"Hi Bruce, me? trouble?" Barbara picked up the phone at her office "No, besides be handling a little genius that love turtles and read Egyptian hieroglyphs in fifth grade." She laughed, "But well… I called you because I found a name, Bitmon Cadmus, millionaire, Greek, eccentric, he owns his own island. He was here a month ago." She raised a paper, "and listen this, he is a fanatic of Italian art."
Did you get he activity files?
"Yes, I'm sending it now, she has a voucher from "Nighters". Known for be a bar from underworld."
I'll check all the vouchers of that night, maybe we will find another interesting name.
The red head smiled. "I did it, I'm sending it now to you."
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After buying coffee at the corner store near her home, Barbara walked back. She hung up her coat and heard Helena making strange noises. She put her bag on a chair and walked toward the room Helena was using. She found her closed inside the big box from the television she had just bought, it was shaking. Helena was moving inside and was making noises with her mouth. She saw curious holes, like windows, and next to the big box, two shoe boxes. The ones that Helena had asked her to keep. She rested her side on the door frame and looked at the girl curiously.
"Are you pretending to be a 'washing machine'?"
The top of the box opened, she had painted buttons inside with her markers and Helena sat inside with… Barbara's $400 Gucci sunglasses and Jaçques behind her.
"I'm traveling to mars" Helena answered.
"Great," Barbara leaned over and took her sunglasses from Helena eyes, "but I'm sure these are not helpful. You need something to protect your eyes, not to blind them."
"Oh, it's because we were attacked and we needed to make a hard turn toward the sun."
"I see… and what's Jaçques doing behind you? Is he scared because you drive crazy?"
"No, he's helping me," Helena turned and showed Barbara a piece of cartoon tube poking through a hole in the box, "He's my gunner."
The redhead smiled and picked up a small shoe box with two strange holes near her; she opened it and blinked, "I'm afraid to ask… what's Leonard doing here?"
"It's Leroy, Leonard is in the other box. They are my escorts." Helena kneeled inside the box.
"Your escorts?"
"Our mission is dangerous."
"Well…" Barbara frowned "I'm wondering…."
"Wondering?"
"If Leroy is sick or if he's really scared, or he hates the mission and is protesting."
"Why?" Helena stretched her arm to take the box from Barbara's hand.
"Because he 'pooped' all over the box."
"Oh no!" the girl looked inside the small box, "It took me an hour to make his space ship."
"Helena, why don't you just leave those poor turtles inside their aquarium?"
"I guess. They don't know behave."
"Well, they're just pet turtles." The redhead picked up the other box, "Throw the boxes in the trash and let's go to watch a movie. I rented a good one."
Barbara was lying on the couch with Helena sprawled over her, resting her head on her lap. The redhead laughed. "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was one of her favorite movies. She picked up some popcorn and put it in her mouth.
"Barbara, he can do amazing jumps," Helena said.
"Yes."
Helena turned her head toward her, "Barbara, who was first? Meta-humans or humans?"
The redhead frowned. "Why?"
"Being a meta is bad? Mom and I are bad?"
"You are not bad, who told you that?"
"Well… I don't know why they would be afraid of us. I'm not afraid of humans. I'm not afraid of you, you are nice." Blue eyes fixed on green "Are we bad?"
"You are not bad."
"Why we can't say we are metas?"
Barbara sighed and brushed her hair, "Well, meta-humans appeared just a few years ago. No one knows why, but you all developed incredible abilities. Abilities that no one can exactly say where they came from. And things that people don't understand usually scare them."
Helena said in low voice "Once in Paris, a man called me freak. I'm not a freak."
"Of course you aren't, you are a headache." Barbara smiled.
"I'm not!" Helena sat.
"Yes, you and your turtles are a headache, a terrible one."
The kid took a pillow and hit her on her head, "I'm not!"
Barbara laughed and held her wrist. "Yes, you are."
They struggled and finally Helena was on top of her, the girl was fast.
"Okay, you win," the redhead said, smiling.
Helena sat on her stomach moved back, looking at her in silence for long seconds.
"What's wrong, Helena?" Barbara asked, curious.
"I like being meta." The girl cocked her head.
"You are a great meta."
"Why do some people call us freaks? Just because we are different?"
Barbara took her hand and squeezed it. "Unfortunately, yes, people can be stupid many times. But don't listen to them, you are a wonderful girl. Now, let's go to make more popcorn."
Helena jumped down and pressed the 'pause' button on the VCR, "When is Mom going to call, Barbara?"
Barbara was silent a few seconds, thinking of what to say, "Uhm... she called me today at the office," she lied.
"Yes?" Helena couldn't avoid a light in her face while she smiled.
"Yes, she told me she loved you so much and that she was sorry because she couldn't call you before." The redhead stood up.
"When she is coming back?" Helena turned to see her.
"She said soon, and that she would try to call you. But she has problems because the place where she is, has communication trouble."
"Oh…"
"But she said she sends you all her love. Now let's make the popcorn."
Helena giggled and ran toward the kitchen.
The questions about metas were always difficult to answer, and more so when they were asked by the little brunette. It was hard for a child like her to understand the paranoia of humanity against meta-humans. Sitting in the living room, she stretched her arms and yawned. What worried her more was Selina's attitude. She put the newspaper to the side, Catwoman had attacked again and stolen a valuable painting from a private house. The police were after her.
How long would she keep ignoring Helena and being a thief? After a sip of coffee, she looked at her watch, it was 11 o'clock. She turned her head and heard noises, Helena was still playing in her room. Not good. Moving a pencil in her fingers, she leaned back on her chair.
"Helena! Time to go to bed!"
"I'm playing!" the girl answered from her room.
"I know, but it's 11 o clock and you will have trouble waking up early."
"Later!"
The redhead rolled her eyes "Later? No 'later's', young lady"
"I can't now," Helena answered from her room.
Barbara put the pencil she had in her hand over the table and stood up. "Helena, I said time to go to bed."
"I'm in the middle of a race!" she heard Helena's voice shouting again.
The redhead walked toward the girl's room and opened the door. Helena was crouched on the floor in her pajamas. She had put a flag of paper at the door frame to the bathroom and two long toilet paper tracks, which were simulating a road. Her turtles were walking around the room and Jaçques sat next to her. The older woman took a deep breath.
"Helena, pick up this mess and get in bed."
"It's the last race, Barbara. Please!"
"What race?"
"Leroy and Leonard are in a race but Jaçques is cheating, he is helping Leonard."
"Sure…"
"Can you be the judge? Jaçques couldn't cheat with you here."
"Judge?"
"Yes, the judge. You say who crosses the line first."
"Get in bed."
"Please! It's the last race!" the brunette pleaded, looking at her with puppy eyes.
"Okay, okay, I'll be the judge." Barbara walked inside and stood up next to the line.
The brunette took the turtles and put them at the starting line. "Okay. Ready…. Set… GO!" she said, pushing them with her fingers. "Come on Leroy! Run, run!"
Barbara frowned, the turtles were unmoving in their place while Helena cheered.
"Helena, why don't you push them?"
"No, that's cheating. They must win on their own."
The redhead moved her eyeglasses to her nose and raised her brow. Finally, after a long minute, one of the turtles moved two steps while the other remained still.
"That's it, Leroy! You can do it!" Helena shouted.
The turtles were motionless another minute. The redhead looked at the track. It was a almost eight feet. It was going to take a long time. She covered her eyes. After five minutes of watching the turtles not moving, she finally spoke, "Helena, the turtles aren't walking."
"Yes! Look! Leroy is winning!" she said while her little pet walked a step more. The small turtles had just moved a few inches.
"How long does a race like this take?" Barbara asked.
"I dunno. Go, Leroy!"
The redhead sighed. After what seemed to be an eternity, Helena turned to drink a glass of water next to her on the floor. The young woman moved her left foot and pushed Leroy a few inches forward. The little brunette turned back again and opened her eyes surprised. "Yayy! Go, Leroy, go!
Barbara looked again at the finish line. "Helena, the turtles are pretty small and lazy, why don't you shorten the race?"
"Because this is the last race, the championship!"
Barbara waited patiently three minutes more; Helena jumped to cheer again and pushed Jaçques with her arm. The stuffed cat lost the equilibrium and fell on the "road" Leonard moved faster when he felt the stuffed cat falling on him. The other turtle, Leroy, ran to the opposite side of the goal line.
"Jaçques, don't cheat!" Helena shouted "He is helping Leonard!"
"What cheating?" Barbara asked. "You threw him."
"No! He cheated, look, now Leonard is winning!" Helena stood up and picked up the small turtles, "Jaçques cheated! We must start all over."
"No way!" Barbara glared at her.
"We must star again…" She put the turtles on the line and glared at the stuffed cat. Don't do it again, Jaçques."
Barbara walked behind Helena and picked her up by her waist. "No way, bedtime."
"A last race, Barbara!"
"No!" The redhead went toward the bed and put her there.
"Jaçques I'll kill you!" the little brunette growled, "Barbara!"
The young woman covered her with the blankets, "You are just trying to delay going to bed."
"Please, just one last race."
"You have school tomorrow and you won't want to wake up." She kneeled and picked up the little turtles and Jaçques. "You were late yesterday and I got a note again." She put the turtles in their aquarium.
"Not my fault. You didn't check to make sure I was totally awake."
"It's never is your fault." Barbara picked up the toilet paper on the floor and put it in the trash. "You were asleep in the bathroom. I thought you were bathing. You left the water running. I've never seen anyone sleep while taking a bath." She handed Jaçques to her, "Take your cat."
"I'm not going to sleep with him anymore," Helena said angrily "Leave him outside."
"Whatever." The redhead turned off the lights, "Good night."
"Cheater!" the brunette yelled when Barbara closed the door.
The redhead smiled and looked the stuffed cat. "Seems as if you pissed her off."
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"How can you tolerate her tantrums?" The redhead moved her coffee "She is cute, but sometimes I want to spank her. Do you know what I mean? You are a very good friend, patient and never protest or complain." Barbara didn't know if waking with a stuffed cat next to her meant that she was turning weak, or that was going crazy talking with Jaçques while she prepared her coffee in the kitchen. She put the stuffed cat on the table.
Without a doubt, Helena, Jaçques and her turtles had made her normal life complicated. She checked her watch. Helena surely had fallen asleep again; taking a deep breath she walked toward Helena's bedroom. After opening the door, she walked inside and opened the curtains; she turned back. The girl was buried under the covers.
"Come on, lazy girl, time to get up," she said. She tried to remove the blankets. Helena hugged them when she felt Barbara moving them.
"Let me sleep…. Five more minutes…" she mumbled.
"I told you to go to sleep early, but you wanted to have your race."
"Three more minutes, please Barbara…" growled the kid.
"No, it's late. Come on, up, up."
"One minute, just one minute…"
"No, no… wake up."
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