Invisible

Chapter Six: Bonding

A few moments went by before I stood from my kneeling position, just as the door opens, and Dick coming through. His eyes connecting to mine for a moment and he knew straight away something was wrong. But before I could get a word out we could hear Rachel chatting verses from the bible.

Dick and I rush through the room, passing the bed and entering the bathroom, which was dark. Dick flicks the switch on and we find Rachel in the tub, her knees to her chest, crying. "Rachel?" Rachel let out a gasp as she looked up at us. "What happened?" His voice concerned before he lunched forward.

"No! Don't touch me. I don't want it getting out..." Rachel stress to us, tears roaming down her cheeks. "No!" Dick knelt down to the edge of the tub and began to hug Rachel.

"Come here. You're ok," Dick tried to smooth talk her, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. All I could do was watch, my heart tore for her. "You're ok. Nothing bad's gonna happen to you. Don't worry," he tried to comfort her as much as he could. Rachel sobs into his shoulder, I peer pass them to look at the bath tub to see the tear up paper on the edge of the tub, all crosses.

I look back to Rachel as her cries began to soften, and she let up from Dick's hug. She looked to me as I held a sad expression for her and she knew it. I took a few steps forward and held my hand out to her which she gladly took, and I helped her step out of the tub. Dick still kneeling on the ground, looking at us both.

"Come on. Let's get some sleep. I'll stay with you until you nod off," my voice soft and caring like a mother. As she gave me a weak nod of her head. I lead her out of the bathroom, I could feel Dick's eyes on me, watching me every step of the way but I paid no mind.

Once we got in the main room, I took her to the only bed, and pulled the covers back, before she started to take off her boots. After a moment, she got in the bed, and I pulled the covers back and tucked her in. I sat down at the edge, and rubbed my hand over her forehead, moving her colored hair out of her face.

"Get some sleep," I cooed to her, as she nodded, closing her eyes, feeling somewhat safe right now. Her breathing slowed to a rhyme of a heart beat, steady.

After a few moments, Rachel seemed to drift off fairly quick, meaning she was tired. I smiled to her, my hand brushing over her raven-colored hair. I stood from the edge, still feeling Dick's eyes on me.

"Your great with her," his deep voice made me turn to look at him. As he leaned against the bathroom door way.

"Well being a teacher for the best part of five years - which is on going,- you learn to love children," I spoke, throwing my eyebrows up for a moment, before they returned back to their normal position. I was quite for a moment, wondering if Rachel had told Dick I was with her when her Mother...
"I was with her. I don't know if she told you, but I was with her, when her mom got..." My words got lost, as I replayed that moment, a shiver went down my spine, my gaze roamed from Dick's eyes. "It wasn't pleasant,"

"I'm sorry you had to witness that," his voice was genuine for once, and felt sorry for me. My eyes shot to him, giving him a small but sad smile, like I had no effort in it but it came naturally.

"No child should lose their parent at such a young age," my voice was full of passion and meaning. I turned away, looking over to the window and under it the table which held the pizza. "I'm sorry about your parents Dick. It's an awful thing to see and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone," The words had left my mouth, but I knew Dick wasn't going to say anything. After a moment, I knew I was right. He had found it hard to let people in. I sighed softly, wondering if he will ever open up.

"What happened to your head?" He asked, I spun in my heels to face him. He was dodging the question but he did speak.

"I banged it," I replied, as I started to remove the small bandage on my forehead. It came off with ease and I held it in front of my eye sight to see drained crimson blood soaked in. "Good night, Mr Grayson," was my last words to him for the night, before I move towards the other room, leaving him there to ponder what I had said.

But will he ever open up....

........................................

The night had gone by fast and the new day began. I had slept in a arm chair next to the bed, which I watched over Rachel from. Just for a few hours before I had nodded of myself. However, once again, we were on the road, which was very long, and Dick was speeding ever so slightly.

"According to those files, the man who came after you may have been part of some doomsday cult. They appearently believe it's their destiny to prevent the end of the world," Dick spoke, as his voice carried within the car, as he kept his eyes forward. Rachel looked at him from the passenger side, and I sat on the middle seat in the back, leaning forward so I could be part of the conversation. "Does that mean anything to you?" He asked, his head turned to look at Rachel for a moment.

"Well, back when I was a kid, you know, I didn't get too angry, or scared," Rachel said, her voice soft and not too loud. Her head had turned to face forward. "'Cause bad things happen," her eyes glance over to Dick and I.

"What kind of bad things?" I asked, but I had not tend to ask it like that, but it just slipped out. Rachel was quite for a moment, turning to look away, dodging the question.

"I guess I'm an orphan, too, now," she states aloud, knowing that it was true, it was a sad thing to hear from a kid, but it was true. I heard Dick sigh, as I gave her an sad look. "That billionaire, Bruce Wayne, he raised you?" She pushed on, trying to avoid the questions that we were asking her.

"Yeah," Dick nodded his head as he spoke.

"Must've been cool," I said, trying to make the conversation a bit easier to talk about, and not everything was dull and life threatening.

"It was..." Dick began, finding the right word to sum up Bruce and his relationship. "Complicated," his eyes left the road for a moment to gaze at me, but then he focused back on the road ahead.

"Does it ever go away?" Rachel asked Dick, as her blue eyes cast to him. My head turned to look at Dick who's face was confused.

"What?"

"The feeling you got left behind," she replied, referring to being an orphan. She and Dick shared a special kind of bond, they both know what it was like to be an orphan at a young age.

"Yeah..." Dick states, meeting eyes with Rachel before he looked back forward. I could see the clogs turning in his head, knowing he was going to say something else. "Well, no, not entirely,"

Rachel looked back ahead, her own mind running with wild thoughts of her own. "You're gonna leave me too, aren't you both?" Her voice creaked slightly, like the idea of us leaving her alone was madding. Once again, my heart tore, this girl knew how to cut deep, but not in a million years I would leave her all alone out there in this cruel, cruel world.

"Never in a million years I would leave you," I state, my voice sounded hurt for her even suggestion that I would leave. Rachel smiled at me, knowing that I meant every word.

"No," Dick had now replied. "No, I'm not gonna do that," her voice gentle and kind, he was telling the truth. Maybe Rachel was growing on him as she was with me.

"Rachel, I know I don't know you well But I've seen you around school all alone, without any friends," My eyes traveled to hers, as I reached and took her hands in mine. "But I will always, always be here for you. For a shoulder to cry on, a motherly figure, and a friend who you can relay on," I finished off, tears swelling in my eyes, but I blinked them back, not wanting to cry. I see her smile wide as she knew that I meant the whole of it.

"Thank you," she whispered, squeezing my hand as a gesture of knowing. Though Rachel might have something within her, she can use that power for good. Maybe it has a darker purpose, but she is her own person, she can decide on what she wants to do with it...