"Better?" Avalon questioned, setting a bowl of cereal in front of Dick before snatching the Pop-Tarts from the toaster.
"Yes," Dick replied between bites.
"Good,"
Avalon slumped in her chair, lazily twirling her spoon around her coffee watching the steam curl toward the sky.
"I don't like this." Dick declared suddenly.
"Then why are you eating it?"
"No, I don't mean the cereal, I mean you being quiet,"
"Would you rather I be shouting?"
"Avalon," he rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean!"
She scoffed, turning her attention to the coffee before her. She maintained eye contact locking him in a staring contest as she slowly drank it before standing to refill it.
"How many coffee machines do you need?"
"This is my coffee bar," Avalon smirked turning away the island, "All mine,"
"But what if someone needs that space?"
"Simple," she hit a switch causing the machines to lower into the island replacing it with open counter space.
"Is anything what it seems here?"
"Nope, now hurry up we've got work to do,"
…...
Half an hour later, Avalon was dragging him down the hall, sheer determination on her face. Dick dug his heels into the floor halfway down the hall.
"What?" Avalon spun to face him.
"Where are we going?"
"Mom's office,"
"Can I see your room first?"
"Why?"
"You've seen mine,"
"Fine,"
She released him, unlocking the door to the left.
"Hurry,"
Dick ran into the room like a kid in a candy store. Avalon followed behind him, opening her curtains before flopping onto one of the many bright red beanbags throughout the room, grabbing the comic she'd left there.
"Are those ponies?"
"Yes," She deadpanned. "Original ponies from the first line, Put Bubbles down!"
He put it down with a laugh, noticing all the pictures on the shelf below. Birthdays and Christmas mornings greeted him. Avalon and Carmen smiling in every one. Sometimes when fighting criminals it was easy to forget they were people too. In the pictures he didn't see a thief planning her next heist, he saw a mother patching her daughter's scrapes, watching her open presents and hunt for Easter eggs.
"Satisfied?"
"Yes,"
Avalon was back to dragging him down the hall moments later.
"How are you supposed to get in there?"
She opened the door with a deadpan look.
"It's only ever Mom and I here, she leaves it unlocked for me."
"Your room is locked,"
"I'm a teenage girl," she retorted, "Come on,"
…...
This feels wrong Avalon thought, sitting before the computer.
The office was always open to her but she only went in there if she needed to. It was her mother's workspace, private. She turned her gaze from the loading computer to the wall of security cameras, always changing, showing where the henchmen were and what they were doing. A safety precaution, as old as her. Because of her.
Dick stood before the wall watching the feed.
"Why?"
"Me,"
That was all that needed to be said. Turning her attention back to the computer screen, she racked her brain for the password.
"Do you know it?" Dick leaned over her shoulder.
"Would you sit down?" she snapped.
"Sorry,"
If it's not her last heist then...AHA
Hurriedly she typed:
XSXILK12/12
Once logged in, Dick was back to hanging over her shoulder.
"That's a lot of files," he commented.
"Yep, sorry I snapped at you,"
"It's okay, what are you looking for?"
"Mom's last heist,"
"That could take-"
"Found it,"
"An entire castle?"
"Hm, that doesn't seem like-it's fake,"
"So, what was she doing?"
Avalon paled.
"What?"
"She was tracking my escaped father," she whispered, "I didn't even know he'd gotten out,"
"I don't think she wanted you to know. What was she going to do once she found him?"
"Put him back behind bars,"
"The question is where are they now?"
,,,,,,,,,,,
"I'm stronger than you, John," Carmen growled.
"I'm not the one bound to the wall," John sneered in response, "Not so hot without yer coat of tricks are ya?"
"I will get out of here and when I do you'll be behind bars again,"
"Not likely,"
Then Carmen was left in darkness.
…...
Where is everyone?
The halls were empty, something Avalon had never seen. Were the henchmen hiding behind closed doors perhaps? Was this like her 11th birthday party where she'd stumbled upon a surprise party? Her first birthday party ever. There had been so much cake and ice cream that everyone had a stomachache.
The creaking of the floor brought her back to the present, making her pause. That wasn't the clicking of her mother's heels. The footsteps she was hearing were heavier. Like stampeding cattle, reminding her of her father, thundering down the basement stairs.
Fire shot down her back.
She spun on her heel watching with horror as the windows barred themselves shut. Breaking into a run she tore down the hall, yanking her mother's door open in a panic
"MOM!"
Blood was everywhere making her gag, smoke stung her eyes. The drapes around her mother's bed were on fire. She could see her mother sleeping through it. Hastily, despite the burns, she yanked the drapes away.
And, screamed.
Eyes wide open, her mother's corpse stared her down, blood pouring from her chest.
…...
Avalon tumbled from the bed, heart racing, trying not to vomit. Struggling to her feet, she slipped from her room to the hall. First, she checked to make sure she hadn't woken Dick, finding him dead to the world asleep. Relieved she hadn't woken him, she slipped back into the hallway. Instead of heading for her room, however, she went to her mother's.
It's okay, it's not destroyed.
Pulling the closet open she found the sole trench coat within. Putting it on, Avalon crawled into Carmen's bed and fell into a fitful sleep.
…...
Dick woke up to the hazy early morning sun and couldn't go back to sleep. Standing from the couch he stretched hearing his bones pop as he tried to remember the last time he'd gotten a full night's sleep. It could have been months ago but he couldn't tell, still in the fog of sleep.
Deciding it was too quiet he walked to Avalon's room, finding it empty.
Where did she go?
Even with all the hidden surprises, the house itself wasn't very big. At least it didn't appear that way. He opened the door across from Avalon's finding Carmen's bedroom.
There was Avalon, in her mother's coat, sleeping like a baby. He began to shake her only to jump back when she latched onto her arm in a panic.
"Whoa, it's okay, you're okay,"
"I saw-"
"Shh,"
She burst into tears, "I want my Mom back!"
He sat down and pulled her close, "I promise, we will find her and if we don't you can throw as many explosive batarangs at me as you want,"
But, she didn't stop crying, not that he could blame her.
"Okay, let's think, where was your mother the last time you talked?"
"Italy, I think,"
"Then let's start there,"
"We can't search the entire country!"
"So, narrow it down, if your father were to go there where would he go?"
"I don't know!" she wailed, "He was high ninety percent of the time. Or drunk,"
She was shaking now, hanging onto him like he'd disappear.
"I say we get breakfast then go dig around your mom's computer okay?"
"Okay,"
…...
While Avalon tried making pancakes, Dick stepped into her room hoping to find something to ease her shaken nerves. Russian nesting dolls sat in the windowsill, comics were stacked everywhere, a teddy bear as big as he was in the farthest corner beside the closet.
"What are you doing in here?"
"Trying to find something to make you feel a tiny bit better,"
Avalon glided into the room, "You're sweet but breakfast is waiting, I don't like cold pancakes,"
"Coming,"
...
Not the longest chapter but that's okay I just hope it turned out well.
The password Avalon used to log in was a cipher. Can you figure out what she typed?
Please, review!