I fell sleepy on my bed. I started to feel the need to sleep more than a few hours. I sighted and closed my eyes for a moment when Lore meowed and put her paw on my cheek.
"I neglected my child. What a bad mother I am" I said and got up from the sweet, comfortable bed. Lore followed me through the dark corridor.
==== Flashback ====
"Mom, I'm scared" I said to her. I was in the bat cave, with all the lights switched off. My mother was training me, or as she liked to call it, playing "Hide and Seek". I was afraid of the dark from when my psychotic teacher kidnapped me and held me blindfolded, screaming at me and hitting me from time to time because I was crying. And the bats screams made my fear accentuated.
"Use your powers, Leona"
"But I don't know how. I want to get out!" i cried, with tears in my eyes. I felt like someone was approaching me, trying to grab me.
"Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure... You are not scared of what you know, but of what you don't know..." I heard her voice echo through the cave. I tried to locate from where her voice was coming, but with no luck. I was now in a fetus position crying.
"You are not scared of the dark, but of what's in the dark... But the truth is, in the dark is already what you know" I wiped my tears and looked again around me.
"You know Leona, something amazing happens when we surrender to our instincts. We melt into another world, a realm of power already within us." I closed my eyes and concentrated hard. When I opened my eyes, it was like I was wearing night vision glasses, I could see everything perfect, like it was daylight in the room.
"What you've been through it was the beginning of the end" I saw my mother on the chair in front of the gigantic screen. I walked to her and touched her shoulder. I saw her smile and she turned on the lights, blinding me. I yelled to her to turn them off and so she did.
"It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. Remember this, my dearest child: be afraid of the light more than you are afraid of the dark, because you don't know what light can do to you"
====End of Flashback ===
When the doors opened, I could see the titans were busy. They were searching for Red X... and for me.
"Hello my sleepy friend and four legged-walking furry pet. We bring great news from the house of artifacts" said Starfire and hugged me.
"The human cat brought the Scepter back"
"But why did she do it? There are many people that will pay big cash for it" said Robin with his eyes fixed on the screen that had the map of the city, with several dots on it.
"Maybe it's a fake" said Beastboy who was almost asleep on the couch.
"It's not fake, the jeweler that was brought by Richard Grey said it was the original" said Cyborg searching information about Catwoman.
"Did we wake you up, friend Leona?" Starfire asked me, feeling sorry if they did so.
"No. Lore was hungry" my stomach growled.
"And now I am too"
"Soy milk for the kitty and tofu for the lady?" asked Beastboy dressed in a waiter outfit, next to a table that had what he said early on it.
"I think we will pass" I said looking at the others for help.
"Who in the world, except you, will eat that? Tuna for the cat and quatro stagionni for the lady" said Cyborg pushing away the table and then pushing me and Lore to the kitchen.
"I'm sorry Beastboy, I'm more of a carnivore myself, let alone Lore" she meowed at the statement. I looked on the table and stopped.
"What in the world is that?" I was looking at an enormous pink worm. It was eating something purple that looked like jelly. When it saw me, it smiled and started making what seems like a happy noise.
"Awwwwwww, he's cute" Lore approached it, curious of what stood before her. She put a paw on it carefully then looked at me meowing. The worm looked confused at Lore, smelled it then opened its mouth wide to eat her. I gasped and Lore smacked it with her paws. She jumped in my arms, growling at the worm.
"The fuck is that thing? It tried to eat Lore!" I yelled panicked, holding Lore closer to my chest who was now hissing at it.
"This is Silky, Star's pet" said Cyborg.
"Friend Leona, Silky is not a threat to the Lore. Silky is innocent" I took a seat at the table in the kitchen and put Lore beside me. She hissed at it and started meowing, looking at me a little angry that I let her down.
"As long as that thing stays away from Lore, I'm ok with it, Starfire" I said when I saw her hugging that thing, like it was a baby.
"So, what's with this Catwoman" I asked taking a bite from a slice of pizza.
"I contacted the police of Gotham City to see if I can find anything about this new Catwoman. They said they will email it to me" right then, Cyborg's arm beeped and it started giving away papers full of pictures and information. Robin took a part and started reading. Beastboy was presenting me "Why you should eat tofu", a book that he wrote, but didn't sell a copy of it because nobody bought it.
"...And that's why you should eat tofu" he finished after 15 minutes. Nobody was paying attention to him, except Starfire and Silky who had a confused look on their faces.
"Yo, check this out, the actual Catwoman was spotted first time 31 years ago, when most of the jewelry shops were robbed. In 1993, she disappeared without a trace with a big black diamond" I stopped from eating and looked at Cyborg.
"And in 2008, after 15 years of silence, the black diamond appeared at the doors of the police station just when the police started getting calls that a woman and a girl were spotted jumping from building to building. They were described to have feline like moves" continued Robin.
"Maybe she had a comeback" said Raven and with her power took from the fridge a bottle of water.
"You are close. In 2009, two Catwomen started being seen on the cameras of the museums, jewelry shops... They were stealing the most protected things it ever existed in Gotham. One month later, the objects were standing in front of the police department, in a bag. Nobody saw who or what put them there, and no prints were found on the bag. Then, in 2012 remained only a Catwoman who fought the bad guys and good guys"
"Maybe that's her hot daughter" said Beastboy.
"Or maybe she was an apprentice. But why steal the diamond then put it back after 15 years?" said Robin reading about the past Catwoman.
"She was making her entrance" said Cyborg
"And demonstrate what? There must be more to her arrival... Why is she here? And what is her relationship with X?" wondered Robin, looking at the papers in his hand. I looked how Silky got close to Lore and wanted to eat her tuna. Lore just grabbed the little plate with her paw and moved it, while putting a foot on Silky's head to keep him away from her meal. I smiled and looked at the screen. There was a white dot only at the museum, that dot was supposed to be me, while several red dots were everywhere in town which must have been where X was spotted. Banks, jewelry shops, art galleries, and what the only research lab that was in this city.
"And what's more important, is she one of us?" asked Raven.
'The real question is who am I?' I put down the pizza and sighted.
====Flashback ====
"Mom, where are we going?"I asked my mother, looking at the unfamiliar road. We stopped in the middle of the city, next to a lovely house with a garden full of roses, between the skyscrapers.
"To an old friend" she said and we got out of the car. She knocked at the door and an old lady with white hair opened the door for us. An old lady with white hair and clear blue eyes was standing before us.
"Ophelia" said my mother and hugged the old lady.
"Patience, it's so nice to see you" she said and looked at me.
"And who is this?"
"This is Leona, my daughter"
"She's so beautiful, just like her mother" she said and hugged me as well.
"How are you Ophelia?" We took a seat on the couch in the living room. My first statement: she loved cats. She had at least 15 cats. I looked at them and heard a meow and one jumped in my arms. It was Midnight.
"Hello Midnight" I said and petted the cat. Ophelia and mom looked at me confused.
"You told her about the Mau cat?"
"No. Sweetie, from where do you know this cat?" asked my mother, curious. I gulped and told her what happened when we were at Grey's charity party, a few months ago. She looked shocked then hugged me. Then, she told me what happened to her, happened to me as well.
===== End of Flashback ====
"I'm heading to bed. See you in the morning guys" I said and waved at them. Lore followed me and meowed when the doors closed behind us.
'Does that mean I'm a superhero?' I asked my mother. Ophelia laughed and gave me a book full of old newspapers and photos.
I walked through the dark corridors straight to my room.
'It depends...'said Ophelia.
'Depends on what?' I asked her and looked at the photos. Women, dressed as cats were on the front pages of many newspapers. Some of them were saying „Unknown mysterious costumed girl saving the day" and others „Catwoman and the disappearance of the Sierra Leone diamond".
I entered my room and switched off the lights. Now the room was lighted only by the city lights.
„Catwomen are not contained by the rules of society" said my mother, looking at the photos, the ones I assume she already knew.
I took out the black box from the wardrobe and touched the leather, which left a cold sensation on the tip of my fingers.
„You follow your own desires" said Ophelia, when Midnight put her paw on my chest, nuzzling at my throat.
I closed the box and put it back to its place, then headed to the windows, just staring at the city lights.
„This is both a blessing and a curse" she continued. My mother rose up and took her bag with her. I heard some unzipping and zipping, then I stood shocked in the armchair.
Not taking my eyes of the city lights, I felt Red X's presence next to me.
„You will often be alone and misunderstood, but you will experience a freedom other women will never know. You are a Catwoman..." I looked at my mother, who was dressed in a black leather suit, high heels, and a whip attached at a tight black belt around her waist.
I turned my head to look at him.
"You came back. And I thought I will have a peaceful night"
Every sight...
"Sorry to break your plans. I guess it's hard for me to stay away from such a beauty" I heard the mechanized voice say to me. Then I did something unexpected, I hugged him. I felt his muscles tense.
"Are you ok kitty cat?" I said nothing.
Every smell...
I felt his One million perfume lingering on his body. His body started relaxing and he snaked his arms around my waist.
Every sound... incredibly heightened...
Fierce independence, total confidence, inhuman reflexes...
His heartbeat was accelerated, beating like crazy. He was startled a little when the alarm in the Tower went off. And I heard my communicator.
"Leona, the bank is robbed. We think its Red X. We'll be back as soon as we can" said Robin and closed.
"Stupid bird boy, how can I be there when I'm standing here, in their house?" He chuckled which made his body vibrate.
"How do you feel?"
"About what"
"About what you do" I said and looked at his mask, where his eyes should be.
"It has his good and bad parts."
"Why are you doing this?"
"I fight for what I believe in, for what I desire. I like stealing and I do it as a hobby and sometimes for money" he looked at the city, making me follow his gaze.
"Do you sometimes feel you picked the wrong side? If i was in your shoes, I wouldn't know what side to choose"
"Then don't. I didn't choose"
"How can you not pick? In society there are..." I was interrupted by him.
"Society cages the true you. It tells you what to wear, what to eat, what to say, what to learn, which telephone to buy... And that's the thing with me picking. Even the titans ask themselves, is he a bad guy or a good guy?" I let go of him and took a seat on the floor gazing at the city, remembering how Robin asked himself moments ago if Catwoman was on their side. Lore meowed and stood beside me, purring, as if she could read my mind.
"That's the thing sunshine, for some people, not everything is bad or good, right or wrong, black and white. There are shades of grey... There I stand" he made a gesture as he was shooting something.
"I gotta go gorgeous. With all the fuss about the bank being robbed, I might as well go for a shopping session. And if you're good, I'll „buy" you a nice present. See you next time"
"Wait, one more question" he stopped from pushing the teleportation button and looked at me.
"How's that working for you? You know, being grey"
"For me it's great. You should try it."
"But how?" he laughed a little.
"Second question." He said raising two fingers.
"You need to find the moments when you feel free... I already found two" he responded and disappeared from my sight.
„You spent a lifetime caged, but accepting who you are... all of who you are, you can be free, and freedom is power." Finished my mother and put on my face a mask identical with the one the last Catwoman wore... what she wore.