Terrors Of Gotham

Princess of Gotham

Chapter 24: Troubled Family

"Harper!" Timonthy and I shouted as we took in the full view of the person who had walked through the door. The red-haired boy wearing his favorite cap with green ink tattoos and the typical red suit. And obviously, he came in drunk, as expected.

"I honestly wasn't going to come but I said to myself: Roy, you haven't visited your nephews in like 2 weeks. And now I'm here. Is your father here?" he said, as he sat down in one of the dining room chairs, or at least tried to sit in a chair. God brings them up and they get together.

"Actually it was almost a month, days more, days less. But now, kind gentlemen, I must go to sleep because I have classes in a few hours. I don't want to fall asleep in history or math class so..." I said while I was trying to arrange the couch for Roy to sleep, when I finished talking, I pointed out the exit to Timonthy, not through the door, but through the window.

I didn't want him to sleepover, it was one thing to ask him for help because my brother wasn't around and another to want him to sleep here. We still hadn't fixed our problems, and I still refused to talk to him.

After I got Roy settled and finished cleaning up the mess, I went to sleep, two hours was something. I put away my suit and settled down to sleep, with the moonlight bathing my room and a mountain of homework that I didn't feel like doing right then and there.

When my alarm went off, I could smell food, Jason was a pretty good cook and rarely had anything raw or burnt. Unlike me, the most I could make was instant soup.

I got up and put on my school uniform, I had to admit I hated that uniform, but it was better than wearing casual clothes. I decided to comb my hair for once in my life, putting on a tiny braid and leaving the rest loose.

When I got to the kitchen I noticed Roy and Jason having a pleasant conversation, laughing from time to time, with Roy throwing bread crumbs at my father's head.

"How did my favorite niece wake up?" Roy said, trying to hug me. And when he did, he squeezed me in his arms.

"Fine, but could you let go of me?" I asked, trying to get out of that bear hug.

"Not until you call me uncle" The smile on his face became huge, and the food on the table only made me want to get out of it as fast as possible.

"Uncle Roy, now let go of me," he finally let go, but the smile was still on his face. It wasn't very often that I called him that, but he loved it. "My brother is not here yet?" I asked as I poured coffee and took some food on a plate.

"I thought he was the one who took me to my room," Jason said, walking over to the table to put down another plate of food.

"Actually... I called Jackson to help me. And now I'm running late, would either of you like to give me a ride? or give me the keys so I can drive?" I asked, trying to avoid the subject. I took the keys to my father's motorcycle, making them jingle so they could see that I was serious about going on my own without a driver's license.

In the end, Roy offered to give me a ride, he wasn't a bad driver, but it wasn't like I enjoyed the ride much either. When he dropped me off at school I warned him to keep Jason away from the phones in case the school called him about something, I had a bad feeling and didn't want to get the classic hour-long scolding.

As I walked in I started to look for my brother or a classmate of his to let him know about my brother's absence, but someone got in my way.

"Look at you, you almost look like a normal girl. Without those painted hairs and those chains on your skirt or those excessive extra sweaters, and obviously without your classic bodyguard," said the girl in front of me, as if we had known each other all our lives.

"Do I know you?" I asked, sweeping her with my eyes.

"Don't play stupid with me?" she replied, moving closer to me.

"If I may, I have to look for my brother," I tried to avoid her so as not to get into more trouble.

"Why? To hide behind him?" Her tone of voice was getting more and more irritating.

"Angella, leave her alone" Marcel Cleary was the guy everyone feared because he could ruin your family's financial situation in seconds, and that was worse than a blow. Advantages of being the son of a multimillionaire family. When the girl finally walked away, he spoke again. "So, what's Bruce Wayne's granddaughter doing alone?"

"I'm looking for my brother, have you by any chance seen him," I asked, starting to walk along with him.

"No, but we have a lot of classes together, I'll let them know he's not here. Don't worry," he said kindly, we said goodbye and went our separate ways.

When I entered the classroom corresponding to my class, I looked for my seat next to my cousin, and to my surprise, the new boy's seat was empty.

"What about the new boy?" I asked, arranging my things on the table before the annoying literature teacher arrived.

"I don't know, I didn't see him in the courtyard," Olive answered, playing with a pencil in her hand, then tossing it at someone's head, "Hey, did you talk to Damian? When I got to the Manor he was saying something about leaving Bruce in the kitchen and then he wasn't there," she recounted, starting to take her things out of her backpack.

"I didn't talk to him, but Jason was saying something similar, I didn't take it seriously because he was drunk, but Tim also said Damian told him about that weird adventure. At this point I don't know what to expect from those guys" I said, copying her actions.

The first two classes went on forever, with one teacher literally ignoring me and another not explaining what the Punnett square was and expecting us to guess how to do it.

When recess came, I was more annoyed than anything, at least I hoped the next few classes would be a little lighter or I would start using the shade to distract myself.

At some point, Timonthy approached my table, carrying a cute white thermos with an adorable polar bear drawn on it.

"Wow Wayne, I didn't know you liked bears," Jared teased, tossing him a piece of lettuce.

"Just so you know, they're fierce hunters, and the thermos is not for me." When he finished speaking, he brought the glass close to my face.

"For me?" I asked incredulously. Tim wasn't much of a gift-giver, and this was really adorable.

"Yes, and it's full. I asked Alfred to make the coffee since he knows how you like it," this was definitely adorable, at least to me.

Before recess ended, I went to the bathroom, asking Olive to put the thermos in my place if I didn't make it to the cafeteria before the bell rang.

Usually, in those places, the most horrific acts are witnessed. Clearly, I did my basic needs and washed my hands (as anyone not addicted to pictures in the bathroom mirror would do) and before leaving I ran into Angella.

"Wow, it's a small world," she said, pushing me into the stinky place.

"And it sure is." I tried to dodge her to get out since the bell had rung a few seconds ago.

"I'm told you don't even live in your grandfather's manor. Who does your father have to suck his dick to have money to eat?"

"I would ask you the same question Wilson."

"Tell me, Jane, how does it feel to be Bruce Wayne's forgotten granddaughter? Oh, that's right, you don't know."

"So that's what this is all about? Ha," I said, straightening up to look taller.

"You missed me so much, you had to find a replacement." And so much for my patience.

My fist went straight to her nose, she didn't even have a chance to avoid it. As she tried to block the gush of blood, I grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head against the sink. Then I pulled her into a cubicle and whipped her again against the toilet bowl knocking her unconscious.

Blood was flowing from her nose and from a cut on her forehead. This would be a big problem if they found me here.

I took out the shadow and had it destroy the camera in the hallway while I washed my hands, arranged my hair and uniform skirt. I left Angella lying on the floor, bleeding.

As I walked out into the hallway, I picked up the shadow and headed to my last classes of the day.

Previous Chapter

A little challenge I made for myself. I am trying to make drawings using only five colors that I take out from a color palette online and mix them to create new ones for lights and shadows.

This is a character (?) for my new story Coffee, plants and Butter Toffees.

Reblog to get Bruce Wayne some therapy

Kon: I love Tim but sometimes he’s impossible to keep up with, he’s always so busy

Dick: What you have to understand is that my brother only has two modes - “sleep” and “go”

Kon: He has a sleep mode? How do you put him in sleep mode?

Dick, watching Tim chug his 18th espresso of the day: I have no idea

Terrors of Gotham

Chapter 3: High Enough

I remember when I was a child, my father was the clear example of what I would never be, alcohol and cigarettes seemed to be the most horrendous things, drugs were an atrocity. I thought about what would be the reasons why people would try those things, and whatever they were, I hoped I would never have them.

Memories, because in that alley, after stepping on the end of the cigarette to put it out, I took the syringe and the bottle of green stuff that Cheis offered me. Fear toxin, for many, deadly, for the Batfamily something like a poison, for me, a simple drug that little by little lost its effectiveness.

The first time I tried that stuff was in that same place, two months after meeting Angella, I woke up near Wayne Enterprises, but that didn't stop me from continuing to kill myself slowly, besides it seemed that the shadow liked to be subjected to that fear.

At that point what hurt the most was the needle piercing the skin, after that a shiver all over my body, and little by little the sensation of the muscles starting to loosen.

"Ven niña, let's go get some beers," said Cheis, taking the empty syringe from my hand to throw it to the ground and break it with the heel of the boot, then they put their arm over my shoulders making me start to walk with them.

For many, seeing a Gotham vigilante with the granddaughter of the richest man in the city would be strange, especially considering Cheis' reputation, but there came a point where rumors no longer mattered.

"You're only 18, I don't think they want to sell you anything," I complained, feeling lighter than before and with a smile on my face.

"It's Gotham, I'll find a place," answered my companion.

Of all my colleagues, Cheis was the one I trusted the most. I had met them shortly after founding the Warriors Society. I never offered them a spot, they just came to me and ordered me to put them on the team, the more shooters the better, to tell the truth. They were a living arsenal, they could handle any firearm and had taught me how to assemble and disassemble guns in record time.

They never offered me the drug, one day I simply saw them smoking something that was clearly not a simple cigarette and asked them to get me some, at first they refused but eventually agreed on the condition that I would only do it in their presence. Despite being only two years older than me, they were among the most mature people on the team. They were always on my side and the simple fact of letting them see my weaker side said a lot about that relationship.

"Will you tell me what's tormenting you, or will you make me read another book to find out," they asked, still hugging me, but this time with a look of concern.

"Admit it, Crime and Punishment was very good," I joked. That had been one of the books Bruce had forbidden me to read at the mansion, but Jason had about three copies in different languages in our apartment.

"What a man can't do, the devil does," they said, with a smile on his face, like someone who remembers a good joke, "Although I really liked the one by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, what was it called?

The quotes in the books were like our secret language, I would read it first, mark the most important phrases and then lend it to them, weeks later they would return it to me, with new phrases marked and we would discuss them in private. With each book, we seemed to understand each other better.

"No one writes to the Colonel," I answered, remembering one of the books that still remained in the bookcase of the old Hart house, "And in the meantime, what shall we eat?"

"Shit," we both shouted at the same time, quoting the end of the book. We squirmed with laughter and at one point had to stop to catch our breath.

Moments like those were the ones I treasured the most, and the ones I hoped my mind wouldn't twist or erase from my memory.

"Seriously, what's wrong with you," they asked again as we began to walk through the busy streets.

"I thought I had a boyfriend, but apparently not. There may be a spy or spies on my team. I need a rescue team to LexCorp and because of the spy thing I don't know who I can trust to go," I said quietly and as quickly as I could, hoping no one had to hear.

"Pretty much, then. Well, how about a beer, tomorrow we all go to that taco place I recommended and then we worry about the rest," they suggested.

"The problem is that the more time passes, the more information they will take from us and the easier it will be for them to destroy us," I needed someone to finally understand my reasons behind everything I was doing.

"Your friend outside can't help us?"

"I don't want to torment her with all this."

"If you really are that close friend she will understand, and honestly I don't think you are paranoid, I too have noticed a strange attitude in some for a few months now. My recommendation, train a team with people to whom you can entrust your life, with whom you don't have to talk to understand each other, that team will discover the spy and his allies, and if you want, among them can be your mysterious friend," they said, bringing me closer to them so I could listen to them better.

"Would you join that team if I asked you to?" I asked after a few minutes of walking in silence, still under their grip as they seemed unwilling to let me go. So far they seemed to be the most suitable person for the job.

"We'll have to be more than two, princess," they said, stopping in front of a liquor store, of which I had no idea it was there.

"Please don't call me that," I said, running my hand over my face in embarrassment, finally I was released to enter the establishment, "And what are we doing here? I thought we were just going for a beer," I asked, grabbing a bottle of brandy.

"Mike offered me 50 if I could get him a good tequila, I told him that 40 would be enough, but he said it was my pay for the effort. But you need it more than he does," they explained, strolling down the aisles of whiskey and wine.

"So are you planning to steal two bottles of tequila, or pay for one and steal the other?" I asked, picking up another bottle and reading the alcohol content on its label.

"I was actually thinking of letting you pay...but I don't think you brought more than 10, so I'll ask them to put it on my tab and I'll come to pay early tomorrow morning," Cheis replied when they finally found the area they had been looking for since the entrance.

"Don't you think it's strange that this place is open at this time of night?" I asked, putting my hands in the pockets of my sweatshirt.

"These people open and close when they feel like it, neither the government nor the police is going to be telling them what to do. Besides, they earn well, in these areas there are drunks las 24 horas los 365 dias and they don't ask for identification," they said smiling, as they picked up two bottles to check them in detail.

"How long have you known this place?" I continued, looking around. At the back, there was a cashier, next to a young man who seemed to be counting the money in the cash register. There were several mirrors that served as security cameras. It was a big place, with several aisles and hanging cold white lights.

"About a year ago, but I almost never buy, there are always drunks at the entrance who won't let me in," they explained, examining another bottle on the shelf. "These two will be fine, the sodas and beers we can steal," they said, turning to look at me to wink at me and head for the cash register.

After paying, or something similar since apparently, the young man recognized not only Bruce Wayne's granddaughter but also the vigilante Cheis, we headed back out to the street.

"Hey, not to worry you anymore, but I can't put up with this much longer," they began to say when we had already crossed a few streets towards the real park, "If there is a spy, he will try to get very close to you and your family," Cheis said, and when they finished speaking we had already arrived at a small grocery store, perfect for buying beers and sodas.

"Why do you say that," I asked, entering the place to check first of all how many people were there and its security system.

"Alice confessed yesterday that she liked your brother and that she was really looking for something serious," I felt as if a bucket of cold water fell on my head, how was that possible?

I didn't wait any longer, the effect of the toxin was null in those moments and I needed to stop thinking about it once, losing consciousness for a few hours because the alcohol wouldn't be bad. I opened the refrigerator, took two lime sodas, while I indicated Cheis where there was a beer box. They took it and we ran out, but not before grabbing a pack of disposable cups, the place was actually totally empty, there wasn't even a vendor or security camera, anyone could have done the same thing.

The walk to the park took forever, I knew that Cheis' intentions were the best, I didn't know and I didn't want to think about what my reaction would have been if it was Persia herself who told me. All those talks that as a demigoddess she could not relate in that way with any mortal could go to hell.

When we arrived at the park we took a bench and started with the lightest thing, the beer, the carton had 12 bottles completely full, we divided them so that each one got 6. Although we were not one hundred percent prepared for this, Cheis' arsenal surely had something to open all the bottles, and if not, surely the bars of the bench would work.

"Salud, for life," said Cheis, clinking his bottle and mine.

"Salud," I replied, before taking a good swig. I had never really been a fan of alcohol, the raspor in my throat was the worst, and every time I took a bottle I remembered Roy's threats, saying that the last thing he wanted was for me to end up like him. I tried to quit once, but I missed the light feeling it gave me, the problems slipped away, my mind thought of nothing.

Three bottles of beer later and our true selves were beginning to show, we laughed at everything and everyone, we brought out every rudeness, on one of those we even played music on my cell phone to lighten the mood. Someday we will regret that but not for the moment, we were still young and, in my case, life was only enjoyed twice.

The beer bottles were completely ignored at three in the morning when Cheis opened the tequila and started pouring.

Again, we toasted.

"Salud, to this horrendous city," he said, already slurring his words as his free hand pointed at the huge buildings surrounding us.

"Salud, because one day this pigsty will respect us," I replied, almost in the same tone, and then began to laugh.

Stephanie: Bet you guys can't make a sentence without the letter "a".

Jason, resident english nerd: You thought you did something there,didn't you? Well,sorry to burst your bubble but numerous sentences could be constructed without employing the first letter of the english lexicon.

Stephanie: Fuck you, zombie boy.

Mi buena amiga escribió un libro, se está publicando en Wattpad por el momento.

Se llama Helio. Denle apoyo plis. Les dejó el link

ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅

My good friend wrote a book, it's being published on Wattpad for the moment.

It's called Helio, give it love please. For the moment, it's only on Spanish. I leave you the link

https://www.wattpad.com/story/371509053?utm_source=android&utm_medium=link&utm_content=story_info&wp_page=story_details_button&wp_uname=Rochely1702

WEBSITES FOR WRITERS {masterpost}

E.A. Deverell - FREE worksheets (characters, world building, narrator, etc.) and paid courses;

Hiveword - Helps to research any topic to write about (has other resources, too);

BetaBooks - Share your draft with your beta reader (can be more than one), and see where they stopped reading, their comments, etc.;

Charlotte Dillon - Research links;

Writing realistic injuries - The title is pretty self-explanatory: while writing about an injury, take a look at this useful website;

One Stop for Writers - You guys... this website has literally everything we need: a) Description thesaurus collection, b) Character builder, c) Story maps, d) Scene maps & timelines, e) World building surveys, f) Worksheets, f) Tutorials, and much more! Although it has a paid plan ($90/year | $50/6 months | $9/month), you can still get a 2-week FREE trial;

One Stop for Writers Roadmap - It has many tips for you, divided into three different topics: a) How to plan a story, b) How to write a story, c) How to revise a story. The best thing about this? It's FREE!

Story Structure Database - The Story Structure Database is an archive of books and movies, recording all their major plot points;

National Centre for Writing - FREE worksheets and writing courses. Has also paid courses;

Penguin Random House - Has some writing contests and great opportunities;

Crime Reads - Get inspired before writing a crime scene;

The Creative Academy for Writers - "Writers helping writers along every step of the path to publication." It's FREE and has ZOOM writing rooms;

Reedsy - "A trusted place to learn how to successfully publish your book" It has many tips, and tools (generators), contests, prompts lists, etc. FREE;

QueryTracker - Find agents for your books (personally, I've never used this before, but I thought I should feature it here);

Pacemaker - Track your goals (example: Write 50K words - then, everytime you write, you track the number of the words, and it will make a graphic for you with your progress). It's FREE but has a paid plan;

Save the Cat! - The blog of the most known storytelling method. You can find posts, sheets, a software (student discount - 70%), and other things;

I hope this is helpful for you!

(Also, check my blog if you want to!)

Princess of Gotham

Chapter 3: Family

If I had ever been told I would have a huge room in one of the most luxurious mansions in the country, I would have thought it was silly.

But there I was, waking up at 8 a.m., cursing at the sounds of a dog trying to get into the room. But at the same time, I thanked him, I didn't want to continue with that nightmare. Sleepy, I got out of bed, dressed only in a sweatshirt and sleeping pants.

I looked in the mirror, noticing the drool stain on my face, my hair in knots, and the purple circles under my eyes. I was a mess.

I looked down from my tangle of hair to my eyes. My father's eyes. Green, with those golden sparkles. I looked away, grabbing a lock of my hair, thinking about cutting it again.

Although my hair wasn't as pretty, it reminded me of my mother, when she braided and brushed it. She always told me I had her hair. Straight, black and, back then, long, now it only reached my shoulders.

The noises of the dog made me remember why I had gotten out of bed. I quickly brushed my hair and slipped on some shoes. Jumping over the things I had left lying on the floor, I headed for the door.

"What do you want Titus?" I asked, looking down to get a better look at the black dog sitting right outside his door. "I'm not Damian or Tim. If you want to bother someone, bother your owner or his brother." I squatted down so I could pet the beautiful canine.

"Good morning Jane." Said Tim, with a nervous smile on his face, coming a little closer to my door. "Alfred sent me, breakfast is ready." he extended his hand to help me up, but I didn't take it.

"Hello, Jackson." I greeted, without looking at him. That wasn't the right time or place to talk about our problems, so I just said hello to my father's brother. And apparently, the dog noticed the tension of the moment because he turned to look at me and then tilted his head sideways. "I wanted to go out to the garden before breakfast," I said, starting to walk towards the huge stairs of the mansion.

"Come on, don't deny Alfred the special breakfast he made for you." Said Tim, looking at me as he walked beside me, trying to get me to look him in the face.

"I'm only going because I'm hungry and I didn't eat well last night." was all I answered, ending the conversation.

When we got to the dining room, Titus sat near the door to the kitchen, waiting for a bite to eat. Almost everyone was already seated along with the table. Richard, Olive, Rai, Jason, and Bruce. With half-eaten food on their plates.

I walked into the kitchen so I could wash my hands, there I met my favorite person.

"Good morning," Assana said, coming to my side with a plate of chopped fruit. "Did you fall asleep?" she asked, picking up a piece of strawberry with her fork and bringing it to my mouth.

"I had not slept well for a long time, I needed to rest." I lied and then turned to face her, taking the piece of fruit between my teeth.

I dried my hands and together we headed back to the dining room.

"Good morning Master Tim, Miss Jane, Miss Assana." Alfred greeted kindly as he poured more coffee for Bruce. "Shall I serve you breakfast?"

"If you don't mind." As Tim sat down between Olive and Damian, I jumped up to greet my favorite uncle.

"Finally, the family is back together again," Dick commented, releasing me from that big hug. "I want the four of you to join me on patrol one day," he said, pointing to his daughter, Tim, and me, oh and the little devil.

"You didn't say hello last night," Bruce said, turning to Jason and me, and then taking another sip of his coffee.

"I'm sorry, we were late and didn't want to bother you," I commented, then sat down between Assana and my father.

"Did you get up late too?" Olive asked, laughing a little when she saw Damian's sleepy face, who was helping Alfred with breakfast.

"I want to sleep," he said, "I hate Mondays.

"It's Saturday," said Jason taking the coffee from his older brother.

"I hate you," said Damian and Dick in unison.

A small argument between brothers broke out that morning, being quickly settled after Alfred served them all their respective breakfasts. As we ate, my cousin and I were assailed by several questions posed by the four Wayne brothers.

Next Part

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I love it when dogs try to help but the task at hand requires zero dogs so they just kinda stand in front of you and look serious.