Hailey had moved to Parkville, Missouri to attend university. It was a far cry from Gotham. But Hailey had wanted to be somewhere where she didn't have to worry about crime. Or insane maniacs whose sole purpose was to paint the town red with the blood of both innocent and guilty alike. But she never expected to become a victim in a town where crime had a .038 percent possibility of occurring. She'd thought it was something like an innocuous misdemeanor. A café that somehow added calories to meals to manipulate the customers into buying diet pills. But the reality was far more heinous.
Hailey found herself on a bathroom floor feeling like her insides wanted to force their way out of her mouth as she leaned over the toilet to vomit violently. Her hands were shaking. She felt like she was burning up. And she knew. She knew. She needed to take those damn diet pills that were anything but. She felt like a tool.
How had she not noticed the effect that place had on her? How it overpowered her mind into going back time and time again. But it wasn't just her. It affected the other girls as well. Most were still taking diet pills. But others, like her roommate, had acquired a taste for something pure. Raw. She said she was being careful. She wasn't a junkie. Yet. But Hailey realized that her friend was on her way. Especially since she was in withdrawal and her mind was telling her how to fix this.
Hailey reached for the bottle that was next to her bed. She hadn't decided what she was going to do. It was as if her body had a mind of its own. Deep down she didn't want to disappoint anybody. But she wasn't thinking clearly. How could she?
Her mind was begging for a fix. And she had no choice but to obey. The relief was almost instantaneous. She felt her eyelids go droopy and she relaxed on her bed. Before she knew it she was lost to whatever chemical reaction happening in her brain took over.
Hailey arrived at Wayne Manor by taxi after dark. She was wearing an oversized hooded sweater that covered her hair and most of her frame. When Alfred answered the door he barely recognized her. It had been close to a year since he'd seen her last. But when she smiled and greeted him, he knew who she was. He quickly brought her inside but when he came back to the parlor with tea and a sandwich, Hailey was out cold on the sofa.
It was the murmurs that woke her. Alfred and Bruce were talking in hushed voices. She only caught the tail end of the comment and she wasn't sure who'd said it. But it was quite clear they were talking about her weight. She tightened her mouth and whipped her head around to face them.
"Just say it. I'm fat," Hailey said in irritation. She sat up but didn't face them.
"Miss Hailey, that is not—"
"I'm not pregnant," she said quickly cutting Alfred off. She turned to look at Bruce as if she was challenging him to say otherwise.
"No, of course not."
Hailey let out a shaky sigh. She was tired and she could feel the craving begin to get overwhelming. She just wanted to explain why she was there. She knew she had no right to be there. She wasn't a part of the Wayne family. She just thought it would be best to tell Bruce since she got Barry Allen involved. And they were friends. So he would find out anyway. It was best he heard it from her.
"I wasn't the only one who gained weight. It was a ploy by a local café. All the girls from my dorm ate there. They put additives into the food so that we put on weight. Then they had a waiter give us some spiel about diet pills," Hailey said and her hands began to shake uncontrollably.
"Hailey," Bruce said seeing the signs of addiction in the girl. What had happened to her?
"I've actually lost half of what I gained already. If you could believe that," she said with a half smile that looked heartbreaking to Alfred.
"Oh, my dear girl," Alfred said seeing her reach into her large bag and pull out some hard candy. With shaky hands she managed to unwrap one and slip into her mouth. The shaking in her hands eased up a bit after she sucked on the candy a little with her eyes closed.
"You know I hated sweets," Hailey said looking at her hands. She held one in the other. "I still do. But they help."
"Sugar has the same effects on the brain as—"
Alfred covered his mouth with a hand and closed his eyes. That made Bruce stop talking.
"You always were a smart man, Bruce."
Hailey reached into her bag and pulled out a file that she handed to him.
"What's this?" Bruce asked as he began to look through the papers.
"It's part of my research on the café and the pills they sold us," Hailey said as she unwrapped another candy when she'd finished the one on her mouth. "I had a friend in the chemistry lab who helped. He has all the originals and the samples. I contacted Barry Allen," Bruce looked at her, "anonymously. He's already on campus heading the investigation. My friend told me the café owners were in custody but that the waiter got away. And that the girls' situation is being handled quietly. If word gets out, they could all forget about whatever careers they wanted to have."
Nobody said anything for a moment. Alfred walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I dropped out," Hailey announced. "I'm thinking after rehab I'll go back to school to become a veterinarian."
"When are you going to rehab?"
"Tonight, actually," she said looking at Bruce with a small smile. "I made arrangements with a place here in Gotham. Though I'm under an assumed name. I wanted to be close by just in case…"
"Not to worry, we'll keep an eye on you," Alfred said quickly realizing what she meant. She was hard pressed to trust anyone else after what she'd been through. What she was going through.
"Of course, that goes without saying," Bruce said in a terse voice.
"You can't visit," Hailey said shaking her head. "It's not allowed. I signed up for a year. It's what was recommended. After six months, visits are allowed but it's best if you stay away. The press—"
"You shouldn't concern yourself with those matters, Miss Hailey."
"I'm not concerned for me. But for Bruce. There's no reason for him to be linked to an addict," Hailey said in a soft voice. Then she looked up at Bruce and smiled. "You've done more than enough for me already. I'm not asking for anything. I just thought you should be aware or something. I don't know."
"Hailey," Bruce said placing the papers aside. "What you did for those girls at your dorm and yourself is commendable. But right now it's time to stop worrying about others and start worrying about yourself."
Hailey snorted at the word commendable. But waited for Bruce to finish talking before she said something she'd regret.
"You know, I tried..." Hailey began but then had to swallow. "I remembered something. It's weird that I remember this because it doesn't seem like my memory. It was like a memory from another life or something. I can't explain it."
Bruce looked down and seemed a little guilty about something. But Hailey couldn't figure out why what she said made him react that way. Even Alfred gave him a cursory glance but then squeezed her arm.
"It's just. I remembered my father…" she said and Bruce looked up at her. Curiosity etched on his face. Hailey ran a shaky hand through her hair. "He was in the kitchen reaching into the fridge with shaky hands. I was just standing there watching him. Then he frantically moved things around and came out empty handed.
"He slammed the fridge closed and started an argument with my mother over cola of all things. She said in a resigned voice that she was sorry but that she didn't have enough time to go buy more. Then she pulled out some money and handed it to him so that he could go fetch it himself.
"When he stormed out of the house I followed. Before he knew it, I was already in the passenger seat buckling up. He told me to get down that he wasn't taking me with him. But I didn't say a word. Just sat there looking out the windshield. He cursed under his breath and started the truck. And he drove.
"There was a grocery store a couple of blocks away but he'd gone in the opposite direction. We passed two convenient stores before I turned to look at him. His hands were gripping the steering wheel and his face was a mask of determination. I didn't understand but at the same time I knew that this short trip to the store was an important one.
"We finally pulled up to a gas station. He parked at the edge of the parking lot. And just sat there breathing in and out. He let go of the steering wheel slowly. But I could see from the peripheral that his hands were shaking more than they had in the kitchen.
"He told me, 'I tried. I really did. It's been three months since I had a drink. I just can't do it anymore. But I did try. Your mother won't believe me. But you have to.' I looked at him then. I could see the resignation in his face and that he was waiting for me to say something. But I was just a kid. Twelve years old. I didn't know anything about alcohol or addiction. I didn't know what I was supposed to say. So I just looked at him and nodded.
"It seemed like a lifetime passed between us. Then he sighed. He sounded exhausted. 'Stay here,' he told me without looking at me. He went inside and came back out. A pack of cola tucked under his arm and a brown paper bag big enough for a can of beer in his hand. 'I tried,' he said once he was back in the truck. He cracked open the can and took a long sip. His hands stopped shaking. He burped. Then he started the truck. 'I tried,' he said one last time before we headed home.
"The weird thing about that memory is that when I was twelve I was living here. And the man in my memory wasn't Jasper. He was a dirty blond and had grey eyes very similar to Jasper but he wasn't him. Didn't even look like they were related. And he only spoke Spanish. He was my father and I can't tell you how I know that but I have a weird feeling I've lived another very different life."
Hailey stood up after they'd all been quiet for a moment. Alfred and Bruce followed suit.
"I'm not just going to try," she said and headed for the door when a car horn sounded outside. "That's my ride."
"I'll walk you to the door," Alfred said, taking her elbow. He looked back at Bruce. But the man was looking away with an unreadable expression on his face.
"Goodnight, Bruce," Hailey said in a small voice. She heard him grunt and she smiled at Alfred. He smiled back. "Goodnight, my friend."
"I wish you the best of luck, my dear," Alfred said as he saw her walk towards the taxi that was waiting for her.