Electric Flame

1.4

Dick Grayson

After returning home embarrassed, I plopped myself onto the couch in front of the 3-D seventy-two-inch wide television screen. So many questions were circulating through my mind.

Will she tell anyone my secret? How does she have powers? How does she know Harley? and worst of all: How am I going to tell Bruce?

Then I heard a door slam with a "Hello, Master Bruce" from Alfred.

Okay, man up, Grayson, I scolded myself.

"Hey, Bruce. So, how was your day?" 

Small talk, really? I'm so stupid. He's going to know something is up. 

"What did you do this time, Dick?" asked Bruce, his face gaining seriousness.

Taking a deep breath, I pumped myself up, It's now or never. Though I preferred never.

"So, I kind of, sort of followed this girl that I like home to make sure that she was safe, and I ended up finding out that she lives in an old, abandoned creepy-looking house and she knows Harley Quinn and yeah, then I kind of, sort of got spotted and had to fight her and she had awesome moves! Then, she used her powers and moved so quickly, but she doesn't have super speed and she can summon a ball of light in her own hand..." I explained everything that happened tonight so fast that it left Bruce gape-mouthed.

"Hold on a second," said Bruce, holding his hand out as he blinked rapidly. "Where did you meet this girl?"

"You understood what I said?" I asked, stunned.

"Yes, Dick. I spend a lot of time around Flash, he's the fastest man alive, if you didn't already know." Bruce deadpanned, taking a seat beside me on the couch.

"Um, yeah, I know, " I answered," and I met her this morning on my way to school. Today was her first day at Gotham Academy, but I ran into her on Main Street last night with Alfred."

"What did she tell you about her personal life, Dick? " Bruce questioned, getting even more serious, if that was even possible. His detective side was taking control.

"Not much. Just that she doesn't like to be around people and that she doesn't have a lot of friends." I told him.

I stopped talking when I saw Bruce get lost in his thoughts. "Bruce?" I asked, "Are you there?" He looked to be in a mental war with himself.

He halted his thinking process and stared at me, completely emotionless. "Batcave. Now, Dick," he commanded, rising and walking in a straight line toward the grandfather clock. 

He twirled the minute and hour hands to the time of his parents' deaths, then waltzed down the never-ending staircase and toward his black leather chair in front of the batcomputer. Typing away, he pulled up an article about a child abducted by Catwoman over seven years ago.

"What's wrong, Bruce?" I asked, not sure if he was going crazy or not. He'd had enough encounters with the Joker to make it a possibility.

He laced his fingers and placed his elbows on the armrests on either side of his chair, his arms like an arch. Suddenly, her picture was broadcast onto the large screen. "(first name) (last name). That's her, isn't it?" he asked, though it was more of a statement as his stare never faltered from me. 

"Yes, but she never told me her last name. That's what she looks like," I disclosed. Come to think of it, she didn't tell me much. I don't even know her favorite color.

"On May 18th in 2002, a girl was abducted by Catwoman. The girl was only seven years old at the time. Here's the security footage." Bruce rolled in his chair and clicked a few times with his mouse, pressing the spacebar once.