Batgirl Begins

Chapter Eleven

 "Woah!" I yelled as I moved my head to avoid the flying fork. I heard yelling come to stop from the kitchen across the hall. I saw Dad standing in the doorway, and Mom facing me, a scared look on her face. She rushed around Dad, coming to me.

"I'm so sorry sweetie!" She gushed. "I didn't mean to hit you!"

"It's fine," I assured her. "It didn't even touch me." I noticed Dad was still standing in the doorway, glaring at both of us. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Just a little disagreement," Mom answered in a voice too cheery to be true. She put her hand on the small of my back, ushering me up the stairs. I obliged, not wanting to face my dad about being late.

I was almost to my room when he yelled, "Why are you home late?"

I froze, turned, and said, "I was asked to help an extra student today. I should've texted, I'm sorry."

He didn't say anything. My heart started to race. I knew what that meant. I entered my room, suddenly scared. Mom and Dad were obviously in a huge fight, so he was even more mad. I hope he didn't hurt Mom too much. She was too nimble to defend herself, and I've always been too small compared to him.

But I've been training with the Batman. He was stronger than Dad, and I took him down once, even if he was going easy. But I was stronger, quicker, and more observant now. I could take Dad.

But would I? He's my dad, not a criminal like Joker or Harley Quinn. Deep down I think he loves me, even if he can't show it. I was late, so I deserve to be punished.

Right?

I pulled out folders from my backpack to start my homework. I needed something to distract myself. When I finally finished bio homework, I heard a crash downstairs. I threw open my door and listened to what was happening downstairs.

"YOU CALLED THE COPS?" Dad screamed. "How could you do that?! I've been supporting this family for years!"

"I would work, but you never let me get a job!" Mom said, finding her voice. "I'm tired of living like this Jim!"

"GO TO HELL!" Dad screamed again. There was a pause, then I heard Mom scream. I became very worried and ran down the stairs. In the living room, Dad was holding a knife in his hand, while Mom was on the other side of the coffee table.

"Dad!" I yelled to get his attention. I couldn't let him hurt Mom. If she did call the police, hopefully they will get here in time to see this.

"Go back upstairs," Dad ordered.

"I'm not going to let you hurt her," I said defiantly.

He let out a laugh. "Don't waste my time." He turned back to Mom as if I hadn't just walked down stairs. "You broke my rules. You need to be punished." He flung himself at Mom, but my instincts took over. I leaped at him, figuring out exactly where I needed to be to meet him with enough momentum to knock him down. My foot connected with his chest. He stumbled to the ground, a dazed look on his face.

"Wasn't expecting that were you?" I snarled down at him. Mom stood wide eyed at me. She wasn't expecting that either. Dad stood back up, daggers in his eyes. I stood in a fighting stance Batman taught me, ready to fight if I needed to. Dad looked from me to Mom, and then to me again.

"How dare you disobey me Lily," he hissed. Dad lounged with his hands extended to me. I sidestepped and kicked him in the back as he passed, causing him to fall on his face. Mom started crying and I became distracted trying to reassure her. Dad snuck up on me and picked me up, throwing me to the ground. I jumped up before he came at me again. I was in too much pain to react quick enough to his blow, but when I saw him pull his elbow back the second time, I knew he was going to punch me right in the face. I ducked and came back up to return the favor. I punched him square in the jaw, but I only made him flinch. Mom was crying hysterically now, and had dropped to the floor.

My back hit the wall when Dad came in for another punch. I ducked around him on his next attempted blow. He was so much slower than Batman, which made avoiding his punches incredibly easy. I ran up the stairs two steps at a time, and scrambled into my room. I reached into a secret compartment of my backpack and pulled out all the kinds of baterangs I had. I chose the one with a rope cable so I could tie him up. I also took the one with solidifying foam, just in case. I heard Dad roaring downstairs and realized I had left him alone with Mom. I flew downstairs as fast I could and turned the corner into the living room.

The scene before me made me almost drop my baterangs. Dad was holding the knife again, but this time it had blood on the blade. Mom was clutching her side, with blood spreading around her shirt. He had stabbed her in the lower stomach. 

"NO!" I yelled, and threw the baterang with a rope at him. It wrapped around his torso and he dropped the knife as his arms were bound to his side. I knocked him out with a perfectly calculated kick to his head. Dad dropped to the ground, unconscious.

I ran to Mom, hoping I could help her. I took off my t-shirt and tore it into one long strip of cloth. Batman only taught me how to wrap legs and arms, but I'm hoping it will work long enough on the stomach. I delicately wrapped the cloth around my mom, applying pressure in certain areas. Once finished, I dialed 911. I remained calm on the phone and told them everything. They said an ambulance was headed straight to my house.

"Honey," Mom whispered.

"Shhh, don't speak," I said. "You need to rest. You're losing blood, but help is on the way."

She dropped her back and closed her eyes. I went into the kitchen to grab scissors. I returned back to the living room to cut the baterang hanging from the rope around my dad. That would have been a hard explanation. I also realized I was shirtless, so I put on a clean t-shirt.

I waited for about five minutes before the ambulance finally arrived. They carried her out on a stretcher and informed me the police were on their way.

"If you hadn't put that cloth around her, your mother might be dead by now," one of the paramedics said before leaving. "Good quick thinking." She smiled before closing the doors to the ambulance.