𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚 [:] 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞

[𝟎𝟎𝟏] 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰'𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞'𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐲

✮︎✩︎✮︎

Halloween night was one of those few nights where anyone could get the chance to dress up in a cool costume and waste their night begging for candy.

In Gotham City however,  it was an advantage a sociopath could get to hurt someone or put some drug in an innocent trick or treater. Anyone stupid enough to be out alone during this time clearly was just begging to be shot in the head or beat to death. At least the heavy rain was a good excuse to keep Dawn safe from harm.

With only the dim lights of an orange lampshade, Catrina's eyes narrow at the sight of seeing her poor sister sulking and slouching on top of the toilet, feeling the tear-stained cheeks through the make-up wipes. Taking a deep breath, she rests her hands on her knees. "You haven't spoken a word since I picked you up from school. Can you at least look at me?"

A few seconds pass, and it's quiet. If it weren't for the rain pounding down on the windows, it'd be. "...I just wanted to spend the night like every other kid." Dawn musters, the lump in her throat growing the more she spoke, lip quivering ever so slightly. "And knowing I can't go out..." A quiet sniffle was all she could even let out, lowering her head shamefully to avert her sister's gaze.

A wave of realization creeps over Catrina, a feeling she felt all too well. Biting the gum of her mouth, she lifts her knees off the porcelain floor, and places her hands on her hips, leaving Dawn confused by the complete 180. "You don't need to go out trick or treating to have a fun time."

Dawn's silent, her confusion overcrowding her sadness, and her thick brows crease into a scrunched up face. "We don't?"

"Of course not, boba." A smug smirk appears on both of their faces, and Dawn's quick to take her sister's extended hand as Catrina leads her to the small living room, an assortment of bite sized candies scattered around the table.

"Holy crap! There's no way you did this yourself." Dawn exclaims as she rushes to the candy and admires it in awe, only to let out a scream as she's automatically thrown in the air.

"You never give me any credit." Ezra teases as he tosses Dawn over his shoulder, her delicate fingers clawing at his worn out band shirt, feet kicking in the air. Their sibling dynamic was chaotic as it could be. But being chaotic was good. It made Catrina happy they have more of a chance to live the life she should have. No drugs. No guns. No lies.

Ezra eventually, and reluctantly, puts Dawn down as he falls down on the couch, a small eyebrow raise indicating his curiosity while turning to face Catrina, all while Dawn runs to go to her bedroom. "You working at 44 below tonight?"

Catrina shudders at the thought of the Iceberg Lounge's personal playground for any corrupt mobs. The loud music, smell of marijuana, and the perverted gazes she got were hell enough. "Tomorrow night. Colson asked me to assort some digital files about the Salvatori Maroni case."

"I don't think I'll ever understand why you work for Oz. He's literally a mobster." Ezra shakes his head in disapproval, causing a pit to form in her stomach. Upon noticing her sister's discomfort, his voice is quiet. "You deserve better."

"It's not like I have a choice. Y'know we need the money." Catrina mutters, a slight venom in her mouth. Dawn's footsteps getting louder. Her black eyes pierce through her brothers, almost as if saying 'not in front of her'.

"Can we please watch something you guys? Please?" Dawn begs as she shakes his arm, the tense atmosphere dissolving as the two relax.

"You two go ahead." Catrina yawns as she points at the clock. "But lights out around ten, you both have school tomorrow and I don't want to drag your asses out of bed."

Trusting the two, Catrina plants a kiss on each of their foreheads, squeezing each of their hands only once as a way of saying goodnight. It wasn't until she stopped leaning over Dawn to notice the small beam of light out in the sky. The signal of Gotham's vigilante.

✩︎✮︎✩︎

Even with the espresso shots Catrina drank to boost her energy, her eyes were weighed with the urge to close, the repeated details of the case giving her a migraine, or maybe it was the brightness of her laptop. At least it made sense for how Mayor Mitchell Jr was able to get that much support for the election, but at this point, Gotham isn't worth saving.

Surprisingly, the crime rates at least had a few perks, one of which being the low rents, adhering to Catrina's budget while paying off her tuition at GCLU (Gotham City Law University). Either way, the trio promised each other they would put in twice the effort so they can get a fresh new start, either at Metropolis or Central City, where nobody would associate them with the burdens of their parents. At least, it's what Catrina wanted.

She also wanted to take a break, it was almost 1 in the morning, and it only seemed fair considering she hasn't stretched in the span of four hours. The rain was still pounding outside, bringing a sense of comfort as Catrina trudged to the television, automatically lowering the volume to not awaken Ezra or Dawn.

As the screen brightens the room, Catrina places a hand over her mouth in shock as flashing lights and microphones point toward Commissioner Pete Savage, who is standing in what seemed to be in front of a limestone stair railway.

"Tonight, a son lost a father." The middle-aged man addressed all microphones pointed in his direction, camera shots being heard through the screen, and Catrina could feel herself being amongst the crowd. "A wife lost a husband. And I lost a friend. Mayor Mitchell was a fighter for this city, and I will not rest until his killer is found." Catrina's eyes trail to the sulking brunette, her eyes were glistened with tears, heart pounding at the mention of the fact he was assassinated. "...this was a truly senseless crime, and we are actively pursuing every investigative lead we have to identify the perpetrator and hunt him–"

Hearing a motorcycle curve around the street her apartment lived in, her thumbs were quick to turn off the tv, a feeling of nausea setting in as her eyes wandered to the door to make sure it was just her who heard the news. Her legs felt weak, and she knew damn well the city was gonna get worse from here.

Not so much though, if she pushed herself. Gotham's only sense of security was the man in the costume, but it's not like he was actively making things better. Entrepreneurs like Bruce Wayne didn't seem to give a fuck about the city's security.

But Catrina does. Knowing what it's like to feel helpless as the city eats itself alive through its citizens. Nobody should ever experience such, and she's gonna do something about it.

She'll bring any criminal justice.

She'll bring them their consequences.

She'll bring karma.

If she knew how to catch them, that is.

A/N:
First chapter already and Catrina's already traumatized from the gore! :D Honestly, this trio is gonna my ride or die and I swear if I get the urge to kill one of them off later on, please slap me in the face, my therapy card will be declined by then! Next chapter will focus more on Catrina when she's not the picture perfect role model, while exploring her relationship with other characters who've gone through the same crap as her!
-𝐀𝐬𝐡