Work Text
Unknown POVThe cries of laughter filled the air and the scent of popcorn and peanuts linger as I walk through the dimly lit circus grounds. Shivering, I pulled my coat closer to myself and exhaled slowly, watching my breath as it mixed with the nighttime air. Suddenly the laughter from the circus show abruptly turned into screaming. I rolled my eyes and giggled when I heard Jim Gordon scream “GCPD!” As I perused through the small area where the circus performers lived and slept, I sighed and kicked a small rock across the ground. Suddenly, I heard the muffled scream of a woman and the sounds of a struggle. Tensing, I snuck behind a small RV and watched when two men stabbed a woman dressed like a fortune teller. The younger man, who looked to be around my age, was very handsome and had distinct red hair. The other was an older man, hunched over, holding a cane meant for a blind person. Feeling terrified, I began to back away, but my back hit something cold and metal. A hissing noise sounded and slowly, I turned around, coming face to face with a giant snake in a huge metal cage. I screamed, falling to the ground. Panicking, I turned to see the two men looking in my direction. The older man whispered something to the younger, who finished hiding the body of the woman underneath a tarp on the back of a truck. He grabbed the same knife he stabbed the woman with and headed towards me. I cried out and scrambled to my feet as fast as I could, trying to run away from the younger man. Behind me, I heard the footsteps get louder and faster, as the man pursued me. Tears blinded my field of vision and I tripped on something poking out of the ground, falling on my hands and elbows. I tried to get to my feet, but someone grabbed my arm, holding me tight and spinning me around. A boy around my age was holding me, his face speckled with the woman’s blood and his red hair glowing in the moonlight. Although I was terrified, I couldn’t help but notice the coldness and slight insanity in his eyes, his chiseled jawline and unbelievably handsome face. I swallowed hard, tears rolling down my cheeks as I hyperventilated. The young man’s eyes widened as he inspected me. I felt a cold metal object press against my neck, a slight burning sensation and the feeling of warm blood trickling down my chest. “Well well well,” he mused, his voice low and husky, “if it isn’t the famous Cecilia Wayne, heir to the Wayne fortune... I must say, you are a stunning young woman. And just about my age.” He licked his lips and I winced. “Too bad I have to kill such a gorgeous young woman. We can’t have you going around and telling people what you saw.” He raised his knife, dirtied with the deep red blood of the other woman. Desperate to escape him, I kneed him in the balls. He keeled over, crying out in pain as he grabbed his junk. Without looking back, I sprinted as fast as I could out of that place, the wind whipping my long, brown, and wavy hair. Frantic, I searched the area for Jim and Lee, my mind racing. BAM! I ran smack into another person, who grabbed my shoulders in an attempt to keep me from falling on my back. I tried to get away from this new person, but they held onto me too tightly.“Woah woah woah, hey, calm down Cece,” A familiar voice whispered, “It’s just me.” I looked up to see Jim Gordon staring at me with concern, and I let out a cry of relief. Lee Thompkins rushed up to Jim and I, looking worried.“What’s wrong? Cece, your neck! What happened?” She asked, concerned. I tried to tell her, but all that came out of my mouth was strained wheezing and short gasps for air. Lee sat me down and slowly rubbed my back in an attempt to comfort me. I grabbed and held onto her hand tight, my entire body shaking. “Breathe Cecilia. Breathe.” “Bo-body… Re-red… Sna-Snake…” I squeezed her hand tighter. Lee stared at me in confusion.“Ce, you’re not making any sense.” She patted my hand. Jim settled down next to Lee and I, placing his hand in hers.“Alfred’s on his way, Cece,” he told me, stuffing his phone into his pocket. “Can you do me a favor and try to tell me what happened?” Breathing slower now, I looked up at Jim, my heartbeat slowing.“There was a man… two men actually… a-and a woman… sh-she died. Murdered, I mean. By the two men.” Lee grimaced, “They saw me… I ran but I fell and the one guy, he grabbed me… held a knife to my throat. I kicked him and ran, and that’s where I ran into you guys.”“Did you see what the men looked like? Can you give me any facial descriptions?” Jim asked.“Uh, yeah… The younger one had red hair… the other guy looked old and hunched over, with a cane. Yeah, like some sort of blind man’s cane or something. I think.” I responded. Jim looked up, searching for anyone who matched my description. “Aye, Cecilia!” I turned to hear a familiar voice attached to a familiar face. Alfred. I jumped up and ran to him, wrapping my arms around my father-figure-slash-butler. He grabbed my hands, looking me square in the eye, “What happened? Are you alright? Did anyone hurt you?” “Alfred, I wanna go home,” I mumbled, crying. “Ok, ok, we can do that,” Alfred responded, nodding. He turned to Jim and Lee,“I can take her from here.” Jim nodded.“We’re going to take a look around this place, we’ll call you if we find the men and I’ll have to get Cecilia to come into the department, in case we need her to point out the two men.” He looked at me, “You can do that, right?”“Yes.” I whispered, nodding. Alfred helped me into the car and we drove back to Wayne manor, my home.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When we got inside, Alfred and I headed to the kitchen. Bruce and Selina sat at the counter and jumped up when we entered the room. Bruce hugged me tightly and Selina did the same from my other side. “You ok, Ce?” Selina asked, “You look really pale.”
“And what happened to your neck!” Bruce exclaimed. Slowly, I placed my hand on my neck, covered in
a sticky substance I could only assume was blood. Alfred handed me a wet towel and I rubbed the blood off. A small portion of the white towel turned a reddish-brown color. Silent, I clenched the towel in my fist, shaking my head. “Cece, what’s wrong?”
“I was a coward,” I mumbled, “he held a knife to my neck and I did nothing! I stood there like- like a baby and completely forgot everything you taught me, Alfred. I could’ve died and I did nothing about it!” I slammed my fist on the kitchen counter. Selina snatched the towel out of my hand, washing the blood out.
“Yo, just come hang with me for a bit.” She suggested, “I can help.”
“That is absolutely ridiculous,” Alfred shook his head, “How could you possibly help Cecilia?”
“Oh please, old man,” she rolled her eyes, “we both heard it, she learned
squat
from you! I think it’s all fair if I get a turn with Ce.” I turned to Alfred, who was glaring at Selina with pure hatred.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Bruce smiled, walking up behind Selina, who blushed. “I mean, that is, if you want to Cece?”
“Oh, yeah. Yeah, it sounds good to me.” I turned to Bruce, “I think I’ll try it.” Selina held out a fist to bump. Obviously, I conceded. She turned to Alfred, boasting her victory.
“Well at least let her rest tonight and freshen up,” Alfred interjected, “Please Cecilia, just rest tonight.”
“Ok, yeah, that’s fine,” Selina shrugged, walking towards the window, “You know where to find me.” She opened the window and was gone. Feeling tired, I headed up to my room and Bruce followed me. I sat down on my bed, Bruce next to me, looking as if he wanted to say something.
“What’s up, little bro?” I smiled. Bruce said nothing for a second, and it allowed
my thoughts to go wild. My eyes widened, “Is it about dad? Did you find something?”
“Yes, Dad knew about the corruption of Wayne Enterprises. I think the main reason he was killed was because of that. Him trying to fix the corruption, I mean.”
“How did you find out? What did you do?” I asked, concerned for my brother’s safety.
“I- uh, infiltrated Wayne Enterprises with Selina, got some information, almost got caught… and then met a man named Lucius Fox. He was one of dad’s old friends, I guess. He offered to help Alfred and I.”
“As much as I don’t like you putting yourself in danger, I’m proud of you for managing to get insider info on Wayne Enterprises. Anything else to say before I chew you out?” I held up my fist to his face, like it was a microphone. He swatted it away, snickering.
“Yeah, just one thing: You are the best sister ever, and I deserve to live.” I pushed him off the bed, the two of us laughing like the idiots we kind of are. Bruce stood and held out his hand for me to take and he pulled me up. We hugged goodnight and he walked out, closing my door so that I could get ready for bed and rest. I slipped on a simple nightgown and freed my hair from its braid, brushing it out. Pulling out a washcloth, I slowly washed my neck. It stung as I pressed the damp cloth against the cut. I closed my eyes and saw my mother’s graceful neck, with her necklace of pearls upon it.
The necklace had looked gorgeous on her, it had been father’s anniversary present to her just a week previous. Father had always had such great taste when it came to Mother. He adored doting on her and knew exactly what looked best.
I opened my eyes, confused. My father and mother were dead, I knew that. But it felt like I had relived that moment again. Seeing my father and mother, sitting at our balcony at the opera, was like something out of a dream. Or maybe a nightmare, as that had been the night they were killed. I shook my head and opened the door to the hallway to walk out. But I wasn’t in my hallway anymore.
I was in a very familiar alleyway. It was dark, and cold, and wet. The familiar scent of smoke and motor oil filled the air. Behind me, I heard laughter and I turned around, the hairs standing on the back of my neck. My family- what it used to be- strolled down a dark alleyway, all laughing and talking. I swallowed hard and watched as the younger version of me clung onto my father’s arm, both of them beaming. In front of the my family, a man, dressed in all black, stalked towards them. The man stopped my family, raising a gun. My mother gasped as the man ordered my father to give over all his money.
“No problem,” my father said, staying calm as he pulled out his wallet. He turned to the younger versions of Bruce and I, “Stay calm, kids.”
“The necklace,” the man aimed his gun at my mother’s neck. She shook as she took off her necklace and he ripped it from her. The necklace broke and the pearls scattered all over the floor. I watched as the pearls bounced on the wet ground, as they shone in the pale moonlight. I couldn’t move my eyes off of the pearls. POW! POW! I jumped at the sound of a gun firing twice and the bright red of blood spattered onto the pearls. I couldn’t move my line of sight, couldn’t see my parents. All I could do was stare at the pearls, and hear the sickening sounds of young Bruce and I screaming for our parents to wake up. My knees, buckling, brought me crumpling to the ground, water and blood stained my nightgown. The metallic scent of blood mixed with the scent of gasoline, and moisture filled my eyes.
I opened my eyes, dazed, to find myself on the floor of my hallway, on my knees. I managed to pull myself up and drag my body back into my room. I threw myself onto my bed and stared at the ceiling until I fell asleep.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After only just a few weeks of living with Selina, I started to get comfortable with my new surroundings and home. I had fallen into a routine where I would have dinner with Alfred and Brucie every Sunday, just to catch up. After dinner, I would head back to the streets with Selina and we would train. Well, training with Selina is basically her telling me, ‘let’s go rob this person,’ and I would be like, ‘sounds good.’ I’ve gotten used to robbing random and often unsuspecting people. Honestly, by now, nothing and no one could scare me. Except spiders. Spiders freak me out.
One Sunday afternoon, I’m relaxing in Selina’s crib, reading a stolen magazine from the store we robbed last week, when Selina jumped on top of me, shaking me by the shoulders.
“CE! You will not
believe
what just happened!”
She screeched, as she entered the room for the first time since that morning when she left to go to some unnamed spot. I threw Selina off me.
“What?” I asked, not standing up from my comfy spot on the ratty couch.
“There is like a
perfect
spot we have to hit tonight! I’m talking
big money
! Like
LOTS OF DOUGH!
” My eyes widened at the thought of the amount of money that’d make Selina this excited. Then they narrowed in annoyance.
“Ok, so, what’s the catch, Sel?” I asked her and to that she grinned widely, her eyebrows arching up in glee.
“Well,” she said, holding out the l and sounding guilty, “There’s possibly heavy guard duty and there’s, uh, about a seventy to seventy-five percent chance we might, I don’t know, die. Maybe.”
“Great, Sel.” I rolled my eyes in annoyance.
“
Please,
Cece!” She whined, “You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you don’t understand what it’s like to be poor. This is my
chance,
Ce. Help me out.”
“Fine.” I gave in, defeated. She squealed and did a quick little victory dance. “Just let me get ready, ok?” She nodded. I turned away from her and walked to the table on the opposite side of the room, examining Selina’s seemingly unlimited supply of weapons. Sighing, I picked up a few daggers and hid them in my belt, underneath my shirt, and on the thigh holster alfred had gotten me. I also grabbed a Glock 22 we stole from an old man and hid it in the back of my pants. Obviously I brought extra ammo as well because you never know if or when you’ll run out. I turned back to Selina, smiling at her.
She grinned back at me. “Well what are you standing around for? It’s time to go, Ce.”
“Alright then,” I nodded, “Let’s go.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
We crept silently along the roof of Don Maroni’s mansion, hoping not to be caught in our first few minutes of being here. Carefully, Selina unhinged the uppermost window and slipped inside the dark room. I followed her in, closing the window softly behind me.
“Just follow me,” Selina whispered.
“Was already planning on doing that,” I replied with a snooty tone. Selina snickered softly. She turned and started to head down a steep flight of stairs. I followed silently, careful not to trip and fall on top of Selina. At the bottom of the seemingly never ending staircase was a thin door, light coming out from underneath it. Sel pressed her ear against the door to listen for any voices. She turned to me.
“Ok, so here’s the plan. We have to get to the basement, that’s where Maroni keeps all his moolah. To do so, we gotta sneak down three floors, all with heavy security, take out the guards blocking the doors, open a big ass safe, grab some shit, and run like hell outta there.” She explained.
“Oh yeah, this is gonna be a walk in the park,” I exhaled slowly. Selina rolled her eyes and carefully opened the door, heading out. I followed her and noticed that the hallway was completely empty, just a bunch of closed doors and a huge window at the end of the long hallway with a staircase underneath it. “Ok so, I was expecting this to be a bit harder,” I said, confused, “Where are all the guards? The security?”
“Well, lucky for us,” Selina turned to me, “not many guards are here cause Maroni’s out to dinner. And won’t be back for a while.” I smiled, “oh and here,” she placed some tranquilizer darts in my hand, “for the guards, just to make things… easier.” I nodded and we headed to the staircase, as silent as two mice. At the bottom of the staircase, Selina turned to me, motioning for me and her to split up. “Take out as many as you can, meet at the next flight of stairs. I nodded and went left, her going right. I crept into a small lounge room with a short couch and a lit fireplace, the fire crackling softly, emitting a warm glow. On the couch was a slumbering, burly man, snoring loudly. I sighed, looking down at my darts. I had five in total, and I couldn’t risk one on this guy. Two men were conversing loudly in the next room. Trying not to get caught, I darted behind the couch and pulled out a dagger.
“Hey, dude, wake up,” I whispered, tapping the man on the forehead. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Before he could get a good look at me, I hit him over the head with the dagger’s hilt, knocking him out. I sighed and stood up, ripping a piece of paper out of a book in the lounge room and placing a dart in it. I peaked around the corner, peering into the kitchen, where two men were drinking beers and talking. I aimed the dart at the back of the closest thug’s neck and with ease, blew into the paper roll, sending the dart flying into the thug’s neck.
“Ow!” He stood up, ripping the dart out of the back of his neck.
“What is it?” The other thug stood as well.
“This thing-” the man started to explain but he fell to the floor, knocked out. The other thug dropped to the ground, grabbing his friend. I placed the second dart in the paper tube and shot it. It hit this thug’s neck as well and he cried out in pain, grabbing the dart. He then fell to the floor and I stepped over his limp, unconscious body, heading towards the next flight of stairs. Selina was sitting on the railing, waiting for me.
“What took ya so long?” She smiled and we high fived to our victory.
“Had to take out some peeps. It was kinda fun.” I winked as I gracefully slid down the railing.
“Show off,” Selina rolled her eyes and followed me down. This floor was the main floor, it was huge, with different rooms and doors. We had to find the door that would take us to the basement, which would probably take a while. I looked at the time and noticed that it was getting dark outside. We might end up missing dinner with Bruce and Alfred.
“K, let’s stay together this time,” I told her, “that way we won’t get lost and killed.” She nodded and the both of us walked through the different rooms, knocking out guards and dodging security systems. After about ten minutes of exploring the floor, we found the hallway that lead to the basement. Celebrating silently, Selina started to sprint down the hallway, completely forgetting about any possible security systems. I tried to stop her, but she was too excited. I began to follow her, but suddenly, she tripped, setting off an ear-splitting alarm.
“Shit!” She pulled herself up, panicked, “shit!” I ran ahead of her, grabbing her hand.
“Come on!” I opened the door to the basement, flying down the stairs. Behind us, around ten men followed, all yelling at us and shooting their guns. Selina flew to the safe, fumbling with some things in her pocket. I ran back towards the men, shooting as many darts as I could, taking out three men. I slid my foot under one guy’s leg, kicking him and sending him to the floor. I then pushed myself back up and kicked another man in the face, blood spurting out of his nose. Jumping up, I pushed myself against the wall and wrapped around the guy’s neck with my legs, flipping him over and onto the ground, the way I had seen the Black Widow do in the Avengers movies. One man ran up behind me with a knife, but I grabbed his arm, twisted it back, stuck my elbow into his gut, pushed off the opposite wall, and kicked him in the face.
“It’s open!” Selina called. I finished off two more men and turned to Selina.
“Get as much as you want and then let’s go!” I panted. She nodded and started stuffing her pockets with cash. I turned back around and was met by a punch to the face, sending me straight to the floor. The man grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and lifted me up, slamming me into the wall.
Go for the eyes.
I pulled out my dagger and cut across his face, blood going everywhere. He screeched and dropped me, falling on his knees. I hit him the head with the dagger hilt, knocking him out.
Bang! Bang!
Two bullets grazed my leg and my arm, tearing off some flesh. I screamed and fell to the floor, grabbing my wounds in pain. Two men grabbed my arms, lifting me up. Desperate to escape, I pulled out a dagger, my blood staining my clothes, and hit him square in the nose with the hilt, knocking him out. The other threw me against the wall and I slid to the floor, crying out in pain. The man pointed his gun at me, loading it. I shut my eyes, preparing myself for death. But no gunshot was heard.
“You’re welcome,” I opened my eyes to see Selina standing over me and the man at her feet out cold. She lent me her hand and I took it, smiling. Together, we ran out of the house and into the woods, where we could hide for a bit. I sat down, pressing my back against a cold rock, blood seeping from my wounds. “Shit, we gotta wrap those,” Selina said, bending down. I ripped pieces off of my shirt and handed them to her, breathing hard. She nodded and tied them around my arm and leg wounds tightly so that enough pressure would be kept on them. She pressed one against my nose as well, absorbing the blood that still spilled out.
“How much did you get?” I asked. She shrugged, pressing shirt pieces against different cuts on my body.
“A lot I think… I mean, the entire safe just filled with wads of one hundred dollar bills so that’s all I filled my bag and pants with.” She grinned. I chuckled softly and watched as blood dripped from my already soaked bandages to the dead leaves that littered the ground. It was warm blood, like all blood, smelled metallic and it gave off a deep red color, staining the brown leaves red.
“We should,” I pulled myself up, “probably get to Bruce-” I stumbled and Selina grabbed me, laughing.
“Ok, ok, we can do that.” She giggled.
“Wow, that punch in the face really got me,” I whispered, putting my hand to my head. “Can’t wait to see the bruise I get from that!” I groaned. Selina just laughed, helping me stay upright as we trekked through the woods in search of Wayne Manor.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
By the time we got to the Manor, my home, it was late at night. I decided that it would be best if we crawled through Bruce’s bedroom window, as I didn’t want Alfred to know that I got hurt. Especially since my wounds came from a gun. Selina silently opened the window and I crawled through first, accidentally falling a little too hard on his floor. Bruce shot up from his bed and turned on his room light, his eyes overly wide and shocked.
“What the hell?” He gasped, as he realized that it was just Selina and I, “Geez, Cece, what time is it? Why are you here?”
“Hey Brucie,” I smiled, preparing to evade his questions like a pro, “long time no see.” Bruce looked me up and down and a brief look of panic flashed across his face before he schooled his expression.
“Why are you bleeding?” He asked, trying to hide the tremor of panic in his voice.
“No Bruce, I spilled ketchup all over myself,” I sighed, sitting down on his floor. He looked at Selina, his calm facade faltering.
“What do you want me to do? I could go get Alfr-”
“No! Don’t do that,” I cut him off, “Alfred can’t know about this, alright? Just go get some washcloths, the sewing kit, bandages, and a basin so that we can clean and wrap up my injuries, ok?” Bruce nodded silently, exiting his room to retrieve what I asked for. After a couple of minutes, he entered and set everything on the floor. He carefully took the clean shirt pieces and cleaned my wounds with the sweet smelling soap and warm water that he had collected. He then sterilized the needle and thread to begin sewing the bullet holes and any other deep cuts in my skin. It hurt like a bitch, but I managed to keep a semi-successful straight face, careful in my attempts to show no pain in order to frighten him as little as possible. Bruce then lathered the stitches he had done with some sort of antibacterial ointment and wrapped them with clean bandages. Selina left the room to take the bloody water and towels downstairs, while Bruce and I sat on the soft, carpeted floor of his bedroom, talking.
“What the hell were you and Selina doing that got you so cut up?” He asked, concern very present in his voice.
“None of your business, Brucie.” I answered, with a big, fake smile. He sighed and stared at me bluntly.
“You know that I hate it when you call me that,” he grunted, folding his arms. I giggled, punching his shoulder semi-lightly.
“I know you hate it and that’s
exactly
why I say it.”
“Say what?” The door opened and Bruce and I spun around, shocked and slightly guilty. Standing in the doorway was an angry Alfred and next to him was Selina, with guilt written all over her smiling face.
“Dammit Selina!” I cursed. Alfred gave me an annoyed look and knelt down beside Bruce and I, grabbing my arm.
“And what do we have here?” He noticed the bandages all over my arm and leg. I sigh and look up to a red faced Alfred. “SELINA I SWEAR TO GOD WHATEVER THE BLOODY MESS YOU PUT MISS CECILIA IN, YOU WILL PAY FOR WITH YOUR BLOODY FINGERS AND TOES, YOU HEAR ME?”
“Damn butler, chill out,” Selina scoffed, “look at her, she’s
fine
.”
“SHE’S GOT BLOODY STITCHES YOU ABSOLUTE
IMBECILE!”
Alfred roared. Selina snickered.
“Alfred, I’m fine, really.” I said, speaking up and grabbing his arm, “Thank you for worrying but I truly have never felt better. It felt amazing, you know, all the adrenaline. The rush!”
“I don’t bloody care about how it made you feel, you twat, I only
care
about your safety! And your life was just put in danger by this person who’s supposed to be your friend!” He turned to Selina, “no offense.”
“None taken, old man.” She responded sarcastically. Alfred looked me in the eye.
“Please, just be done with this whole… act. You’ve been gone for three weeks. Bruce misses you. I miss you,” he squeezed my arm tightly. I exhaled slowly, looking up at Selina. She just stood there and shrugged.
“Up to you, Ce.” She said. I nodded and turned back to Alfred.
“I’ll be finished with this whole thing then, I guess. But it is
not
an act. Tomorrow I will go back to Sel’s so that I can get my stuff, alright?”
“Very well, Miss Cecilia,” Alfred said as he stood, helping me too my feet, “let’s get you to your room so that you may rest until tomorrow. Don’t forget that on Monday, you have a trip with your school’s team.” He reminded me.
“How could I forget?” I said, grinning widely.
“Do you even go to school?” Selina asked, following us down the hall.
“No, Bruce and I are homeschooled, but since I wanted to be a cheerleader Alfred got the highschool to allow me to try out. I got in, obviously, and I just practice with them when they need me. But I’m quitting after this trip. Too much drama.” I explained as I entered my bedroom.
“Gotcha,” Selina nodded, “Well, I guess it’s my time to head back home.” She turned to the window, opening it. I grabbed her arm.
“It’s way too dark for you to head back now,” I told her, “Why don’t you just crash here for the night? You could sleep on the couch.”
“Nah, it’s cool. I’d rather go.” She responded, climbing out the window, “see ya later, Ce.”
“See ya then,” I spoke, waving as Selina silently closed the window and disappeared into the dark night.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The smell of perfume and shampoo wafted through the bus. The shrieks, giggles, and squeals of cheerleaders pierced my pounding skull. One girl tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to face her. She was small and had curly dark brown hair, done up in a ponytail.
“Cece I just gotta say,” she squealed, “you’re such a badass! Yes I did say badass!” She giggled
and we high fived.
“Thanks, girl!” I laughed. About five more girls gathered near me, all talking.
“You are so flexible!” One girl screamed.
“And beautiful!” Another squealed.
“We’re so lucky to have you!” The curly-haired-one giggled.
“Girl, where did you learn all those awesome moves?!” One more asked.
“Honestly, thank you girls, and I have no idea, really. I just practice.” I smiled. Suddenly, the bus came to a screeching halt. Confused, I peered out the window, looking for a reason for the sudden stop. My heart started to beat rapidly and my breathing increased. Fear welled up inside me and it felt like there were millions of butterflies trapped in my stomach, rising up to my throat. In front of the bus was a red oil truck, the logo proudly proclaiming HEST OIL on it. Out of the door of the bus were three people, a bald man, a smiling, brown haired man and a man with afro-like hair. The smiling man opened the door to the driver’s seat and I caught a glimpse of red hair. I could hear my heart beating and I started to hyperventilate.
I tried to get to my feet, but someone grabbed my arm, holding me tight and spinning me around. A boy around my age was holding me, his face speckled with the woman’s blood and his red hair glowing in the moonlight. Although I was terrified, I couldn’t help but notice the coldness and slight insanity in his eyes, his chiseled jawline and unbelievably handsome face. I swallowed hard, tears rolling down my cheeks as I hyperventilated. The young man’s eyes widened as he inspected me. I felt a cold metal object press against my neck, a slight burning sensation and the feeling of warm blood trickling down my chest.
I could hear the other girls scrambling to get off the bus, but it was like I was underwater. I couldn’t see or feel anything other than my panic-induced flashback.
“Well well well,” he mused, his voice low and husky, “if it isn’t the famous Cecilia Wayne, heir to the Wayne fortune... I must say, you are a stunning young woman. And just about my age.” He licked his lips and I winced. “Too bad I have to kill such a gorgeous young woman. We can’t have you going around and telling people what you saw.” He raised his knife, dirtied with the deep red blood of the other woman.
Finally, the ever-louder cries of my friends snapped me back to reality as I looked around, frightened.
What if he remembers me? I don’t want to die yet!
I tried to steady myself, but my rapid heartbeat refused to slow down, and my breathing was still too fast to be considered normal. I looked around the school bus, observing all of the helplessness and despair of my fellow cheerleaders. The girls that once surrounded me were mostly curled up in balls, sobbing. The ones that weren’t looked utterly terrified of what might happen. I couldn’t bring myself to cry. Panic and confusion whirled around in my body and I was too stressed to cry. I looked down at my shaking hands, and I grabbed onto the the seat in a poor attempt to stop the incessant shaking. Two of the three men walked on the bus, the bald one and the brown haired one. They started handcuffing people to the seats of the bus so that there would be no chance of escape. The brown haired man moseyed over towards me, grabbing my shaking wrists. I looked away from him, only feeling his hard, cold hands around mine, and then the even colder metal handcuffs pressing against my wrists, digging into my skin. After they finished, they left the bus silently.
“Ahh,” a familiar voice sighed, sending a shiver down my spine. I looked up and saw the redhead as he entered the bus, gun in his hand. He walked up the stairs and shot the busdriver in the face, blood spurting onto the window of the bus as the driver’s head jerked back. Everyone around me screamed and started to sob harder, yanking at their chains. I didn’t dare scream or move, lest I drew attention to myself. The bus around me started to blur as I watched the dark red blood of my bus driver dripped down the window and onto the floor. “Shut up!” He sighed in frustration and shot three times in the air, causing everyone, including me, to jump. I swallowed hard and looked out the window, away from the boy.
He hasn’t seen me yet.
I started to pick at my handcuffs with a bobby pin, remembering what Alfred had taught me.
The bus went nearly silent, the slight noise of sniffles and whimpers from the girls who were still crying the only sound. “That’s much better, ladies.” He grinned, a hint of mania gleaming in his beautiful- I meant deep- blue eyes. “My name is Jerome Valeska and I want you all to know,” he walked down the aisle, getting closer to me, “that this was a very difficult decision for us,” he stopped, four seats in front of me, pointing his gun at a brown-skinned girl’s head. “It was between you and a uh, senior citizen bingo party.” His voice gets low and husky at the word, “bingo party.” It reminded me of the night I first met him. He lifted the gun and turned back to the front of the bus, “in the end we decided to go a little younger. Youth won the day! Well, you guys lost, actually. Sorry.” His eyes slowly scanned the bus, turning and examining each face, one-by-one. I put my head down, picking at my lock. It unlocked and I pulled my wrists out slowly, relief and blood flowing back into my hands.
“Hey!” My breath hitched in my throat, fear flooding my senses. I looked up to see Jerome staring right at me. An evil grin formed on his soft pink lips as he took his first steps towards me. “Well, hello gorgeous,” he introduced himself, completely forgetting about the sobbing cheerleaders, “I’m Jerome.” I started to shuffle away but there was nowhere to go. Jerome sat down next to me, gun held to my chest, “and I know who you are, Miss Wayne.” Our faces were inches apart; my stomach dropping to the floor because of his face being so close to mine. He smelled of baby powder and a mild, yet somehow alluring cologne. Some of my hair fell in front of my face and he reached up, grabbing it softly. I closed my eyes, trying in vain to control my breathing. He snickered, soaking up my fear, “I must say, Miss Wayne,” he whispered, “you look beautiful in the light. When you’re not spying on me in the darkness, that is.” His hot breath fanned my face, and his irresistible plump lips were awfully close to mine. I despised him, yet the attraction I felt towards him for some unfathomable reason was growing by the second.
“So gorgeous,” he licked his lips the same way he did that night. He placed his soft hands against my chin, tilting my head up. I looked away, my heart slamming against my rib cage. “You can come with me and we can have some fun.” I turned to him, frightened. His smile widened, “or you can stay here and burn to death. Your choice, babe.” He smirked and stood up, leaving me to make the choice for myself. Relieved from him being away from my face, I started to breathe normally again.
He’ll probably just rape me and then kill me. And my friends… They’ll die. And if I do live, I would feel so guilty.
I looked back up at him and was shocked to see how intensely he was staring at me.
“I’m staying here,” I forced the words out of my mouth. All around me, girls gasped and whispered to each other.
“Cece, no!” The curly haired girl spoke up, “you have a chance to live so take it!” Jerome turned to her, pointing his gun in her face.
“Speak again and I’ll shoot your brains out,” he threatened her.
“I’m not afraid of you, asshole,” she responded. Enraged, he cocked the gun and I jumped up, grabbing his arm and stepping in front of the girl.
“Don’t shoot her! She doesn’t know what she’s saying.” I pleaded. His eyebrows went up and he looked at me smoothly.
“You truly do live up to the Wayne name,” his eyes gleamed in cruel delight, “sacrificing yourself for these girls you barely know.” He grabbed me by the collar and threw me back into my seat. “Ah well,” he sighed deeply, “sounds like you wanna die.” He turned and shouted out the window, “Greenwood! Get the petrol!” The man with the crazy afro hair stumbled onto the bus, passing Jerome a hose. My heart rate started to quicken again as I watched Jerome spray everyone with what I guessed was petrol. The girls screamed as he walked down the aisles, spraying everyone in the face. And then he reached me. And he stopped. “You know what, gorgeous?” His blue eyes gleamed, “I changed my mind.” Suddenly, he dropped the hose and
grabbed my arm, yanking me up. I gasped at the sudden gesture and held my breath as he leaned into my face again, looking down at my lips then back up to my eyes. “You have no choice.” I was then dragged by Jerome out of the bus, his metal gun lodged firmly in my back as he escorted me out. “Change of plans, boys!” We exited the bus, the cold air whipping me in the face, “we’ve got a hostage!”
“She’s a
beautiful
hostage,” the man called Greenwood said, his voice dark. The three members of Jerome’s team all looked me up and down, licking their lips with a terrifying sort of hunger in their eyes.
“Mine,” Jerome said. This single word made all of the men look away, one of them whistling. He opened the door to the oil truck and helped me inside, climbing in after me. He then sat down in the driver's seat. My fear built up inside my throat and I couldn’t swallow. He turned to me and asked, “How are you feeling?”
“Scared, but mainly angry,” I mumbled, trying desperately to tear my eyes away from his face.
“Good!” He jumped up, “Stay here, yeah?” He grabbed another chain and cuffed me to the seat and left me inside the truck, but this time there was no way for me to escape since the lock was out of my reach. The word shit was quickly becoming my personal mantra, as I had chanted it in my head so many times at that point. I heard the girls screaming and watched when Jerome attempted to burn the bus with a lighter. But the lighter wouldn’t go off. Jerome rolled his eyes and turned to the smiley man, who passed him another lighter. Suddenly, the sounds of police sirens blared behind me and I turned to see four cop cars pull into the empty street where my bus was hijacked.
Thank you, Jim Gordon. Not a moment too soon.
Gunfire started to go off and I crouched under the dashboard so that I wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire.
“Hold your fire!” I heard Jim shout.
“Aaron! Greenwood!” Jerome yelled to two of his men, “Get the truck started and make sure the girl is secured. We’re gonna blow this barbeque!” The bald one, who I assumed to be Aaron, and Greenwood nodded and sprinted over to the truck to fulfill their duties to Jerome. “Light em’ up!” Jerome ordered as he leapt onto the truck’s side, laughing like a maniac.
“Hold on,” Aaron smiled, slamming his foot on the pedal. We took off. And as we drove, the world started to get fuzzy and dark behind my eyelids, and even though I tried so hard to stay awake and vigilant, the stress of the day started to catch up to me, and I dropped into a dead faint.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When I came to, I was in an unfamiliar room. The room looked like a dungeon from medieval times. The walls were a drab, gray stone, the windows were barred, and the lighting from the singular lightbulb was poor. Even as I made an attempt to sit up, I could recognize that the effort was futile, as I was still tied down in a way that I wouldn’t be able to escape from. Well, not easily anyway. As though the thought of possible escape had summoned him, Jerome stalked through the previously locked doors and towards me, like a prowling mountain lion on the hunt for his prey.
“Well, Cecilia, I do believe that we should get started with the plans I have for you. And, if you listen to me, I might even give you an actual bedroom to sleep in,” he said to me, his voice considerably low and husky.
“Now now, Jerome, I don’t believe that that is your decision to make,” an unfamiliar voice sounded behind Jerome. A tall, older man stepped into the light. His dark hair was styled into a gelled quiff and he wore a crisp, elegant, black suit. He had very defined cheekbones and his face resembled a terrifying sort of power, and I noticed Jerome back down away from me, complaint towards the man in the suit. “Jerome, don’t you have a job to be doing?” He asked, turning to Jerome.
“Yes, and I can go now, if it’s time,” Jerome answered.
“Yes, Barbara is ready. Go now,” the man ordered. Jerome nodded and turned, walking off. The man chuckled, turning to me. “I can tell that Jerome is very fond of you, Miss Wayne.”
“Ho-How do you know my name?” I asked, stuttering slightly.
“Oh, Miss Wayne, where are my manners?” He unlocked the door, entering my cell. “The Galavans have made it a point to know all of the people of importance in the city. And I, Miss Wayne, am Theo Galavan. As I’m sure you know, seeing as you grew up in socialite circles, the Galavan family name is even older than the Wayne name. Unfortunately, we haven’t been in Gotham for quite some time. But now we’re back, and I’ve already started to work at restoring power to the family name,” the man, Theo,
confided.
“What do you plan on doing with me?” I snarled at him. He chuckled and gave a small shrug.“To be honest, Miss Wayne, I had no idea that you would be here. It’s just, every once in a while Jerome likes to take matters into his own hands.” Theo explained as he untied me, helping me up. “Let me take you upstairs, you will be much more comfortable up there.” I stayed put, blatantly refusing to move. He sighed, placing his hand on my shoulder, “Miss Wayne,” he murmured, “I would suggest you do as I say. There is no way to escape this place and I have many people upstairs that will not hesitate to kill you if you try,” He then stood up, “so let’s go upstairs, shall we? After you.” I exited the cell with Theo just ahead of me down the dark corridor, leading me to God knows where.
Theo had me sit me down at a small glass table in a very elegant room. On said table sat a platter of donuts and other food items. There was a large painting behind me and in front were large windows with the mid morning light shining through. No one was there except for Galavan and I. “Where is everyone else?” I asked, all my previous confusion and fear now turning into righteous anger.
“They’re running an errand,” he moseyed over to the window, looking out upon Gotham, “at the GCPD.” He turned to me, a gleam in his eyes, “They’ll be back soon.” He headed towards the door, turning back to me for a moment, “I have important matters to attend to, so don’t go anywhere.” He closed the door and I heard a beep. Suddenly, metal doors slammed down on every window and door, cutting off any and all points of escape. I stood up and walked to one of the windows that were recently blocked by metal. I frantically started to pound on the door, screaming, “Help! Somebody help me!” I ran around like a maniac, screaming and slamming on walls, desperate for an escape, any escape, until my voice went hoarse. Panicking, I fell to the floor, my eyelids fluttering. The world started to spin and I felt a uncomfortable hot sensation all throughout my body as the word went pitch black for the second time in as many days.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Is she dead?”
“No you imbecile! She’s passed out! Can’t you tell she’s breathing, or are you too blind and stupid to notice?!”
“Probably both.” My eyes slowly opened to the sound to two voices, a woman and a man. Above me stood that afro hair guy, Greenwood, and- Barbara Kean. Barbara cocked her head to the side, smiling, her hand extended towards me. I slapped her hand away and stood up myself, glaring at the insane woman.
“Feisty!” Barbara gasped sarcastically, “cutie.”
“She’s more than just cute,” Greenwood breathed, drooling over me, “she’s stunning. Delectable.” My eyes widened and I slowly backed away from the psycho, keeping my eyes on him at all times. Barbara giggled, grabbing my hand.
“My my, let me get a good look at you!” She studied my face, grinning wildly, “you are turning into quite a beautiful woman,” she sighed, stroking my hair, “you are a true beauty,” she leaned in closer to my ear, “and you can use that to your advantage. Your appearance can be a weapon. Easily as powerful, or more so, than any knife or gun.” I pulled away from her quickly, not saying a word. “What?” She complained, “don’t believe me? Aaron! Come here!” Aaron looks up from the donut he was concentrated on eating and walked over to us. “What do you think of this girl?”
“Very pretty,” He smiled, nodding. Barbara turned to me.
“See?” She asked.
“So what? I don’t care. Leave me alone.” I turned and sat down at the table, folding my arms like a petulant child.
“That was rude!” Barbara frowned, walking towards me, “what happened to us being friends?”
“We stopped being friends when you killed your parents and went crazy,” I answered coldly.
“I’m not crazy! I’m sane!” She exclaimed, “I have a certificate.”
“Certificate, my ass.” I scoffed, looking at the now free-from-thick-metal window. The door swung open and I turned. In walked a pretty brown-skinned woman, her long black hair tied up in a high ponytail, wearing a tight black suit. Barbara made her way over to the woman and the two shared a deep kiss. I tried not to act like a child and scream something about PDA. They both turned to me, the both of them staring at me.
“Isn’t she just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?” Barbara squealed. The brown-skinned woman nodded, making her way over to me.
“You’re Cecilia Wayne?” She asked.
“Who’s asking?” I responded. She snorted.
“Name’s Tabitha”
“My sister,” I turned to see Theo walk in, Jerome with him once again. “Hello Greenwood,” he smiled, “Barbara.”
“Hi, Theo,” Barbara waved, “we were just having a chat with ickle Cece before you two walked in.”
“Good! That’s actually what I’ve decided to talk about,” he began, “In three days time, there will be a charity banquet. That’s where I will make my first appearance in this town. And I have so much planned.” He smiled at me, “Miss Wayne is a very important figure in this town. By saving her from the
evil maniacs,
then the people of Gotham will truly begin to love me and our family name again.”
“And how do you plan to do that?” Barbara asked, ecstatic with the idea of fame.
“Well, my dear, you and Jerome will be putting on a little magic show, and you’re gonna have to make it fun for a bit and somehow during that time period, you must kill the stand-in mayor. After that, have some fun, make the people your hostages! Then, call Bruce Wayne onto the stage and if he refuses, which he will, use his dear sister,” he winked at me, “as bait. I’ll step in at some time and when I do, you’ll have to beat me up a bit. I will then save the day, and you will all make an unfortunate escape.” Barbara clapped for Theo’s plan.
“Sounds like it could be fun,” Jerome mused, looking over at me. I glared, all the fear in my body disappearing in one fell swoop.
“Yes, and it will be. So everyone prepared for that and anything else before I turn in for the night?” Theo looked at each of us.
“Yes,” Jerome chimed, “is Cecilia going back to her cell? Because I wouldn’t mind escorting her.”
“Actually Jerome,” Theo replied, “Miss Wayne will rest here on the couch. I think that would be best.”
“I see,” Greenwood murmured. Jerome turned to Greenwood, glaring. Theo nodded and headed up the spiral staircase to sleep.
“Well! One, I am so excited! And two, I can’t wait for the charity ball! Goodnight!” Barbara and Tabitha walked off, presumably to bed. Aaron and Greenwood exited as well, heading up to their rooms. I sat at the table, alone with Jerome. I looked away from him, staring at my hands in my lap. After a few minutes of us sitting in silence, I looked up at him, knowing that my eyes were positively deadly.
“What?” I hissed.
“And she speaks!” Jerome clapped his hands together, “Almost thought you were ignoring me there, gorgeous.”
“Don’t call me that,” I sneered, looking back down at my clenched hands. Then, he started to whistle, never faltering and never taking his eyes off me. I clenched my jaw, trying desperately to ignore him, but I couldn’t seem to, “Shut up!” He grinned.
“Come over here and make me.” He was smirking at me, his eyes sparkling, waiting to see what my next move would be. I looked up at him, my right eyebrow arched.
“So you’re annoying me,” I asked him as I made my way over to him,
“because you want my attention?”
“What can I say, gorgeous, I like you. Haven’t you ever heard why boys pull girls pitails in the schoolyard. Now, why don’t you shut me up?” I was standing over him now, smiling down at him. He began to whistle again, expecting me to kiss him or something. I leaned down, a flirtatious look on my face. I slowly raised my hand to his face, and smacked him. His whistling cut off abruptly and he looked up at me, shocked.
“There.” I whispered, backing away from him, “Perfect.” I sat back down at the table and Jerome began to laugh, that maniacal cackle that he so loved to do.
“Oh, I like you,” he murmured, “I
really
like you.” He stood, strolling over to me and slowly making his way around the table, his eyes glued to mine. He got closer and I frantically grabbed a knife on the table and stood up, pressing the knife to his throat to stop any further movements.
“Don’t come any closer.” I threatened. He chuckled, moving his face closer until we were just inches apart. He grabbed my wrist, twisting back the knife, and forced me back against the wall. His blue eyes gazed into mine and he licked his lips, his hot breath fanning my face and making it feel hard to breathe.
“Too close?” He whispered, his mouth right by my ear, making me shudder. It took me a few seconds to regain my wit. I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back, away from where I stood.
“Yes.” I growled, walking to the couch, pulling a blanket over my body. “So piss off.” I heard nothing for a couple of seconds, so I decided to peek over the back of the couch. He was gone, having left without a word. I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head, falling into a deep slumber.