Lark crashed out on her sofa when she finally got in. She had had a long
day at school, and had realised that shopping with Dana meant trying on
every blue dress in the Gotham City Mall (incidentally all of the dresses
were identical). Eventually she had settled for a blue dress that looked
exactly like the one she was wearing. Lark didn't even bother to ask the
point of this, especially when Max bought herself a top identical to the
one she was wearing.
'Everyone here must just have a wardrobe full of the same clothes!' She thought to herself as she pulled out a computer disk from the depths of her bag and walked upstairs. She dumped her stuff in her room and headed for the computer room, praying that none of the other kids were using the computer.
Lark was staying in a youth hostel, run by some caring old ladies. Here children could come and stay whilst their parents were away or working. At the time Lark was the only person actually living there, the other kids were younger than her and were either staying for a few days whilst their parents went away on business or had to go to the hostel after school until their parents finished work. Nell and Gladys were the two ladies who ran the hostel and lived in a small house next door. They didn't really bother Lark much, she was old enough to look after herself.
Lark cursed when she saw that Bobby was playing simulation games on the computer. He was only staying for the afternoon, and was an annoying five- year-old kid who wouldn't listen to Nell or Gladys.
"Hey squirt, you done killing the bad guys yet?" She asked, pulling up a seat next to him.
"Go away 'Birdie', I'm winning!" He said. 'Birdie' was his nickname for Lark, because he found it hilariously funny that he was named after a bird.
"Did you know that there was a kid in my home town who was playing a computer game, when the monster jumped out and ate him?" Lark said. This was of course a lie, but Lark knew how to manipulate people to get what she wanted.
"That's a lie!" Bobby said, but his voice quivered slightly.
"No it isn't, this kid was playing the game that you are playing now, when suddenly all the lights went out." Lark whispered, flipping the light switch next to her so that the light did go out. "Then the computer sound got louder." She slowly turned up the volume control. "And finally a monster jumped out of the screen!" She shouted, grabbing Bobby from behind. He screamed.
"Lark, stop it!" He screamed.
"Damn you kid." She said, realising that he wasn't taken in by her prank. "Why don't you believe all that rubbish about monsters under the bed and toilet demons anymore?"
"Cos they don't exist." Bobby said, returning to his game.
Lark sighed, realising that without causing Bobby any physical harm, she wasn't going to get to use the computer. She retired to her room and grabbed her handbag. She met Nell in the doorway.
"I'm just pooping out to the library." Lark explained. "I'll be back later. I've got my key to let myself in."
Nell simply smiled and carried on trying to stop a little girl from pinging the old ladies stockings as she tried to make her way into the kitchen.
Lark was glad to get out into the fresh air as she made her way to the library. It was still quite warm outside as she pushed through the glass doors into the air-conditioned library. She settled herself by a computer, inserted her library ID card and logged on. Then she inserted her disk and began scrolling through reams of text that made her head spin. Eventually she found what she wanted and began her search on the Internet. Looking up her family tree was proving to be more difficult than she had thought.
Meanwhile Dana stood under the marble arches outside Horizon Club and Bar. She was fashionably late, as always. Except Terry was later. She sighed as she looked at her watch in exasperation. He was nearly forty five minutes late. She decided to wait a bit longer, after all she might have got the time wrong.
Panting slightly Terry sped up as he ran through back streets. He had been ready to meet Dana when something had come up. Something being the Jokerz. Of course, Batman doesn't go on dates when banks are being robbed. Terry rounded another corner. If he could just come up with an excuse then maybe Dana would forgive him. He rounded another corner and saw Horizon Bar opposite the street from him. He could just make out Dana leaning against one of the arches.
"Dana!" He called, waiting impatiently for the crossing light to change so that he could cross. It seemed to take ages but eventually he was able to run across. "Dana!" He said, reaching her and leaning against the pillar to catch his breath.
"You're over an hour late." Dana said, not looking at him.
"I know. I'm sorry. You won't believe what happened to me."
"You're right, I won't." Dana said, walking away.
"Huh?" He said running over and standing in front of her. "Aren't you going to ask me where I was?"
"No. I know you'll lie to me. To be quite honest, I'd rather you didn't tell me anything then you lying to me.again." She said, still not meeting his gaze. She dodged out around him and continued to walk.
"Dana please." Terry gasped. "I'm here now. Let's go and have some fun, like we used to."
"Yeah, but we never used to be like this." Dana shouted, finally looking at Terry. "I used to mean something to you, and now I feel like I'm playing second fiddle to someone else."
"It isn't like that."
"Really? You never call anymore. We don't go out. We only ever argue."
"We don't argue."
"We're arguing now!" Dana shouted.
"Well, I'm sorry that I have other things to do, but I have to do them." Terry said, raising his voice slightly.
"I have other things to do too!" Dana replied hotly. "But sometimes I make cancellations to make space for us. You are always cancelling on me to make room for something else."
"This isn't what I need right now." Terry said.
"Do you think I want this?" Dana screamed. "Do you think I want to be standing in the street arguing with you?" Her voice softened. "Give me back the old Terry. The one who used to take me out every weekend and buy me flowers and chocolates."
"Things have changed." Terry answered.
"No Terry, you've changed. I've stayed in the same place just to be with you, but you've moved on and left me behind." Dana said quietly. "I don't want to be held back anymore."
"Then change with me. We can move on in our relationship." Terry pleaded.
"I'm not willing to change for you." Dana sighed. "A month ago and I would have. But this has gone too far."
"What's a month?" Asked Terry. "And what's an hour or so? So we make it up some other time."
"Not this time."
"What's so special about this time?" Terry asked.
Dana took his hands. "I don't want to get hurt Terry. But if this goes any further then I will. I don't want it to end on a bad note. I don't want it to end at all. But how long is a piece of string? Endless until someone cuts it."
"I don't understand." Terry said.
"I can't risk letting myself get even more hurt by taking this any further. I'm finishing this before it gets too complicated. I can't go out with you any more Terry." She said sadly.
"But.what brought this on?" Terry asked. "So I was a little late. We'll go out tomorrow."
"But tomorrow will become the next day and soon I won't even see you at all. Besides tonight was special, I can't believe you forgot."
"Forgot what?"
Dana squeezed his hand. "Happy anniversary." She said quietly. She pulled her hands away and walked off. Terry stared down at his hands. In them lay a silver necklace with a blue stone hanging from it. It was the necklace Terry had given Dana for her birthday. Now she had broken up with him, and given back the necklace.
Terry kicked a can on the ground in anger. He stormed home, crashing upstairs without saying a word to his mother or brother. He lay on his bed but didn't go to sleep. Instead he stared at the stars through his window. Being Batman was not his gift, it was his curse.
'Everyone here must just have a wardrobe full of the same clothes!' She thought to herself as she pulled out a computer disk from the depths of her bag and walked upstairs. She dumped her stuff in her room and headed for the computer room, praying that none of the other kids were using the computer.
Lark was staying in a youth hostel, run by some caring old ladies. Here children could come and stay whilst their parents were away or working. At the time Lark was the only person actually living there, the other kids were younger than her and were either staying for a few days whilst their parents went away on business or had to go to the hostel after school until their parents finished work. Nell and Gladys were the two ladies who ran the hostel and lived in a small house next door. They didn't really bother Lark much, she was old enough to look after herself.
Lark cursed when she saw that Bobby was playing simulation games on the computer. He was only staying for the afternoon, and was an annoying five- year-old kid who wouldn't listen to Nell or Gladys.
"Hey squirt, you done killing the bad guys yet?" She asked, pulling up a seat next to him.
"Go away 'Birdie', I'm winning!" He said. 'Birdie' was his nickname for Lark, because he found it hilariously funny that he was named after a bird.
"Did you know that there was a kid in my home town who was playing a computer game, when the monster jumped out and ate him?" Lark said. This was of course a lie, but Lark knew how to manipulate people to get what she wanted.
"That's a lie!" Bobby said, but his voice quivered slightly.
"No it isn't, this kid was playing the game that you are playing now, when suddenly all the lights went out." Lark whispered, flipping the light switch next to her so that the light did go out. "Then the computer sound got louder." She slowly turned up the volume control. "And finally a monster jumped out of the screen!" She shouted, grabbing Bobby from behind. He screamed.
"Lark, stop it!" He screamed.
"Damn you kid." She said, realising that he wasn't taken in by her prank. "Why don't you believe all that rubbish about monsters under the bed and toilet demons anymore?"
"Cos they don't exist." Bobby said, returning to his game.
Lark sighed, realising that without causing Bobby any physical harm, she wasn't going to get to use the computer. She retired to her room and grabbed her handbag. She met Nell in the doorway.
"I'm just pooping out to the library." Lark explained. "I'll be back later. I've got my key to let myself in."
Nell simply smiled and carried on trying to stop a little girl from pinging the old ladies stockings as she tried to make her way into the kitchen.
Lark was glad to get out into the fresh air as she made her way to the library. It was still quite warm outside as she pushed through the glass doors into the air-conditioned library. She settled herself by a computer, inserted her library ID card and logged on. Then she inserted her disk and began scrolling through reams of text that made her head spin. Eventually she found what she wanted and began her search on the Internet. Looking up her family tree was proving to be more difficult than she had thought.
Meanwhile Dana stood under the marble arches outside Horizon Club and Bar. She was fashionably late, as always. Except Terry was later. She sighed as she looked at her watch in exasperation. He was nearly forty five minutes late. She decided to wait a bit longer, after all she might have got the time wrong.
Panting slightly Terry sped up as he ran through back streets. He had been ready to meet Dana when something had come up. Something being the Jokerz. Of course, Batman doesn't go on dates when banks are being robbed. Terry rounded another corner. If he could just come up with an excuse then maybe Dana would forgive him. He rounded another corner and saw Horizon Bar opposite the street from him. He could just make out Dana leaning against one of the arches.
"Dana!" He called, waiting impatiently for the crossing light to change so that he could cross. It seemed to take ages but eventually he was able to run across. "Dana!" He said, reaching her and leaning against the pillar to catch his breath.
"You're over an hour late." Dana said, not looking at him.
"I know. I'm sorry. You won't believe what happened to me."
"You're right, I won't." Dana said, walking away.
"Huh?" He said running over and standing in front of her. "Aren't you going to ask me where I was?"
"No. I know you'll lie to me. To be quite honest, I'd rather you didn't tell me anything then you lying to me.again." She said, still not meeting his gaze. She dodged out around him and continued to walk.
"Dana please." Terry gasped. "I'm here now. Let's go and have some fun, like we used to."
"Yeah, but we never used to be like this." Dana shouted, finally looking at Terry. "I used to mean something to you, and now I feel like I'm playing second fiddle to someone else."
"It isn't like that."
"Really? You never call anymore. We don't go out. We only ever argue."
"We don't argue."
"We're arguing now!" Dana shouted.
"Well, I'm sorry that I have other things to do, but I have to do them." Terry said, raising his voice slightly.
"I have other things to do too!" Dana replied hotly. "But sometimes I make cancellations to make space for us. You are always cancelling on me to make room for something else."
"This isn't what I need right now." Terry said.
"Do you think I want this?" Dana screamed. "Do you think I want to be standing in the street arguing with you?" Her voice softened. "Give me back the old Terry. The one who used to take me out every weekend and buy me flowers and chocolates."
"Things have changed." Terry answered.
"No Terry, you've changed. I've stayed in the same place just to be with you, but you've moved on and left me behind." Dana said quietly. "I don't want to be held back anymore."
"Then change with me. We can move on in our relationship." Terry pleaded.
"I'm not willing to change for you." Dana sighed. "A month ago and I would have. But this has gone too far."
"What's a month?" Asked Terry. "And what's an hour or so? So we make it up some other time."
"Not this time."
"What's so special about this time?" Terry asked.
Dana took his hands. "I don't want to get hurt Terry. But if this goes any further then I will. I don't want it to end on a bad note. I don't want it to end at all. But how long is a piece of string? Endless until someone cuts it."
"I don't understand." Terry said.
"I can't risk letting myself get even more hurt by taking this any further. I'm finishing this before it gets too complicated. I can't go out with you any more Terry." She said sadly.
"But.what brought this on?" Terry asked. "So I was a little late. We'll go out tomorrow."
"But tomorrow will become the next day and soon I won't even see you at all. Besides tonight was special, I can't believe you forgot."
"Forgot what?"
Dana squeezed his hand. "Happy anniversary." She said quietly. She pulled her hands away and walked off. Terry stared down at his hands. In them lay a silver necklace with a blue stone hanging from it. It was the necklace Terry had given Dana for her birthday. Now she had broken up with him, and given back the necklace.
Terry kicked a can on the ground in anger. He stormed home, crashing upstairs without saying a word to his mother or brother. He lay on his bed but didn't go to sleep. Instead he stared at the stars through his window. Being Batman was not his gift, it was his curse.
