Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
You'll be alright
No one can hurt you now
Come morning light
You and I'll be safe and sound
~Safe and Sound ~ Taylor Swift~
...School: October 11, 2010...
"Alright class," the teacher speaks, dragging a cart behind her close to the end of class.
She smacks the edge of my desk, waking me up. "I don't wanna get up yet, papa..."
"Miss Jolene!" the teacher shouts.
I immediately sit up. "Huh? Who do I have to kil–Oh, um... Hi?"
The teacher rolls her eyes and begins to talk again. "For those that are actually listening, how many of you plan to be parents one day?"
Me as a mom? Ha! "Yeah, right..."
Most everyone in the room raises their hands, except obviously me and a few others.
"This week's project will show you what parenthood is all about," she continues. "And for those of you who are failing, it will give you a chance to catch up. This assignment will count as half of your final grade." She picks up a baby from the cart and it coos, making all the girls and some guys aww. I roll my eyes, they aren't as sweet as you might think. "Yes, they are really cute, until you have the responsibility of caring for them."
"Truth!" I shout, causing me to get some odd stares.
"Anyway, that's exactly what you will be doing this week. Feeding, bathing, changing it, whatever it takes. I've divided you into random couples," she says, handing the baby to me. "Dawn, you are with Chad."
"Shit..." I mumble. Chad gives a triumphant whoop as he looks over at me. I simply hand him the baby.
She passes out the rest of the babies. "Each of your babies has a built in computer which registers the amount of care or lack of care given. The score will determine your grade. Each baby comes with two bracelets, one for each of you. This bracelet is not to come off and is waterproof. If the bracelet comes off I'll know. The farthest you can be away from your baby is 30 yards. The bracelet connects you to your baby, unlatch it and your grade goes down. One of you have to be near the baby at all times or your grade goes down. The babies will show you a wide range of emotions for their needs and you need to fulfill those needs."
"Mrs. Lee, what happens if we drop it?" Chad asks.
I roll my eyes at the question. Idiot.
She lifts the baby she is holding and lifts it up, letting it go. It smacks against the floor. "You fail," the baby speaks.
Mine begins to cry as Chad almost drops it, but I quickly catch it with my speedy reflexes, giving Chad a glare. It continues crying and everyone just looks at me. I sigh and begin to rock it. "I feel like an idiot."
Everyone moves to be next to their partner. Chad carefully takes the baby into his arms.
"How about I make a deal with you?" Chad asks, rocking the baby.
"I'm listening," I reply.
"You take care of this, and I'll do all your math for the rest of this week," Chad says.
"Somehow, I don't trust you with my math grade."
"And your science."
"Sorry, I can't have this baby 24/7. I have important things to do."
"Please."
"Fine, it's a deal, but, you have him overnight. I'll keep him during the day."
He groans. "Fine..."
I smile, dragging my finger underneath his chin. "That's what I like to hear."
He coos as I take the fake baby back.
"So, it's a he?" Chad asks.
"Well, I sure don't want a girl," I admit. "They're a lot of work. A boy doesn't cause as much drama. Boys aren't big cry babies like most girls."
"So, what's his name?"
"Really?" I give him an eye roll. "You name it."
"John?"
"Too simple."
"I thought you didn't care?"
I groan, running a hand down my face and earning a giggle from the animated baby's face. "I don't."
"Then don't complain, babe," Chad replies.
"Don't call me babe."
"Whatever, babe. How about... Luke?"
I feel a tick mark form on my head. "Sure, Luke is fine," I grit through my teeth.
Kill him.
"What, babe? You don't like it?"
"I'm fine with the name, but I told you to not call me babe," I growl, smacking the side of his head.
"Ow!"
"That's what you get." The baby begins to giggle and I smirk.
That won't suffice.
I shake my head.
"The watch will provide you with info for why the baby is crying," Mrs. Lee continues, passing out the watches and setting them to each baby. "Press the watch against it's chest and it's need will appear on the screen. It could be hungry or maybe it needs a diaper change or whatever else. It's fairly easy. The rest of the instructions are in the packet."
"This week is gonna suck..." I sigh, packing my things in my backpack using one hand and the other to hold Luke and his extra bag of supplies.
The bell rings and we all exit, heading to wherever we go next. For me, it's time to eat. I make my way over to the table I always sit at with Richy and Artemis. I set all my stuff down, along with the baby stuff. Artemis comes up next, not noticing the baby till after she's settled.
"Uh, Dawn? Why do you have a baby?" she asks, looking around the lunchroom. "Actually, why does like everyone have a baby?"
"It's part of a school project," I sigh. "Gotta learn how to take care of one for family studies."
"That sucks."
Richy comes up and snickers at me.
"I don't know why you're laughing, you're going to have to have one too," I scoff. "You have family studies too."
His eyes widen. "Oh crap!"
Artemis and I begin to laugh.
"I got partnered with Chad. We made a deal where I take care of the baby during school, and he does it at night along with my math and science homework," I grin.
"Nice!" Artemis says, giving me a high-five.
I open my lunchbox to take out my note momma always leaves. 'We're getting papa tonight.' My eyes widen, and I stuff the note back in the bag.
"What's your note say today?" Richy asks.
"That... she packed my favorite!" I shout, pulling out the sandwich.
"Your favorite is peanut butter and jelly?" Artemis asks.
"Uh, yes?"
"Weirdo."
Lunch doesn't go fast enough after that and on to chorus I go. I was placed in altos as I thought I would. Not a lot of girls are able to sing as low as I, reason why I was placed on the top row. We had a concert a few weeks ago and now we're learning Christmas music for the Winter Concert. I was placed along with Richy in an extra group that rehearses early in the morning on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. This group gets to sing all the fun and interesting songs. We're known as the acapella group where we don't use any instruments or backtracks. The only thing we use are our voices and bodies for clapping or stomping. It also got me to see Richy sing. And damn, can he sing. We each have a duet solo in the group for the next concert, and I'm actually pretty excited for it. Chorus soon ends and on to lit it was. The baby was surprisingly quiet as I held it the whole class, resulting in me needing a stand for my music which was a hassle.
I sit down at my seat and Richy comes in a few seconds later, baby wailing. I begin to laugh at his struggle.
"Don't laugh," he groans, sitting beside me. "I don't know what to do."
"Rock her," I say. "You gotta support her head. Copy me."
He looks at me and adjusts his hold the baby doll, causing the baby to calm down. "How are you so good at this?"
"I've had some recent practice," I grin, thinking about Robin. "It sucks that we couldn't be in the same class. Maybe we would've been paired up."
"Maybe so," he replies with a grin, rocking the baby.
The end of the day quickly arrives and I'm at the football field, waiting for Chad's practice to be over. They leave to the locker room to change and shower to go home. I sigh, gathering my things and following behind them after a few minutes. I wait outside the locker room, watching the players leave to go home. After about 10 minutes, I get impatient and head into the locker room to look for Chad. The guys whistle call me, but I ignore them by shoving them into the lockers or tripping them. I walk around the whole locker room and Chad is nowhere to be found.
"Where is Chad?!" I shout.
"He left right as practice got out," a player admits.
"What?!" I screech. "That asshole! I can't take care of this baby!" I stomp out of the locker room then speed home, stopping a little ways from the house. The baby giggles as I enter, drawing attention right to me.
"Honey? Why do you have a baby?" momma asks.
"It's not a real baby," I admit. "It's part of a school project in family studies. I wasn't supposed to have the baby overnight. My partner was supposed to take it."
"Well, leave it here when we leave to go get puddin."
"Can't," I reply, getting an odd look from momma. "I have this watch and can't be away from it for more than 30 yards."
"You do realize how far that is, right?" momma asks.
"I know, it's a long distance, but getting papa would be risky. If we leave it in an escape car, it might end up crying and grabbing attention. If I fail this project, I'll fail the class. It's a big part of my grade. Sadly."
"Fine then we'll take it with us, but we're still getting my puddin. We'll leave it in the car and one of the minions can take care of it."
My face suddenly lightens up. "I can duplicate myself!"
"What?"
"I've been practicing to make an electric copy of myself," I say.
"Good, because we're going to need you to take out the electricity."
I smirk. "That I can do."
Night time rolls around and it's time to go get papa. I begin to duplicate myself, one with the baby and the second with momma to rescue papa from Arkham. I begin to separate into two different people only to get alerted electrically and stop.
"What's wrong?" momma asks.
"I can't separate," I admit. "My electricity messes with the watch and will short circuit it if I do."
"Can you still use your powers?" she asks.
"Yes, just can't separate or travel along a circuit without sticking my arm out."
"Good enough," she says. "Let's go."
We get a squad of 20 men to help destroy everything because papa can't make an escape without a big exit. The van is full of explosives and other equipment to bust papa out of Arkham. The van bursts through the front gates, the side sliding door of our vehicle is opened up and our gunman lets loose his turret on all the guards. We all laugh as we drive into the front door, everyone jumping out and taking any guards out who come close. Storm, Bud, and Lou follow behind me.
I grab a security guard by the throat, slamming him to the floor while holding the baby in my other arm. "Where is my papa?"
"I-I don't have access to that a-area! Only Batman, the c-commissioner, and the high level guards!"
"Take us to the area," I growl, letting him get up.
Momma walks beside me giving a light ruffle to my hair. "Good job, little monster."
10 bodyguards surround us as we head to papa's cell while the other 10 set up bombs all around the prison. We arrive in the area, seeing multiple prison guards guarding the door to papa's room. They raise their guns to us, but I'm faster and send a bolt of electricity at each gun, destroying them.
"I suggest you let my papa go before I do something a little more gruesome," I smirk, electricity cackling in my hand. "Hold this for me." I hand the baby to a bodyguard.
"Yes, miss."
The prison guards don't put up a fight and open the door. After they do, all the bodyguards knock them out.
I smile upon seeing my papa. "Papa!" I shout, running to tackle him in a hug.
"Ah, little monster!" He grins as bodyguards cut him out of his straightjacket. "How was your first prison breakout?"
"So much fun!" I cheer.
The baby begins to cry.
"Is that the wail of a baby I'm hearing?" papa asks.
"Yeah, it is," I groan, moving over to pluck the baby from the bodyguard's arms. "I have this stupid project I have to do at school involving taking care of a baby for a week. I wasn't supposed to have it at night, but my damn partner ditched me." I begin to rock it, calming it down.
"Let's kill him then," papa laughs, wrapping his arms around momma and I. "I missed my girls!"
"We missed you too, puddin!'" momma squeals.
"Now, let's blow this popsicle stand!" papa laughs.
"I don't think so, Joker," a voice calls out.
We turn to see the Dynamic Duo and the two green Arrows.
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Robin asks.
"A hyena like Wolf? Yes, I do," Artemis nods.
I smile. "Storm, Bud, Lou? Sick 'em!"
The three cackle and pounce on Batman.
"Well, what are you useless grunts doing? Attack!" papa shouts.
All our guards begin to shoot their guns, and the two dodge them. GA shoots an arrow at me, and I do a one handed back handspring, not letting go of the giggling baby.
"Hey!" I shout. "You're gonna hurt the baby!"
"Baby?" GA grunts confused, holding off Storm.
"You kidnapped a baby?" Robin asks, springing beside me.
"No, it was given to me," I scoff, sending a bolt to his chest that flings him into Artemis. They groan as they hurriedly pick each other off the ground to continue their attack.
"Now give us the baby," Robin threatens.
"I wish I could, but then that would make me fail my class," I grin.
"What?" GA says confused.
"You... t-take family studies?" Artemis asks.
"Well, it's not like I wanted to," I scoff. "I'd rather take a different class, but all the others were full."
"You go to Gotham Academy?" Robin asks.
"Whoever said that?" I tease, handing the baby to momma. "Hold this for a sec. I'm gonna get us outta here." I call the three hyenas back to us.
"Course, little J."
I turn back to the three heroes, who have knocked out the 10 guards. "Well, this was fun while it lasted, but I gotta go feed the baby." I smirk, summoning up a large bright ball of electricity and fling it towards the three.
"Move, move, move!" Robin shouts, ducking out of the way.
I put up an electric field around us, and we make our way out of the prison back into the van we arrived in. Momma gives the baby back to me as she gets in the drivers seat and papa gets in shotgun. We get far enough away until I pull out a detonation button, handing it to papa.
"For you," I laugh.
He takes it from my hands. "You two know me so well." He presses the button, and we watch the prison go up in flames. We all cackle as we dump the van and travel the rest of the way home.