A Gotham High Girl (Gotham villains next generation)

Detective Work

I wake up late and decide not to bother with breakfast since it's nearly lunch time anyway. Alfred informs me that he will be going out to take some suits to be cleaned and run a few minor errands and will be a few hours. Bruce is out all day at a conference of some sort. I seize the opportunity to go snooping around, looking for any potential evidence to support my ridiculous theory. I try to picture Bruce spending his nights driving around in an armoured tank car thingy and beating the shit out of criminals. After last night's antics it seems quite possible. Also who else would have the money for all the stuff the batman uses? The bruises I have gained really hurt, which makes me think about seeing the mysterious bruises on Bruce's arms and back. Hmm, maybe not so much a theory after all? I laugh out loud at how stupid it would sound if I ever voiced my suspicions.
I start in the library. I have a good rummage about through piles of papers and all sorts of random stuff in drawers. Then I turn my attention to the hundreds of books, knowing that I don't have time to pull them all from the shelves and sort through each one, I examine them carefully along with the actual bookshelf. It seems like i'm delusional, as if there's going to be some kind of secret room which you can get to via the classic revolving bookcase. It brings back memories of childhood spent watching 'Scooby-Doo' and feels stupid, yet the batman does exist... Someone with a huge disposable income, who has some serious MMA and weapons training and a great alibi - perhaps that of a rich self-centred guy, that's how everyone else seems to see Bruce? It makes sense.

I am about to give up when something catches my eye. A stack of papers related to Wayne enterprises, something about their R&D department, a name, Lucius Fox. I sigh when this doesn't appear to be as useful as I'd hoped. I wonder if i'll ever get a chance to talk to this person, maybe that would give me answers, this department did seem to be burning through cash pretty quickly. I look a little further and see that there is little specific mention of what all the money going into the department is actually going. It isn't evidence but it does suggest I ought to find some way to instigate a meeting so I can see what's really going on. Like that's going to happen, still this is only the start of my 'detective work'.

Suddenly the doorbell rings. I panic for a moment. What if it's Alfred back early, or even Bruce. Neither would appreciate me snooping around, reading private documents in Bruce's office. I carefully place the papers back exactly how i found them, i had the forethought to keep them in the same order at least. Satisfied there is no evidence of my intrusion I shut the door and head towards the main entrance. The doorbell sounds again. I apprehensively open it a crack and can see that woman here again. I open the door all the way and smile. I know I ought to act politely.

"Oh." She says when she sees me standing in the doorway.
"Hi, Bruce and Alfred are out but I've seen you here before, so I figured you can come in and wait for Alfred if you want"
"When will Bruce be back?" She asks.
"He's out until late as far as I know, but he often disappears for ages as I'm sure you know" I reply.
"Why would I know about that?"
"Because you are the 'it's complicated' right? I asked him if he had a girlfriend. Please do come in, it's raining; don't stand out on the doorstep getting wet"
She looks puzzled for a second before she seems to analyse me. I step back from the door and she walks inside. I close the door and walk to the sitting room with her.
"Thank you. Are you sure Bruce and Alfred will be okay with me being here with you?"
"Well I can't see why not" I shrug.
"I'm sorry, I don't know your name?" She says smiling again.
"It's Stella Walker, and you are...?"
"Selina Kyle"
"Do you want a drink?" I say trying to remember basic etiquette.
"No thank you."
"Cool" I say as I sit back in my chair.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, why are you here?" I say as the curiosity overcomes me.
"I need to talk to Bruce about something important" she says matter-of-factly.
"Which is?"
She gives me a look which tells me I'm being nosy now.
"Sorry", I say hurriedly, "It's just I've always been overly curious, it's a bad habit. My mother always used to warn me that curiosity killed the cat"
"But satisfaction brought it back," she grins, "don't forget that, being in-the-know is good, especially if it means you are one step ahead"
"So you will tell me?" I ask eagerly.
"Alas, I cannot, you wouldn't easily understand if I could anyway" she says inspecting her long nails.
I sigh.
"Sorry kid" she says, looking genuinely sympathetic.
"It's okay" I lie.

"So kid, what school do you go to?" She inquires casually.
"Bruce wants me to be home schooled or go to a boarding school"
"But you aren't?"
"No, i'm off today because I, uh, didn't sleep much at all last night and have had a slight set back in my recovery" I say, feeling slightly guilty that I've spent the day rummaging through stuff and snooping around instead of at school.
"So it's a school in Gotham then?"
"Yeah, Gotham High. It's, um, different"
She looks amused.
"What's so funny?" I wonder aloud.
"Oh nothing, it's just that you convinced Bruce to let you attend the most dangerous school in Gotham, a great feat in it's own right, and then you simply described the place as 'interesting' " she explains, laughing.
"It's sort of a one strike and you are out policy unfortunately, I just want to be surrounded with people my age right now, i've never really had that before. The last thing I need is to be cooped up in here for ages or I think i'll get depressed. I already spend lots of time here alone, it's sad. I wish we had some cats or something."

She smiles and looks like she's holding something back for a second, but maybe I just imagined it.
"I guess we could get a dog, but i'm lazy so I don't think it would be happy with the lack of walking. Hamsters and goldfish are kinda boring, but they would be better than nothing" I say with a sigh.
She looks amused once more.

I hear a car pulling into the driveway and glance out of the window as a precautionary measure, just to check it's Alfred. After letting him in and informing him about our guest, he and Miss Kyle disappear and, as usual, i'm left alone. I decide to go for a walk. It's raining again but I don't care, I put some boots on and get my raincoat. I leave a note stuck to the door telling Alfred my plan. The wet gravel crunches underfoot and the sky is that sort of bleak, dense grey - one might say it was ominous. The rain isn't heavy but it seems to seep in to my clothes all the same. I head towards my tree. The bark is slippery but it barely hinders me. I have slowly been working on my free climbing skills, though I don't plan to try scaling buildings or anything like that. I stand and look over the familiar view - well, what I can see of it in the mist.
Then I decide to check out how far the grounds extend to the South, towards the city.