I poke my head out the window and smell the night air, the taste of it crisp on my tongue. I grab onto the drainpipe, my hand nearly recoiling from the cold. This doesn’t stop me and I swing myself fully out and begin to shimmy down, the drip of the water coaxing me towards the ground. My foot dangles in search of somewhere to rest but I can’t see. Not even the light from my bedroom window illuminates my route. Everything is black.
The thickness of the dark sends a shudder rolling through my body. It reminds me of my 13th birthday. The day my dad died. I remember crying so hard that I thought my eyeballs would fall out when my step-mother told me. I thought she’d give me a hug. But to this day I still remember her hand as it hit my face; the feeling of my brain vibrating in my skull; the rapid beating of my heart as she chased me into the tiny cupboard on the landing. My body being crushed between the towels and linen like an unwanted rag.
I hit the ground with a thud and take off running across the lawn like a horse out of the starting box, my slinky Cat-Woman costume lending me cover in the night. My salvation idles on the corner of Bridge Street in the form of Mary in her mum’s crappy Ford Fiesta. As I near it the back-door swings open and I launch my body into the back seat, slamming it behind me.
“That crazy old bat lock you up again, hon?” Selene, Mary’s mum scowls at me from the driver’s seat.
“I got a B on a test, a B! Annie and Drew fail tests all the time but you don’t see them getting grounded.”
My stepsisters are about as sharp as a bowl of jelly but she adores them.
“I swear Cind, one of these days I’m going to pack your bags and take you with me.” She smiles at me through the mirror. I know she’s lying but I appreciate the thought.
I lean back and she accelerates too quickly, my need to get away from this place disappearing with each gear change. The wretched woman locks me up every other week, but I refuse to be a caged hen tonight. It’s the Gotham Knights conference, which is the place to be for comic enthusiasts everywhere. I’d worked for months on my Cat-Woman costume and I’ll be dammed if I let her ruin it. I gaze out the window as the houses race by.
I’m doing this. I’ve broken free.
We enter the Town Hall twenty minutes later. I praise Selene’s reckless driving for getting us here in record time, even if there was an incident with a red light and an elderly man that I will not be repeating any time soon. I feel giddy with excitement as I look around. Disco balls hang above me, the light reflected creating little rainbows that dance and dip over the walls, while characters from my favourite comic books shimmy and shake on the floor to the time of an unfamiliar pop song.
“Cindy? You good?” Mary says, her voice shaking me out of my reverie.
“Chill, none of your sisters’ friends are going to be here tonight. They think it’s a total dork fest.”
Mary laughs as she walks toward the dance floor, beckoning me with her finger to join her.
I shake my head as I breathe in deeply, the scent of popcorn and hotdogs provoking gurgles from my stomach. I point to the buffet to signal where I’ll be.
I grab a plate from the side and start piling it as high as I can. A tower of mini hotdogs, French fancies and cocktail sausages starts to appear on my plate.
“I’m guessing someone’s hungry?”
I turn quickly towards the voice and see a tall guy dressed head to toe in a full Batman costume.
“Yeah? What’s it to you?” My naturally defensive stance kicking in as I cram a third mini pizza into my mouth.
“I’m not judging! Honestly. I like a girl who can eat.” The left side of his lip hitches up in a smile. Great, he’s flirting. Just what I need. I’m about to roll my eyes but he keeps talking.
“Listen, have we met before?”
I look him up and down once more and pause on his crisp green eyes. Something about them seems so familiar to me but I can’t put my finger on why.
“I don’t think so…”
He smiles slightly at this and takes hold of my elbow.
“Come with me.” he says, steering me toward the exit.
Faint alarm bells ring in my head, I swear there’s a reason you’re not supposed to follow strangers into mysterious places?
“You’re not going to murder me, are you?” I blurt.
“Why would I do that?” he says, his eyes dancing with unanswered questions.
“I don’t know. Why does anyone kill someone? Money? Fame? Or if you’re a proper psycho it could be for plain old fun.”
“You talk a lot. You know that right? Just look, okay?”
I break away from him slightly and look out across the carpark. I’m starting to feel like I’ve been led on a wild goose chase, but that’s when I see it. I don’t know what it is at first but then I can make out legs, a bushy tail and a coat that resembles the colour of a midsummer sunset, and then two cubs trotting anxiously behind her.
“I found them in the woods a couple of weeks back, the vixen was injured from a hunting attack. I thought I’d bring them here and watch them until she’s okay again.”
He looks at me then, his eyes exploring each plane of my face. He’s dissecting me piece by piece; I look away to avoid his gaze.
“Who are you anyway? Why drag me away from the party to show me this?” I say, panicking slightly.
“I thought you of all people would understand why you needed to see this. And, really, Cindy? You don’t recognise me yet? I’m disappointed.” He turns sideways to face me, giving me his full attention.
I stare at him, my eyes lingering on his lips, one of the only parts of his body that’s visible to me through his costume. Something about him seems so familiar but I don’t know why. He showed me the foxes because he knows I’m like the vixen, wounded but still breathing. But how could he know that? I’ve only just met him.
He grabs onto my waist suddenly and pulls me close, heat flickers at the tips of my fingers. His face swoops to mine and our lips touch, the flame erupting through my body like an inferno. He pulls away too quickly and I keep my eyes closed to savour the moment. When I open them again panic rises in my throat.
He’s gone.
“Wait!” I yell. “I don’t even know your name!”
The only thing that confirms he existed is the Batman mask sitting on the ground by my feet.
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