FEVER

Chapter 1

Elena stared at the screen before her, her eyes boring into the words she'd read what felt like a million times. She'd been sitting at her local cafe for an hour, cursing the fact that she arrived at the same time the high school down the street let out.

At first the voices were barely noticeable, but they inevitably grew louder as the cafe was filled to what seemed to be its full capacity.

"Goddamn it," she sighed, closing the browser. I'll have better luck at home, she thought to herself.

Elena stood up quickly, offering her seat to a girl who had been standing with her drink awkwardly near her. The girl, who looked to be 14 or 15, gave Elena a shy smile before taking the seat.

Exiting the cafe, Elena began to walk the couple of blocks to her apartment. Downtown Gotham was teeming with people enjoying the late June weather, a testament to the lazy summer days that awaited them in the coming months. Though not originally from Gotham, Elena had called the city home for the past two years while she attended university. Now that she had finally graduated, Elena looked forward to her gap year with joy, looking forward to job hunting and travelling.

She entered the luxurious apartment complex where she lived, waving hello to the security guard at the front desk, James. She rode the elevator to the second floor, which only had one other apartment. Now, Elena new how fortunate she was. She had a good head on her shoulders and her parents never let her forget how hard they both had worked to give her and her siblings a good, no, great life. So she never misbehaved, attended school like it was expected of her, and didn't touch any of her savings. Not that she needed to, her monthly allowance of $5,000 suited her basic needs, and she didn't spend carelessly.

Elena dropped her purse on the floor of her spacious living room, something she loved doing since no one was around to tell her to pick it up. Since it was still early, Elena figured she had time to go to the park and maybe read. After taking a quick shower, she put on a loose lavender crop top, paired with light denim jeans and flats. Elena picked up her bag off the floor, grabbed a book she'd left on the kitchen counter and exited the apartment.

:::

Gotham City was admittedly a step down when it came to comparing other cities Elena had visited. Her hometown, Bilbao, boasted beautiful European architecture and sprawling beaches. She loved visiting the museums and restaurants  with her siblings. Gotham was, well, charming in its own special way, Elena supposed. The university she'd attended there was one of the best in the country, and the fact that Wayne Enterprises' main headquarters was located there also meant that the city enjoyed a successful financial district. However, it would be a serious mistake to think that all the changes the city had gone through made it safe to live there. Elena had heard too many stories about classmates getting assaulted, and an acquaintance she'd met during her junior year was still recovering in the hospital from a home invasion gone wrong.

No, Elena had no silly notions about Gotham. Yet she felt that if she lingered long enough, she could empathize with its citizens.

As she made her way to Gotham Gardens, Elena felt her phone buuuzzinngg in her back pocket. She reached for it and furrowed her eyebrows at the sight of the caller ID; she picked up nonetheless.

"Hello, Eric?" Elena answered.

"Elena? Hi! How are you?" Eric's voice replied from the other end of the line.

"I'm fine, is everything alright?" She asked as she hurriedly crossed the street. 

"I am doing well, thanks. You might be confused as to why I'm calling- well, you sound confused," Eric chuckled. "It's nothing serious, it's just that I am now realizing that last time I saw you at the college computer lab, we accidentally swapped flash drives and I need mine right now for some work that I am doing. Are you busy?"