Red Love

Chapter 27

The cold water stings my hands as I squeeze the soaking wet towel between my fingers. I fold the towel and set it back on the strawberry blonde's forehead. I look over her frail frame and sigh.

Cass wasn't kidding when she said that the girl looked bad off. She's got blue and purple splotches running up and down her arms, one bruise above her right eye, and a couple bad scratches on her face. But if it weren't for those marks, I believe she would actually be quite pretty. She has soft strawberry blonde hair that falls to the middle of her neck in soft ringlets, accompanied by bangs. She has a tall frame some girls would love to have.

I sit in the chair placed next to the bed and watch for movement. I've been sitting in this same place hoping for the same thing for two hours. Stephanie told us that she's been out for at least five hours while at the house. There is no telling for how long before that. Jason had told me that if she woke up to call them immediately. He, Steph, and Cass had gone downstairs to the cave to look over the cameras near the alley the girl was found in.

I turn my head to side, studying the clock on the wall, when I hear the rustling of sheets. My head snaps back to the bed, and I find the strawberry  blonde stretching her arms and slowly opening her eyes. She blinks in the light, adjusting her eyes to the brightness. Then, she sits up abruptly and shakes her head from side to side, her breathing getting faster due to fear. She notices me next to her and let's out a shriek as she tumbles off the bed.

"W-who are you? Please don't hurt me." She begs from the other side of the bed.

A small pang of pain stabs me. Seeing someone in a state like this, a vulnerable state, hurts me. I stand from the chair and begin reaching for my phone, but I stop. Calling the others would only startle her more. The best thing to do talk to her first and calm her down, let her know I mean no harm.

"Hey, hey, it's ok. I won't hurt you." I lean over the bed and extend my hand to the girl. She looks at me, her bright green orbs skeptical yet trusting. She takes my hand and I pull her back onto the bed.

I collapse back into the chair and smile at her. "What's your name?" I start with a simple question.

"Kat." She states. "Your's?"

"Lucy." I smile. I open my mouth to ask the next question, but Kat beats me to it.

"Where am I?" Her voice shakes as the next question exits.

"Wayne Manor." I say.

Kat's eyes bulge with surprise, and she looks around the room in awe. "How did I get here?"

"Tim Drake-" I begin, but I'm cut off.

"Tim Drake?! Like Bruce Wayne's son?!" Kat exclaims.

I giggle slightly and nod. "Yes. He found you passed out in an alley last night and brought you here." I explain.

"Wow." She sighs.

I nod and continue on with questions. "Kat, do you remember anything from last night." My tone becomes serious, and I hate to go into this topic but it's for the best. It's good to know.

"The last thing I remember..." Kat's eyes close as she rubs her temples, searching deep in her brain for a memory. Her eyes snap open suddenly, and she begins to pour out the story of her past hours. "I remember walking through the streets of Gotham like I usually do. I had just finished searching through the trash cans for useful supplies. I remember that it was really cold, so I had decided to take the shorter route back to where I stay. I had just turned down the alley by the old bakery, the one on 6th street. As I turned down the alley, I started to register the sounds of overlapping voices and skin coming into contact with skin. I ran down the alley to figure out what it was, and found myself in the middle of a gang fight. This one gang was beating up a member from a rival gang. I hadn't planned on interfering. I had planned to turn away and quietly walk away, but then I saw the rival gang member, it was a friend of mine. I stepped in and tried to help. I remember being tackled by a gang member, shoved to the ground, and forced to watch my friend be shot. He was dead before he even hit the ground. I screamed for him, but that only resulted in me getting punched in the face. The blow was so hard it knocked me out. Then, I ended up here." Kat explains.