--
"NO!"*
"What?" Dylan asked, alarmed.
"He has her," I said, my voice trembling.
"Then we're going to get her," Dylan responded, firm and resolute.
"I can't," I whispered, my fear choking me.
Dylan grabbed my arms, forcing me to look him in the eyes. "Yes, you can. I promise you, you can."
I pulled myself together, taking a deep breath, and walked forward with Dylan by my side.
"LUCY!" Pepper nearly tripped over the rope separating the VIP section as she ran to hug me.
"Did I ever tell you I love you?" she whispered in my ear. I glanced over her shoulder at my dad.
"What did you do to her?" I demanded.
"Oh, just a little bit of laughing gas," he replied nonchalantly. "You should try it sometime."
"Why'd you do it?!" I shouted, fury boiling in my veins.
"She was a distraction. He is too," my dad said, nodding towards Dylan. "Get him out of here."
Two of his goons grabbed Dylan.
"Hell no!" I yelled, fighting to get him back.
"What do you want, Dad?" I asked, desperate.
He stood up, his cane inches from my face. "A little talk."
"I'll talk if you let him go," I bargained.
"What is he, your little boyfriend?" he sneered.
"No."
"Yes!" Dylan interrupted.
"Dylan, shut up! I will talk if you let him go," I insisted.
My dad looked at his men and they sat Dylan down. He immediately grabbed onto me.
"Aww, how cute," my dad mocked.
"What do you want?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady.
"A little information on The Bat."
"What about him?" I asked cautiously.
"Is it true that your mom and Bruce Wayne are... dating?" he asked, a sinister smile playing on his lips.
"Ask her yourself," I snapped.
"Oh no, but I'm asking you," he replied, stepping closer.
"And I gave you an answer! Why can't you just be normal for once, huh? Ask me how I'm doing in school, tell me how much you love me—not drugging my friends and testing me for information!" I shouted, my frustration reaching its peak.
Something shifted in his expression. "Normal? Oh, Daddy can't be normal, and neither can you. It's all your fault I'm like this!" He grabbed my wrist, squeezing it painfully. "I didn't ask to be like this. I didn't ask for you either, but your mother ran away from me, didn't tell me a single thing about you!"
Dylan got up, trying to pull him off me.
"Dyl, no!" I shouted, but my dad pulled out his gun. I immediately stood in front of Dylan.
"Don't you dare shoot him," I warned.
He laughed, that awful, grating laugh that I hated so much. I glanced down and noticed my knife in my hand.
"What, you gonna hurt me? Please don't," he taunted, grabbing the knife by the blade and pointing it at my face. Blood dripped from his hand.
"You, missy, have a lot to learn," he said, his voice cold.
Dylan grabbed Pepper, lifting her into his arms. "Let's go," he said urgently.
We turned to leave, but I couldn't resist having the last word.
"Oh yeah, Dad, instead of sending someone to spy on me, how about YOU show up instead?" I spat, my anger boiling over. Then, we walked out of the VIP section, my heart pounding with fury.
Outside the Club*
"We gotta get her home," I said, looking at Pepper slumped in the backseat.
"Not like this. Her mom will literally blow this whole planet away," Dylan replied, starting the car.
We drove to my house in silence. The car ride felt like an eternity.
At Home*
I laid Pepper on my bed and pulled the covers over her. Stepping out of my room, I shut the door quietly.
Dylan looked up from his phone. "I gotta get home," he said softly.
"Oh yeah, umm, thanks, Dylan," I replied, suddenly feeling awkward.
"Oh no, I didn't do mu—" I cut him off, covering his mouth with my hand.
"You did enough," I assured him.
Before he turned to leave, I noticed a blush creeping up his cheeks. "Good night, Lucy."
"Night," I whispered, watching him walk away.
I stayed up until midnight, waiting for Mom to get home. When she finally arrived, she wasn't happy. She sat me on the kitchen counter and began wrapping my wrists.
"This should help," she said, her voice gentle. "We'll apply ice regularly."
"Thanks, Mom," I replied.
"Now, explain," she demanded.
"I already did."
"How did it start?" she pressed.
"Well... he took and drugged Pepper."
"No."
"Yeah, and it was because he wanted to ask me about you and Bruce," I explained, my voice trembling.
"First of all, it is none of his goddamn business," she snapped. "He's gonna catch hell from me for doing this to you guys."
"No, we're fine. We handled ourselves... but I got your knife taken," I admitted, guilt washing over me.
"Which one?" she asked.
"The one with the J on it," I replied.
She sighed. "I needed to get rid of it anyway. How did that happen?"
"I don't know. I just got defensive and threw it out. He threatened my intelligence and I couldn't really stab him."
"But I can," she said, her voice firm.
"Look, Mom, I promise you we're fine. Besides, Dylan was kind of a badass tonight."
"He was?" she asked, surprised.
"Yeah, it's not like him at all," I said, thinking back to how protective he had been.
"When it comes to you, I know he'll do anything for you," she said softly.
"Exactly." I hopped down from the counter. "Thanks, Mom." I kissed her on the cheek.
"Go to bed. I'll be checking on Pepper throughout the night," she said.
"Thanks." I went upstairs, but sleep didn't come easily. I couldn't shake the image of my dad's eyes from my mind. Something about them... it freaked me out. And this pain in my wrists was killing me.
--
Saturday*
When I woke up, Pepper wasn't in my bed. Panic set in as I bolted downstairs.
"Hey... woah," I said, startled to see Aunt Lillian and Mom in the kitchen.
"Morning," Aunt Lillian greeted me.
"Hey, Aunt Lillian," I said, still trying to calm my racing heart.
"I'm seriously gonna kill his ass now. Look at her arms," Aunt Lillian said, pointing to Pepper, who was seated at the table.
"No, no, I'm fine. And Pepper is looking pretty good," I said quickly.
"I am, just dizzy," Pepper added weakly.
"It's the high wearing off," I explained, pleading with my eyes for my mom not to make things worse.
"He messed with my kids. I can't let that slide," Aunt Lillian insisted, her voice steely.
"Same here, Luc," Mom added, her tone equally firm.
"What are you gonna do with him?" I asked, dread pooling in my stomach.
"Bash his brains out," Aunt Lillian declared.
"Okay, Lil, we can't go that far. It's still the kids' father," Mom interjected.
"So what? He hurt my doll face and her friends, and for that, he has to pay," Aunt Lillian argued.
"Look, we're gonna think this through. Surely we can get him to understand to leave them alone... without killing him," Mom said, trying to reason with her.
"No! He might be a crazy and evil lunatic, but he's still my dad at the end of the day. And I don't want him even more upset with me," I said, my voice shaking with emotion. I sat down beside Mom and laid my head on her shoulder. "I wish things—I wish shit would be a LOT more different."
"Lucy, language," Mom chided gently.
"I'm sorry, but I'm speaking the truth," I muttered.
"Listen to her, Lil," Mom said, trying to calm Aunt Lillian down.
"Fine, I won't kill him, but I will hurt him, even worse than I did in that jail cell," Aunt Lillian relented.
I hugged her tightly. "Alright, I'm taking this one home," Aunt Lillian said, helping Pepper up.
"Mom, I see the light!" Pepper exclaimed, swaying on her feet.
"No, it's just the sun," Aunt Lillian corrected.
"Oh," Pepper mumbled, and I couldn't help but laugh.
Mom covered my mouth, trying to stifle my laughter. She couldn't stand my laughter—it gave her flashbacks.
"You done?" she asked, her hand still over my mouth.
I nodded, and she removed her hand. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I'm going to walk them out," she said, getting up to escort Aunt Lillian and Pepper out.
I went back to my room, determined to sleep. It had been a long night, and I needed rest. Sleep was the only thing I wanted to do today.
--
9:35 p.m*
"Lucy, wakey wakey," Dylan's voice called out.
"Huh?" I mumbled, waking up