It's been three days since she met her brother at the coffee shop.
Thank god it was Friday and the mid-term break was beginning, but it was also the day of Frederick Sionis' behavioural review with his father.
Her music class went well and to reward the students, she gave them a heads up about what would be on their next test.
She headed up to her office to get ready for the meeting.
However, sat right inside her small office was the imposing Roman Sionis and his bashful-looking son, Frederick.
"Miss Fitzgerald, so good of you to join us." Mr Sionis held out his hand for her to shake.
Why did it suddenly feel like she was heading into his office and not the other way around?
"Mr Sionis, thank you for coming in to meet with me." She moved around the room and took her seat.
"The pleasure's all mine. After the letter my son showed me, I didn't think it would be prudent to decline your invitation."
She laughed lightly at that but stopped when she saw the serious look on his face. Evidently, he wasn't joking.
"Yes, well. It's best we deal with these matters face to face rather than through email and phone calls."
"Couldn't agree more, Miss Fitzgerald. Which is why I would appreciate you hurrying this meeting up, so I don't have to waste any more of my time, and money, trying to sort out my son's school record."
Grace was used to shrill parents; it came with the job of teaching the children of the rich and powerful.
Sometimes the children are carbon copies of their parents, others are polar opposites.
A quick glance at Frederick and she saw a carbon copy of his dad. Same arrogance and greater-than-thou attitude. But sometimes she saw him show a different side. His father certainly had no sense of humour in comparison with Frederick. Maybe he got that from his mother.
"Mr Sionis, Frederick is a promising young man, but this was a serious stain on his record. However, Principal Brady believes that we can sweep this incident under the rug, so it doesn't have to go on his permanent record, if Frederick writes a letter of apology for what he did. It should be addressed to Principal Brady and the board. Also, she wants him to submit an extra credit assignment to me on the dangers of smoking."
She saw Frederick deflate in his seat, but his Father sat even more rigidly in response.
"Is that it? Is that the best you can do for my son?"
"You think I should nominate him as valedictorian too?" She raised an eyebrow in challenge.
"Now wait just a minute-" Mr Sionis barked.
"Ah Miss Fitz, I don't think any of us want me on that stage." Frederick laughed.
"Freddie, let me handle this."
"Mr Sionis, your son is old enough to speak for himself. Why don't we ask him if he wants to do this assignment or take his chance with Principal Brady and the board?"
Before his dad could reply, Frederick beat him to it.
"One paragraph on the dangers of smoking coming right up." He spoke quickly.
"We're going to need a four-page essay, I'm afraid." She laughed.
"Double-sided?" He grimaced slightly.
"Always." She smiled.
"Okay, glad that's settled. Dad, let's go before she ends up on your list." He muttered.
"I'm sorry, what list?" She asked, slightly concerned now.
"Don't worry about that Miss Fitzgerald. Freddie likes to joke." He brushed aside her unease. "But this better be the last time I get called away from work or that list might become reality." She could hear the veiled threat in his voice.
Maybe at the start of her teaching career, a conversation like this would have gone his way. But this wasn't her first rodeo. She wouldn't be intimidated by a parent ever again.
"That's not up to me, Mr Sionis. I hope you and Frederick had some time to reflect during his…absence from school." She spoke quietly.
For the first time since the meeting began, he smiled at her.
"You've got a backbone underneath that dress. Too bad you became a teacher, Miss Fitzgerald. I could've used someone like you at the office."
She gave a polite smile in response.
"Well, it's something to reconsider if the government adds one more standardised test to the curriculum."
He gave a singular chuckle and gathered his coat to leave the office.
"Don't mind him, Miss Fitz. He secretly likes it when he doesn't get his way with women." Frederick winked at her before he followed his father out the room.
"That's Miss Fitzgerald to you Frederick." She called out.
She closed the door to her office and pulled up Frederick's file on her computer. She was in the process of updating his permanent record when her phone began to ring.
As soon as she saw the blocked number appear, she declined the call. There was no way she was going to pick up an obvious scam call.
Just then her office phone began to ring. It was a number she didn't recognise but at least she could see it. She answered and put it on speaker.
"Hello, this is Grace Fitzgerald speaking."
When she didn't hear anyone on the other line, she began to grow annoyed. Maybe it was the students prank calling her office again. If she gets asked to deliver a pizza with grapes one more time, she's going to flip out.
"Okay, that's long enough. Goodbye." She moved to end the call when a panicked voice came through.
"G-Grace?" She'd recognise that voice anywhere.
"Patrick? Why are you calling my office phone?"
"You wouldn't answer your cell phone." He gritted out.
"That was you? Why what's up? I have a lot of marking to do."
"I need you to leave Gotham." He spoke quickly.
"Don't be ridiculous. What's gotten into you?"
"You need to get out. Before shit goes down."
"What shit? Why are you whispering?"
"I can't let them hear me."
"Who are you talking about?"
"I can't tell you. Just please, leave Gotham tonight. Go visit Mom and Dad in Ireland. Go to Vermont for all I care."
"Patrick, you're not giving me any answers." A terrible thought crossed her mind. "Are you working for the mob again?"
"No no no I'm-"
"Thank god, you had me worried there for a second."
"Grace, please trust me. Get out of Goth-"
Nothing but a dead dial tone met her ear.
"Hello? Patrick? Are you there?" She tried to redial the number on her phone, but the number was out of service. That's strange.
She was worried for her brother. It wasn't like him to call her out of the blue and beg her to leave her home city.
She hoped he was okay. Going to Blackgate toughened him up in a lot of ways. He hasn't been mugged since he got out, which couldn't be said for most Gothamites.
Last summer, her phone was snatched right out of her hand while she was hailing a taxi. It was a traumatising experience, but taught her to never have her phone out in the Diamond District at night.
She began correcting her senior year's music quizzes. But at the back of her mind, she couldn't get her brother's warning out of her head.
Maybe it wouldn't hurt to check out if there were any deals on flights to Ireland. It was the mid-term break after all.
With that thought in mind, she brought up a search engine and began to browse the travel site.
And yes. There was a flight out of Newark early in the morning that wasn't completely unreasonably priced.
She needed her passport though to book the seat.
It was at home.
At least she was finished with her corrections and now could go have a nice relaxing week away.
She gathered her belongings and changed into her runners.
The school was almost empty, it was just the cleaning staff.
"Was that Roman Sionis I saw leaving your office in a huff?" Gary called after her.
"Yes, apparently I'm on his 'list'." She laughed lightly.
"You be careful, Grace. He's a bad man." Gary warned.
"If I don't come into school after the break, you'll know where to look."
She waved goodbye and made her way out the building.
She felt uneasy walking back to her car. Almost like she was being followed.
But the car park was completely deserted. Maybe she was still on edge after her odd phone call with Patrick.
As quick as she could manage, she got into her car and locked the doors.
Better safe than sorry.
Xxx
Her apartment was situated not too far from Hamilton High School. She parked her car in the underground carpark and made her way to the stairwell.
The landlord wasn't bothered to fix the lift in the building.
At least she was only on the second floor.
But with her breathing becoming laboured as she neared her door, she wondered if she would be better off living on the fifth floor. More cardio in her day wouldn't go amiss.
Maybe she should get back into swimming.
After locking her door and taking off her shoes with a sigh she moved over to the fridge and removed the bottle of wine she'd been saving for the weekend.
She felt on edge tonight for some reason. One glass couldn't hurt.
Pizza was calling her for the second time this week.
She called her local take away and ordered her usual. A medium margarita with a side of garlic bread.
As she replaced the phone on the table, her eyes glanced over to her mantle piece. The last photo her family had taken together before her mom and dad moved to Ireland permanently.
Her father was originally from Connemara, County Galway, and moved to Gotham after meeting her mother on holiday in the US.
They gave their children a happy life in Gotham, but after her father was left the family farm in his mother's will, they both moved over permanently.
She still laughs whenever she imagines her city born mother raising cattle in the Irish countryside.
They had wanted Grace to move over too, but that was just after the mess with the Joker and Patrick being incarcerated in Blackgate. She couldn't leave her brother all alone and pack up and move to another country.
She wondered if she should call them. It was five hours ahead in Ireland so that would mean it would be half 10 at night.
But they had to be up at six to milk the cows, so they were probably already asleep.
She will call them tomorrow.
Or it might be nice to surprise them in person.
With that thought, she grabbed her laptop and passport and booked the holiday and sent a quick email to her principal to let her know she wouldn't be reachable for the week.
Once that was all done, she printed her ticket and began to pack. It was four o'clock and her flight wasn't until half 5 in the morning. She had a tonne of time to pack, eat and get a taxi to the airport.
There was a knock at her door.
That was quick. She gathered her money and enough for a tip when she looked through her peephole and noticed it wasn't the regular pizza boy.
That was strange. He was wearing the company shirt though.
"Hello? Pizza's here." The person called.
"Right, sorry." She opened the door. "Thank you and please keep the change." She took the box and gave him the cash.
As she went to close the door, she was abruptly knocked back by him pushing against it.
She landed with a grumble, and for a split second, she was disappointed when she saw her pizza land face down on the floor.
That was quickly replaced with fear when she noticed the man had dropped the cash and walked with purpose into her apartment.
She tried to yell for help when he pressed his gloved hand over her mouth. She began to bite his hand, but he didn't even flinch in pain.
Even when she kicked him in the shin, he didn't so much as protest.
Was he a Shaolin Monk or something?
He placed fingers against her neck and applied light pressure.
As she tired herself out with her kicks and quick breathing, her vision became blurred, and she felt her body begin to give up.
He must have felt it too, he set her head back on the ground as her eyes began to close.
Just before she blacked out, she heard him talking to someone.
"I have her."