Enthralled (TT AU)

New Faces

Richard hoped that Rachel would be in the mood to talk; usually she hated having anyone in her room. In the past few years Rachel had become a lot more closed off. Things were different when the twins were younger. See, their old house, where they lived with their birth father, was small and cramped. The twins had shared a room since the day they were brought home from the hospital. Even most foster homes had them room together. Years later, when Bruce had adopted the twins they absolutely hated having separate rooms, no matter how big or lavish. Richard would often wake up from nightmares that told stories of a masked man by the name of Slade and creep to the end of the hall to sleep with his sister. Back then, Rachel always greeted him into her bed with open arms; she knew how bad Slade would haunt her twin. At the time Bruce knew nothing about the man visiting Richard's dreams, but he had noticed that Richard didn't like being down the hall from Rachel, so Alfred suggested emptying out the room next to Rachel's bedroom, making it Richards, and then adding a door in between the rooms. So they did just that. The twins were clearly satisfied to be so close to each other. They would run in and out of each other's rooms constantly. The door between rooms never even seemed to be closed. Yet, as the years went by the door began to go unused save for special occasions. Now fully over his fears of a masked man watching him and his family, Richard only really came into Rachel's room when he knew something was bothering her.

"I saw you with Gar earlier." Richard mused as he plopped down on his sister's large purple bed.

"What's your point?" Rachel was writing an essay at her desk when her brother had barged in. She spun around on her chair to look at him. Richard was lying on his back stretched across her once-neat bed. She rolled her eyes at the sight. She had just made that bed.

"Well, it's just been a while since I've seen you with a friend is all." Richard shrugged as he began fiddling with his phone. She sensed him trying to keep the conversation nonchalant.

"He's not my friend." She breathed, maintaining her calm demeanor even though she did not feel like being reminded of Garfield Logan.

"Then what is he?" He questioned lightly, not wanting to upset Rachel but also not letting the subject go. Why couldn't he just let things go?

"I... I don't know. Anyway I was quite rude to him today so I doubt you'll see him around me again." Deep down, Rachel felt bad for the way she treated Gar. She tried desperately to forget his crestfallen expression at the lunch table.

"Come on Rachel, Gar seems like a nice guy." Richard said as he put down his phone. He looked Rachel right in the eye. "You should give him a chance, don't push him away." Truth be told, Richard remembered a time before Rachel was so distant. Sure, she was closer to him than most, but they used to be even closer. He missed the late nights when Alfred would bring up snacks to Rachel's room as the two gazed out her large bay window and told each other everything. He missed waking up and feeling Rachel's warmth from a room away. He missed their silent conversations that he never quite understood the mechanics of. He just missed knowing that Rachel was there. He hadn't felt her presence like he used to in a long time, and he missed it. Ever since him, Rachel just wasn't the same. The difference wasn't huge, but he could see it in her eyes. He could feel it.

"They all seem like nice guys at first." Rachel mumbled, more to herself than to Richard, as she turned back to her paper. She just wanted to be left alone. She heard Richard's body release one last sigh before he got up and left her to her thoughts. Rachel's body finally relaxed as she let go of a large amount of air that she didn't realize she was holding.

...

Rachel yawned as she went about her normal morning routine: First she would wash her face and brush her teeth, quickly followed by a hot shower. She brushed her hair then threw it into a bun as she went to get dressed. Rachel decided on black ripped jeans accompanied with a dark blue hoodie. She wore her favorite dark blue boots to match. Rachel returned to her large bathroom to apply some dark make up to her eyes. Minutes later, she was ready to go. She glided down the large marble staircase that led to the foyer and rushed to the dining room, where as usual, her breakfast awaited. Alfred greeted her with her normal tea.