Thanks to all my readers. Reviews would be great, but I'm not going to stop posting or something if you don't. :) And btw, I'm not going to write all about Julie's training and senior year. I'm just going to write about important developments. I want to get to the good part ASAP.
I woke up from a fitful sleep to the sound of Alfred setting something on my bedside table. I looked over with tired eyes to be blinded by the light coming in through the now open shades. I covered my face with my arms, trying to hide from the light. I heard Alfred let out a chuckle.
"Miss Julie, I brought you some breakfast." I removed my arms and had to blink a couple times for my eyes to adjust to the light. When I could finally see again, I saw that the tray on the table held a glass of milk and a small stack of pancakes.
"I didn't know your breakfast preferences, so I hope this is alright." I blinked at him.
"Alright? This is great, Alfred! I love pancakes! Thank you!" He seemed pleased with my reaction, and smiled.
"It's no problem. Master Bruce asked for you to visit him in the Batcave when you're done."
"Okay, sure thing. And thanks again for the food. You really didn't have to."
"Actually, I did. It is my job after all." He said with a smile.
I quickly finished off my food and got up. That's when I realized I didn't have any clothes, and I was still wearing my outfit from yesterday. I looked around, and saw a small bag on the floor. I walked over and picked it up. Inside of the bag, there was a shirt, pants, and a note. The note read:
I didn't know what to get you, so I just bought an outfit for today. I'll take you out later and you can pick out what you want.
-Bruce
I pulled out the clothes and changed, thankful that at least someone had the sense to think ahead.
I put my hair up into a quick ponytail, and went through my small bag the police had allowed me to bring. I found my toothbrush and toothpaste and brushed my teeth. When I was done, I walked to Bruce's study, wondering what the surprise he was talking about yesterday was. I pressed the button and slid down the pole, hearing the bookcase slide back into place behind me.
When I landed, I looked around for Bruce, wondering where he was. I heard a swish and felt myself falling to the ground before I could react. I grabbed my ear in pain and rolled over to see what had hit me. I found myself staring at Bruce, who had on boxing gloves and a grin.
"What the hell?" I said, completely forgetting what the term 'manners' meant. He had just punched me though, so I guess it was only fair.
"Lesson One: The element of surprise. You need to learn to pay attention to your surroundings, all the time, no matter who you're with."
"Well, sorry! It really didn't even cross my mind that my uncle I just met yesterday would box my ear. Gahh! It's still ringing. If you hadn't been wearing those gloves, I'd be dead." He laughed.
"I don't think you'd be dead, you just wouldn't have gotten up as quick, and it might have bled a little. Once you've learned a little more, I'm ditching the gloves, by the way." I stared at him, incredulous.
"What? You don't think that criminals walk around in boxing gloves do you? If you do, then boy are you in for a surprise."
"No, I don't think that they walk around with boxing gloves." I said, watching his hands, just in case he tried again. Maybe I could block him. What he did next, I wasn't expecting. He swung his leg out and hit the back of my knee, making me lose my balance and stumble, falling to the ground in front of him. I groaned and looked up at him.
"What?" He asked innocently.
"Nothing, I just should have expected that."
"Well, I assume you haven't exactly done something like this before…so it's not a big deal that you're unprepared." He watched me stand back up and shake my head.
"Punch me." I stared at him.
"I'm sorry?"
"Punch me." He repeated. "Punch me in the chest as hard as you can." I shrugged my shoulders and punched him. He was pushed back a little by the force of the blow, and then furrowed his eyebrows.
"What? That weak?"
"Actually, I'm surprised. That was stronger than I expected. That's a good thing, though." I smiled, happy with that.
"Hey, will you go grab me a batarang? I showed you where they were yesterday." I did as he asked, then walked back over to the weapons wall, turning my head to the side in wonder.
"Hey." I turned back around and felt a sudden stinging in my shoulder. I grabbed it and yelped.
"Not only did you just supply me with the weapon that did that, but you've already forgotten what I taught you no more than five minutes ago." He said.
"Well-I-I didn't think you'd-I just-"I sighed and stopped trying to explain. He let out a laugh.
"Okay, maybe we should just practice fighting techniques for today." He said as he shook his head.
I looked at my shoes. He handed me a pair of boxing gloves, and told me to follow him. We ended up in an empty room. The rest of the morning, he taught me the best ways to fight and defend myself. We fought numerous fights, and with each one, I got no closer to beating him, or even equaling him. By the time we were done, I had bruises all over my stomach, arms, and legs from forgetting to block his punches. And the funny part was that most of them were from hitting the floor or a wall, not from his hits. I had a few cuts from hitting a particularly sharp rock sticking from the wall, but Alfred fixed them up. I was definitely gonna sleep good tonight. All in all, I looked like I'd been jumped by a gang in an alley by myself.
We didn't arrive home from shopping until late at night, and I passed out the minute my head touched my pillow, clothes still in their respective bags, with hangers and tags still attached.