Dana made her way aimlessly through the streets of Gotham. She wasn't sure
where she was going, but she new that she didn't want to go home yet.
Terry could phone her at home, and she didn't want to talk to him right
then.
"Dana?" Came a voice from behind her. Dana whirled around to see Lark standing behind her.
"Lark, what are you doing here?" Dana asked, turning away so that Lark couldn't see her tear stained face.
"Coming home from the library." Lark replied. "Are you OK? I thought you were going out with Terry tonight."
"I was." Dana replied. "But now I'm not." She began to cry again. Lark came up beside her and tentatively put an arm round her shoulder.
"Do you want me to walk you home? It's not nice being out on your own at this hour." Lark said kindly. But Dana swallowed and shook her head.
"I don't want to go home early looking like this. I'll get the third degree from my family, and I don't want to talk to them at the moment."
"So where are you going?" Lark asked.
"I don't know. Maybe to the river to make a hole in it!" Joked Dana.
"Do you want to come home with me for a bit?" Lark asked. "There shouldn't be anyone up. The lost boys, the kids at the hostel, will have gone home by now and no one else is staying there overnight apart from the two old ladies."
Dana smiled slightly and nodded. They made their way through the dark side alleys trying to find a way onto the main streets.
"What was that?" Dana asked, jumping out of her skin as a dustbin rattled near them.
"Probably just a cat." Lark replied, but she wasn't entirely sure herself. They walked on quicker.
They were just nearing the end of one particularly dark alley when they found their way blocked by a tall man.
"Hello girls." He said sinisterly. "Got anything nice to give me?" Dana grabbed on to Lark's arm and hid behind her.
"What do we do?" She whispered.
"Run!" Lark shouted. They turned on their heels and sprinted in the opposite direction, only to find two other men blocking their paths. They were trapped!
"What do they want?" Dana asked.
"Funds to pay for their drug addictions probably." Lark replied.
"That's right little missy." One man said, advancing on them. "Now hand over your bags before anyone gets hurt."
"You'll be the one getting hurt." Said a voice from above them. They all looked up to see a figure in black swoop down upon them, knocking the man flying. "Run!" He shouted to the girls as he started fighting the other two men.
"Come on!" Lark said, pulling Dana away by the arm. They ran to the end of the alley.
"But we have to help him!" Dana cried. Lark looked around to see that about five men were now fighting their saviour.
"Stay here!" Lark said, pushing Dana behind some bins. Lark turned around and ran back down the alley.
Batman had beaten two of the men into submission, and they lay groaning on the floor. The other three encircled him. One lashed out, kicking Batman hard in the stomach. Another grabbed Batman from behind while a third picked up a piece of metal piping and began advancing on the Batman. He struggled but he couldn't get free. He closed his eyes expecting to feel the pipe make contact with his body.
He heard a loud thud and a groan. Opening his eyes he saw the man laying on the ground, unconscious, with Lark standing over him hold a brick. He smiled at her and threw the man holding him over his shoulder. The man got up immediately only to find Lark's foot come into contact with his stomach. He groaned and fell to the ground. Meanwhile Batman made short work of the other man. The entire drug gang lay on the ground, either out for the count or too weak and battered to get up.
Dana rushed over to them. "Thank you!" She said to Batman.
"Any time." He said to her, his eyes lingering on her for a moment. He turned to Lark. "And thank you." He said.
"Any time." She replied. Batman's gaze returned to Dana for a moment.
"Don't walk in these side alleys, they're full of freaks like these." He said.
"We noticed." Dana said. "But I think I'll be safe as long as I'm with Lark, how did you do that?"
"You try growing up with two older step brothers." Lark replied.
"Well, anyway, you did well." Batman said. With that he shot upwards and the two girls watched him go. They walked out onto the well lit side walk and walked in silence to Lark's hostel. They waited until they were inside before speaking.
"Lucky he was there." Lark said eventually.
"Yes." Dana whispered dreamily. "He was gorgeous."
"Are you kidding? He could be some ugly mug with three eyes and a snake nose!" Lark joked. "How can you say he is gorgeous if you haven't seen his face?"
"He had a sexy voice." Dana replied. "And he looked at me!"
"Yeah, I noticed that too." Lark admitted. "I wonder who he really is."
"Whoever he is, he can rescue me any day." Dana said.
"What about Terry?" Lark asked. Dana went quiet. "Did you guys have a row?"
"Yes, the worst ever!" Dana said finally, allowing tears to run down her face again. "He promised that he would meet me tonight. He was over an hour late. I don't want to be treated like dirt anymore, so I finished it. He even forgot our anniversary!"
"I'm so sorry." Lark said. "But you've probably done the right thing."
"Really? I'm not so sure." Dana said, accepting the tissue that Lark held out for her to blow her nose.
"Yeah. Us girls have to govern some respect. It sounds to me like he was taking you for granted. Cancelling dates and not giving reasons just isn't good enough. And don't go back to him. Let him crawl to you, but don't take him back. He doesn't deserve you, not until he can treat you like a queen." Lark said. "You're better off without Terry."
"Terry who? Compared to Batman, Terry is nothing. Yesterday's news. Do you think Batman would go out with me? If I asked him?" Dana asked, brightening.
"I don't know, maybe you should wear green tights and change your name to Robin before making a move."
"It's an idea!" Dana said. "I don't suppose you have a black mask?"
"Aww geez, I just threw that out the other day!" Joked Lark. "But unfortunately I must admit that I have the green tights!"
"You're joking!" Dana scoffed.
"Nope. I wore them in a school dance show last year. I was leaf number three!" Lark laughed at the memory. "I got to fall in love with the stick!"
Dana rolled around the floor laughing. "What show was this?"
"A Woodland Tale! With a twist!" Lark giggled. "On the last night the staging fell right over and we had to carry on dancing whilst you could see everyone getting changed backstage. I don't think I'll ever laugh as much again!"
"I'd better go." Dana replied, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "You should audition for the next school play, we're doing a production of Dracula The Musical."
"I'm not really into acting and singing." Lark said. "But I can dance."
"Well all the main parts have been cast, but the dancers haven't been auditioned yet." Dana said. "It would be really cool if you got a part too. I'm in it, playing Dracula's girlfriend."
"Sounds like fun." Lark opened the door and showed Dana out. "Are you going to be OK walking home alone?" She asked.
"Yeah, I actually hope those guys are still around, I wanna see Batman again and give him my number!" Dana ran off down the street, looking back at Lark who waved until she was out of sight.
Dana let herself in to her house and crept up to bed. The phone by her bed was bleeping with twenty-seven messages. All of them from Terry. Dana paused for a moment, listening to Terry's voice speak to her several times.
"Stop it Dana!" She said to herself, hitting erase. She climbed into bed and the phone rang.
"Hello?" She said.
"Dana. Please I have to talk to you." Terry pleaded.
"Sorry Terry. I'm tired now. Perhaps we can talk in the morning." She said, hanging up the phone. Then she picked it up and left it off the hook so Terry couldn't call back. Dana fell asleep quickly, dreaming of Terry crawling to her on bended knee, begging for forgiveness.
"Dana?" Came a voice from behind her. Dana whirled around to see Lark standing behind her.
"Lark, what are you doing here?" Dana asked, turning away so that Lark couldn't see her tear stained face.
"Coming home from the library." Lark replied. "Are you OK? I thought you were going out with Terry tonight."
"I was." Dana replied. "But now I'm not." She began to cry again. Lark came up beside her and tentatively put an arm round her shoulder.
"Do you want me to walk you home? It's not nice being out on your own at this hour." Lark said kindly. But Dana swallowed and shook her head.
"I don't want to go home early looking like this. I'll get the third degree from my family, and I don't want to talk to them at the moment."
"So where are you going?" Lark asked.
"I don't know. Maybe to the river to make a hole in it!" Joked Dana.
"Do you want to come home with me for a bit?" Lark asked. "There shouldn't be anyone up. The lost boys, the kids at the hostel, will have gone home by now and no one else is staying there overnight apart from the two old ladies."
Dana smiled slightly and nodded. They made their way through the dark side alleys trying to find a way onto the main streets.
"What was that?" Dana asked, jumping out of her skin as a dustbin rattled near them.
"Probably just a cat." Lark replied, but she wasn't entirely sure herself. They walked on quicker.
They were just nearing the end of one particularly dark alley when they found their way blocked by a tall man.
"Hello girls." He said sinisterly. "Got anything nice to give me?" Dana grabbed on to Lark's arm and hid behind her.
"What do we do?" She whispered.
"Run!" Lark shouted. They turned on their heels and sprinted in the opposite direction, only to find two other men blocking their paths. They were trapped!
"What do they want?" Dana asked.
"Funds to pay for their drug addictions probably." Lark replied.
"That's right little missy." One man said, advancing on them. "Now hand over your bags before anyone gets hurt."
"You'll be the one getting hurt." Said a voice from above them. They all looked up to see a figure in black swoop down upon them, knocking the man flying. "Run!" He shouted to the girls as he started fighting the other two men.
"Come on!" Lark said, pulling Dana away by the arm. They ran to the end of the alley.
"But we have to help him!" Dana cried. Lark looked around to see that about five men were now fighting their saviour.
"Stay here!" Lark said, pushing Dana behind some bins. Lark turned around and ran back down the alley.
Batman had beaten two of the men into submission, and they lay groaning on the floor. The other three encircled him. One lashed out, kicking Batman hard in the stomach. Another grabbed Batman from behind while a third picked up a piece of metal piping and began advancing on the Batman. He struggled but he couldn't get free. He closed his eyes expecting to feel the pipe make contact with his body.
He heard a loud thud and a groan. Opening his eyes he saw the man laying on the ground, unconscious, with Lark standing over him hold a brick. He smiled at her and threw the man holding him over his shoulder. The man got up immediately only to find Lark's foot come into contact with his stomach. He groaned and fell to the ground. Meanwhile Batman made short work of the other man. The entire drug gang lay on the ground, either out for the count or too weak and battered to get up.
Dana rushed over to them. "Thank you!" She said to Batman.
"Any time." He said to her, his eyes lingering on her for a moment. He turned to Lark. "And thank you." He said.
"Any time." She replied. Batman's gaze returned to Dana for a moment.
"Don't walk in these side alleys, they're full of freaks like these." He said.
"We noticed." Dana said. "But I think I'll be safe as long as I'm with Lark, how did you do that?"
"You try growing up with two older step brothers." Lark replied.
"Well, anyway, you did well." Batman said. With that he shot upwards and the two girls watched him go. They walked out onto the well lit side walk and walked in silence to Lark's hostel. They waited until they were inside before speaking.
"Lucky he was there." Lark said eventually.
"Yes." Dana whispered dreamily. "He was gorgeous."
"Are you kidding? He could be some ugly mug with three eyes and a snake nose!" Lark joked. "How can you say he is gorgeous if you haven't seen his face?"
"He had a sexy voice." Dana replied. "And he looked at me!"
"Yeah, I noticed that too." Lark admitted. "I wonder who he really is."
"Whoever he is, he can rescue me any day." Dana said.
"What about Terry?" Lark asked. Dana went quiet. "Did you guys have a row?"
"Yes, the worst ever!" Dana said finally, allowing tears to run down her face again. "He promised that he would meet me tonight. He was over an hour late. I don't want to be treated like dirt anymore, so I finished it. He even forgot our anniversary!"
"I'm so sorry." Lark said. "But you've probably done the right thing."
"Really? I'm not so sure." Dana said, accepting the tissue that Lark held out for her to blow her nose.
"Yeah. Us girls have to govern some respect. It sounds to me like he was taking you for granted. Cancelling dates and not giving reasons just isn't good enough. And don't go back to him. Let him crawl to you, but don't take him back. He doesn't deserve you, not until he can treat you like a queen." Lark said. "You're better off without Terry."
"Terry who? Compared to Batman, Terry is nothing. Yesterday's news. Do you think Batman would go out with me? If I asked him?" Dana asked, brightening.
"I don't know, maybe you should wear green tights and change your name to Robin before making a move."
"It's an idea!" Dana said. "I don't suppose you have a black mask?"
"Aww geez, I just threw that out the other day!" Joked Lark. "But unfortunately I must admit that I have the green tights!"
"You're joking!" Dana scoffed.
"Nope. I wore them in a school dance show last year. I was leaf number three!" Lark laughed at the memory. "I got to fall in love with the stick!"
Dana rolled around the floor laughing. "What show was this?"
"A Woodland Tale! With a twist!" Lark giggled. "On the last night the staging fell right over and we had to carry on dancing whilst you could see everyone getting changed backstage. I don't think I'll ever laugh as much again!"
"I'd better go." Dana replied, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "You should audition for the next school play, we're doing a production of Dracula The Musical."
"I'm not really into acting and singing." Lark said. "But I can dance."
"Well all the main parts have been cast, but the dancers haven't been auditioned yet." Dana said. "It would be really cool if you got a part too. I'm in it, playing Dracula's girlfriend."
"Sounds like fun." Lark opened the door and showed Dana out. "Are you going to be OK walking home alone?" She asked.
"Yeah, I actually hope those guys are still around, I wanna see Batman again and give him my number!" Dana ran off down the street, looking back at Lark who waved until she was out of sight.
Dana let herself in to her house and crept up to bed. The phone by her bed was bleeping with twenty-seven messages. All of them from Terry. Dana paused for a moment, listening to Terry's voice speak to her several times.
"Stop it Dana!" She said to herself, hitting erase. She climbed into bed and the phone rang.
"Hello?" She said.
"Dana. Please I have to talk to you." Terry pleaded.
"Sorry Terry. I'm tired now. Perhaps we can talk in the morning." She said, hanging up the phone. Then she picked it up and left it off the hook so Terry couldn't call back. Dana fell asleep quickly, dreaming of Terry crawling to her on bended knee, begging for forgiveness.
