Lark jumped off of the train and walked the two blocks to Wilson and Sons
Solicitors. She had managed to cut school slightly early, complaining of a
stomachache that she needed to go home to get special pills for. Now she
sat in the waiting room, feeling decidedly uncomfortable in a smart black
suit with a white shirt and posh shoes.
"Miss Robertson?" A tall, young man emerged from one office. Lark nodded and stood up, shaking his hand. "Please step into my office. My name is Mr Wilson."
"Junior I presume." She said, noting his youthful looks and good bone structure. He brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and offered her a seat.
"Junior junior." He smiled. "I am the grandson of the original Mr Wilson."
"Keep things in the family, don't you?"
"Yes, well." He smiled and opened a computer file. "This is rather complicated so I'll try to explain it simply. When your father died almost nine years ago his money was placed in a trust for you to access when you are eighteen, no problems there. After this however his mother, your grandmother Alicia Robertson, changed her will, leaving something special to you rather than her son.
When she died you were still not old enough to receive this something. So it was placed in the care of your stepmother until you reached the age of sixteen, when your grandmother stated that you could receive this. However complications with your stepmother's will meant that this 'something' was over looked.
We have located it and have checked all the paper work. Everything seems in order so all you have to do is sign to say that you have received it and you can go."
Lark sat silently for a while. "So my father was meant to give this to me, but he died so my grandmother took control, but she died, so my stepmother tooki it?"
"In a nutshell, yes." Mr Wilson smiled. "I have never run into something so complicated in my life."
"So what is this 'something?'" Lark asked. "Money, shares, a prized possession?"
"I am not sure. It's a box with a letter attached if that helps. We are not permitted to read the letter or open the box so at the moment I know as much as you do. If you can just sign this paper work I'll retrieve the box for you."
Mr Wilson handed Lark a form which she filled in whilst he left the room. As she signed at the bottom he returned with a box, about for times the size of a shoebox, with a letter attached.
"Here you go." He handed her the box. "Everything seems to be in order with the paperwork so you can go."
He stood up and shook hands with her, smiling. She left quickly and ran the two blocks to catch the train. Once on the train she didn't want to open the package, not in public anyway. It took up an entire seat on the train, much to the annoyance of some of the other passengers.
It was getting dark by the time her train pulled up at Gotham station. A summer storm was brewing and Lark could feel the warm breeze had a fiercer strength than usual. She hurried to run home, but opted for the main streets rather than the short cut through the dark alleyways. Because it took her longer she was still out in the open when it began to rain.
The rain beat down on her, soaking her through in seconds. Huddler over her package to keep it dry she sprinted the last block and stooped under the porch, fumbling for her keys. She let herself in quickly and realised that everyone was already in bed, everyone being the two old ladies.
She climbed the stairs unaware of the trail of water that she left behind her. She went into her room and dumped the package on the bed. She walked through to the bathroom and began running a hot bath. She changed out of her wet clothes in to a warm dressing gown and ran her fingers through her wet hair. She turned off the taps and was just about to step in to the bath when she heard a noise in her room.
"Hello?" She put her head round the Ensuite bathroom door and looked into the room, but no one was there. Frowning slightly she returned to the bathroom, but was sure that she could hear someone moving in her room. Putting this down to tiredness she picked up a bottle of talcum powder and walked out to her bed. She bent down next to her bed and pulled out a towel from under it.
Quick as a flash she whirled around and squeezed the talcum powder containing, shooting a puff of it into the air, settling on her intruder's face.
"Most people knock." She said angrily when she realised who it was. Batman coughed. The talcum powder had stuck to him, making him partially visible. He pressed a button on his belt and returned to full view.
"Good trick." He replied.
She wrapped her dressing gown tightly around her. "So what are you doing in my bedroom? Are you some kind of strange pervert when you're not saving Gotham?"
"No." He replied. "But I heard some gossip on the grapevine and I wanted to get to the bottom of it."
"Look if you want gossip you should talk to Dana, the other girl you saved the other day, she's better with socialising than I am." Lark replied.
"I've already found out the word on the street." Batman said. "I just need your assistance. I have a feeling you have something of interest to me."
She backed off slightly, wrapping her dressing gown tightly around her again. "If you even try it I'll scream and people will come."
"Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you." Batman backed away from her to give her some space. "I heard about the threat from Dracula's Nemesis."
"Oh that." Lark sat down on her bed in relief. "So I take it from your involvement that you don't think it's a hollow threat either?"
"Better safe than sorry." Batman answered. "Anyway, I heard about the note, but no one had seen it since. Someone removed it from the school grounds. I was hoping you could help me here."
"Why me?" Lark asked.
"Come on Lark. From what I saw the other day, you have more common sense than most people your age, and a cool head in a crisis. Don't tell me you didn't find that note a little bit suspicious."
"You seem to just about have the measure of me." Lark replied.
"Then you do have the knife and note?" Batman asked.
"Is that what you were looking for?" She asked. Batman nodded. Lark sighed and opened one of her drawers. She pulled out all the clothes. "You could have just asked you know, I would have helped you."
"I couldn't be sure I could trust you. How do I know that you weren't something to do with it, you were in the room at the time after all."
"And how do I know that you aren't Dracula's Nemesis just trying to cover your tracks?" Lark asked in return.
"I guess we will just have to trust each other for now." Batman replied. Lark had removed all of her clothes from the drawer and was running her fingers around the edges. There was a small click and Lark removed the bottom of the drawer to reveal a secret compartment. "Clever." Batman murmured.
"Here." Lark pulled out the still wrapped up knife and the note. "I didn't touch the knife in case you wanted to check for finger prints."
"Thank you." Batman accepted the evidence. "I'll be going."
"Wait!" Lark called as he made to open the window. "If you find out anything, anything at all. Just let me know OK?"
"Why would I do that?" Batman asked.
"So that I can be on guard at rehearsals, unless you are going to supervise them all?" She asked.
Batman considered for a moment before answering. "I'll be in touch." He climbed through the window and disappeared into the night. Lark watched him go before closing the window. Turning around she spotted the package still on her bed. Intrigued she pulled off the wet paper and viewed the box with caution. She opened the letter and red. It was from her grandmother. As she read on her jaw dropped. She sat on the bed in shock before turning to the box. She opened a corner of it and pulled out the contents. Thinking quickly she stuffed it, along with the letter, into the false compartment in her chest of drawers and closed it up. She replaced all her clothes slowly and returned to the bathroom.
She let the warm water wash over her cold body, slipping into a relaxed state. She let the water run through her hands as she thought about the items in her chest of drawers. She would have to think a lot before she got the courage to use them and to act on what her grandmother suggested in the letter.
"Miss Robertson?" A tall, young man emerged from one office. Lark nodded and stood up, shaking his hand. "Please step into my office. My name is Mr Wilson."
"Junior I presume." She said, noting his youthful looks and good bone structure. He brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and offered her a seat.
"Junior junior." He smiled. "I am the grandson of the original Mr Wilson."
"Keep things in the family, don't you?"
"Yes, well." He smiled and opened a computer file. "This is rather complicated so I'll try to explain it simply. When your father died almost nine years ago his money was placed in a trust for you to access when you are eighteen, no problems there. After this however his mother, your grandmother Alicia Robertson, changed her will, leaving something special to you rather than her son.
When she died you were still not old enough to receive this something. So it was placed in the care of your stepmother until you reached the age of sixteen, when your grandmother stated that you could receive this. However complications with your stepmother's will meant that this 'something' was over looked.
We have located it and have checked all the paper work. Everything seems in order so all you have to do is sign to say that you have received it and you can go."
Lark sat silently for a while. "So my father was meant to give this to me, but he died so my grandmother took control, but she died, so my stepmother tooki it?"
"In a nutshell, yes." Mr Wilson smiled. "I have never run into something so complicated in my life."
"So what is this 'something?'" Lark asked. "Money, shares, a prized possession?"
"I am not sure. It's a box with a letter attached if that helps. We are not permitted to read the letter or open the box so at the moment I know as much as you do. If you can just sign this paper work I'll retrieve the box for you."
Mr Wilson handed Lark a form which she filled in whilst he left the room. As she signed at the bottom he returned with a box, about for times the size of a shoebox, with a letter attached.
"Here you go." He handed her the box. "Everything seems to be in order with the paperwork so you can go."
He stood up and shook hands with her, smiling. She left quickly and ran the two blocks to catch the train. Once on the train she didn't want to open the package, not in public anyway. It took up an entire seat on the train, much to the annoyance of some of the other passengers.
It was getting dark by the time her train pulled up at Gotham station. A summer storm was brewing and Lark could feel the warm breeze had a fiercer strength than usual. She hurried to run home, but opted for the main streets rather than the short cut through the dark alleyways. Because it took her longer she was still out in the open when it began to rain.
The rain beat down on her, soaking her through in seconds. Huddler over her package to keep it dry she sprinted the last block and stooped under the porch, fumbling for her keys. She let herself in quickly and realised that everyone was already in bed, everyone being the two old ladies.
She climbed the stairs unaware of the trail of water that she left behind her. She went into her room and dumped the package on the bed. She walked through to the bathroom and began running a hot bath. She changed out of her wet clothes in to a warm dressing gown and ran her fingers through her wet hair. She turned off the taps and was just about to step in to the bath when she heard a noise in her room.
"Hello?" She put her head round the Ensuite bathroom door and looked into the room, but no one was there. Frowning slightly she returned to the bathroom, but was sure that she could hear someone moving in her room. Putting this down to tiredness she picked up a bottle of talcum powder and walked out to her bed. She bent down next to her bed and pulled out a towel from under it.
Quick as a flash she whirled around and squeezed the talcum powder containing, shooting a puff of it into the air, settling on her intruder's face.
"Most people knock." She said angrily when she realised who it was. Batman coughed. The talcum powder had stuck to him, making him partially visible. He pressed a button on his belt and returned to full view.
"Good trick." He replied.
She wrapped her dressing gown tightly around her. "So what are you doing in my bedroom? Are you some kind of strange pervert when you're not saving Gotham?"
"No." He replied. "But I heard some gossip on the grapevine and I wanted to get to the bottom of it."
"Look if you want gossip you should talk to Dana, the other girl you saved the other day, she's better with socialising than I am." Lark replied.
"I've already found out the word on the street." Batman said. "I just need your assistance. I have a feeling you have something of interest to me."
She backed off slightly, wrapping her dressing gown tightly around her again. "If you even try it I'll scream and people will come."
"Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you." Batman backed away from her to give her some space. "I heard about the threat from Dracula's Nemesis."
"Oh that." Lark sat down on her bed in relief. "So I take it from your involvement that you don't think it's a hollow threat either?"
"Better safe than sorry." Batman answered. "Anyway, I heard about the note, but no one had seen it since. Someone removed it from the school grounds. I was hoping you could help me here."
"Why me?" Lark asked.
"Come on Lark. From what I saw the other day, you have more common sense than most people your age, and a cool head in a crisis. Don't tell me you didn't find that note a little bit suspicious."
"You seem to just about have the measure of me." Lark replied.
"Then you do have the knife and note?" Batman asked.
"Is that what you were looking for?" She asked. Batman nodded. Lark sighed and opened one of her drawers. She pulled out all the clothes. "You could have just asked you know, I would have helped you."
"I couldn't be sure I could trust you. How do I know that you weren't something to do with it, you were in the room at the time after all."
"And how do I know that you aren't Dracula's Nemesis just trying to cover your tracks?" Lark asked in return.
"I guess we will just have to trust each other for now." Batman replied. Lark had removed all of her clothes from the drawer and was running her fingers around the edges. There was a small click and Lark removed the bottom of the drawer to reveal a secret compartment. "Clever." Batman murmured.
"Here." Lark pulled out the still wrapped up knife and the note. "I didn't touch the knife in case you wanted to check for finger prints."
"Thank you." Batman accepted the evidence. "I'll be going."
"Wait!" Lark called as he made to open the window. "If you find out anything, anything at all. Just let me know OK?"
"Why would I do that?" Batman asked.
"So that I can be on guard at rehearsals, unless you are going to supervise them all?" She asked.
Batman considered for a moment before answering. "I'll be in touch." He climbed through the window and disappeared into the night. Lark watched him go before closing the window. Turning around she spotted the package still on her bed. Intrigued she pulled off the wet paper and viewed the box with caution. She opened the letter and red. It was from her grandmother. As she read on her jaw dropped. She sat on the bed in shock before turning to the box. She opened a corner of it and pulled out the contents. Thinking quickly she stuffed it, along with the letter, into the false compartment in her chest of drawers and closed it up. She replaced all her clothes slowly and returned to the bathroom.
She let the warm water wash over her cold body, slipping into a relaxed state. She let the water run through her hands as she thought about the items in her chest of drawers. She would have to think a lot before she got the courage to use them and to act on what her grandmother suggested in the letter.
