By: Galadeidre
A/N: Just a disclaimer…I don't own the characters you know…but Robynn and a few others that'll come into play, I do! R&R, please!
My name is Robynn. I was only three years old when my whole life was shattered right before my eyes…
"Dat, da da da!! I'm Batguwul! I'm the superhewo of the night! Look at me fly!" I laughed as I spread my arms out wide and zoomed around and around the car.
My big brother laughed at me. He was watching me closely as he sat in the car, his legs sprawled out in front and onto the curb, for the car door was opened. He laughed a little bit more before he caught me and started to tickle my sides.
I started to giggle hysterically. "Jake, stop it! Stop it, please! That tickles!" I laughed and squirmed, but it didn't work. I couldn't get away. He was too strong – not that I was trying. I loved having my brother tickle me. He was my big 16-year-old brother and my only true family.
Except for my mommy, who I was named after. I hardly saw my daddy. He was always at work. My mommy was a nurse. My big brother was at school, and he had a part-time job, and he had hockey and basketball practice, and he had a girlfriend named Angela Nette.
But even with all that stuff, he never got tired with me. He'd always bring me to practices and let me shoot hoops. Angela also helped me skate in the ice rink while Jake's team was having a pep talk or break. And when Jake and Angela were on a date, I'd go with mommy to work and either help her with her job or stay at the daycare where most of my friends were.
My daddy…well…he hardly came home and when he did, he never talked about work.
"Jake!!" I screamed and laughed at the same time.
Jake stopped this time and held me up. "You're Batgirl, aren't you? You shouldn't be that ticklish."
"Batguwul can too be ticklish!" I argued.
He gave a sigh and grinned. "Well, I guess so."
I grinned, knowing I'd won that one. "Put me down. I wanna find some flowers." Jake did as I said and I ran off.
"Don't go too far, little birdie!" he called.
Little birdie…that's what he called me as my nickname. I liked it.
After I couldn't find flowers, I sat down behind a tree and peeked around to see what Jake was doing. It was dark, but the moon was big and round and I saw him talking on his phone to most likely Angela.
I turned back around to scan the area. Nobody was there, except my brother and me. Mommy and Daddy were nowhere to be seen also. I wondered where they were. Daddy had told us to stay in the car and he and Mommy had gone somewhere.
I turned to see if Jake was still on the phone and slowly crawled away into the darkness of the trees. 'He won't mind if I go looking for them,' I thought to myself. Since I didn't hear him call me back, I kept on crawling away in my neat, formal dress.
It was very dark and the trees were big and looming, but I didn't mind. Mommy had told me that there was no need to be afraid of the dark. Batman and Batgirl were there, watching in the night. They would come to protect me. I had asked her if they would protect her and Jake, too, and she said yes.
So I believed her.
And I wasn't afraid.
I soon started to skip forward around trees and bushes. I began to hum to myself.
Suddenly, I heard a small noise.
Someone was crying.
I walked around a few more trees before I stood in front of a huge stone with words carved in it. There were many stones like this one in this place. Here, there were no trees. A few hills. And a lot of stones. They were almost all in even rows.
I heard the crying again and looked up. On a hill not too far away was people. I didn't know who. One was moving around, up and down. One was standing like a statue. And the other was standing by a long pole that stuck up from the ground. I quietly crawled to the hill, hiding behind the stones so as not to let them see me. Now, I could hear their voices.
It was Mommy and Daddy.
Mommy was pleading. "John, please. Please! Don't do this, John. It's not going to do you any good. What about the kids?! Oh God, John! Think about the kids!"
Daddy clicked his tongue several times. "Robyn. Robyn. See, if you hadn't been so nosy of what I was doing, our family could still live on. Happy and ignorant of what was to come. I would've kept you safe. You and the children. You were just too dang nosy. And I know you, Robyn. You would have told the authorities. Now, I have to change all my plans and everything that I was doing. Oh well. All for the best I suppose." He looked up past my mommy. "I'm going to get another shovel from the car. Francis. Make sure you watch after my darling while I get the shovels." He turned around, but turned back towards my mommy again. "Oh, sweetie. I wouldn't try to go across if I were you. You know what would happen if you took a step forward." He pointed to the ground. From where I could see at the bottom of the hill, there were small little hills surrounding mommy, like anthills. He blew my mommy a kiss. "Be good, now." He walked down the hill, jumping here and there as he went down, which was kind of funny-looking.
Mommy gave a sob and turned towards the other person there. I could now see that it was my favorite butler, Francis. He was tall and starting to get old. His hair that he had left was a gray-white. He had a small mustache and a small beard. He always loved to play with me when he had the time.
Mommy gave Francis a pleading look. "Francis. Snap out of it. Please. You have to untie me. You've gotta save me. For the children's sake. Oh, please, Francis. Don't let him control you! Think about the good times. Think about Robynn! My little baby Robynn!" She was crying hard now.
The moonlight shone on the hill and I could see his face. He was sad. He tried to speak, but it was as if he was being held back. I heard him say a few words. "Ro…byn…sor..ry…" He slowly turned his head and noticed something from behind me. "J…J…k…"
I turned around.
My big brother was standing right behind me. His eyes were wide and he was looking up onto the hill. His face looked like he had seen a ghost. What did he know that I didn't?
Mommy saw him, too. "Jake. Jake, please. We don't have much time." She had stopped crying for the moment.
Jake didn't seem to be listening much. He was looking at the anthills around Mommy's feet. "Small mines…"
"Jake, forget about that! Listen to me! You have got to listen! Take Robynn and get out of here! Get away as far and as fast as you can! Take care of Robynn for me! Jake, you hear me? Find Robynn and get out of here!"
This time, I decided to make myself known. I stood up out of the shadows, my arms out. "I'm right here, Mommy! What are you doing up there? And why are you tied up?" For I had just noticed, when I stood up, that Mommy was tied to the pole.
All three looked at me and stared, dead silent. I didn't know why.
Then everything that happened next happened quite rapidly – and it all led to the end of my life as I knew it.
"JAKE! ROBYNN! GET AWAY FROM HER!" a voice boomed.
I jumped and turned around.
My daddy was walking to us very fast. He looked angry.
"Jake!" Mommy cried. "Get her out of here! Now! Hurry, Jake!"
"But where are we going, Mommy?" I asked. I still did not know what was happening.
Mommy sobbed and gave me a sad smile. "Sweetie, I might not see you for a long time, okay? I need you and Jake to go far away. Do you understand me? I have to say buh-bye to you right now."
I thought I understood now, being the three-year-old I was. I gave a happy smile. "Okay. But I have to give you a hug bye-bye, Mommy. I might not see you for a loooong time." I started to crawl up the hill.
Jake tried to grab my ankles, but missed. "No, Robynn! You can't go up there!"
"Sweetie, you're brother's right." My mommy's eyes were frantic. She was looking from me to my daddy who was almost at the base of the hill. "I can't give you a hug right now. You've gotta go!"
"But I want to give you a hug," I argued. I was confused. Why didn't Mommy want a hug from me? And why did Daddy look so angry?
"Francis!" my dad ordered. "Don't let her get near her!"
It was as if some invisible person had been holding onto Francis and had finally let go. He started forward, but I knew I would reach my mommy before he reached me.
I was still not yet at the top of the hill and Daddy was already at the base.
My Mommy smiled. A sad smile. And a few tears ran down her cheeks. "I love you, sweetie. Robynn…" She reached her leg out and stepped on one of the anthills. She let go.
It was as if a huge bomb had gone off and Mommy was in the middle of it. She was soon surrounded by fire and I couldn't reach her.
I stopped. I was scared of the fire. There had also been a few more big booming sounds. I knew they were hurting Mommy.
"MOMMY!!!!" I screamed. I started to run as fast as my little legs could carry me.
The next part was a blur.
I stepped on another anthill that had been placed on the edge of the top of the hill before it started sloping down. I didn't notice, but everyone else had.
A split-second later, someone gruffly yelled, "Move!" and I was pushed away hard before I was able to lift my foot off the hill.
A big boom sounded right where I had been standing. It deafened my ears. Then, a huge explosion.
My dress caught on fire. My face had been burned. So had the rest of my skin. I fell onto the ground, but my eyes were shut. Falling hard only added to the burning pain throughout me. I was screaming in pain. I was rolling around on the grass. My dress was still ablaze and I didn't know how to get it out.
Then someone smothered something on me and the fire on my dress was extinguished. But I was still screaming. It hurt. Nobody knew how much pain I was in.
Someone lifted me up swiftly but gently. They were screaming for something. I didn't know what. Then they were running. Running away from the fires.
I felt the cool breeze, and slowly I stopped screaming. That didn't stop me from crying, though. I slowly opened my eyes, for they hurt as well.
I saw the fire on the hill. It was far away now. But I couldn't see anybody there. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed glasses and a small beard on the person carrying me away. Daddy…
Now, I knew what had happened.
My last thought before my world went black was…Mommy…Francis…Jake…