Rose Eliot - A Gotham story

What Makes You, You

"If you're going to be going around Gotham kicking people off the streets," Selina said, looking me up and down. "We need to fix... this." She motioned to pretty much all of me.

"What's wrong with my wardrobe?" I asked, looking down at my hand-me-down sneakers and thigh length shorts that I had had for probably half of my life.

She looked over at Ivy who was smart enough now to know not to get in the middle of our fights. "Are you really asking me that right now?" Selina said, with a snarky look on her face and disappointment lining her frown. "You can't be serious. No one is going around Gotham wearing clothes that look like they have been worn every day for your entire life."

I had never had enough money to buy any new clothes. My mom's bank account had gotten robbed when I was ten, leaving no money for anything except food for my siblings and I. Nothing else had really seemed important.

Selina looked up at me with a mischievous smile on her face, "It's time for some late night shopping." I didn't know why it had to be at night, but that caught Ivy's attention and she shot up from the couch she had been laying on in the old abandoned apartment complex. "Let's start at the new shop downtown. They haven't got security cameras yet." Ivy said, her face as bright as Christmas.

I wasn't sure why the security system was important, but apparently, as I would come to learn, my version of shopping, and Selina and Ivy's were a little bit different.

"Okay. Ya let's go shopping." I said, trying to sound excited at the opportunity.

We walked out of the complex, a few blocks toward the good part of town, and onto the subway. Ivy sat as far back as she could, hiding herself from everyone who would judge her, she didn't get out much. Selina held onto one of rails even though a significant amount of seats were open seeing as it was almost midnight. I wasn't sure how we would be getting home, the subway closed after out stop, and it's not like we can grab a taxi. None of us had any money.

"So, what should I be wearing if I'm going to... go around the streets saving people... as you said." I looked up at Selina who had been staring at nothing for a good ten minutes.

"Well, for starters, you can't look like garbage." She said, none too worried about my feelings. "We need something to make you stand out but not too much." She looked me up and down as she had earlier that day, "What do you want people to think of you when they see you in the streets? Want them to fear you, or worship you?"

Now this might seem like an easy question to someone who isn't... well, me. But I had never had the option of my clothes saying anything about me except for 'stay away from that girl, she looks like trouble'. No one usually gave me a second glance when they passed me on the streets. It was what I had to do to survive.

If you can imagine seeing a seventeen year old walking around the streets of your none too friendly neighborhood, wearing torn and tattered blue jeans cut off at the thigh with shoes that surely had holes underneath (but were covered with a fine layer of duct tape) along with a slightly stained and dirt coated pale green jacket, then you have a pretty clear picture of what I look like.

I knew people didn't think much of me, but when people hear the name 'Rose Eliot', I guess I just wanted people to think-

My thoughts were interrupted by a ball of torn up paper and a piece of something sticky, that I didn't want to think much more about, hitting me square on the bridge of my nose. I realized I had been looking down at my battered shoes for more time than I could seem to remember.

"Hello?" Selina said, drawing out the 'o' until she was sure I was paying attention.

I wiped the sticky coating off my nose and looked up at her. "What?" I said, a little too loud, drawing the attention of a well dressed young man sitting across from Ivy. "Sorry," I said softer, "What is it Selina?"

"You mean besides the fact that I asked you a question and you failed to answer?" Anger oozed out of her, I guess she wasn't too keen on being accidentally ignored.

"I... I don't know what to tell you." I looked back down at my shoes, the various tears suddenly seeming much more interesting than where this conversation seemed to be going. "I don't know what image I want to put out there about myself."

"Oh, come on! It's not that hard of a question!" Ivy, suddenly listening in, chimed in.

"Just come up with something." Selina said, annoyed.

Lucky for me, the subway came to a screeching stop and a distorted voice spoke through the speakers telling us all to get out.

"Phew," I said under my breath. "Saved by the bell."