A distant voice is talking to me, getting closer and closer, "Catwoman. Catwoman. Catwoman! CATWOMAN!"
I awake on the ground with a jolt, "What happened?" I meow, rubbing my eyes.
I open my eyes wider and see Barbara and Perciet standing over me, and for a split second, I swear I see my younger self out of the corner of my right eye, but when I look over there more closely, no one's there.
Barbara looks into my eyes with worry, and as I look at her, I notice small rips have appeared in her clothes that weren't there before, "Are you alright Catwoman?" she asks, with a twinge in her voice that almost sounds like fear.
"I guess." I say, sitting up. "What happened?" I ask again. I notice my claws are flexed and the rips in Barbara's shirt almost look like the shape of my claws.
"You were just standing there with us and then you just collapsed. But then you started thrashing around and shouting for someone named Bruce."
"Did I do that?" I ask, pointing at Barbara's shirt.
Barbara nods, "But I'm alright, I was far enough away that you only cut my shirt." She assures me.
I rub my eyes and stand up, "How long was I out?"
"Only for a minute or so, but you weren't responding to anything that I was doing. I shouted at you for a long time, but you just stayed on the ground, thrashing all around. What was going on?"
"I think I had a flashback." I say, still pretty confused myself.
"A flashback?" Barbara asks.
"I—I saw something from my past…but I'm not sure why I passed out…"
Barbara holds my hand, "Are you sure you're okay, Catwoman?" she asks, looking up at me with concern.
"Yes. I think so Barbara."
I look down at Perciet, who is staring back up at me, his eyes wide. "Will you continue taking us to your place, Perciet?"
"A-as long as you're up to it." He replies.
As we walk I see all the places from my flashback and notice how much everything had changed. The building that I'd scaled is completely crumbled, the trees that had surrounded the street are either dead, or dying, and the original den is caved in. I wince when I see that. For the longest time, that den had been the only real home I had ever known, and now all that is left of it is memories. My vision starts to blacken at the edges again and I turn away.
Barbara slides her hand into mine again and looks up at me.
I look back down at her, biting back my emotion, and grin.
Soon we reach turn onto a street I know all too well, but instead of going east on the road to where the lair is, Perciet leads us west. Up ahead I can see a cardboard box with a few blankets inside sitting under the front steps of a dilapidated building. I put my hand over my mouth when I realize, that the box is Perciet's house. Wandering around near the box is a cat that looks exactly the same as Perciet, but much larger. Perciet's brother notices the three of us coming his direction, and meets us half way, inspecting Barbara and I.
"Who are they?" he asks Perciet in a low meow.
"We are friends of Perciet's. He has been guiding us back to Midtown."
"How does she understand us?" Perciet's brother asks, ignoring me and instead directing the question at Perciet.
Perciet walks timidly towards his brother, "Comilius, this is Catwoman and Barbara? Well, a-at least I think that's their names…"
I give Perciet a reassuring nod, "Yes that's correct. And Comilius, is it? I learned to speak to cats many years ago. I am no enemy; I have come to help you two."
"Help with what?" Perciet and Comilius ask, Comilius's gruff voice covering Perciet's.
"I live with a small clan of homeless cats like yourself, and our lair is welcome to any who need it. I was hoping I could persuade the two of you to join the clan. I provide food, water, shelter, and warm beds for all the cats willing to join. Are you interested?"
Perciet's pupils grow wide with excitement and he looks up at his brother, "Please Comilius? We—we would finally have a real place to stay!"
Comilius doesn't look satisfied, "We will think about it… In the meantime, go off to your little lair and let us be." He says rudely.
I sigh. Well, at least I tried to give another cat a good home… "Well, come on Barbara, let's go back to my den."
The two of us are nearly 15 feet away, when we hear a cat's loud yowl. It's Perciet running up behind us, with an angry Comilius at his tail. "Come back here Perciet!" Comilius roars.
"NO! I want to go with them!" Perciet growls back. Perciet sprints faster to catch up with us. I pick up Perciet at my feet, just before Comilius comes up behind, aiming an angry, full clawed swat at him.
Comilius hisses and scratches at my leg, but I kick him away, "You better come with me right now Perciet, or I swear I will do to you what I did last time you didn't listen!" he growls furiously.
Barbara shrieks and moves away swiftly, and Perciet whimpers and tucks his head under my arm. "Please don't make me go back!" he cries.
I pet Perciet's head and glare strongly down at Comilius, "LEAVE Comilius! Perciet is no longer yours to control!"
Comilius bites my leg fiercely, and I give him a swift kick in the butt. I walk away, "Don't worry Perciet, Comilius can't hurt you anymore." I say gently, rubbing him under his chin.
Comilius sulks away, and Barbara walks back towards me nervously, "W-what was that about?"
"It would seem Perciet's brother is one of those cats you don't want to mess with…"
"I-is Perciet okay? Is your leg okay?"
I look down and examine my leg. There are a few scrape marks on the suit itself, but neither my leg nor the material is damaged too much. "My leg is fine, don't worry. And as for Perciet, he just needs some comforting for now." I hold him out towards Barbara, "Here, why don't you hold him?"
She takes him eagerly and lets out a sigh of relief and grins happily as Perciet nuzzles against her.
"Come on Barbara, let's go." I say, patting her back.
Barbara and I head back east down the street, back to the lair, but the closer we get to it, the more I know something's not right. Lotus and Boots are pacing in front of the entrance anxiously, and the wall nearest the entrance seems to have moved slightly.
I pick up the pace of my strides and arrive outside lair before Barbara does.
"Selina! Thank Bastet you're back!" Boots cries worryingly.
"What happened?!" I ask, now noticing that not only were the metal sheets around the entrance several inches off, but there were bullets and bullet holes in the door.
"There was this weird looking man in a long white jacket and 3 thugs walking around outside the entrance, so Bartus went out to investigate, but something went wrong. Lotus and I heard guns going off, so we ran into the safe space. Then thugs came into the lair with the man and they were shouting a lot. Things were being tossed about, and we could hear the other cats screaming. Next thing we knew, the men were gone, the entire lair was a mess, and there was no hide, nor hair of anyone else in the clan! They're all gone!" Boots whimpered.
"Oh my god..." I say, putting my hand on my covered forehead, "Everyone's gone?!" I cry.
Lotus nods miserably.
"Catwoman, what's going on? Is everything alright?" Barbara asks, confused.
I shake my head grimly, "Barbara… My entire clan has been kidnapped."
"Your clan?" she asks.
"My cat family… All of them have been taken."
Barbara's eyes widen and she looks genuinely anxious, "What happened to them?!"
I rub my eyes, "I'm not sure, but I have a feeling I know exactly what happened…" I glance at the damaged entryway, "Wait here."
I step inside the lair, and as I walk, I have to avoid pieces of rubble and scattered possessions on that have fallen on the floor. I walk into my room and am met with dismay; my bed has been thrown across the room, and my drawers have all been cleared. Everything is missing…, even my original Cat-suit.
I drop to the floor, remove my cowl, and sob into my fists. I feel like the world is collapsing on top of me. I knew it… After all I'd done to make this lair more discreet and hide my clan from Dorian and his horrid experiments, he's found me again.
"Catwoman?" Barbara asks, coming through the doorway. Barbara sees me crying, my makeup smeared all over my face, and rushes over, "Are you alright?" she asks, handing me a tissue from her backpack.
"No." I sob, "I thought this was over and that I had finally gotten away from him… but nope! He's ruining my life again!"
"Who is?" Barbara sits in front of me.
I wipe my eyes with the tissue, "There's this man, Dr. Emile Dorian, who does bad experiments on animals and people. He especially likes testing on cats…, and well, he apparently thinks I'm his perfect specimen since I'm so close to felines… Anyways, a couple of years ago, he somehow found out about me and my ties to the cats. He must have been tracking me for months, and finally, one day, he came after me and my clan in the lair… He ransacked the place, taking all the cats with him. Bartus and I were the only ones who managed to escape… He followed me for a long time, until he finally disappeared. I figured somewhere along the way he gave up so I built this new lair and started a new clan. I thought he was out of my life forever…but it looks like he has managed to find me again."
Barbara looks into my unconcealed face and then does something I wasn't expecting; she hugs me. I am caught off guard at first, but slowly give into her small, but warm embrace.
"What's your real name Catwoman?"
I smile through the tear and makeup mess on my face. Oh well, why not…she's already seen my face, and it's not as if she can do much to me if she knows… "It's Selina, Selina Kyle."
Barbara looks back into my eyes, "Well, Selina, let's go get your cats back!"
I grin, but it fades, "You can't come with me Barbara."
Barbara frowns, "Why not?"
"I have to take you home. You've been gone all night and your mom and dad are probably worried sick about you. Don't you want to go home to your parents?"
Barbara nods solemnly, "Yeah, you're right… My dad is probably going crazy."
I stand up and wipe the rest of the wet makeup off of my face. "Don't be too sad about it, I'll figure things out." I say, patting Barbara on the back, "Plus, I'm taking you home on my motorcycle." I wink, pulling my cowl back on.
"Really?!" she asks excitedly.
"Absolutely!" I beam, "You didn't think we were going to walk all the way there, did you?"
Barbara grins.
"Lotus, Boots, I'm going to take Barbara home. You two stay hidden and take care of Perciet." I say as we walk back out of the ruined lair.
"Yes Selina!" Lotus meows, sounding like a solider taking commands.
Perciet, rubs up against Boots and he looks down at Perciet, giving him a weird look.
Now, I forgot to mention this before, but the lair rests beneath what used to be a coffee shop in one of the streets densely packed with other buildings. The lair's entrance resides on the front of the building, but is covered by multiple damaged sheets of metal that blend into the other rubble left on the street. The coffee shop went up in flames about a year before my clan and I took up residence in the basement. While most of the building burned, the basement was unharmed and the first floor remained mostly intact. I figured the first floor wouldn't be inhabitable for the clan and me, but it does serve as a great garage, so that's where I decided put my motorcycle. And the first floor is exactly where I'm taking Barbara.
I take her around to the back of the building—rather than walking through the den again—and slide open the door that once served as the loading dock. There, my motorcycle rests, just begging to be ridden.
Barbara stares at the bike, "SO AWESOME!" she shouts.
I grin, trying to push back the hatred and anxiety that's bubbling in my gut. I pull the bike down the ramp and close the door. I hop on the bike and when Barbara gets on, I give her the helmet instead of putting it on myself.
"Ready?"
"Yeah!" she replies excitedly.
I accelerate out of the alleyway and plow down the street.
After a while, Barbara asks, "What are you going to do about that doctor guy who took your clan?" Barbara asks, as the now rising sun shines on the side of my face.
"Don't you worry about it Barbara. I'll figure things out."
"Are you going to ask Batman to help you?"
I bite my lip. After last night, I'm just hoping he'll still be willing to help me… "Maybe." I reply, "He—he and I sorta work together." I lie.
"But he's Batman! He's gotta help you!" she says encouragingly.
Ha-ha, well if he refuses to help me, I can always make that argument… "I guess you're right." I say, smiling to myself.
"Is he really as cool as everyone says? Does he really just disappear?"
I laugh. Jeez, with this kid around, I'd never be in a bad mood. "Yes… And yes."
"Coooooool!"
"How old did you say you were, Barbara?"
Barbara giggles, "I didn't, but I just turned 11 last week!"
"Did you have a good birthday? Get a lot of presents?"
"Loads! Dad and Sarah threw me a surprise party and it was awesome!"
I smirk, then pause, "Hey, Barbara?"
"Yeah, Selina?"
"Sarah's your mom, right?"
"Stepmom."
Ohhhhhhh, that explains it… Still kinda confusing though since technically that makes Sarah her adopted stepmom who is also her step-aunt… "So wait, if she's your stepmother, what happened to your mom?"
"Um, well…,"
Oops, didn't mean to touch a nerve… "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"No, it's fine. See, my mom and dad divorced about a year and a half ago, and Dad married Sarah about two months after. I really like Sarah…, but I'm just not sure I'm ready to call her Mom yet."
"I gotcha." I don't question her, but Gordon married someone else two months after divorce? Sounds like someone was in love long before the divorce… Which is probably the reason they divorced… "Well, no one is forcing you to call her Mom, so don't worry about it. As long as she's nice and caring, that's all that matters.
"I guess you're right." Barbara sighs.
While it is getting light out, it's early enough that I don't really have to worry about being seen, but nonetheless, I stick more to the backstreets as we zoom south towards Downtown. It doesn't take long before we've passed beneath the shadow of Wayne Tower, and nearing closer and closer to the bridges that connect to Downtown. Once across, Barbara starts giving me small instructions like 'Take this exit.' or 'Turn left here.' leading me straight to her house. Meanwhile, she occasionally gives me little tidbits of info on certain areas, telling me a bit about their history. She's almost like a little encyclopedia of Downtown, Gotham.
"See that building there?" she asked at one point.
"Yeah?"
"Before he moved to England, the now great crime lord—Oswald Cobblepot—used to run his business in that building. According to my dad's records, he killed a loooot of people in it…"
I gave Barbara a quick glance over my shoulder, and thought 'How much does this kid know exactly? Not that it's a bad thing, she could prove very valuable with all that info, but still, she's ELEVEN! This kid must be a fricking genius! Not only did she manage to read his police files, but she remembers them!'
"How much of your father's files have you read exactly?" I asked.
"About a fourth so far. I still have a lot to read though, especially since a lot of them have a lot of stuff in them."
I smirked.
Now here we are, not too far from Barbara's house—from what she says—and our conversation has changed back to talking about hero stuff.
"Have you heard about that Sand guy in New York city?"
"I have not, but it's good to know how many more of us there are out there, saving our cities."
"I wish my dad saw it that way…" she sighs.
"What do you mean?"
"He thinks you guys are bad because you don't obey the law. Says you're vigilantes… but I don't agree with him. You guys are superheroes! You save people!"
"I know it's hard with him disliking somethings you agree with, but you gotta look at it from his perspective. He believes solely in the law, and well, many of us heroes don't exactly obey it. It isn't exactly legal to take the law into your own hands."
"I know, but—"
"Barbara, you don't have to fight him on this. He believes in one thing, you believe in something else. Not that I agree with him, but you shouldn't worry about what he thinks of—"
Barbara interrupts me suddenly by shouting, "Wait! This is our turn! Turn right!"
Quickly—and quite dangerously at that—I make a sharp turn onto a street lined with apartment buildings. Most are just dirty looking, others completely falling apart, but there are a few that look nearly brand new.
"That's it up ahead." She says, indicating the cleanest looking apartment building on the street.
I don't pick up our conversation again just because I would sound annoying if I did. I park out front, hop off, then help Barbara down. We walk up to the door, and I try pulling it, but it's locked.
"You have to ring the apartment we live to get in." Barbara explains, typing 524 on the com panel I only just noticed.
I'm about to say something when a woman's voice crackles through the speaker, "Yes?".
"Sarah?" Barbara says into the mic, "It's Barbara."
We hear a cry from the other end, "Barbara! Where on earth have you been?! Your father and I have been worried sick!"
"I—I'll explain when I get up there, it's kinda a long story."
"Your father has been out all night looking for you, you better have a good explanation!" Barbara's stepmother sounds angry, but it's the kind of anger that comes with extreme concern.
The door buzzes and I pull it open with ease. Barbara follows in quietly behind me.
"You realize that the truth about where you were will petrify your parents, right?" I ask as we run up the stairs.
"Yeah, but maybe the fact that you saved me will be enough to show my dad that you guys really are good."
I severely doubt it, but I'm not gonna tell Barbara that.
It's a bit of a hike up the five flights of stairs, but neither Barbara, nor I are exhausted when we reach the top. I had suggested we take the elevator, but Barbara said she was too full of energy to stand still. We both rush down the hall to 524 and I stand on Barbara's left as she knocks. There's a rustle from the other side, and in seconds, a woman comes rushing out of the door and embraces Barbara tightly. It's a happy moment…, until she notices me. Sarah stands up and though at first she looks surprised and slightly scared, her expression quickly turns to suspicion.
"Barbara…?" she says in a low tone.
Barbara backs up slightly and glances at me.
"Barbara, why is the Cat with you?"
I speak up, "Um, about that… We should talk about this inside."
Sarah raises her eyebrows, but turns and walks into the apartment, indicating for us to follow.
Barbara catches my eye and mouths, "She used to work with Dad." as we follow her stepmom inside. Well that explains why Sarah appears to agree with the Commissioner…
Barbara closes the door behind us.
"So, as I asked before, Barbara, why have you brought a vigilante with you?"
There we go…
"She saved my life, Sarah." Barbara says pointedly.
Sarah raises her eyebrows again, "What do you mean?"
"Well, for starters, we were both kidnapped." I interject.
Sarah laughs, thinking I'm joking, but then she realizes, "Wait, you're serious?"
Barbara and I both nod.
Sarah looks terrified. Just as I predicted.
"B-Babs, how on earth… Who—who kidnapped you?"
Barbara starts to say 'I don't remember.', but I interject again, "A group of Maroni's men. He was paid by someone else to get me, and he used Barbara as bait."
Sarah looks as if she's about to faint, "You can't be serious." She says, her eyes flashing back and forth between Barbara and me.
"She's telling the truth, Sarah. We both heard them talking."
Sarah put a hand to her forehead, "Your father is going to go insane…" she mutters.
I have a feeling he's going to go more than insane…
"How on earth did you both escape?"
I let Barbara answer this one, "Well, like I said, Catwoman saved us both. We were locked in a room and she picked the lock. After we got out, we overheard those guys talking. Then we had to run."
"But how did you find your way back?"
Barbara glances at me, "Catwoman called Batman for help." She says, seeming to know exactly what to say. Well, she's not lying, she's just leaving out some info…which is a good thing.
Sarah raises her left eyebrow and looks at me, "So you two work together then?"
I rock my hand back and forth in a 'meh' gesture.
"I see… Well, um, tell him I said thank you, and um, don't mention this to Jim, but—"
Suddenly, Sarah wraps her arms around me in a hug, "Thank you so so much for saving our Babs!" she cries.
Well there's something I wasn't expecting… I awkwardly pat Sarah on the back.
Barbara catches my eye and we share a grin.
Sarah pushes herself back, "Well, I'm not sure Jim will ever agree with me on this, but you're not half-bad, Catwoman. You may have just changed my mind about you and Batman."
I smile. I certainly agree with her on what she said about the Commissioner…
Sarah glances at the clock, "Oh, you'd better get out of here quick, Jim will be back any minute and regardless whether you saved Babs or not, he will not like you being here."
I nod, "Point taken." I head for the door, "Well, it was nice meeting you, Sarah, and try to stay out of trouble, Barbara!" I wink at her before rushing out the door, down the hall, and down the stairs. I figure I'm home free, but just as my foot touches the bottom step, Commissioner Gordon appears on the other side of the glass door. His calm expression immediately turns to fury and I bolt back up the stairs. Getting him to run after me will give me enough time to leap out of the window and escape. Jumping from the second floor will hurt a bit, but the Commissioner wouldn't dare jump out after me, and I'd rather have a twisted ankle than what he'd do to me.
"Get back here, you feline fiend!" he shouts, chasing me up the stairs.
I jump out of the window.
"I said get back here damnit!" he yells after me, "One of these days, I swear I'll get you and Batman both!"
I turn and look back at him, "Don't you realize we're only trying to help?!"
I hop onto my bike and zoom off as quickly as possible.
Oh, something I forgot to mention—though you've probably already noticed—is that while I don't steal stuff from people anymore, I do scavenge for stuff at the dump. It's amazing the number of still-working items get thrown out. As proof of this, I have a nearly brand-new GPS strapped to my Harley, something I found at the dump just last week. The reason I bring this is up is 1, so I don't have to explain it later, and 2, because I'm going to use the GPS right now.
I plug in the address of Wayne Manor. Bruce Wayne, here I come.
I knock on the huge doors of Wayne Manor, and wait.
The door opens and I am greeted by Alfred, "Ah, Lady Selina, I suppose you've returned to see Master Bruce?"
"Yes, and it's quite urgent actually. Can I come in?"
"Of course!" he says civilly, but cheerfully nonetheless, "I shall go get Master Bruce, you just get comfortable in the family room." He leads me inside.
I smile at Alfred and nod, but once inside the family room, I don't get comfortable. The realization of what has happen sets in once more and I start pacing back and forth as I wait.
"Selina!" Bruce announces, walking into the room at last, "I didn't expect to see you so soon…or so early. It's only 8:30 you know."
"Yeah, well, I'd be asleep too if it weren't for what happened last night…" I say flatly.
"Selina, what's wrong? I mean, I know things didn't end too well for us last night, but—"
I try not to glare at him, "This has nothing to do with what you said last night!" I don't mean to shout at him, but now that Barbara is back home, all my fury has decided to unleash itself, and unfortunately Bruce is in the line of fire…
Bruce looks slightly hurt, but it doesn't show in what he says next, "What happened then?" he asks calmly.
I pull down my cowl, "I got kidnapped last night."
Bruce's eyes widen, "Wait, what?! By whom?" his words are full of worry and concern. Of course.
"I was captured by some of Maroni's men, but he was actually paid by someone else to get me."
Bruce's eyebrows have shot up so far, that they almost disappear into his hair, "Who?"
"There's only one person who could possibly want me that badly… Emile Dorian."
This puzzles Bruce, "Dorian? That crazy scientist? I caught him testing on cats and monkeys a couple years back…What would he want with you?"
"He thinks I'm an ideal specimen."
"What?"
"He doesn't like just any animal, Bruce. He likes cats..., and humans. He especially likes blending humans and animals. And since I have such a close relationship to cats, he figures I'd be his perfect test subject to blend."
"That's sick!"
"That's not all. Those cats you caught him testing on? They were the clan I used to live with…before he stole them from me… He couldn't have me, so instead, he took my family. And he's done it again."
"What do you mean?"
"He must've known how easily I'd escape Maroni's men, so as backup, he went and broke into my den and stole my clan again."
"That's horrible! But wait, how did Maroni's men get a hold of you in the first place?"
I sigh, "They used bait."
Bruce looks puzzled again.
"They used the Commissioner's daughter as bait."
Bruce's eyebrows shoot up into his hairline again, "WHAT?!"
"Not long after I left, two men—Maroni's—came out of the forest carrying her between them. I don't regret finding her, but I just wish I had seen it was a trap sooner…"
"Wait. Wait. Hold up. If you were kidnapped, and you had your suit on, why on earth didn't you signal me for help?"
I purse my lips. "I did. So either you weren't paying attention, or it didn't work." I say, still trying not to glare.
"Give it to me. I'll fix it later." He says, "And don't look at me like that!"
I force my face to relax and pull the tracker out of my belt and hand it to Bruce.
"You can't hold a grudge forever, Selina."
I look at the floor, "Sorry." I say quietly. I don't want to be mean, I don't want to hold a grudge, I don't even want to be angry with him…, it's just, I don't know.
"I will help you take care of Dorian, Selina, but your attitude has got to change. I'm not going to work with you if you keep treating me like the bad guy."
"Look, Bruce, I'm sorry about how I reacted last night. It was really rude of me to walk out on you like that." I look up into his eyes, "I promise to treat you more fairly from now on…, just please, could you try not springing stuff like that on me so suddenly?" I finish with a nervous laugh.
"Yeah, sorry about that." He laughs lightly.
Great, another awkward moment…
"You left your dress and shoes here last night by the way." He adds.
I force a laugh, "I thought I was forgetting something."
"Do you want me to go get them?"
"Oh, um, sure, I guess."
Bruce looks at me funny, "You realize we can't do anything about Dorian until tonight, right?"
UUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHH! Of course I know! Why can't it be nighttime already?! "Yeah, I know." I say calmly.
"Well, would you like to hang out here in the meantime?"
"Sure, but um, I have three terrified cats back at the den—which, by the way, is trashed—so, um, could we go get them?"
"Of course! No problem."
I purse my lips in a tight smile. Well, at least I can keep them safe…
It's been about four and a half hours since I arrived at Wayne Manor this morning. After getting Boots, Lotus, and Perciet from my den, Alfred made us a simple breakfast of eggs and bacon. When we finished, Bruce asked if he could read some of his books to me in the living room, and because I had nothing better to do, I said yes. He started out reading poetry by some guy called Edgar Allenned Pope…or was is Poe? But that kind of bored me, so instead he started reading a book called The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which I have been thoroughly enjoying. We're finishing up chapter 21 now.
"Colonel Sherburn he tossed his pistol on to the ground,
and turned around on his heels and walked off.
They took Boggs to a little drug store, the crowd pressing
around just the same, and the whole town following, and
I rushed and got a good place at the window, where I was
close to him and could see in. They laid him on the floor
and put one large Bible under his head, and opened another
one and spread it on his breast; but they tore open his shirt
first, and I seen where one of the bullets went in. He made
about a dozen long gasps, his breast lifting the Bible up
when he drawed in his breath, and letting it down again
when he breathed it out - and after that he laid still; he was
dead. Then they pulled his daughter away from him,
screaming and crying, and took her off. She was about
sixteen, and very sweet and gentle looking, but awful
pale and scared.
Well, pretty soon the whole town was there, squirming
and scrouging and pushing and shoving to get at the
window and have a look, but people that had the places
wouldn't give them up, and folks behind them was saying
all the time, "Say, now, you've looked enough, you fellows;
'tain't right and 'tain't fair for you to stay thar all the time,
and never give nobody a chance; other folks has their rights
as well as you."
There was considerable jawing back, so I slid out, thinking
maybe there was going to be trouble. The streets was full,
and everybody was excited. Everybody that seen the shooting
was telling how it happened, and there was a big crowd packed
around each one of these fellows, stretching their necks and
listening. One long, lanky man, with long hair and a big white
fur stovepipe hat on the back of his head, and a crooked-handled
cane, marked out the places on the ground where Boggs stood
and where Sherburn stood, and the people following him around
from one place to t'other and watching everything he done, and
bobbing their heads to show they understood, and stooping a little
and resting their hands on their thighs to watch him mark the places
on the ground with his cane; and then he stood up straight and stiff
where Sherburn had stood, frowning and having his hat-brim down
over his eyes, and sung out, "Boggs!" and then fetched his cane
down slow to a level, and says "Bang!" staggered backwards,
says "Bang!" again, and fell down flat on his back. The people that
had seen the thing said he done it perfect; said it was just exactly
the way it all happened. Then as much as a dozen people got out
their bottles and treated him.
Well, by and by somebody said Sherburn ought to be lynched.
In about a minute everybody was saying it; so away they went,
mad and yelling, and snatching down every clothes-line they
come to to do the hanging with." Bruce finishes the chapter right as Alfred walks into the room.
"Lunch is ready, sir." Alfred says. I suddenly realize that I've been lying against Bruce the entire time he's been reading, and I push myself upright.
"Thank you Alfred." Bruce smiles, closing the book and setting it aside.
Lying on Bruce as I listen to him read? A-am I getting attached to him?
Bruce stands up. "You coming, Selina?" he asks, looking back at me—I'm still sitting on the couch.
"Yeah." I say and stand up.
Sitting on the table in the kitchen is a three-tiered tray filled with many quarter sandwiches, and two bowls filled with assorted chips. I smirk; the chips don't quite fit the setting.
The closer I get to the table, the more I start to realize that one of the sandwich types is smoked salmon. Yes! As I sit down, I have to resist the urge to eat all of those sandwiches up in one go…
"I noticed you were getting a little comfortable as I was reading." Bruce says, breaking my focus on the sandwiches, "Are you tired?"
"What? Oh, uh, yeah. Just a little I guess." I actually am quite exhausted. Maybe that's why I was laying on him? And not because I like him…? SHUT UP, SELINA!
I know that Dorian's probably the only thing on your mind right now, but it wouldn't hurt to rest up a bit before we go out tonight."
I stare at him. So yeah, I may be tired, but after all that's happened, I won't be sleeping until Dorian is behind bars and I have my family back.
"No, I'm good." I say, munching on a handful of potato chips.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Bruce shrugs and grabs an egg salad sandwich.
Finally, I myself grab a sandwich—smoked salmon of course—and stuff it into my mouth. I don't know why I waited for Bruce to eat first… The sandwich is already gone by the way.
Bruce raises an eyebrow at me—obviously for how quickly I ate the sandwich—but doesn't say anything about it. I wouldn't have cared if he said anything any; I'm hungry.
After a while, Bruce pauses and asks, "So, what're you gonna do once you get your clan back?"
I hesitate. What am I going to do? I have no lair to go back to… "I'm not sure actually."
"Well, you're welcome to stay here if you need."
That's kind… "Thanks."
When Bruce isn't looking, I grab four of the smoked salmon sandwiches and fold them up in my napkin—one for Boots, one for Lotus, one for Perciet, and one extra for me. FYI, they've been upstairs napping this whole time.
I stand up, napkin in hand.
"Where are you going off to with those sandwiches?" Bruce asks slyly. He knows…
Well, I don't know why I was sneaking them in the first place…, "Food for my cats."
Bruce smiles, "Ah. Why didn't you just say so instead of stuffing them into the napkin?"
I shrug.
"Well, it's not like you need my permission or anything, so, go on then."
I walk out, nibbling on the extra sandwich.
Even though I've been around the place several times today, the extravagancy of the manor just leaves me in awe. I can't help but stare around in wonder—for the fifth time today—as I walk up the enormous marble stair to the second floor. Honestly, I could get lost in this place for days it's so big. It must get pretty lonely for Bruce and Alfred here… I open a door and smile as three cats swarm to me.
"Selina!" Lotus purrs, swirling around my leg.
"Hello guys." I grin, "I've got some food for you," I walk into the room and place the sandwiches on a desk.
"Thank you Selina!" they mew, hopping up to find what I've left for them.
I run my hands down their backs and rub under their chins affectionately. "Enjoy!" I say, leaving them to eat.
As I wander back into the hall, still gazing around, I realize I haven't been to the third floor yet… I glance back at the rail overlooking the front hall downstairs, then towards the second set of stairs leading to the floor above, then back at the rail again… Hmmmm, I guess a little exploring can't hurt. Without another thought, I dash to the stairs and start heading up, and to my amazement, the third floor is—if it's even possible—more incredible than the floors below. This must be where the main members of the family would have slept I guess, and the second floor was for guests? Hm, anyways, regardless of the reason why, the third floor was more beautifully decorated than any other spot in the house…although, the library on the main floor nearly trumps it. Not only are the ceilings just as huge as the first two floors, but crystal chandeliers that sparkle like diamonds are spaced perfectly along the halls, and the sunlight shining in causes the crystals to create tiny rainbows all over the doors. The woodwork around each door, and all of the doors themselves, is carved to perfection in amazing designs that are unique to every room. Mind you, the rooms on the first and second floors are carved too, but not quite as intricate as these.
I walk down the halls in awe, but stop in front of a door when I notice it's open just a crack. I glance around before gently pushing it open further. Unlike the rest of the manor, the room has a much more modern theme to it. The walls were grey and the furniture is all black and silver with a much sharper feel than any other furniture in the other rooms. A dark cabinet is open, revealing a large number of expensive suits. There are a number of more casual outfits too, but they are immensely outweighed by the suits. The bed on the opposite end of the room is unkempt and it's obvious that the person who slept in it made no effort to make it. From the moment I stepped in, I knew it was Bruce's room, and I know I shouldn't be invading in his personal space like this, but I can't help being curious. I wander towards his desk, which is covered with paperwork. I promise myself not to snoop too much, but I do shuffle through a couple papers on top, only to find they're all on two residents of Arkham Asylum that I've never heard of before (although, they do sound a bit familiar now that I think about it); Johnathan Crane and Edward Nigma. Villains I'm guessing? Intrigued, I move a couple more papers. Here we go…
Crane, Johnathan AKA Scarecrow:
Arrested for testing hallucination inducing gasses known as 'Fear Toxin' on civilians. Known for wearing a gruesome looking scarecrow mask and smoke bombs filled his Fear Toxin.
That's all I really need from that…
Nigma, Edward AKA The Riddler:
Arrested for committing a series of thefts, kidnappings, and other crimes, all linked to a puzzle he was trying to get the city—in particular, the infamous Batman—to solve.
Scarecrow and Riddle… I actually do remember hearing about the Bat taking care of them a while back, but I never found out who their real identities were. Now I do… Okay, I should probably stop snooping now.
I lay the papers back down and rush out of Bruce's room, just in time too, because as soon I get seven steps down the hall, Bruce materializes in front of me.
"Ah, there you are," he smiles, "Doing a little exploring I see?"
Jeez, I hope he didn't see me in his room…
I try to hide the guilty look on my face as much as possible, "Yup."
"Have you discovered the dumbwaiter yet?"
"No, why?"
He grins, "Follow me."