"𝐰𝐡𝐲'𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤?
𝐈𝐭𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐦."
❝ ── We all know friends can betray you in a snap of a finger, but what happens when your own powers start turning against you, slowly driving you to insanity.
...
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CHAPTER THREE, Selina Kyle
Half of her body was enveloped in the shadow cast by the tall pillar she was slouching on. She peered over to the side, a quarter of her head poking out, examining the woman taking a stroll in the gloomy garden.
Cautiously, she sneaked past the woman, lowering herself down behind a bird-drinking fountain. Ears perked up at the soft humming of a tune, booming in the silent atmosphere.
The woman wore a loose button-down shirt and a knee-length light gray skirt. A withering rose lay on her hands; its thorns dug into her fingers, leaving a trail of blood glowing in the moonlit garden. Her leather boots touched the cemented pathway, creating a thudding sound.
Astra quietly scuttled deeper into the garden's ground. Hoots of owls—coming from the looming trees—ringed in her ear.
As she escaped the enormous flowerbed that could've been mistaken for a maze, she saw a telephone booth located on the side. The streetlight illuminated the telephone booth, giving Astra a sense of where it was.
Warm air covered her body as she entered the booth. A small piece of paper wrapped around her palms tight. She rushed to take the phone out of the booth, dialing the correct numbers. She tapped her foot anxiously while waiting for it to ring.
Suddenly, a distorted voice appeared from the other end. "Hello?"
"Cat!" Astra almost jumped in relief. "Listen, I—can we meet up?"
"Sorry, no can't do, Gotham's a mess right now." She could hear Selina let out an aspirated huff from the other end.
Silence took over. "This is important."
"Visions?"
"Hallucinations. I mean, I know this has happened before, but it only lasted a few hours."
Selina took a sip of her drink. "How long has this one been going for?"
Astra didn't answer instantly; instead, she thought about it for quite a bit. "Uh, I don't know, a few days, I guess."
"Did you try finding the source, like last time?"
"It's not here, Cat."
On Selina's side, she leaped off the rooftop's railing and landed on someone's balcony. "Listen, Ast, I have to run, but I know, well, you know, someone who might be able to help you. Go back to Gotham and meet him again."
"Again?" She pondered, and then the realization hit her like a truck. "No! Are you insane?"
"Sort of." Astra couldn't see it, but she was sure Selina was grinning to herself.
Her eyes looked outside the glass-framed booth, checking to see if anyone could see her. "He wouldn't even want to help me." putting the telephone closer to her mouth while lowering her voice.
"Maybe he wouldn't, but he's a nice guy sometimes. Bruce can and might help you, Ast; it doesn't hurt to try."
"Okay, no—any other options? "She asked, hoping for a better solution.
Selina sighs heavily. "Don't overthink it. It'll probably go away." There was a loud noise of metal clashing together. "Shit. I gotta go. Call me!"
"Wait, Sel—" The line went still. "Fuck this." She slammed the phone back into its container, grunting in frustration.
Astra walked back to her dorm, hands shoved inside the pockets of her puffy jacket, trying her best to ignore both the visions and the frosty breeze blowing past her.
"It's fine. This is fine," she said, muttering those words—to no one particular—over and over again, not sure whether it was to comfort or convince herself.
12:57 AM; the time on the watch stated.
She stood in front of her dorm room, brushing off the snowy remnants. She jiggled the metal handle. It took a few tries since it had been broken for a long time now, but no one ever came to fix it. The door creaked open like any other wooden object in this school; it sounded similar to a mournful groan.
"Holy shi-" She gasped, stumbling backward, her body jerking away as if someone had pulled her from behind.
Alyssa put a hand up her mouth in an attempt to cover her smile. "I'm guessing you took my advice." A satisfactory look was present on her face.
"Yeah. Sorry." Astra looked back at her.
Her roommate moved to the side, allowing Astra in. She walked inside, stepping over the pile of dirty clothes. "So, how'd you like it?"
"Like what?" She sulked into the couch's warm embrace, something she rarely felt during her childhood.
Alyssa looked over her shoulder, lips pursed together. "The Cillon Bridge. You went to the telephone booth, right?"
The Cillon Bridge? Astra heard the name somewhere before.
She twisted her head to face Alyssa, her knees getting sucked inside the sofa's fabric. "I mean, yeah, I went to the booth. What's that got to do with the bridge?"
Alyssa gave her a confused stare. "The only way to the telephone booth is through the bridge."
What.
Her body slumped back.
Alyssa leaned in. In a hushed voice, she whispered, "Astra, where the hell did you go?"
A/N: short chapter but Selina <33 also Bruce mentioned
