Kate looks over at Elena for a moment, pursing her lips in thought.
Elena rolls her eyes and asks. "What?"
"I was just wondering...how much have you lied since we got here?"
Elena shoots her sister a glare. "Only to the bad guys."
"How do I know you're telling the truth? For all I know you could be trying to get back at me. I'm getting hurt a lot more than you..."
"You have to trust me, I'm not lying."
"Sure, whatever you say...sneaky snake..."
Elena stops walking and turns to face Kate. "Don't call me that! I hate that nickname."
Elena resumes walking and Kate quickens her steps to easily match Elenas stride. "Well lets see, you're sneaky as hell when you want to be, and you lie like a snake. So I think the name still fits, maybe the snake part more than the sneaky bit."
"I don't lie that much."
Kate stops walking and Elena halts her steps to face Kate. Kate crosses her arms and looks at Elena skeptically.
...
Elena-age 5
"Now Elena, I want you to stay right here while I get the towel, okay?"
Elena crosses her arms and stares longingly at the water of the public swimming pool a few inches away from her feet.
"Yes daddy."
"I'll be right back."
Elena watches her father walk away and she bites her lip. Looking around nervously, she smiles before slipping inside the pool.
A few minutes later her father returns and looks at her in slight anger.
"Elena, what are you doing?!"
"I slipped daddy, I need you to help me out."
"Slipped?"
"Yes daddy."
Elenas father wordlessly pulls her out of the shallow end of the pool. He sets her down on the concrete and walks over to a girl tanning nearby. He talks to her for a minute before returning to Elena.
"Elena, you can't lie. Its bad. Have I ever told you about the boy who cried wolf?"
"Yes daddy. But I didn't lie about any wolf."
"I know sweetheart, thats not the point. Lying is a sin. And you know what happens to sinners."
"Yes but daddy, you lie a lot. You said mommy was taking a trip to see grandma, but grandma doesn't like mommy. She just ran away and you lied."
Elenas father looks dumbstruck for a moment before composing himself. "Where did you hear that?"
"Grandma told me. She called mommy a...a... a wi...witch? Who doesn't care about...m...muc...muck?"
"Did she now? Well sweetie, the point still remains. Don't lie. Bad girls lie, and are you a bad girl?"
"No daddy. But doesn't that mean you're bad?"
"N...no... because adults are allowed to lie."
"Is that like how grown ups can drink that purple stuff but It makes kids shorter?"
"Yes sweetie."
...
Elena rolls her eyes in annoyance. "Okay, I lie every now and then. Everybody lies, its no big deal."
Kate shakes her head. "Yeah, but you do it constantly. Its no wonder nobody ever believes you."
...
Elena-age 12
Elena glares at her father from across the room. He ignores her and continues to dig through her backpack.
"I told you that I never got my progress report."
"You're lying. Your teacher called me today."
Elena narrows her eyes. "Which one?"
"Ms Samson."
"My science teacher? Why would she give me the progress report I get in homeroom?"
Elenas father drops the backpack and points at Elena. "Three weeks. I don't want to see you out of that room unless you're at school or the bathroom."
"Fine."
"And I'm taking your books."
Elena purses her lips for a moment before storming into her room.
...
Elena turns away from Kate and resumes walking, Kate follows closely behind.
"Lying doesn't excuse dad for being an ass."
"He shouldn't believe anything you say, lying more than justifies..."
"Does lying justify being ignored for months on end?! Does lying justify being mocked at every turn and treated like an idiot because of who I am and how I act?! Does it justify being shunned and treated like a freak?! Does it justify calling me ugly?! A silly little girl who doesn't know any better?! That all my problems and issues can be shrugged off because its 'just a phase'?! Aww isn't that cute, Elena thinks shes being bullied? Aww look, Elena doesn't like girly clothes, she must just be rebelling. Aww, Elena thinks shes being emotionally abused at home, she must want attention. Aww, Elena says shes depressed, shes such a drama queen..."
Elena stops walking and stares angrily at the ground with tears in her eyes. She takes in a shaky breath before continuing. "...Elena burned herself, ignoring her should fix that..."
Kate walks over to face her sister. She reaches her hand out to touch her sister on the shoulder. Elena doesn't look up.
Before Kate can touch her, Elena speaks up. "Don't touch me."
Kate bites her bottom lip and hesitantly pulls her hand back. "Is that why dad ignores you?"
"When I was twelve the insults got worse. I'm not sure why, I hadn't even hit puberty yet. He just decided one day that he didn't like me. From then on every decision I made was wrong. Nobody ever listens...I didn't want to die or anything just...dad has hated me since my twelveth birthday. And when I turn eighteen in two months, I will leave and never see that asshole again. I think dad just decided I would never be his 'perfect' daughter."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know."
Elena nods knowingly. "I don't expect you to. Dad has gone out of his way to hide me from the world. Anyone who asks, he just says how I'm a liar who wants attention. Occasionally calling me full blown insane...its a load of crap. I'm the most sane person in this family."
Kate crosses her arms in annoyance. "Are you done being emo yet? Yeah all that stuff sucks, but we have more pressing matters. When we get home, then you can vent and whine all you want. But now we need to find the remote before something bad happens."
Elena looks back up and takes a deep breath. "Yeah, we are doing way too much bonding lately."
"Agreed. So what's the plan?"
Elena purses her lips. "Well, we could wait for robin to come back."
Kate snorts. "And be put back in a cell? No thanks."
"Or we could get some help."
Kate opens her mouth to say something but stops herself. "Thats not a bad idea. Who'd you have in mind?"
Elena looks up at the sun setting in the sky. "If there's one person who can steal anything its..."
"Catwoman? How are supposed to find her?"
Elena notes the bat signal in the sky. "I'm sure we'll think of something."