Batman and Catwoman: Family Mystery

30. Too Late

[Past]

At work the next morning, Selina had a new sense of confidence. No one said no to her that day, and things went just like she wanted them. It wasn't until Hathaway came in to work that her resolve weakened. Andrew and Emily had gone to church that Sunday, and had spent time with Maggie.

Remembering Maggie changed things. What would Muggs think when she found out her sister was a sex worker? Here Maggie was, growing up christian, and Selina was going the other way.

That night, Selina didn't go home, or church, or the club. She took a free ride across the bridge to Gotham city. The car stopped in front of an old building, just outside East End. This was her place. This was Selina's world.

She took the stairs all the way up to the roof, where her stash was. There was a pigeon house on the roof, big enough to crawl in. The birds were resilient; pigeons could probably outlive humanity. So this way, Selina didn't feel bad about not having come here in over a year.

Selina unlocked the gate, and quietly crawled under the sleeping birds to get to the back. She lifted the tarp to reveal her stash of stolen things, and her tools. Mainly, her whip.

She didn't immediately swing out into the night. Instead, she sat on the ledge, swinging her legs over the side of the building. After thinking about her recent life, Selina shook her head clear and swung off to do her thing.

Later at night, Selina came back to the roof, this time with new stolen goods. As she sat sorting her things, Selina looked up to stare at the mansion on the distant hill. It was hard to miss the biggest house in town. Speaking of houses got her thinking of her own and, on a streak of bad decisions, Selina decided to go visit.

It didn't turn out that bad. The house was abandoned, with police tape wrapped around the porch. I wonder why, Selina thought to herself with a proud smirk. Feeling reminiscent, she grabbed food from a street stand before finally entering her home.

There was no light in the house, as obviously the electricity was shut off. For the moment, Selina used her phone light to travel around the house, looking for candles. Among other things, her mom had been the kind of person who collected loads of random candles from thrift shops. She found her mom's supply under the kitchen sink.

Selina grabbed her stuff and lit a candle to make her way to her room. The room where she'd grown up. Where she's lived; where he'd died. She opened the door half expecting the body to still be there, but it wasn't. In his place were police labels, marking where everything was before it was taken in to evidence. Most importantly, there was no body outline. Selina didn't know if it was good or bad that he was still alive, but what mattered was that he wasn't here.

Selina tossed her bags on her bed and lit as many candles as it took to light up the room. She went around gathering her old books and toys, filing through her stuff as she finally sat to eat. Eventually, Selina made a bag of important things that she would drop off with Maggie. She took Mugg's favorite toys, her own gadgets, and any jewelry she had, and put them in a pile on her bed.

She got the idea to take her mother's jewels, if there were still any. Taking some candles, she walked into her parents' room. Selina hadn't been here since her mother had disappeared. To no surprise, the place was ransacked by looters. Selina smiled. The man deserved it; and more.

Knowing her mother's tricks, Selina pulled apart the bed frame to find her mother's more precious things. Things she would have passed down to her daughters as heirlooms. Selina grabbed everything, not leaving a stone behind, and took them to her room. Now, she needed a bag to take back her things.