Chapter 8

Jonathan stared at the girl in awe. She was dressed head to toe in black, including her pair of fingerless gloves. She had a leather jacket and boots that looked worn down, and her jeans were ripped on the thighs, but it didn't look she bought them that way. Jonathan had never seen anyone like her before. He was in complete shock and wasn't entirely sure what he had just witnessed was real. There was no way that a girl who looked about his age could've beaten up all those brutes in a matter of seconds. Maybe Bo and his gang had beaten him so bad he got knocked unconscious and this was all a dream. It had happened before. It just seemed so unbelievable, like he had witnessed a miracle.

The girl reached out her hand to Jonathan, who moved back a bit in fear. She must've noticed this, because she then proceeded to smile a bit. It wasn't the kind of smile that was mocking or sadistic. No. This was a warm and welcoming smile, one Jonathan wasn't used to. With a gulp, Jonathan carefully took the girl's hand and she soothingly caressed the top of his with her thumb. Jonathan blushed slightly as the girl helped him to his feet. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, giving Jonathan a close up look at the girl's gorgeous blend of green and brown. The girl dusted some dirt off his sleeves with her palms and handed him a cloth from her jacket pocket so that he could clean himself off some more. Jonathan, still in shock, knew he wanted to say something, but so many words and thoughts flooded his brain that nothing was willing to escape. Just as he built enough courage and was ready to speak, the sound of police sirens rang loud and was approaching fast. With a gasp, the young girl's pupils dilated and she fled up the fire escape of a nearby building.

"Wait!" Cried Jonathan, running after her. The girl turned her head and looked down at Jonathan from the top of the building. Jonathan gulped once again and managed to let his words form. "T-Thank you...for helping me." The girl smiled, gave Jonathan a quick nod, then ran out of his sight. Jonathan scurried out of the alleyway and onto the sidewalk, where he could see the mysterious girl, pouncing from rooftop to rooftop.

"Whoa," he thought as she backflipped out his field of vision, "she was-...That was just-...Wow." He looked down at the cloth the girl had given him and held it tightly in his grip. It was the only thing he had of his rescuer and, even though he thought it was a little weird, he wanted to keep it safe.

A police car pulled up next to Jonathan and two gentlemen came out of it. Both of them were wearing long coats, a suit, and a tie, though one of the man's tie was blue and the other was brown. The gentleman with a brown tie was also wearing a brown fedora to match, and he had scruffy light facial hair on his chin and upper lip. The other man seemed much younger and had a much more gentle look to him than the scruffy gentleman.

"Hey, kid," said the older cop as both men approached Jonathan, "we got a call about a disturbance, like some kinda fight was going on over here. Did you see anything?" Jonathan kept his eyes level with the ground and spoke very softly.

"W-Well," he replied timidly, "u-um..."

"C'mon, kid!" Said the older cop impatiently, "We don't got all day here!" Jonathan winced in fear and sadness. He didn't mean to waste their time, he just didn't want to get himself into trouble.

"Easy now, Harvey," said the younger cop. "Can't you see how roughed up this kid is? Clearly he's been through something." Harvey rolled his eyes.

"Well then you try and talk to him Jim, because I don't have time to play babysitter. I'm gonna go look around." Jim nodded and knelt down to Jonathan's level. Jonathan was tall, but this cop was at least a foot taller than him.

"Hi there," he said. "I'm Detective James Gordon. What's your name?" Jonathan looked up at James Gordon very quickly, then glanced his eyes back down.

"Jonathan..." he replied quietly.

"Nice to meet you, Jonathan," said Detective Gordon with a smile.

"A-Am I in trouble?" Asked Jonathan, looking back at Gordon with concern.

"No, no," replied Gordon, "My partner and I are here because somebody called in and said they heard a fight. Do you know anything about that?" Jonathan frowned and kept his eyes low.

"I...I might..." Detective Gordon noticed the blood and bruises on Jonathan's face and clothes.

"Did something happen to you, Jonathan?"

"No!" Said Jonathan defensively. "No, nothing happened..."

"Then where'd all these bruises and all this blood come from?" Jonathan kept his head down, making sure Detective Gordon couldn't see his face.

"I...fell."

"You...fell?" Jonathan nodded. Gordon put his hand on Jonathan's shoulder gently, making sure not to accidentally place it on a bruise.

"Jonathan, I promise you that you won't get in trouble if you tell us what really happened."

"I..." Jonathan wanted so badly to tell Detective Gordon about the bullies, but then he thought about his grandmother's words.

"God has put you in this situation to teach you a lesson, my dear boy. You must endure, then you will be rewarded."

"I fell. Really, I did. I-I don't know anything useful to your case, sir. I'm sorry I wasted your time..." Detective Gordon sighed and the older cop returned, munching on a chili dog.

"So Jim," he said chewing, "did the kid tell you anything yet?" Detective Gordon shook his head and rose to his feet.

"No, this young man doesn't know anything about what happened." The older detective grunted and patted Detective Gordon on the back.

"C'mon, let's get outta here." Detective Gordon nodded and followed his partner into the police car. Before they drove away, Detective Gordon rolled down his window.

"Jonathan," he said, making the little boy turn his head, "if you're ever in trouble, just call the station and ask for me, James Gordon, understand?" Jonathan nodded and Detective Gordon smiled at him. "Good boy. Now get to school before you miss your next class." The detectives drove off and Jonathan ran back to the alley, grabbed his backpack off the ground, and hurried as fast as he could to Gotham High School.

At the end of the day, Jonathan walked home alone from school. He thought about going to visit Jervis again, but reconsidered. He didn't want Jervis and Alice to see him all beat up and bruised. It didn't matter if his grandmother saw because she didn't care. Jonathan walked steadily up the brown-grassed hill that led to his home just outside the city. He banged the knocker against the door and his grandmother opened the door.

"Afternoon, Grandmother," said Jonathan. Marion looked down at her grandson, then forcibly lifted his chin up so she could see his face. She scoffed with disgust at the sight of Jonathan's damaged face,

"What did you do to yourself this time, boy?" Jonathan winced as his grandmother's nails pierced his skin.

"I-It was those boys again, Grandmother."

"On your first day of school? Oh, Jonathan..." Marion shook her head in disapproval. "You are such a disgrace. What an impression you must've left on your teachers!"

"Grandmother, I didn't mean-" Marion slapped Jonathan's face with an unnatural amount of force. The boy's face stung with a sharp pain that traveled all over his body.

"YOU SPEAK WHEN SPOKEN TO, YOU UNGRATEFUL MENACE! NOW GO TO YOUR ROOM! NO SUPPER FOR YOU TONIGHT!" Jonathan ran in the house, fighting back tears, and up to his room in the attic of the decrepit house. The boy threw himself onto the bed and screamed into his pillow. No sympathy. Not from anyone or anything. How long, he wondered, how much more did he have to suffer until God rewarded him? He sighed as a few tears of pain leaked down his face. Jonathan closed his eyes, removed his school clothes, changed into his pajamas, and laid down in his straw-stuffed bed. He pulled the patched and hole-ridden quilt over himself and stared at the wooden beams that held up the roof. He slowly closed his eyes and let his thoughts take him over.

Grandmother's slap, Detective Gordon, Bo Griggs, The mysterious girl who saved his life...

"Who is she?" Thought Jonathan. "Where did she go? Why did she save me? Will I ever see her again?" He wanted to see her again. So very badly. She was the first person who ever actually fought for him. It was strange, abnormal even. But...it was a good kind of strange. Maybe...if she stayed to talk to him...they could've been friends. Maybe she'd go to school with him. Jonathan felt peculiar thinking these things about someone he didn't even know, and yet he found himself smiling at the thought of her. He promised himself that night that if he ever saw her again, he'd talk to her. He'd overcome his doubts about himself and try to have, for the very first time, a friend of his own.