Drowning • Damian Wayne

( chapter three ) "Do you care for this girl?"

Wednesday, August 4th
4:39 o'clock in the morning
Wayne Manor

Being a vigilante anywhere is hard in itself. Being a vigilante in Gotham, it's a whole other level of dedication. Every major city has its villains and heroes, but Gotham had the insane and those who were barely hanging on. Gothamites were used to these conditions as many of them grew up or adapted to this way of life. They couldn't be bothered by it much anymore. To Haley and her mother, they were still adjusting to the noise and chaos of Gotham. But time was starting to get to them and they were finding their way alongside the chaos.

Haley buttered her toast quickly, knowing that she needed to leave for school. "Haley! Come on. We gotta go," said Asteria.

"I know, I know." Haley stuffed the piece of toast in her mouth as she slung her backpack on her shoulder and headed out the door. Her mother turned off the lights and closed the door before locking the door. The two ladies jogged at a steady pace down the stairs. "Hey, is it alright if I go to this cafe near school afterward? I've seen great reviews about it and it has free Wifi so I can work on school."

Asteria hummed at the thought. "I guess you could. Just remember always have your phone on as well as--"

"--as well as Life 360. I know."

"Okay, good. Then you can go." They walked out of the apartment building and toward her car. They opened their own doors and made themselves comfortable in their seats. "When you want to be picked up, just call me."

"Ok." Haley buckled up as her mother started the engine. As she pulled out, she buckled up herself. They had the radio, but instead, they had Bluetooth so that they could listen to the songs they liked without interruption. Songs from Taylor Swift's newest album, Midnight, were playing for a few good minutes before another artist came on. The mother-and-daughter duo sang their hearts out as they made their way through Gotham. When they arrived in the parking lot of the academy, Asteria turned down the radio so as to not be rude. "Bye, Mom. Love you."

"Love you, too." Asteria watched with a smile as her daughter made her way into the academy. She could cry. Haley has become more open as of late and she couldn't be happier. Asteria took a deep breath before pulling out of the parking lot to head to her job.

Haley slipped through the entrance and quickly made her way to her locker. As she organized herself and her belongings, Evangeline glared at her from where she stood at the end of the hall. She shook her head. The I.P. she had hired had been communicating with her every five hours and there was absolutely nothing. Haley has a clean record, as well as her mom, and there's absolutely no social media presence to hint at anything. Evangeline had a bit of hope surrounding Haley's dad, but he's not mentioned anywhere. It would seem that her mother was a single parent before giving birth to Haley. So, nothing. Evangeline had absolutely nothing on this girl. Not to mention that hardly anyone at this school seems to have a bad thing to say about her or they don't even know who she is. Evangeline couldn't be more pissed.

Phoebe walked up to Evangeline, quite happy with herself. "Hey, Ev. I got some news."

"If it's not about that bitch and it's not some dirt on her, I don't want to hear it." Evangeline continued to stare down Haley's back.

Phoebe smiled brightly. "It is. Remember that girl from last night? From Haley's past?"

Evangeline frowned and, finally, looked at Phoebe. "What about her?"

"She unblocked me and said that she was willing to talk." Upon hearing that, Evangeline's frown turned right into a smirk of evil. Looks like she was going to get some information after all. Still, Evangeline wanted to get a better feel for Haley.