Chapter 1 – Welcome to Gotham
Welcome to Gotham City – I read as we pass the sign.
I´m officially starting a new chapter of my life, although my sister Elena wasn't all that happy when I announced my decision, but something in me felt like this was the right thing for me.
After everything that had happened last year, I felt like I needed to be close to my sister again.
I feel the Flashbacks coming as I desperately try to not let them come up.
The ride should take much longer, even though the cab driver was at first a little taken a back, once I have given him the address.
I was heading to my sisters boyfriends apartment.
Bruce Wayne.
Elena was moved to Gotham almost 2 years ago and is working in a local hospital and somewhere along the line she had met Bruce. She told me a lot about him, that he was very very rich, that he had his own company's and most importantly that he treated her like a princess.
I was so happy for her, after everything that we have been through, I´m glad that she had found her own way.
Me on the other hand, well let´s just say I´m still trying to figure it out and besides Elena is 10 years older than me. My parents didn't initially plan on having another child, so I was a big surprise and ever since I´ve always done what everyone else expected me to do.
What to wear, how to look, how to act. I never wanted to disappoint my parents and now that they are gone Elena has taken on the role of making sure I´m not steering off the path, although the only thing that I truly want is to finally be free, to finally be me.
The cab comes to a stop in front of a huge building.
"Wow", I think to myself. My sister didn't exaggerate when she said that Bruce was rich.
As I pay the driver and get out I´m immediately pulled into a hug.
"Oh Ella, finally. It´s so good to see you in person after all that time." Elena squeaks.
"I´ve missed you so much, Lena."
"Oh and this is Bruce. I´m so excited that the two of you can finally meet each other."
"Hi, Bruce Wayne. Nice to meet you. Your sister has told me a lot about you."
"Well I hope only nice things", I chuckle slightly as I put my hand in his shaking it. "Thank you again so much for allowing me to stay with you."
"That's no problem at all. I have more than enough space and also please meet Alfred Pennywise, he is my butler and a family friend for many decades."
An elderly man appears from the back extending his hand. "Pleasure to meet you Miss, Williams."
"Please call me Ella."
Bruce and Alfred take my suitcases and we go up to his suite.
Once we enter I have to take a moment because my goodness this place is huge.
"If you allow, I would like to show you around after that you can start to unpack and then we can all eat together."
I nod still baffled by this sigh. Alfred comes out of the kitchen, "Miss, … Ella is there something that you don't eat, that I should know off?"
"Don't worry about me, I´ll eat about anything"
"Very well" he nods and goes back to the kitchen as Bruce shows me around his home.
He shows me his office, bedroom, living room and well many more rooms, that I wasn't even aware could fit in this apartment. The last room was his last guest room, which was now my new room.
"Take your time to unpack and please feel just like home." Bruce says as I walk in to find my suitcases already in there.
"Thank you again for letting me stay here and if at any point it´s getting to much for you please just let me know and I can find myself another place."
Bruce shakes his head. "You are now also part of the family. Elena had told me what had happened, I´ve also lost both of my parents. I can imagine how you´re feeling right now and please don't ever feel like an inconvenient."
He leaves the room and I start to unpack. There is a lot in those suitcases, a lot of memories that are threatening to come up. Once I´m almost finished packing storing everything where it belonged I take out my diary. I sit down on the bed and flip through my pages and a couple of pictures. A huge sigh escapes me as I take a pen and start writing.
"Dear diary,
I´ve officially made it to Gotham. Still can´t really believe that I was able to convince Elena to let me come here. I´ve really tried hard in Sacramento, but it was just to real. Elena may say that Gotham is far to dangerous but after all she lives here as well for almost two years now.
I did try to move on with my life, but the memories keep on haunting me. No matter how many time people might tell me that it wasn't my fault… I know the truth. It would have happened if it wasn't for me.
I was wrong. I thought that I could smile and nod my way through it, pretend like it would all be okay. I had a plan, I wanted to change who I was, create a life. Without the past, without the pain. Someone alive. But it's not that easy. The bad things stay with you. They follow you. You can't escape them, as much as you want to. All you can do is be ready for the good, so when it comes, you invite it in. Because you need it. I need it.
I´m responsible for their deaths and now that I´ve finally graduated for the first time in my life, I took my chance and made MY decision to start over. To start fresh.
From this point on its going to be different. I´m going to try and smile more, enjoy life and not let others dictate my life for me.
I have a feeling, that now that I am in Gotham hopefully I can finally be myself for the first time."
After finishing I close the diary and place it under my pillow and just in time because I hear my name being called for dinner.
"Thank you Alfred, the food looks delicious." I smile towards the elderly man as he serves us the food.
Steak, mashed potatoes and broccoli. The smell is just overwhelming.
We start to eat and Bruce tells me a little bit about Gotham.
"So yeah, that's pretty much about Wayne Enterprise. If you want I am free tomorrow until noon, I could show you around." I smile nodding to him.
"I´m at work until probably 6 p.m. tomorrow and shoot Bruce", Elenas eyes widen slightly.
"The dinner!"
I look between them not exactly knowing what she means.
"Bruce is hosting a charity dinner and party tomorrow and I completely forgot about it."
Both of them are now looking at me.
"Don´t mind me you guys go have fun. I´ll be fine."
Elena sighs and drops her fork.
"Ella, Gotham really isn´t the place for you. Why are you being so stubborn and won´t listen?" She screams at me. "This place is full of criminals and psychopaths and besides you just graduated, why don´t you start looking for collages?"
"Because I don´t want to go to college!" I scream back at her. Guilt immediately takes over me once I realized that I had just raised my voice at my sister in Bruces home nonetheless.
"Gosh Lena, did it ever occur to you that I may not want to live my life, how you want me to life it? I´ve spent 17 years doing what mom and dad expected of me. I haven´t done one thing that I wanted to. I haven´t colored my hair, because all of you were against it." I state running a hand through my dirty blond hair, that went to my lower back.
"You haven´t done one thing wrong?" my sister asks in a bitter ton.
"Lena, don´t", I warn.
"You felt the need to go to that party, you wanted to go to prom and because you got cold feet, mom and dad had to come pick you up."
I gulp feeling the tears on the verge of spilling and she realized in that moment what she said.
"I´m sorry, I don´t…"
"Yes you do" I interrupt her. "That´s exactly what you are saying. If I wouldn't have went to my prom, mom and dad wouldn´t have to pick me up and we wouldn´t have been involved in that accident. Do you really think that I forgot that. I stayed behind in that town, Lena. I´ve finished school. I had to come up with a much more complicated way just to get to school so I wouldn't have to cross that bridge and where were you?"
She glares at me, telling me not to go there. "Yeah, you were here. You had people around you, helping you getting through it. While I was completely alone. So tell me all day long that I am ruining my life by not going to college, but matter of fact is I am staying in Gotham."
Once I´m finished I realize that Bruce and Alfred switch looking between me and Elena and I sink into my seat.
"I am more than glad to have you here and as long as you are not walking at night by yourself it shouldn´t be that bad." Bruce tells me and then goes on to Elena. "And as for tomorrow I´ve bought you that dark blue dress that you liked a while back. And Ella can of course come as well."
"Thank you so much for the offer, but I´d rather just stay here if its aright with you." Bruce just smiles warmly at me.
"Of course and besides Alfred is also here is you need anything."
We sit for a couple of minutes in silence, when Alfred stands up to carry to plates back. I stand up with him and also take the dirty dishes.
"Miss, you really don't have to." But I just give him a look that says he can´t stop me. I carry it to the kitchen and place the dishes into the dishwasher. After we are finished cleaning up Bruce announces that he needs to go back to work and that we don't need to wait for him. Elena is already in bed and reading in her medicine books.
As for me I go back to my room and take out my Pajamas which consisted out of a baby blue tank top and some sleeping shorts. It is April, but it is already pretty warm in Gotham so I won´t be cold wearing just my tank top.
I throw my hair into a messy bun and go into the bathroom. Turning the shower on I step inside and just let my mind wander off and start to sing, which usually I wouldn't ever do in front of someone.
"How do you catch a falling star
How do you fix a broken heart
How can we go back to re-write this from the start?
Back when our world glowed from just a spark?
Stuck inside this atmosphere
Watching my light just disappear
And all the things I´ve forgotten while you were here
Now I remember them all so clear
Just give me one more time
I´ll swim through the high tide
I´ll stand in the front lines
I´ll give it all just to see your face
And tell you it´s aright
To hold you for one night
Just give me one more time
Mr I don´t need her
Now I think about her constantly though
If they made a machine that could register
How cold my heart was off the meter
Now that that time is gone,
I remember her favorite song
And the spot in the middle of her back
She would laugh when I put my fingers on
Until the end of everything
and I´m gonna buried
You the only one that ever loved like this,
and baby I hope you hear me
You search and you go find
deep down you know your mine
I´ll fight to my very last breath,
if that means that I get just one more time
Just give me one more time
I´ll swim through the hide tide
I´ll stand in the front lines
I´ll give it all just to see your face
And tell you it´s alrigth
To hold you for one more night
Just give me one more time
I´m still alive,
I still feel you, So many words
I never told you
I´m still alive,
I still feel you, So many words
I never told you
I´m still alive,
I still feel you, So many words
I never told you
I´m still alive,
I still feel you, So many words
I never told you
Just give me one more time
I´ll swim through the hide tide
I´ll stand in the front lines
I´ll give it all just to see your face
And tell you it´s alright
To hold you for one more night
Just give me one more time"
I finish up and step out, careful not to make the floor wet. I throw the towel into the bin for the laundry and get dressed.
Once I step into my bedroom I immediately feel a breeze hitting me and that when I realized that the window is open.
"Weird", I think to myself. "Did I open it and forgot to close it again?" Not really thinking anything of it I close it and lie down. The day was so long that as soon as my head hits my pillow I immediately fall asleep. And I actually dream that someone is in my room creasing my face.