Disclaimer: I do not own Gotham or any of the characters. I only own my OC.
*Edited 1/28/17*
"When someone gives you a nickname, it means you're special to that person." ― Reader's Digest
Chapter 6: Blondie or Nancy Drew?
When my uncle Jim had asked me how my first day of school went, I lied and told him it went fine. I mean, there was no way I was going to tell him the truth about how I felt like a complete outsider. I also didn't want to mention the whole "bully" incident involving the over sized neanderthal of a classmate I had and sweet shy reserved Jonathan. Knowing my uncle, he probably just would have gone to the school to confront this issue. Which is definitely something I did not want happening for two main reasons.
The first reason was because I didn't want to cause anymore issues for Jonathan. Because If my uncle went to the school and reported this, then Jonathan would have probably disliked me for that. And I really didn't want him disliking me since I wanted to be on his good side, so we could be friends.
The second reason being was that I really didn't want to bother my uncle with my school problems. Why stress him out with my school drama? He already has his plate full with his own problems. Like his job and now his relationship with Barbara as well. So because of that, I didn't want him fretting over me. So why put more onto his pile? Seemed like a selfish thing to do, if you asked me. Besides, I wanted to handle this issue on my own and I also wanted to be the person who he could relieve his problems to. Except knowing my uncle, he probably wouldn't want to discuss his job and much less about the "argument" he had with Barbara at the G.C.P.D. station.
Which I guess that's why I did what I did once we had arrived back to my uncle's apartment.
I waited until I was in my bedroom and shut my door before I took out my cell phone. I was lying on my bed and staring at my ceiling, dialing Barbara's number, as I waited for her to pickup my call.
It was after the fourth ring that she had finally answered.
"Hello?"
"Hi...Barbara. It's uh me...Winifred."
I heard Barbara let out a soft laugh.
"Yes, I know it's you Winifred. Caller I.D."
"Right! Duh, of course!" I yelled out. Way to be an idiot, Winifred...I thought to myself shaking my head.
"Is there something you need?"
She asked me and I took a second to gather my thoughts.
"Umm, yes, actually there's something I need to know."
I heard Barbara let out an aghast sigh, probably already knowing what I was going to ask.
"Winifred—"
"Please Barbara, I just need to know...why...why did you and my uncle Jim get into an argument?"
Barbara was silent on the other line but I could hear her breathing. She must have been contemplating on what to say to me. It took her a few seconds before she replied back to me.
"Look Winifred, that's a very complicated answer to a very complicated question."
I was still too headstrong to know. "Is it because of his job? Did something else happen? Is it bad? I mean, whatever it is I'm sure you two can work things out, right?" I asked her, question after question.
"I...I don't know." Barbara said, her voice sounded dejected.
I sighed, not liking her answer. "Can you two at least try to work things out?" I asked her, my voice became desolated. "I...I don't like seeing my uncle Jim so shattered."
"He looks shattered?" Barbara asked me, surprised.
I couldn't help but take offence to that. Did she not see how my uncle looked like at the station when she left? "Do you have eyes or what?" Was my snappy response. I quickly berated myself for my rude manners. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to sound brash. It's just that when it comes to my uncle Jim I get kind of protective. I don't like seeing my uncle in the dumps, yeah know? And I know for a fact that you make him happy...at least I think you do. I mean you do, right?" I attentively asked her.
"I—uh, it's okay, Winifred. I understand, he's your uncle. You care for him." She said stuttering, no doubt surprised over my outburst. I heard her take a deep breath and her voice became steady again. "As for what you asked me well...I like to think that I make him happy...but this thing between us, it not only depends on me if we want it to work out, but also on him. It takes two to tango after all."
I huffed. "Yeah, you're right..." I muttered.
"Look, I can't say how things are going to go, Winifred. But don't think for a second that I won't try to work things out between your uncle Jim and I. Because if he's still in, then I'm still in, okay?"
Barbara told me vehemently and firmly.
I contemplated her answer...weighing it. After a few seconds I sighed. I guess it was better than nothing.
"Alright...I understand." I murmured.
"Look Winifred, I have to go to the art gallery, busy day and all...but don't be afraid to call me. I'd still like to spend some more time with you...even if things between James and I are...complicated."
She told me whole heartily.
"I'd like that too." I told her as a small smile formed on my face.
"Oh, that reminds me! Do you still need me to pick you up from school tomorrow?"
"Nah, it's okay." I immediately replied back to her.
"Are you sure?"
Barbara asked, sounding taken back by my response.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Besides my uncle Jim said it would be okay for me to take the bus." I said lying perfectly calm to her.
"Oh...okay." She said still sounding unsure. Her voice then rose up to normal. "Well, I uh have to go now, but remember to stay in contact with me." She said softly to me.
"Will do." I replied back to her.
"Alright, take care."
"You too."
And with that we hung up. I took a deep breath and set aside my cellphone on my dresser. I ran a hand through my hair, getting rid of a few of my blonde tangled locks. I kept thinking about what Barbara said, trying to figure out what could of made her and my uncle argue about. Obviously it had been because of my uncle's job, but what exactly was the reason they fought? Was it because work took to much of my uncle's time? No it couldn't be because of that. Maybe it was because he was being to secretive with her...perhaps that was it. Either way I just wanted my uncle to be happy and not heartbroken...
I really hoped this issue between them would be solved soon, because I don't like seeing my uncle Jim in a somber like state...I really don't.
The next morning I woke up extra early since I wanted to shower and make breakfast this time for my uncle Jim. And like clock work my uncle Jim woke up at the same time as usual.
We ate breakfast together, though this time I decided to make pancakes. Which if I had to brag about, they came pretty good. I really liked eating pancakes because the breakfast plate reminded me of me of my mother. She and I would always make pancakes together for breakfast. It was a bittersweet memory, but nonetheless, my uncle and I enjoyed our meal.
Anyways after my uncle and I finished eating, he drove me to school. Once we had arrived there, he started telling me that he was leaving work early today to pick me up. I of course didn't like this. I didn't want to be a bigger nuisance than already was, so I told him a lie. I mean, I already lied to Barbara that he was the one picking me up, so I guess it made more sense if I lied to him as well.
Besides, it was for the best. He didn't have to leave work early and I got to finally be out on my own in the city. I really wanted to finally gain familiarity settings around the city like I had back in Boston. And that was never going to happen if people kept taking me everywhere with them. It's times like these that I really wish I had my license already, but sadly I didn't have it yet. I had my permit, but no license. Maybe once when my uncle had some free time, I could ask him to take me to the DVM, but as of right now I was going to have to rely on other people, my feet, and buses for transportation.
When I told my uncle about me already having a ride, he seemed surprised. He probably didn't expect Barbara to be picking me up, because of their argument, but little did he knew it was a lie. And he fell for it. Anyways, he said it was alright and then after that, he dropped me off in front of the school. I waited until he was out of sight before I entered the school.
Now unlike my first day fiasco, this time when I entered I didn't fall onto the floor. Much to my relief anyways. Although I did have a few stares thrown at me every now and then. Not to mention I could hear what people were saying about me involving the incident that happened yesterday.
Whatever...I wasn't going to let that ruin my day.
So with that, I put a neutral smile on my face and made my way towards my first class. Biology.
Now although Mr. Crane gave me eerie vibes, there was still something good that came out of that science class. And that was Jonathan.
I really wanted to talk to him, and I was glad when I saw him walk into the classroom. Sadly once he saw me waving towards him, he nervously looked away and sat several desks away from me.
This hurt my feelings a lot and a dejected frown replaced my warm smile.
And that was how the rest of the class went on. I tried catching Jonathan's attention, but every-time we made eye contact he quickly looked away with a flustered like expression. I was confused by this, but then thought about what he told me yesterday.
Was he still mad at me? If so then I really wanted to change that. I just wanted to show him that I want to be his friend. I meant him no harm...
Just as class had started, it had ended just as quickly. I heard the bell ring and I got out of my seat. Just as I was about to make my way towards Jonathan, I saw how he gave me one last earnest type of expression before he bolted out of the classroom.
I sighed at this but stored away my hurt feelings, knowing I had my next class to go to.
The rest of my classes actually went by pretty fast as well. In English class we were starting to read the novel, The Scarlet Letter. Which I happened to have already read, several times. But despite this, I was actually excited to be reading it, again. The novel itself never bored me because it was indeed very interesting. The other class I had though was math and that was the definition of boring. But then again, when is it not, right?
Anyways, it was lunch time now and as soon as I entered the lunch area I saw how everyone was scattered around in their groups, enjoying their lunches together.
As for me?
Well...I didn't exactly have a place, let alone a group to sit with. I let my eyes wonder around, hoping to find a empty seat, but there was none. I did however have the nice pleasure of seeing the bully from yesterday. He was sitting with his group of friends and had his arm around a girl's waist. I cringed at seeing this. My face became guarded when I saw how their attention landed on me. The bully himself gave me the most mad-dog faces I had ever seen and the girl, who I assumed was his girlfriend, was also giving me the evil eye. Which I found to be a bit more disturbing since she was actually a very pretty girl. She had long straight brown hair, fair skin, and from where I was standing I could tell her makeup was on point. But I guess that didn't matter...maybe she might have been pretty from the outside, but definitely not from the inside. Not with the way she was looking at me...yikes. If looks could kill...
I tried my best to ignore their burning like stares and instead decided to head somewhere else. Besides the person I wanted to sit with was not there...that didn't surprise me though. Considering what happened yesterday at lunch, I figured Jonathan would be as far away from the lunch area.
With that in mind I left the lunch area and headed to go inside, making my way towards the schools library. I figured it was best to hang out there during lunch since I probably wasn't welcomed in the lunch area. Not that it mattered. I could really use this time to read or to draw in my sketch book anyways.
After a few minutes of me wandering the halls I finally made it to the library and I graciously entered inside. As soon as I walked in I saw how empty it was. Barely anyone inside. Which was great for me because the less people meant the more quieter it was.
Except someone caught my attention...Jonathan.
He was sitting on the floor leaning against the wall, between these two book cases. I made my way towards him, but he was so occupied with the book he was reading that he must have not heard me. A smile formed on my lips as I saw the book he was reading. It was a psychology book and based on the intrigued expression he had, I right away knew he was liking it.
"That looks like an interesting read." I spoke up, letting him know I was there.
I saw how he became startled by my voice. Once his gaze went up towards me, I saw how his cheeks became slightly filled with a pink tint. "Uh, yeah, it is." He said speaking up skittishly. His gaze this time didn't look away from me, like he had done so many times in class.
I took this as a good sign. Happy that he wasn't running or shyly looking away. "Want some company?" I asked with a smile.
Jonathan didn't answer me right away. It looked as if he were thinking something over. After a few seconds of this he slowly nodded his head, hesitantly.
I took a seat next to him and crossed my legs in a criss cross applesauce way. After that I turned to look at him and noticed that he was still staring at me. I continued to smile at him, only this time I decided to engulf him a friendly conversation. But before I even said anything he beat me to it.
"What are you doing?" He asked me suddenly and bluntly.
"Umm, sitting?" I answered him lamely.
Jonathan narrowed his blue eyes at my own. "You know that's not what I mean." He told me firmly. "I mean, why are you here...with me? You do know that you're ruining your chance at fitting in here at this school for associating with me, right?"
I heard the warning in his tone, but I heard the sadness as well.
"Yeah...I know." I told him shrugging my shoulders.
Jonathan frowned setting the book he had on his lap. "And yet you're still here...why is that?" He questioned me, curiously tilting his head.
"Because I want to be your friend." I replied back to him in an obvious tone. "Is that so hard to believe?"
Jonathan answer was glum and I saw his eyes lower down towards the floor.
"Yes, it is. No one's ever tried to befriend me before, so why you?"
"Because honestly...you're the only person here who I think is worth befriending in this school." I said truthfully with a soft voice.
Jonathan slowly rose his gaze back towards mine. I saw how his blue eyes somewhat lightened up and his grim like expression fell.
"But what about how you'll be treated?" He asked me, still sounding a bit nervous.
"What about it?" I asked and then a light bulb went off in my head. "Wait is that why you've been avoiding me? Because you think I'm going to be treated badly too?"
Jonathan nodded his head and he sighed. "You're a nice person...I didn't want you down in the pyramid of popularity with me. You seem like the type of girl whose into school activities and such...and like I said you're really nice. You stood up for me...and you're still here trying to befriend me... even when I yelled at you. Which by the way...I'm sorry for." He said, apologizing with crestfallen expression.
I appreciated his apology. "Hey, don't sweat the whole outburst...I kind of get it." I said to him calmly, although I was surprised that he was able to tell so much about me. Well not the whole being nice, but the whole active in school stuff. "And yeah you're right. I like to be involved in school social events, but, uh, can't I still be your friend and join school activities as well?"
He looked relieved that accepted his apology, and I saw how he nodded his head. "Of course you can." Jonathan informed me, answering my question, before his voice wavered. "It's just the others you're going to have to deal with..."
I raised my eyebrows. "Others? You mean like that neanderthal?"
Jonathan let out a low chuckle much to my surprise. "Neanderthal? I'm assuming you mean Josh."
"Yeah, whatever that bully's name is." I said with a wave in my hand. "Look it doesn't matter to me, alright? Him or anyone else. If I want to be your friend, then I'll be your friend and if I want to join school actives then I also will. But I think the bigger question here is do you want to be my friend?"
Jonathan gave me a expression that I could tell it was a melancholic one. "You really do want to be my friend, don't you?" He whispered to me and I nodded my head. I heard him release a sigh and his gaze lowered again. "I—I don't know how to be a friend...I've never really had one before."
I gave him a smile. "That's alright, it's not rocket science. Look how about we just slowly get to know each other, okay?" I suggested to him gently. "We don't even have to talk one-to-one right now. We could just sit here and read our books, or whatever, while we enjoy a snack."
Jonathan gave me a grateful look and then furrowed his eyebrows. "What snack?"
I smiled again and opened up my backpack, taking out the cookies I had made yesterday. "Why this of course." I told him giggling. "I hope you like chocolate chip cookies, I made them yesterday."
Jonathan gave me a small smile in return. "Yeah, uh, thanks."
"No problemo." I said in a cheerful voice. "Now do you want to continue on with your reading?"
"Yeah...if that's okay with you." He said to me shyly.
"Totally fine." I informed him with a smile and I took out my own book from my backpack.
And that was how the rest of our lunch time went. We read in humble silence, ate some of the cookies I made, exchanged a few side glances towards each, along with small smiles, and plus I even got Jonathan to let out another chuckle or two. It really was great to hear him laugh, it made me laugh in return as well. Jonathan's laugh to me was rare thing to hear...it's like he hardly laughed. Which was sad because to me his laugh was beautiful and soft-like. It really was a shame he didn't do it more often. Now that we were getting know each other, I had promised myself that I was going to do my best in order to keep that laugh near the surface.
Anyways, after we were finally getting use to each other's presence, the dreaded lunch bell rang and the two of us had to report to are next class. Before I left though I made sure to ask Jonathan if we could hang out tomorrow here at the library again during lunch. And much to my happiness he agreed, stuttering out a, "Yeah, sure, I'd, uh, like that very much."
I had to giggle at his shyness, it was to enduring at times. But once we had agreed to where we were going to meet up, the both of us carried on to are classes. I still had two classes left, and sadly Jonathan wasn't in them, therefore I wouldn't be seeing him until tomorrow. But hey, at least there was something to look forward to, right?
It wasn't until I was in my last class that I got a message from a unknown number. I frowned when I saw it, but nonetheless I still opened the text and read it.
Winifred, I need you to come to the G.C.P.D, ASAP. — Jim
Huh? That's weird...why would my uncle Jim be sending me a text message from a number that's not his own.
Something definitely didn't feel right about this. So once school was out I decided to call my uncle's cellphone number, but unfortunately he didn't answer and it went straight to voicemail.
I felt my stomach churn a little, while my brain went into thinking mode...
My uncle wasn't answering...maybe his phone died and he had to use someones else phone to contact me?
Yeah that was probably it...but still why did he need me to come to the station?
Maybe it had something to do with Barbara and him?
I inwardly rolled my eyes. Doubt it.
Well, there really was only one way to find out. I could just arrive there by bus, I was already going to head home on the bus anyways. I mean how hard could it be to find my way to G.C.P.D. on my own? Couldn't be that difficult. I kind of remembered where the station was at. So without even thinking another second about this, I got on the bus and headed my way towards where my uncle was at.
By the time I had gotten off the bus, it was already mid-afternoon. Though to be honest, much to my dismay, I think the reason why I took so long to get off was because I was having trouble navigating through the streets of Gotham. I know...stupid me. I probably should have thought things through before I got on the bus. I didn't even have a map or anything to help me out, and all I had was the remembrance on how to get to the G.C.P.D. Except that didn't really do anything since I managed to get off the wrong stop.
Great...just great. Way to be such the navigator, Winifred.
I turned towards where the bus was ready to get back on, but I let out a irritated huff as I saw how the bus was already driving away. Seeing this made me let out another huff, as I ran a hand through my wavy blonde hair.
What was I suppose to do now? The bus was already out of my sight and I had no clue on where I was, let alone to how far I was from the G.C.P.D. station.
A soft like meow caught my attention. Momentarily I forgot about my distraught state and I let my curiosity get the best of me, as I suddenly got into investigator mode. My head turned towards where the alleyway was and I furrowed my eyebrows. It sounded as if the noise was coming from over there. I carefully took several steps in order to get a better view. As soon as I did that, a soft smiled appeared on my face.
There on top on one of the trash cans stood a grey tabby cat. I awed silently, as I took in its appearance. To me it was simply adorable. I had always found cats to be enchanting. More than dogs. Don't get me wrong, I loved dogs. But cats...I don't know, there was just something about these captivating creatures that made them stand out to me.
I carefully took another step towards the cat. "Hey Kitty." I cooed softly, not wanting to frighten this majestic creature away.
The grey tabby cat lifted it head up and turned it's gaze towards me. As soon as it saw me, I almost expected it to scurry away into the depths of the city streets, but to my surprise it didn't. In fact the cat did the opposite, and instead of running away, it jumped off the trash can and made it's away towards me. I let out a soft laugh as I felt the cat ran along my legs in a doting way.
"Who's a pretty kitty?" I whispered, my voice filled with affection.
"His name is midnight."
A new voice, one I hadn't heard before filled my ears. I quickly lifted my head away from the cat, and instead faced the alleyway again to see who was there. But much to my confusion there was no one. I frowned deeply.
"Who said that?" I asked heedfully. There was no way I could have imagined that voice...someone had said that out loud.
"I did." The voice spoke up again, much to my relief. See...I knew I hadn't imagined that voice. I thought stubbornly. This time I could tell the voice belonged to a girl. And I could also hear a facetious attitude in her tone. With an ounce of extra determination, I continued to let my gaze wander around the alley way, but yet again there was no one there. This time I let out an annoyed huff.
"Okay...where are you?" I asked slightly irritated, and wary as well.
A humorous laugh echoed through the alleyway.
"Up here, blondie."
I narrowed my eyes and let them wander up towards the apartment buildings. I felt foolish doing this. I mean, there was no way someone could be up there. Right?
Of course, I was proven wrong when my blue eyes landed onto a girl's form. She was on top on one of the side apartment railing stairs. I was left completely baffled. What was she doing up there? She must have sensed my bemusement because I saw how the grin she had on expand on her youthful face.
During this time I studied the girl thoroughly. I could tell right away, even if she were leaning against the stairs railing, that she was much shorter than me. She seemed to be in her early teen years, right around the same age as Bruce. I took in her outfit and saw that she was wearing ripped jeans, black boots for shoe wear, a black shirt along with a grey hoodie and a leather jacket over it.
The young girl had her hood up, but as soon as she came to contact with my eyes she let it down and that's when I saw the cool like goggles she had on her head. I was taken back, because honestly this young girl had strong riveting facial features. Her eyes were what I noticed after her outfit. They were a beautiful hazel green eye color. They were compelling to look at and they reminded me of cat eyes. She also had short light brown curly hair. The hairstyle she had fit her, but the longer I stared at the girl the more it seemed as if I had seen her before...hmmm. But that's strange because I hadn't.
The girl saw how I was scrutinizing her and she did it right back to me. Her hazel green eyes took in my appearance and I saw how she let out a droll like scoff.
"What are you doing here, blondie?"
"I got off on the wrong stop." I started explaining to her, but stopped and frowned. Blondie? I felt more annoyed that she called me by that ridiculous nickname... again. I felt a grimace grow on my face. I harden my voice a bit. "Look, you mind not calling me that. My name isn't blondie, alright? It's—"
"Would you prefer if I called you Nancy Drew instead?" The girl said cutting me off, not letting me introduce myself. She let out a chuckle as she pointed at me with one of her fingers. "Cause with the outfit you're wearing, you might as well be her."
It was odd that she interrupted me, but that thought was soon forgotten right away as I heard what she said to me. "What?" I asked appalled. Did she seriously just say my outfit compared to Nancy Drew's? In what way did my outfit seem that way? I mean, yeah I was wearing a knee length burgundy skirt, a white flower top, with a grey striped cardigan, along with my favorite red scarf, but that in no way to me qualified as a "Nancy Drew" outfit. Whatever that meant. Besides Nancy Drew wears penny loafers! I don't. I wear flats...so no. I wasn't in anyway like her. "No, I actually wouldn't prefer that." I replied back to her as calmly as possible, but there was still a hint of irritation in my voice.
"Alright, so blondie it is."
The girl must have seen my annoyed expression, because she let out a laugh, enjoying herself as she was ribbing at me with that ridiculous nickname.
I was about to respond back to her, when I felt the cat rub against my legs wanting my attention again.
"Huh?" I heard the girl say, amazed.
"What?" I asked looking back towards her.
The girl had her head tilted and she shrugged trying to be nonchalant.
"Nothing, it's just that he normally isn't this friendly with people."
I looked back down towards the cat and I saw how he was now staring at me with it's extraordinary like eyes. "You said his name was midnight?" I asked the girl, looking back at her. She nodded her head at me. "So is he yours?" I asked her.
"Yes and no." She answered me simply crossing her arms across her chest.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked her, confused.
"I take care of him from time to time...but at the end of the day, he's not really mine. He's his own owner, you know?"
I took what girl said to me, finding it real clever, and a kosher like smile made it's way onto my face. "Yeah...I get it." I let my blue eyes land onto her hazel green eyes. "So...what are you doing up there anyways? Do you live around here?" I asked her, full on curious.
"Don't you know? I'm the neighborhood watch." She said, but I heard the sarcasm in her tone. "Got to keep my eyes out for those street thief's, because in case you didn't know... they're everywhere. And you really shouldn't be here, blondie."" She said to whispering the last part, trying to be sardonic, but I can tell she was also being serious. This was Gotham after all...which reminded me I really needed to find my way to the G.C.P.D. I gave the mysterious girl a hopeful expression.
"You wouldn't by chance know which way is the Gotham City Police Department, do you?"
The girl smirked knowingly. "Of course I do." She gave me an amused look. "Let me guess, that's where you're heading? What you turning yourself in for a crime or something, blondie?" She said snickering the last part, almost as if she thought it were impossible for me to commit a crime.
I gave her a placid expression not finding the hilarity in what she said, especially in the nickname. "No, I just have to go there. So could you please help me out?" I asked her politely.
The girl stopped her laughing and narrowed her eyes towards me. I heard her let out a defeated sigh. "Alright, blondie." She said rolling her eyes playfully." Look you're actually not that far. Just keeping heading straight in this street and in two blocks turn right and then within the next street you should be there."
"Really?" I asked and she nodded her head. "Thank you." I said with a well mannered voice. She gave me a whatever expression, as if thinking my manners were odd or something. Despite her behavior I kept my smile on my face and glanced down towards the grey tabby cat, who was still there. I gently petted it on it's head and I felt it purr before I looked back towards the girl. I saw how she was looking at me with her arms still crossed over her chest. She had on a thinking face, almost as if she didn't know what to think of me.
I felt odd being watched like this, so I decided it was best to go. But before I left, I really wanted to know something...
"So what's your name?" I suddenly asked her. I really wanted to know who this mysterious girl was.
The girl raised her eyebrows in a goad like way. "Why do you want to know my name for?"
"Well because I want to know the name of the person who helped me." I told her seriously.
She smirked at this. "Selina...Selina Kyle." Her smirk then turned into a real smile. "But people call me Cat."
"Cat, huh?" I repeated and gave her a smile as well. "I like it, it fits you well." And it did. With the way she looked it totally did. I could tell this young girl was going to be a real beauty when she grew up. Although I still didn't like the nicknames she came up for me. I suddenly remembered something. I opened my backpack and took out the bag that had the extra cookies that were left over from mine and Jonathan's lunch. "Here, catch." I told her before I threw the bag towards where she was and with fast like reflexes she caught it with ease.
She looked at the bag confused before looking back at me. "What's this for?" She asked furrowing her eyebrows.
"It's for helping me out." I told her before giving her an encouraging smile. "Open it."
She gave me a chary expression before she slowly opened the bag and took out a cookie. She smelled it and her face became tranquil for a second. "Did you buy or make these?" She asked looking back at me.
"I made them." I told her and felt happy when she made a "Hmmm" like noise when she took a bite from the cookie.
"Not bad." She told me trying to sound nonchalant, but I could tell she really enjoyed the cookies.
"Yeah...well thanks again, Cat.." I told her adjusting my backpack. I gave her one last smile before I turned to face the street again.
"You're welcome, and see you around...Winifred."
"Yeah, see you—" I stopped walking though and I became greatly puzzled. "Wait a minute how do you know my name?" I asked and quickly turned back around. Only there was no one on the stair railing anymore. Not even midnight the cat was in alleyway. What in the world? How did she know my name? She never gave me the chance to tell her. How odd...very odd. I stepped away from the alleyway and continued on with my walking, making my way towards G.C.P.D. All the way thinking about that mysterious girl, who had known my name all along.
Thanks to Selina's―or should I say Cat's instructions, I quickly found my way to the G.C.P.D. I still wondered how in the world she knew my name. I mean I never even told her. So...how did she know?
I had this thought wandering around in my head as I hurriedly made my way inside the G.C.P.D. Once inside my thoughts about my mysterious helper came to a sudden stop. My attention turned towards the sight that was in front of me.
I saw how the main area was crowded with police officers, who were roaming around. I also took notice how the other workers were handling answering the phones. Which by the sounds of it, were ringing off the hook. It appeared as if today was a very chaotic day. Then again it's Gotham. Its always chaotic here, right? Although, by carefully analyzing some of the G.C.P.D. workers facial expressions thoroughly, I did manage to see how they seemed to be more disorderly than usual. This caused me to frown, as my curiosity began to grow.
What was going on at the station today? Did something crazy occur while I was at school?
Just as I was thinking these questions, I caught sight of my dear uncle Jim. He was up on the balcony talking to his partner Detective Bullock. From where I was standing it looked as if they were having an important conversation. Just as I was about to make my way over though, Detective Bullock's eyes landed on me. I saw his expression faltered a bit before he said something to my uncle. It didn't even take ten seconds for him to react. His head quickly turned towards my direction and his blue eyes fell onto my own. I took notice how his expression held absolute surprise as he quickly made his way towards me.
"Winifred, what are you doing here?" My uncle asked once he was in front of me. He looked thrown off by my presence. Which caused me to feel great bemusement. I mean he was the one that told me to come here. I was about to retort this back to him when he spoke again. "Did something happen to you?" He asked in a much unruffled tone.
"No, nothings happen to me uncle Jim. I'm fine." I told him and I saw how he relaxed a bit in his stance.
"Well if nothing's the matter, then why are you here?" He asked me with confusion. His eyes narrowed and his expression became earnest. "Did Barbara drop you off?" He asked me suddenly.
"Umm, no." I answered sheepishly with a meek smile. His expression didn't falter as he waited for my response."I, uh, took the bus here." I admitted to him.
"You-you what?" My uncle asked with a wide eyed expression. "Winifred, why would you do that? I thought Barbara was supposed to pick you up from school and then drop you off at my apartment."
I sighed, knowing what my uncle Jim was thinking. I guess I still needed to explain myself now. "Don't blame Barbara uncle Jim." I told him with a soft voice. "I was the one who told her that you gave me permission to ride the bus." As soon as I said this my uncle's face became stern as he went into parent mode. I tried to muffle up a smile, but I know it came out looking really tight and awkward. "I just wanted to prove that I can take the bus in Gotham and I did. I didn't even get lost on my way here." I said in a optimistic tone trying to convince him.
Although that was a total lie. I probably would of been wandering the streets right now if it hadn't been for Cat's rightful directions. But I figured that if I told my uncle about me getting lost, then he wouldn't let me go on a bus in Gotham again.
My uncle though shook his head as he let out a sigh. I could still tell he wasn't happy about me riding the bus...
"Besides..." I said as I shuffled between my feet continuing the conversation. "The only reason I came here is because you told me to."
"What?" My uncle looked baffled. "I never asked you that." He said as his blue eyes landed onto my own.
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Yes you did uncle Jim. You sent me a text and everything." I said to him in a firm voice. How could he forget about the text he sent me?
"What text?" He asked as his expression now became wary. "What exactly did it say?"
I felt my stomach drop a little as I stared at his expression. It was now dawning on me that perhaps my uncle Jim really didn't know about the message. Instead of telling him though, I pulled out my phone from my backpack and opened it up to the text message. I then handed my phone to him and watched as he read the text.
In no less than ten seconds I saw how his face harden. He then looked back towards me and handed the phone over.
"Winifred, this isn't my number."
"I know it's not. But when I tried calling your real number all I got was your voicemail. I figured your phone was either dead or turned off." I explain to him and saw how he was clenching his jaw.
"I was in a meeting with a few lawyers discussing a case. My phone was off that's why I wasn't answering." My uncle Jim explained to me.
Well that did make a lot more sense now...but the question still remained...
"Uncle Jim...if you didn't send me the text, then who did?" I asked him, quite puzzled.
My uncle took a second to relax himself a bit and his face became softer. Just as he was about to say something to me a hard voice interrupted him.
"Gordon, right?"
My uncle and I both turned towards where the voice came from. That's when we came into view with a middle aged man. I suddenly became very guarded once I realized it was a man I didn't know. My sudden chariness surfaced as well because of the way the man was looking at us. Well specifically at my uncle Jim. He had dark eyes and a hawkish expression. He was wearing all back and his whole entire demeanor made me feel severely suspicious towards him. My uncle must of felt the same way I did because he narrowed his wary gaze on the man.
"Yeah, who the hell are you?" My uncle asked the unknown man with a rough voice. He stepped closer towards me as he tried blocking any closeness the man had on me.
The man took no notice to this and instead gave my uncle a grating look. "You gotta come with me now, nice and quiet, like." He said in a low voice. And although it was a request, I recognized the demanding is his tone.
I saw my uncle glare at the man. "What are you talking about?" He asked as his stance was still close to me.
At this point the man finally lingered his gaze on me and I immediately froze in place. His expression was not at all friendly. My uncle Jim saw my distressed expression and he fully blocked me from the man.
"Relax, we got a mutual friend." I heard the man say and I frowned at this. What did he mean by mutual friend?
"Oh, yeah?" My uncle asked with a curt voice. "Who's that?"
"Oswald Cobblepot."
As soon as the man said that name my uncle's body became still. I didn't even have to look at his face in order to know that it held some sort of panic expression. But why this sudden reaction? I mean who was this Oswald Cobblepot and how was my uncle Jim associated with him? I never once heard my uncle mutter that name before.
The man must have taken my uncle's reaction as a good sign, because I heard him talk in a much more sneer like tone.
"Yeah, him. And if you don't come with me now we're gonna put his head in a bag and send it to Falcone. Which would be embarrassing for you, no?" I heard the man ask my uncle Jim condescendingly.
I inwardly stated to feel panic once I heard the man say all this. Just what kind of mutual friend was this Oswald Cobblepot...better yet who was this Falcone person? I didn't know any of these names and that frustrated me. Obviously something bad was going on and my uncle was right in the middle of this conflict.
I slowly stepped to the side of my uncle Jim, wanting to see his facial expression. Once to the side I saw how he was clenching his jaw. This definitely was not a good sign. I daringly gazed back towards the black clothed man and swallowed the lump in my throat. He was now staring at me with hard look, obviously analyzing me. My blue eyes went wide due to his piercing stare and I walked towards my uncle again. My uncle quickly pushed me behind him. I made no resistance and allowed myself to be pushed behind his protective form. This time I caught a sight of his expression. It appeared as if he were thinking about something. I then heard the man let out a patient-less sigh.
"Or maybe we've been misinformed. If I'm not ringing any bells here, you can go on your merry way and take your niece with you."
I didn't miss the way the man emphasized the word niece. But that's not what made my blood run cold. It was the fact that he knew who I was, when my uncle and I have never seen this man before. Just how the hell did he know that?
I glanced back toward the man and saw how he was giving my uncle a knowing look. Something must have clicked in my uncles head because he got a dreaded type of expression on his face before he quickly hid it away.
"No, I'll come. Just me though. She stays out of this." My uncle said to the man with a sharp voice.
The man didn't say anything but simply gave my uncle a stern nod.
My uncle then pulled me to the side, a few feet away from the man. He was still keeping a close eye on us but I forced myself to look at my uncle.
"Uncle Jim...please tell me you're not really going with that man?" I asked with a low voice. Was he insane? What if he ended up hurt? Or worse...I gasped a little and stared at my uncle with a pleading look.
My uncle noticed my expression and he sighed, aghast. "Look Winifred, I have to go. There's something I need to handle. I'll be fine." He said trying to reassure me, but it didn't really work. "Just don't leave the station alright?" My uncle added with a stern tone.
I immediately began to protest and shook my head. "But uncle Jim..."
"Winifred." My uncle stopped me with a parental voice. His eyes were stern and I sighed knowing there was no use in arguing with him. I closed own my eyes briefly before opening them again. I stared at him hard, contemplating everything, before I finally, reluctantly, nodded my head.
He looked mildly relieved by this. "Don't leave the station." He repeated to me again. "And if anybody asks where I am, just tell them I had an emergency or something personal I needed to deal with." He told me with a serious voice. I once again nodded my head. He tried giving me a reassuring smile, but I could tell it was half-hearted. "I'll be back soon, don't worry." He tells me somberly. I notice how the last part he says is almost like a whisper. He gave me a quick hug, but I frowned once I saw him leave with that menacing looking man.
My stomach dropped a little. None of this sat well with me...for all I know this could be trap for him or something. I quickly reassured myself that it wasn't and that even if it was, my uncle was more than capable of handling things on his own.
Still though I couldn't help but feel distress as as I thought back to the names of Oswald Cobblepot and Falcone. I don't exactly know why...but those names made red flags appear in my head. Whoever they were, it was obvious that my uncle Jim knew them. Although he never once mentioned there names to me before... though I guess, judging by what just happened with this random man, there must have been a reason for that.
Maybe my uncle Jim thought that if I knew about them then I would be in danger. So, I kind of understand why he would keep this type of information from me. Except if there's one thing I learned today is that keeping secrets away from loved ones doesn't necessarily mean they'll be safe. I mean, take the text I got as an example. I don't know who sent it to me. But someone knows of me and has my number...but who exactly?
Well I have no idea...although if I had to guess, I'd say it was either that man my uncle left with or someone whose with him. But the whole "who sent the text message" thing was the least of my worries. All I could focus on right now, was worry for uncle Jim's safety.
I let out a sigh for what seemed like the hundredth time. When in reality it was much less than that number count. I was just getting impatient and the worry I had for my uncle Jim was exceeding with every second that passed. I mean its been almost an hour since he had left with that...man. So to say I was only worried would be a total understatement. I was beyond anxious and on edge. I mean for all I know my uncle Jim could be getting severely hurt right now...or he could be in an even more terrible condition. I felt my stomach drop as I thought this.
Okay I really needed to calm down and throw away these pessimistic thoughts. Their just making things worse. Taking a deep breath I slowly closed my eyes and shut everything around me out as I solely focused on my thoughts.
Okay relax, Winifred. No need to panic. I'm sure he's okay. He is a detective after all. He knows how to handle and respond to dangerous situations. Besides, he did say to me that he would come back. Which means that he will...he has to.
I let these thoughts run around my head until I leveled out a bit. Once I was somewhat less fretful, I opened my eyes again. I saw how everything inside the G.C.P.D. was in the same condition since I arrived here. Officers and workers were still wandering around the station, quite hectically. I concluded that whatever they were dealing with had to be over something major. It had to be if it caused this much commotion at the police station.
I slowly looked away from the officers and workers and instead started half spinning on my uncle's chair. I then let my eyes wander on to his desk that was right in front of me. A small smile formed on my face when my gaze landed back onto the photo he had of him and my mother.
My mother...
Thinking of my mother made my smile falter and I started feeling sad. I wondered what she was doing right now...what she feeling...thinking...anything really.
Since my move to Gotham, she and I haven't been keeping in contact. I understood why though. Right now she needed to focus on her therapy and the treatment she was getting. The doctors had explained to me and my uncle through the phone that it would probably take a while before my mother would be stable enough to converse with us. They also said that she would needed extra time for her to get use to the medication she was taking.
Now although I'm not a psychiatrist or anything, I'm pretty sure that the disorder my mom has― schizoaffective disorder― was going to be heavily medicated. Prescribed medications only of course. Still I hoped she'd call soon. I really did miss the sound of her voice. Plus, I wanted to tell her about everything that has been happening since my arrival to Gotham.
Okay... maybe not everything. I didn't want her to think that my life was in constant danger or anything. Although one could argue about that. Especially with the mysterious text I had received. But hey I hadn't been hurt...not yet anyway. I mentally shook my head. Whoever sent that text ultimately never showed their face, so I had to conclude that I was going to be fine...
For now...
I inwardly rolled my eyes as my head snuck this thought in.
Anyways...
I probably wouldn't tell my mother everything because I didn't want her to think that my uncle was being irresponsible with my safety. Cause let me tell you, he sure wasn't. He treated me more like a father than a uncle.
The again that wasn't really surprising.
You see growing up fatherless made see my uncle Jim more like a father figure to me. He was always there for me when I was a kid. Well right before he went off to join the services. But even when he was away fighting, thousands and thousands of miles away, he still kept in contact with my mother and I. Through letters and phone calls. Which is whole lot more than what my real father has ever done. Because let's face it, my real father...whoever he was, had been a no show since I born...and he probably would always be absent from my life.
Whatever...it's not like I need him or anything...
Still...
I couldn't deny that growing up without a father didn't affect me in the slightest. Because the truth was it did. It made me sad knowing that he left my mother and I. That he didn't even stick around to meet me as a baby...he probably doesn't even know my name...just like how I don't know his name...
You still have your mother. Even if she's mentally ill, there's no hiding the fact that she loves you dearly. And you also have your uncle Jim, who cares you. Why need your real father, when you already have someone who treats you like a daughter?
I inwardly told myself, hoping to throw away the blah feelings I was having. After all, what I was thinking to myself was true. Why need my real father when I already have my uncle Jim. He was enough of a father figure for me anyways.
With with this in mind, I stopped the spinning I was doing on my uncle's chair and instead pulled out my sketchbook that I had in my backpack. I mentally gave myself a pat on the back for bringing my sketchbook to school with me today. I often did this at my old school in case I ever got inspired to draw. Right now, I wanted to draw in order to distract myself from boredom. A way to pass time until my uncle comes back.
That's if he comes back...
I rolled my eyes.
Shut up inner consciousness. We already discussed this. He is coming back.
I huffed irritated with myself, before I took out my pencil from my backpack. A few minutes passed with me tapping my pencil, as I tried to figure out what to draw. A simple challenge came to mind and I started drawing. The first drawing was of the outside of the G.C.P.D. I finished that one rather quickly. I then decided to draw the inside. That one took longer because I went into great detail. I shaded a few areas to make sure it stood out more. In the end I was proud with how they turned out. It only took about thirty minutes in total to finish both of them.
When I finished though I frowned. I once again had nothing else to do but to continue to wait for my uncle.
I hurriedly began thinking of a more challenging drawing. One that would take more time to complete. I pondered...
A drawing of a person usually takes more time. Especially if you want it to be just as precise as the person you have in mind.
A light bulb then went off in my head. I knew exactly who to draw!
Selina― or should I say Cat?
Well whatever she liked to be called wasn't of importance right now. Her face though was. Since her face was new to me, it would be quite challenge for me to draw. She had very unique facial features. Especially her eyes. But I really wanted to try to sketch her. See if I was able to put her unique beauty on paper.
I then pictured her face in my head before I got an idea of how she looked like. I then started drawing. The shape of her face was first. I really wanted to have her face to be the right size and such. Not to big or to small. After that I started drawing her hair. I made sure it was long enough to reach her ears and made the curls she had stand out as well. Her facial features were last. First the nose. I had slight issues with her nose because I wanted it to be just as realistic and doting as possible. Her mouth though was easy to draw. Then came the eyes...the most challenging part of the whole drawing. Selina had very distinct cat like eyes. Therefore I took my time and made sure to put as much detail as possible. I was so into my work that I didn't notice how much time passed by when I finally finished. All I knew was that I was happy with how the drawing came out. I analyzed it and smiled once I saw how it really did look like her.
"Kid, what are you still doing here?"
A sudden gruff voice startled me, causing me to jump from my uncle's chair. I quickly shut my sketchbook though out of instinct. This is something I always did whenever someone caught me drawing. I always preferred to keep my drawings to myself. Unless of course I wanted to share them. But that was something I was picky about. The only people I ever showed my drawings to were my mother and few of my friends back in Boston. I hadn't even let my uncle Jim look at them. Then again he's never asked me. If he did perhaps I would show him. But I wasn't going to let whoever just startled me take a look at my sketch book. Speaking of the person who startled me...
I tucked my sketch book in my hands and then towards where the voice came from. I relaxed a little bit once I saw who it belonged to. It was just my uncle Jim's partner, Detective Bullock. He was wearing a brown suit and a darker trench coat over it. Huh, based on his attire he must have been coming from the city since he was dressed rather warmly. Come to think of it, I completely forgotten about Detective Bullock since I arrived here right after getting off the bus. I saw him with my uncle when I arrived, but because I was mainly focusing on my uncle, I forgot about him. Besides when my uncle left, detective Bullock had been nowhere in sight. He probably must have left to do his own thing for a case or something. But now that he was here I felt a little bit nervous. He didn't know about my uncle leaving with that dangerous looking man. And as far I could understand my uncle didn't want him or anyone at the station to know either. I bit the inside of my cheek, knowing I was going to have to remain calm.
Detective Bullock rolled his eyes. "Hello kid, I asked what are you still doing here. Didn't Jimbo take you home."
I took a deep breath as I pushed away my annoyance. I've said this before, but I'll say it again. Detective Bullock wasn't exactly my favorite person to converse with. I have no ill feelings towards him whatsoever. He is after all my uncle's partner. Meaning that I don't hate the man, but I still found him annoying from time to time. Not to mention that I wasn't really appreciating the way he was talking to me right now. Treating me like I was just some simple minded kid. I mean yeah I guess one could argue that I'm still considered a kid, but I'm not simple minded. Thankfully I managed to control the urge to scowl at him.
"If he had taken me home then I wouldn't be here right now, would I detective Bullock?"
I retorted back to him with a tight smile. Underneath my tone though there was definitely some attitude.
Detective Bullock must have caught on to this because he quickly returned a false smile to me. "No, I guess you wouldn't." He said before he took off his trench coat off and sat on his chair. His desk was right across from my uncle's.
"So, if you're still here, then where's Jim?" He asked me as he was ruffling through some work papers.
Remember don't tell him the truth of where he went...
"He had an emergency he needed to deal with." I responded back to him with an evened tone. I was surprised by how convincing I sounded.
Once I finished saying this, Detective Bullock took a pause with going through his paper and furrowed his eyebrows. "You're saying that he just up and left? The hell kind of emergency did he have to deal with that made him leave like that." He said in disbelief.
"The kind that involves a person to leave Detective Bullock." I responded back to him with slight sarcasm.
Detective Bullock gave a me fake amused expression. "Anyone ever tell you, that you have such a scintillating way about you, Winifred."
I knew what the word scintillating meant. Clever, bright, skillful, etc. Except I could tell right away he was being sarcastic with me. In return to this, I just gave him a merry like smile. "Can't say that I have detective Bullock."
Detective Bullock chuckled dryly. "Yeah and I wonder why."
I resisted the urge to retort something back to him. But gosh was it getting really hard to do so now. Pursing my lips, I instead used this time to put my sketch book and pencil back into my backpack.
"So listen, this so called "emergency" wouldn't have to do with your uncle's fiancee would it?" Detective Bullock suddenly asked me just as I finished zipping up my backpack.
"What?" I asked with a bemused expression, not at all expecting him to ask that question. I wouldn't have thought he'd have interest towards my uncle Jim's life outside of work. Let alone his romantic one with Barbara.
"Yeah, I mean are they going through a rough time right now?" Detective Bullock asked heedfully.
I blinked a couple of times. "Umm...yeah. I guess they are. " I responded back, not really feeling comfortable having this conversation with him. It still made me feel iffy, since it was involving my uncle's and Barbara's relationship. Which indeed was going through a rough time.
Detective Bullock scoffed. "Figures."
"What's that suppose to mean?" I asked him with a confused expression.
"Nothing." Detective Bullock waving off my question. "Listen kid, how long you going to be here for? I have a case to work on and I can't be babysitting you."
"No ones asking you to babysit me Detective Bullock." I retorted back to him with a annoyed tone before calming myself. "I don't need supervision from you. Anyways, I have to wait here until my uncle comes back."
"And when exactly will that be?"
I shrugged. "Whenever he finishes handling that emergency of his." Which hopefully will be soon and he'll come back unharmed...
"So you're saying I'm stuck with you until then?" Detective Bullock asked me with a slight frown.
"Yup..." I drawled out.
"That's just great..." Detective Bullock said rolling his eyes.
"Calm down Detective Bullock, or your enthusiasm is going to burst out of you." I said with a sardonic tone.
I saw how Detective Bullock was about to retort something back to me, only to be interrupted by the sound of his desk phone ringing.
"Hello?" He said as he answered the phone. I saw how his face scrunched up his in recollection. "Jim? What―" He stopped talking before his eyes wandered over to me. "Yeah, she's still here, but where are you?" His gaze lowered onto his desk and furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean handling personal matters? Wait you know what, I don't want to know right now."
I felt instant relief wash through me. My uncle Jim was fine, but I wondered why he called Detective Bullock instead of me? It was obvious based on the conversation so far, that my uncle hadn't told him the reason why he had left. And my guess is that it was going to stay that way. My attention was once again caught when I heard Detective Bullock speak again.
"When are you suppose to be back? What do you mean you don't know?" There was a pause before Detective Bullock responded again. "Well about your niece?" I listened attentively to what he was going to say. I then saw him frown and heard his voice raise up. "I can't just take her home Jim. There's a case that needs to be dealt with. Why can't she just take the bus―geesh, alright calm down, she won't go on the bus. I'll just have to figure something else then." He said letting out a frustrated sigh before hanging up the phone.
"What my uncle say?"
"Well he says hi." Detective Bullock said sarcastically.
I rolled my eyes. "What else did he say?"
"That I need to drive back to his place, since he doesn't know when exactly he'll be back." Detective Bullock sighed. "Look, whatever he's going through with Barbara I wish him the best of luck. He sounded completely done. Women, I tell you." He said shaking his head.
At this I lowered my gaze to the ground. I didn't want him to look at the expression I had. I of course knew the real reason as to why my uncle had sounded that way. And it sure wasn't because of Barbara. It was because of that man he left with...who knows what occurred. But at least I knew he was alive and fine.
"So...are you driving me back to my uncle's apartment?" I found myself asking him after a minute of silence.
"Like I said, I can't." Detective Bullock said exasperated.
"Well then I guess I have stay here until my uncle comes back." I said folding my arms across my chest.
Detective Bullock huffed and ran a hand through his hair. He let his eyes wander to the side and I saw how they lit up with what I assumed was relief. "Nygma!" He yelled out loud.
I furrowed my eyebrows. Why was he calling out Ed's last name? My question was then answered by oncoming footsteps. I turned my head towards where the noise was coming from and I let out a genuine smile once I saw Ed walking towards us. I saw how today he was wearing a darkish green plaid suit with his lab coat over it.
"Hello, Detective Bullock." Ed greeted him with a smile once he reached our spot. He then looked over towards where I was sitting and I saw how his smile seemed to brighten up even more. "Oh, hello, Winifred! So nice to see you again."
My smile grew. He was just so zany, but in a good way. "Hey, Ed. Nice to see you too as well."
"Nygma, you're on your break, right?" Detective Bullock asked him. I could hear how hopeful he sounded with his question.
Ed adjusted his glasses with his slim fingers. "Why, yes I am detective."
"Great!" Detective Bullock proclaimed and I could practically imagine the chorus of hallelujah that was playing in his head. I saw how he gave Ed a fake like zest expression. "That's great, because you now have the honor of dropping off mini Gordon here back to Jim's place."
"Oh, no that's okay, Ed. You don't have to." I said immediately protesting. I didn't want to bother Ed during his break time, let alone waste it with him having to drive me back to my uncle's apartment. Besides, he probably had other things he wanted to do.
But I saw how Ed's brown eyes held nothing but excitement. "Oh, I don't mind."
"No, it's fine, I don't want to be a bother." I said to him sheepishly.
"Dear Winifred, you are not a bother to me and I would be more than happy to drive you home." Ed said with a smile. "Really, I don't mind."
"See?" Detective Bullock said chiming in loudly. "Nygma, here doesn't mind. Just let him drive you kid. Jimbo, would tear me a new one if I let you take the bus."
I nodded my head, knowing this was the better option. "Alright then."
Ed practically bounced from where he standing. "Great, let me just get my coat." And with that he hurried off to get his coat.
I heard detective Bullock let out a laugh.
"What's so funny?" I asked trying to figure what could be so amusing.
Detective Bullock shook his head, stiffing his laughter. "Nothing, I'm just trying to figure out if you're going to be able to handle being stuck in a car with him of all people. You'll probably end up getting annoyed for sure. Still I wish you the best of luck. You're going to need it, especially if he's going to be asking you senseless riddles."
I merely gave him a small glare, before I quickly looked away from him.
Damn irritating Detective.
You know contrary to what Detective Bullock had said to me, I really didn't have a problem being stuck in a car with Ed. I wasn't getting annoyed either, and his riddles were actually very clever and funny. They weren't senseless as detective Bullock thought they were. I'd say that Ed's riddles were very enduring. At least to me anyways. I guess some people, like Detective Bullock, just didn't like riddles in general. Which really was a shame because telling people riddles was a great way to pass time. Which is exactly what was happening right now.
"What starts with "P" and ends with "E" and has more than 1000 letters?" Ed asked me happily as he continued to drive towards my uncle Jim's place.
I smiled at him already knowing the answer. "Post Office."
"Correct!" Ed said cheerfully with a smile of his own. "Now, how many books can you put in an empty backpack?"
"Come on Ed, that's so easy." I said rolling my eyes in good-nature." The answer is one because after that the backpack isn't empty anymore."
"Alright, how about this one..." Ed drawled on. "What's black and white and red all over?" He asked me with a Cheshire grin this time.
"Hmmm..." I took a few more seconds on this riddle before an answer came into my mind. "An embarrassed zebra?" Was my final answer, and I waited to see if that had been the right answer.
Ed nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yes, that's right!"
"Okay, how about one more? I asked him.
Ed nodded his head as I saw how he went into his quick thinking mode. Not even five seconds later passed before he was full on giggling.
"Okay, what is the longest word in the dictionary?"
Ahhh...crap. I've heard this riddle before! But damn my blasted memory as I couldn't remember the answer to it..."Uh..." I took a few seconds, but sighed when nothing clicked in my head. "I don't know. What's the answer, Ed?"
Ed was slightly bouncing in his seat, from what I presumed was excitement.
"It's the word smiles." He told me as he quickly glanced towards me with a smile." Because there is a mile between each 's' hehe, get it?"
I couldn't help but laugh as my smile grew. "Yeah, I get it. That's a pretty clever riddle, Ed."
"Yes it is. It's a very humor filled riddle as well, and humor is a very important thing to have. Don't you think, Winifred?"
"Yeah, I think humor is a important thing to have. One would be completely bland and uninteresting without it. It's best to have even the tiniest of humor, than no humor at all." I said voicing my thoughts to him. I then gave him a grateful look once the car became silent. "So, listen Ed, I just want to say thank you again for driving me to uncle's apartment."
Ed kept his brown eyes on the road, but I saw his smile. "You're welcome, Winifred."
"I just hope I didn't ruin any other plans you already had for your break." I told him rather sheepishly.
"All I really planned to do was listen to the newest episode of quizzet weekly on the radio." Ed said, with the smile still on his face. "So really, it's okay. Besides, interacting with you is so much more exhilarating."
Awww...that was sweet of him to say to that to me.
"Thanks, Ed." I said appreciating his kind words.
Ed just responded back to me with a hum like tone and I giggled in return. He was just so eccentric, but I didn't mind it one bit. Once again the car became quiet, but I was to hyped up from all those riddles that I decided to continue talking. Plus, I figured I'd ask Ed about the whole commotion that was occurring at the G.C.P.D. "So why was the station full of upheaval today anyways?"
Ed's eyes sparked with glee. "That's because of that new drug that's been circulating around Gotham."
New drug? I frowned hearing this. "What new drug? How come I haven't heard about it?" I asked him, puzzled.
"Well G.C.P.D. authorities barely discovered it today. It's called Viper, and let me tell you dear Winifred, it's quite remarkable." Ed said with awed tone. "I studied the drug thoroughly, and basically what it does is it somehow activities unused DNA from people, and because of that the body starts to burn calcium from the skeletal system as fuel. Which is why the people who take the drug crave milk and cheese. They're replacing the missing calcium...but they can't consume enough. Which of course results with them having their bones crumble, suffocating, and then dying."
My eyes widen from hearing this. "Oh, my God, that's terrible. Why would anyone want to take that drug, if in the end it'll just end up killing them?"
"Well, many people take drugs for various reasons. I'd say for this case that people are taking it because they want to feel a sense of power before they perish." Ed simply explained to me.
I cringed. "Still, I don't see the appeal of taking recreational drugs. I understand if you're prescribed to take medication by a doctor for illnesses and such, but to take non-prescribed drug and abuse them? To me that's something I could never picture myself doing."
"And you certainly shouldn't, Winifred. It's always best to say no to drugs. A person with bright mind like yours shouldn't consume drugs." Ed told me with a rather serious voice. "If you do it'll just ruin your intelligence, because drugs change the chemistry of the brain, and that's one of the many reasons why they become so addicting. The longer you use abuse any-type of drug, the more damage is done and the harder it is to go back to "normal" during the rehabilitation process."
I nodded my head. "Yeah, no wonder people who have drug addictions are so messed up."
"You know essentially in most cases drug addiction starts in early adolescents." Ed said me as he turned his car into a corner. "Although young adults who have consistently learned about the risks of drugs from their parents growing up, are actually up to fifty percent less likely to use drugs."
"Huh, really? Guess I'm glad I know about drug awareness then." I said with raised eyebrows. "That's still an interesting fact, Ed."
Ed beamed. "I know right? It's utterly more fascinating to study about drugs, than actually participating in them. After all knowledge at the end ultimately wins."
I stared at him analyzing his reactions. It amazed me by how animated he got whenever he talked about something he held strong thoughts for. I was about to say something else when all of a sudden, his car came to a stop. I glanced towards the car window and saw that we finally arrived to familiar building of my uncle's apartment.
"Is this the right building?" Ed asked me as he looked at the apartment complex.
I nodded my head as I took off my seat-beat. "Yup, it's the right building." Once I was unbuckled, I opened the car door and stepped out with my backpack. I then lowered my head towards the window and peeked back into his car.
"Thanks, Ed." I told him again with a smile. The ride had been fun and his riddles always made me feel better. Not to mention he was interesting to talk to as well.
"No problem, Winifred. Oh, do tell Detective Gordon I said hello." Ed said with twinkled filled eyes and a grin.
"Alright, I'll him you said so when he comes back from work." I responded to him with a kind smile.
I stepped away from the car window and began walking towards the apartment building in front of me. I heard the sound of a car honking and turned back to face Ed's car. I saw him energetically wave his hand in a goodbye gesture towards me. I giggled softly and I happily returned the gesture back. I then saw him drive away down the street before he turned the corner, and I watched until the car disappeared. After that I readjusted my backpack onto my shoulder and I continued making my way towards the entrance of the apartment building. Now all I had to do was wait for my uncle to arrive. Which I really hope wouldn't take as long as I thought it would.