front of her house. She unlocked the door, and stepped inside. Jillian went to her room and dropped her book bag, burying her head in her hands.
Oh God. I'm alone! Why me? Why always me? What did I do?
She sighed and dug her old suitcase out, staring at the design. It was printed with her favorite superhero, Catman.
She couldn't help but smile.
I'm such an idiot.
Jill opened the suitcase and placed the majority of her favorite clothes in there, her toothbrush, her book collection, the majority of her notebooks, her phone charger, her grandmother's laptop, her hairbrush, her headphones, and her favorite stuffed animal that went with her through everything: a plush dog named Jessie.
She closed the suitcase and put it by the door, hating the feeling of horrific dejá vu. She walked to the kitchen and pulled out the sandwich that she had forgotten to take to school for lunch.
Jill chewed the sandwich, feeling isolated. The quiet of the house didn't help at all.
Giving a sigh, she decided to take a shower and hit the hay early.
Jill was jolted awake by the blaring of her alarm clock. She shot upright and turned off the annoying noise.
So I'm leaving today. I'm going to live with a stranger...in a city I've never even heard of. How did this get through the court system, again? She thought warily as she strode off to the shower to get ready for the day.
Once she was dressed- in her Catman tee-shirt, a pair of light wash skinny jeans, and black converse- she sat on the sofa in her livingroom, texting Tina.
Hey.
Hey yourself.
So guess what?
Wat?
I'm moving today
Don't remind me! I'm gonna miss u Dx
I'll miss u too D'x
I can't believe that there shipping you off to a stranger!
They're**
Shut up, Grammar Nazi. :P
XD Hail Hitler!
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. She frowned, and glanced quickly through the peep-hole.
Miss Trent was standing there, her gray-green-ish mercedes idling in front of Jill's house.
Jillian squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and then opened the door.
"Hi," Jill said glumly.
"Good morning, Jillian." replied, trying desperately to cheer her up.
Jill gave a small, half smile, picked up her suitcase, and locked the door as she exited. Bye, Gramma. She thought, depressed.
Miss Trent clamored into the drivers' seat, after Jill had climbed into the back seat.
It was a long, uncomfortable drive to the airport. On a few occasions, the teacher would try to break the silence, but only got a monosyllabic answer from the freshman.
Poor girl, she thought, glancing back at Jillian through the rear-view mirror. Lost both of her parents, her sister, and now her Grandmother-the only person she had left. She grimaced. She's strong, though. If that were me, I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to keep my head held high. Especially at that young age! ...How does she manage to keep straight A's? She pondered, marveling at the 14 year old's determination.
Miss Trent pulled into a parking space, and stole a look at the girl. She had her head leaning on the window, looking uninterested in anything. "We're here," She said, reluctant to pull the girl from her thoughts.
Jill looked up at the assistant principal, nodded, unbuckled the seat belt, and opened the door. She stretched as she exited, and closed the door.
"Come on," Miss Trent said, leading the way through the maze of the airport. They arrived at the boarding gate ten minutes early.
After about three minutes of an awkward silence,
"Thankyou," Jill said quietly, looking down at her hands folded in her lap.
"For what?" Miss Trent asked kindly, surprised at the girls' sudden words.
"You've been really nice to me," She glanced up at the woman, "You didn't get mad when I yelled at you-I'm sorry about that, by the way- and you offered to take me to the airport." Jill rushed shyly through the explanation.
The woman smiled, touched. "You're welcome, Jillian,"
"Jill," Jillian corrected. "You can call me Jill. It's shorter than Jillian."
"Jill, then." She smiled, once again touched that the girl would open up to her.
"Flight 21-A to Gotham now boarding," A female voice echoed over the intercom.
Jill stiffened, then stood, grabbing her suitcase- it was small enough to carry on- and glanced back. She nodded to , feeling like she was leaving to outer space, not knowing a soul.
"Good luck!" Miss Trent called out, waving. Jill smiled warily, acknowledging her wish.
Jillian walked onto the plane, and found her seat. She bit her lip nervously, and shrunk into herself, looking out the window.
A man, who wishes his weight be left anonymous, looking to be in his late teenage years to early twenties sat next to her. Her eyes flicked to him, then back out the window.
Great. Sitting next to a stranger, too. Seriously? Does Stranger Danger mean NOTHING anymore?
The man turned toward her and smiled.
"You like Super Heroes?" He asked.
She turned her head toward him, and gave a small smile. "Yeah. You?"
"Like 'em? I love 'em! I have a whole comic book collecti-"
Jill interrupted. "Before we go any further-" she eyed him suspiciously "are you Marble or CD?"
"CD all the way!" The man laughed. Jill smiled wider, forgetting her previous anxiety. "Good!" Screw Stranger Danger. "Same here," She said, gesturing to her shirt and suitcase.
The man had long, curly brown hair that had afro-like properties. He had brown eyes, sparkling with humor, and a scrubby patch of hair on his chin. "My name's Chris.,"
"I'm Jill," She said with a smile.
"So lemme guess- 1+1 =2, also, Your favorite Superhero is dun dun dadun... Catman?"
Jillian nodded. "Well uhm... yes 1+1=2...but uh..." Confused by his randomocity she regathered her train of thought, "My turn. Yours is..." she looked him over. Unlike her, he wasn't wearing his favorite superhero. "Either Uberman, or Sheen Lantern. Maybe Sheen Arrow?"
Chris, looked surprised. "Whoa! Those were tied for first! You missed one, though,"
"dun dun dadun...Catman!"
"Yep," he laughed.
"So what's taking you to Gotham?" Jill asked.
"I'm a huge Batman fan,"
"Who's Batman?"
"You know Catman, right?"
"...Yeah,"
"Well, Batman is like a real-life Catman! He's freaking awesome!"
"THERE'S A SUPERHERO IN GOTHAM?!"
"YES AND ITS AMAZING!"
"OhmiGod!"
"So you've never been to Gotham before?" Chris asked.
"No, I've never even heard of it before yesterday."
Chris was shocked. "Really?"
They chatted through the whole flight, finding out random tidbits of information about each other, and discussing the pro's and con's of superheroes and being their fans.
The two hours passed much faster than either of them would have liked, and they swapped numbers, agreeing to try and meet again at the next comic con. They parted ways with a friendly handshake, and she stepped out into the Gotham airport.
People were milling about every which way, and she looked around curiously.
Well, what do I do now? Thanks for explaining, Mister Strand. She thought sardonically.
She bit her lip and surveyed the area once again, shifting her weight between her feet uncertainly.
A hand was placed on her shoulder.
She stiffened, and turned quickly to face the person, ready to defend herself if need be.
An elderly man with a small smile was the stranger.
"Jillian Chapel?" The man asked, with a surprising british accent.
"Yes?" She responded cautiously.
"My name is Alfred Pennyworth. I'm to take you to Mister Wayne," the man said.
Jill blinked a few times, shrugged, picked up her luggage, and followed the man named Alfred.
They walked out to the parking lot, and she was surprised when Alfred led her to a limo. She raised an eyebrow as he opened the door for her, but she climbed in, nonetheless.
Her shyness creeping up on her once again, she stayed relatively quiet.
"I trust your flight went without incident, miss Chapel?" Alfred asked kindly, and she smiled.
"Yes, sir. Thank you for asking," She saw no reason to be rude to him- it wasn't his fault. Or Bruce Wayne's for that matter.
Darn. I can't be mad at anyone. Plus I don't want to turn into a total rebellious adopted brat teenager, so don't complain. She told herself.
Alfred nodded. "I do hope you'll enjoy your stay with us in Gotham," he said hopefully, glancing back at her through the rear view mirror.
"I hope so, too," She replied, still smiling.
The conversation went on, nothing too unusual happening as they drove.
Alfred pulled into a driveway of a home that Jill didn't see; she was texting Tina.
Sooo bored. I didn't realize how boring school was without you! Dx
I'm in a limo. O_o
Wat? XD you sound like that old spice guy.
What do you mean "sound"? You can't hear me.
How did I know you were going to say that?
We know each other that well, I guess.
OMIGOD!
What?!
Dylan just puked!
XDDDDDD
You're so mean!
U like him, not me. 'Sides, thts wat he gets. He loled at me when I tripped diving for the ball in 4 square. -_-
-_- you're so differential.
lol wut?
Mii bad, ment difficult, stoopid automobiles.
Dafuq Tina?
UNDERSTAND ME! Only sometimes. 0:)
*rolls eyes* Puh-lease. *smoke pellet released as I run away*
XD
She slid her phone shut, and tucked it into her back pocket.
Alfred opened the door for her, and she stepped out, saying a quiet "Thank you." She stretched her back, as she stood, and she gasped at the sight that greeted her.
"Whoa," she breathed, her eyes widening at the huge mansion. Jill's eyebrows rose as Alfred said, "Welcome to Wayne Manor, Miss Chapel."
She blinked and composed herself, following Alfred into the manor. She knew well enough not to stare; that was considered impolite.
Suddenly, a boy about 11 years old appeared in front of her. "Hi!" He said cheekily.
She blinked, surprised, and responded, "Hello,"
"I'm Dick Grayson. You're Jillian Chapel, right?"
"Jill," she corrected. "And yeah, I am." She smiled.
I like this kid already, she thought.
"Cool- Jill, then. I like it! Want me to show you around?" He asked hopefully.
"Master Dick, I presume Master Bruce would like to meet Miss Chapel before a tour would commence," Alfred cut in.
"Oh, yeah," Dick blushed. "where is Bruce, anyway?"
"Right here," a man- presumably Bruce- said as he walked down the stairs. "Hello, Jillian," Bruce said warmly. He had jet black hair, and cobalt blue eyes. He was really tall, maybe 6'3", his lips were almost a straight line- curving down ever so slightly. She gathered that he probably grimaced a lot. He seemed nice enough, but she definitely wouldn't want to get on his bad side.
"Hello, sir," she responded as if she had said it her whole life.
"Please, call me Bruce," He said, obviously trying to make her feel comfortable. "I see you've already met Alfred and Dick,"
Jill nodded. "Yes, I have- thank you, by the way." She said, gratitude written on her face.
Bruce smiled. "No problem,"
"So you want that tour now?" This came from Dick.
"Sure," she replied with a small nod.
A/N: Ah, so we meet again. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll probably be updating on Saturdays, but I'm not completely sure yet. Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated...even if you just say hello :)
So, See you next time! Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel! ;)