Disclaimer: I do not own the Batman Universe nor am I affiliated with it in any way. This is all made for fun, not profit, and the only two things I claim as my own are the plot and Sally Galeson.
A/N: editing and typing up chapters three and four shortly! I have the basic outline for this entire story (40 chapters!) and the rough drafts up to chapter seven done so hopefully I'll be able to update ASAP! review please! Constructive criticism welcome (flames will be removed).
Chapter Two
Holly Robinson was going to school so that she could open up her own business – and sell her own clothing designs. Holly loved fashion. She wasn't sure how she got into it (her father worked two jobs – one at a factory and one at a mechanic shop – and her brother tinkered with cars) but from a young age she had developed a taste for it. She began to make her own clothes (partly out of necessity since they didn't have a lot of money and wearing male hand-me-downs was too embarrassing) and discovered she liked feeling original and that her outfit was one-of-a-kind.
Even though her clothes were modest she still found men's eyes following her every move after she turned fifteen; it made her skin crawl. Holly had never really been interested in boys (or men). Girls, on the other hand, had always been infinitely more fascinating. She used to chalk that up to a lack of girls in her home life – then Karen kissed her and she knew she'd never want a man for the rest of her life. (Her and Karen dated secretly for a while until they went off to separate colleges. They had ended things on good terms.) Holly frowned at her reflection; her curly brown hair was all over the place. She collapsed on the couch for a catnap.
Holly groaned as she woke up. Her head was pounding and she couldn't remember where she was at first. Then her phone rang and Holly winced. She crossed the room quickly (stumbling) and answered the phone.
"Ello?" she asked groggily into the phone while trying to stifle a yawn.
"Morning sleepy head." She heard Coach Kyle say.
"Coach? What're you calling me so early for?" Holly asked confused. The voice on the other end chuckled.
"It's ten o'clock on a Saturday, Holly. And I haven't been your coach since you graduated." Selina (coach) Kyle said amusement apparent in her tone. Holly scrunched up her face.
"Thanks for the wake up call… Selina. I'll see you at lunch." Holly said before hanging up and staggering to the shower. The first Saturday of every month Holly and her old coach got together for lunch to catch up (they also saw each other every Wednesday for kickboxing classes at WildCat Gym but there was a lot less time for talking then). It was still weird for Holly to call her old coach Selina.
"Sorry I'm late Coa- Selina, had to drop a stray off at the animal shelter." Holly explained as she sat down across from her former coach. "Did you order without me?" She asked, noticing a complete lack of menus.
"Nah, Donna's back from maternity leave." Selina explained. Holly made an 'oh' face and settled into the booth. "How's your hangover?" Selina asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Holly made a face and Selina chuckled. Donna brought two drinks to the table.
"Here ya go ladies. Your food should be up soon." Donna said with a smile. Holly and Selina thanked her and talked to her about her baby for a little while before she had to get back to work.
"So, how's the team this year?" Holly asked. She had been on the gymnastics team all throughout high school (and was practically legendary for her extraordinary skill).
"Well, there's a new girl on the team – a senior. Her name's Hayley and she's every bit as good as you were." Selina said with a smile. Holly raised her eyebrow.
"Impressive - for a newbie. How are the girls?" Holly asked.
"They're fine. Michelle is currently going through boyfriends like fashion trends, and Kayla has dramatically improved. Cindy, however, quit the team last year to focus on her grades and didn't try out this year." Selina said, mentioning the names of the three girls who had just joined the team before Holly had graduated.
"That's too bad; she had a lot of potential." Holly frowned slightly at the thought of all that wasted potential. After a few moments she wondered who exactly the new girl was and if Selina was exaggerating her skills. "So, this new girl, she break any of my records yet?" Holly asked nonchalantly as the food arrived.
"Not yet, but she's close." Selina replied before digging into her meal. The rest of the conversation revolved around Holly's college courses and the like.
"See you Wednesday. Bye Donna! I want to see some pictures of your baby next time!" Holly called as she left the diner. She hailed a cab and decided to head back to her apartment since she didn't have anything better to do. While at a red light she looked out her window to see a newly renovated café.
Holly saw a young girl (covered in scars) leaving the café and walking up the street towards the asylum. Holly wondered briefly who the girl was (she looked so familiar) and what had happened to her (scars don't just appear out of no where).
Sally still had some time to kill so she crossed the street to the high school. She wandered down the main hall to the athletics trophy case. She noticed one girl in various photos and wondered vaguely why she'd participate in so many sports. The girl was a short, petite, little thing with short blond hair and honey brown eyes. Sally wondered why her smile never quite reached her eyes in any of the photos; the thought made her frown. She remained staring at the photos until she heard voices moving toward her. Sally quickly exited the building and began to walk back to work.
Once back inside her office (domain) she checked to see if anyone had requested a file while she was gone (no one had) and satisfied that she could relax for a while, Sally kicked off her shoes and took out her copy of Dr. Jonathan Crane's file. She remembered him from that night that felt like nearly a lifetime ago and once more found herself drawn to him. She (obsessively) read his file again.
Sally was upstairs sometime later, delivering copies of patient files to various doctors and staff members. Dr. Thomas was in the recreation room with some patients, she discovered, and went to hand him the files he requested (since that is the proper protocol; files put in a big envelope and put directly into the hand of the staff member who requested the file). She navigated her way to the center of the room where the doctor was having a group therapy session. He barely acknowledged her as he took the envelope. Sally began to walk away when she felt eyes on her. Looking around she saw no one looking at her and wrote it off as paranoia (even though she could practically feel the person's eyes burning through her the entire walk out of the room).
Sally went through the employee files looking for hers. She was unbearably curious to see what it said. Sally made herself a copy (haha! She was doing her job – making file copies; no one ever got to keep the originals) and read it over. It seemed fairly accurate (though lacking) and even had her address. She snorted to herself at the picture and hid the file (in plain sight on her desk). Sally once more took out her copies of various patient files. Technically, she wasn't allowed to have her own copies, but no one would ever know anyway.
She read Dr. Jonathan Crane's file once more before returning above ground to deliver various files. As she walked by the rec room, she felt eyes on her once more. Sally stopped and peeked in only to have her eyes connect with an intense ice blue gaze. She froze; she'd been studying those eyes but a moment ago and now they were studying her. Jonathan Crane smiled wickedly at her and Sally felt herself flush (and her insides melt). She still couldn't move; that gaze kept her rooted in place (not out of fear but out of something else entirely – a moth to a flame...).
Eventually, she managed to look away and delivered the various files in a daze. She nonchalantly wandered over to the Observing Station and looked to see where he was. He was in a corner, scribbling something in his notebook. He paused (as if he felt her eyes on him) and smirked to himself before calmly writing something else. Sally fled back to her domain before he could trap her with his icy gaze once more.
Holly smiled at the postcard from her (half-)brother. He was off on a road trip (had been for a few years) and she missed him terribly. Davey always knew how to make her feel better. Holly felt restless. (Restless like the summer Davey and her hot-wired cars and took 'em for a spin just for kicks, restless like the time Davey taught her how to pick a lock, how to shoplift, how to survive…)
Annoyed, she got dressed and called a few friends – she needed to go out. Her roommate was off with his boyfriend so she locked the apartment up. Holly was dressed to impress and ready to have a good time. Her skintight clothing disgusted the elderly woman waiting for the bus but Holly didn't care. She just needed to go dancing with her friends and make the restless feeling go away (it was driving her nuts – she wanted something, she just wasn't quite sure what it was).
Just for kicks, Holly nearly swiped several wallets (everyone seemed like such an easy target). She was glad when she finally reached the club and was immediately let inside. Her friends weren't there yet so she started dancing without them. Holly saw a young girl with long auburn hair and paused. She looked a bit closer but soon discovered the girl had no scars. Holly vaguely wondered who the girl from earlier had been when she spotted her friends Jenny and Katie. The three friends danced the night away (and Holly's friend each left with a guy they'd picked up).
Holly stumbled home out of exhaustion. She hadn't felt like drinking (for once, normally alcohol helped to dull the restless ache she constantly felt). She ran her hand through her mass of curls to try to distract herself from the nearly unbearable restlessness inside of her. Looking around and spotting no one, Holly did a few quick gymnastics moves; she felt infinitely better. Holly very nearly purred as she continued the walk home.