Chapter 10
Helena slowly made her way down the hall to the Redmonds' apartment. It was eleven in the morning and she had promised Dinah that she would meet her for lunch. She had spoken to her lawyer earlier that morning and he was arranging a meeting with the judge later in the day. They had worked out their strategy and Helena prayed that it would be enough to convince the judge to transfer custody back to Helena. She couldn't stand leaving Dinah with those people any longer than she had to and this distraction was taking away precious time that they should have used looking for Barbara. Barbara. Helena could only imagine where her mentor was and what was happening to her.
Helena shook her head trying to knock the cobwebs away as she approached the apartment door. She had to stop dwelling on the foreboding darkness surrounding her, but it was hard for her to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Helena knocked on the door and tried to put on her best friendly face. It was hard to do; her face felt like it would crack with the forced half smile. Mr. Redmond opened the door for her and stood shielded behind it. Helena noticed a small scratch just above his right eye and how his bottom lip quivered as he spoke.
"Oh.it's you," he spoke softly.
Helena noticed that Mrs. Redmond was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a look of fear on her face. When she saw Helena, she quietly slipped back into the safety of the kitchen.
:What is up with these people?: Helena wondered as she stared at the now shaking Wayne Redmond.
"Are you one of them, too?" He asked Helena.
"One of them what?" Helena asked him angrily. Something was clearly wrong and Helena realized that Dinah was no where to be seen. "Where's Dinah?"
Wayne glanced nervously down the hallway. "She's in her room," he said as Helena brushed past him. He winced as she past trying to hide himself behind the door.
Helena rushed down the hall and into Dinah's room. She found her hunched in the far corner of the room, still in her sleep pants and tank top, her head resting on her folded arms. She was asleep. As Helena sat down by the girl, she noticed the dried tear stains on her cheeks.
Helena brushed some of the hair away from Dinah's face and immediately the young blonde's eyes shot open as she shied away from Helena.
"Hey, it's just me."
Dinah looked up at Helena, but didn't speak.
Helena looked over to the messed up bed and then back to the girl she had come to see as a sister. "Did you have another nightmare last night?" she asked.
Dinah nodded, tears starting to form in her eyes.
Helena hesitated. By the look on Dinah's face she wasn't sure if she wanted to press the subject any further, but she had to know. "Was it about B-Barbara?" she asked, her voice beginning to quiver.
Dinah didn't answer. She didn't have to; the look on her face was the only answer Helena needed. Dinah turned her face away from Helena, tears streaming down her face.
Helena was crying now too. She felt so helpless; sitting here while all this took place. She wanted to believe that Dinah's dreams were just that, dreams, but she knew that wasn't true. The horrible images Dinah saw at night were real, brought on by the telepathic powers Dinah was just beginning to control. Somewhere, Helena knew, Barbara was in serious pain, having been beat night after night on the Joker's orders. It made Helena sick inside.
Helena reached out to pull the now sobbing Dinah into her embrace, but when her hand touched the girl's shoulder, Dinah flinched with a sharp intake of breath. Helena pulled back, confused. Dinah stopped crying, her face bearing an expression of fear.
"What's wrong?" Helena asked, curiously.
"Nothing." Dinah said weakly.
"No, there's something wrong? What's wrong with your back?" Helena paused and realization set in. "He didn't."
"No it's nothing Helena, really." Dinah said standing up.
"Let me see your back." Helena said through clenched teeth.
"Hel." Dinah began, but Helena cut her off.
"Let me see your back."
Dinah slowly turned around. Helena didn't have to look any farther. She could see the large red whelps, an inch in width, running along Dinah's shoulders and neck. The whelps ran under her tank top where Helena was sure her back was covered in similar wounds.
"I'll kill him," Helena said as she spun towards the door.
Dinah reached out grabbing Helena's arm before she could go out the door. "Helena no! Please don't."
Helena turned back to her, her eyes already in cat-like slits. "NO. I won't let him get away with this. I'll kill the bastard."
"Please Hel, don't. I took care of it. He won't hurt me anymore. Just leave him alone."
Helena looked at the kid, realization setting in. "That cut on his forehead. You did that?"
"Yeah. Helena, you can't hurt him. You touch him and you'll never convince a judge to let me come home. Please, I just want to go home."
Helena took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. Get you stuff."
Dinah was shocked. "What? I can't. Helena, the court order."
Helena put up a hand to silence her. "Just get your stuff. Don't argue."
Dinah nodded and went to pick up her duffel bag. She picked up her jean jacket draped across the desk chair, wincing as she put it on. She followed Helena down the hall and out into the living room. Wayne Redmond was still standing by the door; he hadn't even bothered to close it after Helena came in. Dinah almost laughed by the expression on his face. He looked like he had seen a ghost, his face was ashen and his hands were shaking. He used the door as a shield between him and the two girls.
Dinah walked out into the hall, but Helena stopped in front of Mr. Redmond. She glared at him as she spoke to Dinah. "Go down to the car, kid. I'll be there in a minute."
Dinah looked at Helena. "Helena, no."
Helena turned to look at the kid. "Go down to the car," she said slowly.
Dinah sighed and nodded. She walked down the hallway and got on the elevator. When Helena was sure she was gone, she turned back to Mr. Redmond. "I'd consider yourself lucky, Mr. Redmond. You get to come out of this with just a scuffed up forehead. If it was up to me, you'd be dead." Helena grabbed the man by his shirt and pushed him up against the wall, her eyes morphing. The man let out a low whimper. "You are absolutely pathetic, picking on people smaller than you. Gives you a real power surge, knowing you can beat up kids, doesn't it? Bet you never thought one would actually fight back. Pathetic." She let go of the man and let him slid down to the floor. Helena walked out the door and turned back to face the man. "You stay away from her. You come near her again, I will." she hesitated and then smiled, "turn you over to the police for child abuse." Helena turned and walked down the hall.
Mr. Redmond sat huddled on the floor, rocking back and forth. "What are you freaks?" he whispered, but no one was there to answer him.
Helena slowly made her way down the hall to the Redmonds' apartment. It was eleven in the morning and she had promised Dinah that she would meet her for lunch. She had spoken to her lawyer earlier that morning and he was arranging a meeting with the judge later in the day. They had worked out their strategy and Helena prayed that it would be enough to convince the judge to transfer custody back to Helena. She couldn't stand leaving Dinah with those people any longer than she had to and this distraction was taking away precious time that they should have used looking for Barbara. Barbara. Helena could only imagine where her mentor was and what was happening to her.
Helena shook her head trying to knock the cobwebs away as she approached the apartment door. She had to stop dwelling on the foreboding darkness surrounding her, but it was hard for her to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Helena knocked on the door and tried to put on her best friendly face. It was hard to do; her face felt like it would crack with the forced half smile. Mr. Redmond opened the door for her and stood shielded behind it. Helena noticed a small scratch just above his right eye and how his bottom lip quivered as he spoke.
"Oh.it's you," he spoke softly.
Helena noticed that Mrs. Redmond was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a look of fear on her face. When she saw Helena, she quietly slipped back into the safety of the kitchen.
:What is up with these people?: Helena wondered as she stared at the now shaking Wayne Redmond.
"Are you one of them, too?" He asked Helena.
"One of them what?" Helena asked him angrily. Something was clearly wrong and Helena realized that Dinah was no where to be seen. "Where's Dinah?"
Wayne glanced nervously down the hallway. "She's in her room," he said as Helena brushed past him. He winced as she past trying to hide himself behind the door.
Helena rushed down the hall and into Dinah's room. She found her hunched in the far corner of the room, still in her sleep pants and tank top, her head resting on her folded arms. She was asleep. As Helena sat down by the girl, she noticed the dried tear stains on her cheeks.
Helena brushed some of the hair away from Dinah's face and immediately the young blonde's eyes shot open as she shied away from Helena.
"Hey, it's just me."
Dinah looked up at Helena, but didn't speak.
Helena looked over to the messed up bed and then back to the girl she had come to see as a sister. "Did you have another nightmare last night?" she asked.
Dinah nodded, tears starting to form in her eyes.
Helena hesitated. By the look on Dinah's face she wasn't sure if she wanted to press the subject any further, but she had to know. "Was it about B-Barbara?" she asked, her voice beginning to quiver.
Dinah didn't answer. She didn't have to; the look on her face was the only answer Helena needed. Dinah turned her face away from Helena, tears streaming down her face.
Helena was crying now too. She felt so helpless; sitting here while all this took place. She wanted to believe that Dinah's dreams were just that, dreams, but she knew that wasn't true. The horrible images Dinah saw at night were real, brought on by the telepathic powers Dinah was just beginning to control. Somewhere, Helena knew, Barbara was in serious pain, having been beat night after night on the Joker's orders. It made Helena sick inside.
Helena reached out to pull the now sobbing Dinah into her embrace, but when her hand touched the girl's shoulder, Dinah flinched with a sharp intake of breath. Helena pulled back, confused. Dinah stopped crying, her face bearing an expression of fear.
"What's wrong?" Helena asked, curiously.
"Nothing." Dinah said weakly.
"No, there's something wrong? What's wrong with your back?" Helena paused and realization set in. "He didn't."
"No it's nothing Helena, really." Dinah said standing up.
"Let me see your back." Helena said through clenched teeth.
"Hel." Dinah began, but Helena cut her off.
"Let me see your back."
Dinah slowly turned around. Helena didn't have to look any farther. She could see the large red whelps, an inch in width, running along Dinah's shoulders and neck. The whelps ran under her tank top where Helena was sure her back was covered in similar wounds.
"I'll kill him," Helena said as she spun towards the door.
Dinah reached out grabbing Helena's arm before she could go out the door. "Helena no! Please don't."
Helena turned back to her, her eyes already in cat-like slits. "NO. I won't let him get away with this. I'll kill the bastard."
"Please Hel, don't. I took care of it. He won't hurt me anymore. Just leave him alone."
Helena looked at the kid, realization setting in. "That cut on his forehead. You did that?"
"Yeah. Helena, you can't hurt him. You touch him and you'll never convince a judge to let me come home. Please, I just want to go home."
Helena took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. Get you stuff."
Dinah was shocked. "What? I can't. Helena, the court order."
Helena put up a hand to silence her. "Just get your stuff. Don't argue."
Dinah nodded and went to pick up her duffel bag. She picked up her jean jacket draped across the desk chair, wincing as she put it on. She followed Helena down the hall and out into the living room. Wayne Redmond was still standing by the door; he hadn't even bothered to close it after Helena came in. Dinah almost laughed by the expression on his face. He looked like he had seen a ghost, his face was ashen and his hands were shaking. He used the door as a shield between him and the two girls.
Dinah walked out into the hall, but Helena stopped in front of Mr. Redmond. She glared at him as she spoke to Dinah. "Go down to the car, kid. I'll be there in a minute."
Dinah looked at Helena. "Helena, no."
Helena turned to look at the kid. "Go down to the car," she said slowly.
Dinah sighed and nodded. She walked down the hallway and got on the elevator. When Helena was sure she was gone, she turned back to Mr. Redmond. "I'd consider yourself lucky, Mr. Redmond. You get to come out of this with just a scuffed up forehead. If it was up to me, you'd be dead." Helena grabbed the man by his shirt and pushed him up against the wall, her eyes morphing. The man let out a low whimper. "You are absolutely pathetic, picking on people smaller than you. Gives you a real power surge, knowing you can beat up kids, doesn't it? Bet you never thought one would actually fight back. Pathetic." She let go of the man and let him slid down to the floor. Helena walked out the door and turned back to face the man. "You stay away from her. You come near her again, I will." she hesitated and then smiled, "turn you over to the police for child abuse." Helena turned and walked down the hall.
Mr. Redmond sat huddled on the floor, rocking back and forth. "What are you freaks?" he whispered, but no one was there to answer him.