Lark stood in her dressing room looking at herself in the mirror. The show as due to start in less than half an hour. She stood in her own, private dressing room dressed in her costume. She was wearing the black leotard and dance shoes that she would have been wearing for her original part as the Night Queen. But an exact copy of Dana's costume hung on a rail behind her. Once Lark had completed her opening dance her understudy would take over as her part and Lark would rush back into her changing room to slip into the costume that she still regarded as Dana's. Then Lark would step out on stage as Dracula's love interest. She was glad that at least she wouldn't have to sing, a recording had been made that she would lip sync to.

"Twenty minutes!" One of the back stage runners poked his head around the door. "And you have guests."

Max and Terry stepped into the small room and smiled. "We got you these for good luck." Max said, handing Lark a bunch of flowers. "How are you?"

"Nervous." Lark replied. "Did you see Dana?"

"Yes, she's happy about you taking her part." Terry said. "She wants you to be careful though."

"So do we." Max added. "You look great."

"I don't know whether I want to laugh or cry." Lark said. "I'm doing an amazing part, but in the back of my mind I have this nagging feeling that something isn't right."

"I know what you mean." Terry said. "And don't worry, if the slightest thing goes wrong remember our signal, and I will be there." Max looked slightly confused at this. "I've got the suit in my backpack, as always, and Batman is ready to fly."

"Terry!" Max gasped.

"It's alright Max. Lark knows about me being the Bat." Terry said. "She worked it out just like you did, with a bit of help."

"You know too?" Lark asked. Max nodded.

"Lark!" Miss McCracken barged into the room. "We have to get you round to the back of the hall for your entrance." She left.

"Good luck!" Terry and Max said, hugging Lark. Max left but Terry turned around.

"I don't know what Bruce said the other night, but I'm sure it wasn't what you wanted to hear." Terry said.

"It's alright. I didn't expect him to welcome me with open arms, but it would have been nice." Lark said.

"By the way, he's in the audience." Terry added, leaving Lark to ponder this thought.

"Come on Lark!" Miss McCracken said. "The band is warming up."

Lark made her way round to the front entrance to the school. Everywhere was deserted. She practically ran to the entrance to the hall where a stagehand was waiting. "Good Luck!" He whispered, opening the door as the music started.

Lark briefly felt her heart do a quick leap in her chest before she began her opening dance. She was careful, checking that there was no danger before she put a foot down. The audience gasped as she made her way forward nimbly. She landed on the stage and they applauded loudly as other dancers came onto the stage and they began the show. Lark had never put so much energy into a dance before. The music washed over her, possessing her body. At the end of the dance she smiled and looked out at the cheering audience. She couldn't see Terry, Max or Bruce anywhere.

As the lights faded she rushed backstage and into her dressing room. Her wardrobe assistant and makeup artist, both students from the school, were waiting for her. They helped her to get changed and as the makeup artist applied her makeup and fixed Lark's hair, the wardrobe stylist was making the final adjustments to her costume. She was ready in fifteen minutes. She made her way into the wings at the side of the stage, about two minutes early for her entrance.

In what seemed like seconds she walked onto the stage. "Hello my sweet." She said saucily to the guy playing Dracula. She heard several wolf whistles from the audience as she faultlessly acted the scene. She was so absorbed in what she as doing that she forgot that she could be in any danger. When it came to her song she was nervous. What if something went wrong with the music system? But nothing did, and she found herself lip- syncing the song perfectly, no one even seemed to notice that she was miming.

In what seemed like two minutes, but was actually half an hour, the first act ended. Lark smiled to herself as she sat down in her dressing room and sipped some water, allowing her stylists to touch up her hair and makeup and check that her costume was fitting properly. After five minutes she was left alone. A knock came at her door.

"Come in." She said. She looked in the mirror to see the reflection of her guest. She stood up quickly and turned round when she saw that Bruce was standing there. "Mr Wayne!" She gasped.

"I just came out to congratulate you." Bruce said. Lark's heart missed a beat, Bruce Wayne was congratulating her about something! This was more like it! "Terry and I had a disagreement last night after you left." He continued. "I hope that you are satisfied, having put our professional relationship under strain."

"I'm sorry?" Lark said. "I don't understand you."

"It would appear that Terry likes you more than he lets on." Bruce said. "And when I told you the truth about how I feel last night, he decided that I was in the wrong. He left, but not before berating me about what a terrible grandfather I am."

"I had no idea." Lark said.

"I'm sure you did. I have a feeling that you are brighter than you let on." Bruce said. "Let me tell you this, if you come in between Terry and I Gotham City would pay dearly. If Terry doesn't work for me."

"Whoa. Terry loves working for you. I don't know how you can think that he would drop it just for me. He's going out with Dana." Lark said hotly.

A bell rang backstage signalling that the second act was about to start.

"I have to go and finish my performance." Lark said. "But we can finish this conversation later." She crossed to the door as Bruce sat down in her chair.

"Then I will wait here and we shall talk later." He said.

"Fine!" Lark stormed out of her dressing room and made her way to the sides of the stage.

"Here." One of the stagehands helped her to climb into the harness that would enable her to fly across the stage. "We've checked and triple checked this rigging, there's no weakness whatsoever." He assured her.

As the music started Lark was winched upwards and flown out across the stage. The audience clapped as she performed a few mid air acrobatics. But part way through Lark stopped. She could smell something. Something that made her hairs stand on end and send shivers down her spine. She knew that she wasn't mistaken. She could smell smoke!

"Fire!" She called, but no one could hear her above the music. "Fire!" She shouted again. She tried to reach into her pocket to pull out the personal alarm that Terry had given her with instructions to set it off if anything went wrong. But the harness was in the way and she couldn't get to it. "Fire!" She shouted again.

Far below her Terry and Max were watching. "She's amazing." Terry said.

"Do you think she is OK?" Max asked. "She looks a bit scared."

"Probably because this was how Dana had her accident." Terry said. "But I can't see anything that could be going wrong."

As the music died Lark was starting to panic. The audience clapped wildly. Lark filled her lungs with air and screamed "Fire!"

At first only a few people heard her. But it was enough to make them stop clapping and listen. Lark was about to shout again when Billowing black smoke emerged from the stage and red-hot flames began devouring the set. Somehow a fire had been started under the stage, and Lark had been the only one able to smell the smoke because smoke rises, and she had been high above everyone else, where all the smoke was!

The whole audience began to scream and rush for the exit. Lark looked around for a stagehand to let her down, but they had all disappeared. She was stuck high above the flames, and could feel their heat far below her. She was trapped!