Main Attraction | The Dark Knight Trilogy

THIRTY-EIGHT - ROBBED

AN: I'm out of my writer's block, but let's not jinx it. Here's a weekend update!

Lizzy was in the East wing of the manor, practicing her archery with the quiet concentration only an eight-year-old could manage. The rhythmic thud of arrows hitting their targets was a soothing soundtrack to her focused concentration. But her peace was abruptly interrupted when she noticed a maid—someone she didn't recognize as Mrs. Bolton—standing by the bureau. The maid wore a neat uniform and a striking pearl necklace that caught Lizzy's eye. The maid had left a plate of food on the table for Lizzy's dad, but it was the necklace that drew Lizzy's attention.

"That's a pretty necklace," Lizzy remarked, eyeing the pearls. "It reminds me of the one in my mom and dad's wedding pictures. It can't be the same one—Mom's pearls are in this safe. Dad told me it was uncrackable."

Driven by curiosity, Lizzy carefully set her bow aside and approached the bureau. She pressed a hidden latch, and to her astonishment, a concealed panel swung open to reveal the small safe her dad had always boasted was uncrackable. The safe door creaked open, proving the claim to be false.

The maid's initial look of surprise quickly morphed into a cold, confident smile. "Oops. No one told me it was uncrackable."

Lizzy's heart skipped a beat. "I'm sorry, I really can't let you take those."

The maid's smile remained as she advanced toward Lizzy, her eyes glinting with a disturbing mix of amusement and authority. "Look, you wouldn't hit an adult any more than I would beat up a kid. But sometimes exceptions have to be made."

With a sudden, decisive motion, the maid kicked Lizzy's bow away, sending her tumbling to the floor. Lizzy stared in stunned silence as the maid vaulted onto the bureau and then up to a high window.

"Goodnight, kid," the maid said with a catlike smirk, before flipping backward through the window and disappearing into the night.

Lizzy lay on the floor, her heart racing, her eyes fixed on the open safe and now empty safe where the gleaming pearls had been inside. The room, once filled with the comforting sounds of her practice, now felt eerily silent and empty.

Her father, Bruce, entered the room from his study, likely drawn by the commotion. His eyes widened in concern when he saw Lizzy on the floor. "Lizzy, kiddo, what are you doing on the floor?"

Tears welled up in Lizzy's eyes as she struggled to find her voice. "The maid that came with your food, who's not Mrs. Bolton, she stole Mom's pearls from the safe. I tried, Daddy, I really did, to stop her."

Bruce's face softened with a mixture of concern and relief. He pulled Lizzy into a tight embrace, his strong arms providing comfort as he gently rubbed her back. Lizzy's tears flowed freely as she clung to her father, the familiar sense of security washing over her.

Though Lizzy had stopped calling him "Daddy" when she turned seven, the word slipped out in her distress, and Bruce didn't mind. He held her close, whispering reassurances as they both looked at the open safe and the empty space where the pearls once were.