The Nowhere Girl

3. Never Meet Your Heroes

"Don't worry, I don't bite."

"Stop bothering the help Grayson," Damian says, appearing behind us. This kid is without a doubt the most gifted swordsman I've ever met but he's like nine and spoiled rotten.

"Ignore him," Dick says. "He's grumpy, it's past his bedtime."

"I'm ten years old. I don't have a bedtime Grayson," Damian growls.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be here if I didn't have a thick skin," I assure Dick.

He smiles, dimples showing on his cheeks. "So how about a dance with me, Miss Bluey?"

"This imbecil is besotted by you," Damian says.

The pure unaltered sass of this ankle biter is astounding.

"Well he has good taster," I say to the little Wayne. Then to Dick, "Look, I'd like to, but I really need to this job."

"As long as you're with me you'll be fine," Dick says.

So we dance. My hand was beginning to throb from using it so much and this is a nice break. I was hoping for songs I knew but it was all classical stuff played by an orchestra. Lucky they taught us how to waltz in school.

His hands feel different to Jason's, not at strong somehow.

Dick inspects my bandaged knuckle. "What happened here?"

"Ah, it's nothing. You should've seen the other guy," I say.

He laughs and draws me closer.

We didn't talk for the rest of the song. Nor through the third or fourth.

I wonder why he is dancing with me when there were girls more suited to him in the room.

He recognises my voice—

—going to use me to get information—

—Batman!

My thoughts begin to overlap. I shouldn't be here!

I was so stupid to come. Bruce will recognise me the moment he sees me!

—Get out! It doesn't matter about the money. I can live without it. Maybe move to Central City. Maybe rob a bank with Captain Boomerang and use the money to buy a ticket back to Australia. And if the Flash catches me – well he's a lot nicer than Batman.

What am I talking about? I can't go home. I'm stuck in this dimension, slowly dying and I don't even know how I got here.

Supercollider? Like Into the Spider-Verse?

What are the chances of that?

"I hate you! It's your fault Dad left."

"You get in that car, you don't come back! You hear me!" she yelled. "You hear me, Gita? Don't come back!"

"Are you okay?" Dick asks.

I shove the voices away and nod, looking for a way to get back to my job, or out entirely. I excused myself after the next dance and went back to my job.

I head to the second level, away from the dance floor and the crowd. I keep an eye out and every now and then I catch Damian watching me. So I watch him back.

And I so busy watching Damian, I back into someone.

I almost drop my tray.

Bruce Wayne.

Even if I hadn't known Bruce was Batman, I would've felt it in my bones or something. The man was tall, dark, and brooding, and even from this distance he practically radiated authority. He was a handsome man; I'd give him that. Stayin' Alive starts playing in my head. Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk, I'm a woman's man, no time to talk. In his thousand-dollar tux, Bruce was the picture of business, poise, and refinement.