Extra Disclaimer: Dr. Seuss was a wonderful man, and I'm glad he wrote One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Green Eggs and Ham, and The Cat in the Hat, as they not only provided me with many memorable years, but helped my brothers and I learn to read. I couldn't resist using his books to help Cass too.

A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers! I'm glad you're liking the story so far, and your feedback has been really helpful! Please let me know what you think…it helps me to be a better writer.

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Chapter 2:

Old Mentors, Old Enemies

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Tim is a stupid boy.

All my shirts are…pink.

He was…frustrated. He was trying to be nice, but I can tell. I told him to forget it, that I would have Alfred help. Alfred will have to teach me. Or Oracle.

Tim is frustrated a lot. I see it when he walks. His shoulders are…hunched over a little, and he sticks his hands in his pockets. His voice doesn't tell…his body does. He thinks he can hide it from Oracle…Nightwing…even Batman. Maybe. But not from me.

I thank Alfred for breakfast and leave.

Blüdhaven is ugly at night. But during the day, the…sun comes out. Things are more…cheerful.

But things are not good. Drug deals…in broad daylight. They have no one to…fear.

They didn't.

But daylight is not a time for Batgirl. Daylight is time for Cassandra. Batgirl will visit here tonight.

I could go home and…train. Watch TV. Nightwing likes to watch TV with me. I can tell when people are lying on the…court TV. We play a game, and he tries to…guess who is lying before I tell him. It makes him laugh.

Robin doesn't laugh anymore.

People are leaving a building. They have books in their hands. The building is a big building. The library?

Batman said I should work on my reading. So I go in.

There are so…many books. More than I think anyone could read in a lifetime. Even Oracle.

I sit down in one of the…islands? No. Aisles. I get a book from the bottom shelf. Maybe these are…better to start with than Tim's books.

Now I am frustrated. Like Tim. My shoulders are hunched over.

Words are stupid. Movement is easier to understand. Movement is…easy for me to understand. I see what people mean.

"Miss?" The lady behind the counter is standing in front of me. "Are you all right?"

This lady is like Babs. A…librarian. Maybe she can help. Babs tried, but she is Oracle too. Maybe this lady won't make fun.

"I'm…fine," I say.

"You sure? Tolstoy can be a little depressing." She looks at the book in my hands. "Especially Anna Karenina."

"Anna-" I can't even say the…title after her. "I…" I don't say the words loud.

"You don't what?" she says.

"I can't read," I say.

She gets up. She isn't…disgusted with me. Or frustrated. "That was very brave of you to say that."

I look up. Brave…is not saying that I can't read. Brave…brave is fighting in Gotham's gang war. Batman is brave. "Brave?"

"Yes," she says, and she holds out her hand. "It takes a lot of courage to admit when you can't do something yourself. Since you're in the library, I assume you want to learn to read, but if you're going to learn, you're going to have to start with something a little easier than 19th century Russian literature." She takes the book and puts it back on the shelf. "Don't worry. We'll have you reading Anna Karenina and War and Peace in no time. Come with me."

She takes me to the…kid's section. "Here we go. Do you know all your letters?"

I nod. "Good," she says. "What words do you know?"

"Stop," I say. "Peace. Cassandra." And Batman and Batgirl and Robin. But I can't read those. I only know the shapes. It's like…knowing a style of fighting by watching…but not being able to fight.

"Those are good words, Cassandra," she says. "But there is no place to start to learn reading but Dr. Seuss."

"Dr. Seuss?" A doctor like Leslie? Leslie makes…complicated words. I haven't talked to Leslie in a while. She was…mad the last time I saw her.

"Yes," she says, pulling out three books. One is blue, one is orange, and one is yellow. She hands me the yellow one. "Why don't you try to start here?"

I look at the cover. There are fish on it. I look at the words. "O. On. Oney?"

"That's very close, Cassandra!" she says. She is happy for me. "Look for clues in the drawing. That can sometimes be the best way to try."

There is only one fish under those words. And I am a…detective. "One?"

"Very good!" she says. "Go on to the next word."

"F…fie…no. Fi..ssh. Fish? One fish." Reading is hard. But this book has pictures. Tim's books don't have pictures. No…clues.

By time for her to leave, I am on the second page. I have read one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish, black fish, blue fish, old fish, new fish.

I can't sign my name to take the books home. She tells me to come back…tomorrow, and she will help me again. She tells me that if I know…someone with a…library card, I can take books home and read.

Does Tim have a library card?

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I get ready to leave my apartment. My Batgirl costume is clean and not pink.

Someone calls. Batman.

"Batgirl here," I say.

"I have word that Penguin may be getting ready to try a drug shipment from Blüdhaven to Gotham. I don't want it to get here. You and Robin stop that drug shipment tonight. He'll know where it is."

I nod. "Anything else?"

"Don't let Tim go alone." He doesn't need to say why. I see what he means in his body language, and in Tim's. Tim is still…angry. He might do something stupid.

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I meet with Tim on the roof again. "What's up?"

He looks at me. I snuck up on him again. He hates it when I do that. "Nothing much. There's a drug shipment that Fish Eddie is moving for Penguin. I'm going to go stop it."

"I'll go with you," I say…and he shakes his head no.

"I can take care of it. You've got patrol. It's just Fish Eddie's gang. It's not going to be anything big."

"Penguin is…involved. Could be more," I say. "I'll go."

He…tenses. "He told you to come with me, didn't he?"

"Yes."

He's sulking now. "I can take care of it myself. I don't need him telling me what to do in Blüdhaven, and I don't need you to babysit me." He leaps off the roof. Cranky.

He gets about two rooftops ahead, and I follow him. Batman told me not to let Tim go alone. And I won't.

He stops at the dock, and I stop too. He looks behind him, but he doesn't see me. I don't think that he…believes that I'm gone. He wants to do this by himself.

He's gotten…reckless. He jumps in without thinking. His bo flies through enemies, but I see those that he does not. I see one with a gun.

No time for thinking. I jump.

I hear him yell. But I am moving, and nothing can stop me. I hit one, kick another.

Fish Eddie pulls out a gun, shoots at Robin. He ducks and I hear him…hiss in pain.

Sirens. Some of the gang has run. Most are…unconscious.

"That'll be Amy and her squad. Let's get out of here," he says.

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He is tense as I sew up his arm. It wasn't too deep, but it did need stitches. He…glances down at his arm. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," I say, putting the things away. The line is…crooked, but he doesn't care.

He looks out the window…leans one hand against the sill. "I told you not to come after me."

I shrug. "You needed help."

"I could have done it by myself, Batgirl," he says. He's…angry now. "I don't need you or Batman or Nightwing or Oracle looking over my shoulder all the time. I am capable of dealing with this on my own. If you all would just leave me along long enough to do it!"

He's not talking about tonight now. He's talking about…his dad. Stephanie. The other girl.

"Just-just go," he says. He's…quiet now. Ashamed.

He wants me to leave him alone. I understand being alone. I don't know why he likes it. But I leave.

I…suppose asking about a library card will have to wait.

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