A Blessing or a Curse?

Chapter 1: The Very Unexpected

Disclaimer:

All rights go to DC Comics. I do not own any of the characters mentioned except for Kera O' Brian.

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Kera's POV:

Gotta finish! Gotta finish! Gotta finish! That's all I can think about right now. I have to finish this paper! Mrs. Tesin is gonna kill me if I don't finish typing it! I had just started getting into the swing of things and actually finding a system that worked for me then BOOM. She hits us with an essay due the next morning! But if things were the same all the time life would get boring. That's what I like about my new home. I never know what life is gonna throw at me.

Just in case you were wondering I'm a junior in college and so far it's been pretty good. I actually just moved to Gotham as part of the program I'm in. Most people would call it weird but I call it interesting; I am studying to be a psychiatrist. Yes a psychiatrist, more specifically, a criminal psychiatrist! What has caused this person to think the way they do? That's what I'm hoping to answer.

Anyway, I can't actually say that I've had this life-long mission that has started me on this path. I did not have a tragic childhood. My parents may have gotten a divorce sure, but that's not why I'm where I am today. I'm here because some people just don't understand common sense! Sometimes I wonder if I'm the last person on earth that actually understands the way the world works!

"Yes! Finally..." I sigh in relief. I turn to my unmade, mess of a bed with a dissapointed look. "What was i expecting? That it would be put togethor by Casper?" I turned back to my cluttered desk. "Guess I'm sleeping here tonight".

> skip ahead 2 days

I'm exhausted! My sleeping schedule is out of wack and I've now turned into a nocturnal being. Now I know what you're thinking! "Man she talks alot!" I just haven't made any new friends yet. I'm alone most of the time; well when I'm in class I'm not alone right? With all the work the professors give us I'm surprised anyone has a life outside of school.

"Class you're dismissed." My professor said and I let out a sigh of relief as the day was finally over. Today is a rare and very special occasion... NO WORK! In order to celebrate my free night I decided to take a shortcut home from school. I didn't live too far away from here, so it wasn't like it would take me a long time to get back to my apartment. I lived in a small apartment that seemed to always be messy due to the lack of time for cleaning. "Maybe I should clean when I get home..." I said to myself.

I looked up at the dark clouds that loomed over Gotham. A long streak of lightning shot into the sky followed by a loud crash of thunder that echoed through the dark city. It was definitely gonna rain soon; I quickened my pace as I came to an alley and made a sharp left. This got me to a dead end.

"Was it the alley before this one?", I mumbled to myself. I turned to go back, but before I could turn around, a man came up behind me and held a gun to my back. I knew right at that moment I was in deep crap. His voice was raspy and heavy with the smell of liquor. Probably from too many drinks; it was clear where he spent his days.

By now it was pouring and getting harder to see. I was instructed to lie down on the now wet pavement. I did as he said, but not out of fear; I did it just to get away from his aweful breath! He was probably on some kind of drug as he stumbled around to kneel next to me.

"You scream and your dead. Got it!?" he managed to say right in my ear. "Okay!" I said in a low whisper. He patted me down and ended up taking my purse along with its few valuable contents: my phone, my wallet, my earphones and the keys to my apartment.

He jogged to the alley's opening and I thought I heard a muffled gasp. I figured it best to wait a few minutes to make sure the crook had left before standing up and walking out myself. I looked around and saw no one. "Great, just great!I now have no phone and he took this month's paycheck!"

I looked up into the rain and began my treck home, but as soon as I turned the corner I almost tripped over my purse. "What the heck? What, did he drop it and decide not to come back for it?" I looked around quizzically and picked up my purse and checked for my belongings.

It was then that I noticed a note placed inside. "You're welcome -J." was all it read. Who is this 'J' person? Why'd they help me? Well... I wasn't gonna complain! I looked around once again with a big smile on my face. "Thanks for the help J! Where ever you are..." I yelled out as I continued my walk home.

By the time I arrived at my front door I was completely soaked. I quickly searched for my keys and finally opened the door. I rung out my hair before stepping in. As I entered, I examined my home. The door opened into my living room which was connected to my kitchen; to the right, down a short hall was an extra closet. Continuing down the hall, on the left was my room and on the right was my bathroom.

I sighed as I put my books and purse down on the side table next to my couch. I clicked the answer machine to check my voicemails as I ate some cereal.

"First unheard message. 'Hey Kera, it's Steve from the diner. I was just wondering if you wanted to go grab a drink or something sometime? Well uh... I guess call me back when you get the chance. Alright? Bye.' End of message."

I stood in shock staring at the machine. "Did I just get asked out!?" I said out loud as if someone would answer me. It was the perfect way to spend my free night! I immediately called Steve back, not bothering with the other messages.

"Hello?" he answered. "Hey Steve, it's Kera. How about that drink tonight?" I said, hopefully not sounding too desperate.

"Oh uh yah sure. Pick you up at eight?" I glanced at the clock that read 6:30 in bright green numbers. "Perfect. My apartment number is 320A in Amusement Mile. You should be able to find it easy; they're the only ones out here." I said trying to hold back the slight sadness from that statement.

"Yah no worries. I'll see you in a bit. Bye!" he laughed. "See ya later, Steve." I was just about to hang up when he made the strangest request: "Oh! Hey uh... wear something a little fancy. Ok? Bye for real this time." He hung up after that, not giving me a chance to protest.

I did not own anything that could be considered fancy, so I put on some flats, grabbed an umbrella and my purse and headed to the mall. I walked outside into the cold wind and rain. It whipped some lose strands of hair around my face. It was too crazy to walk and the wind probably would've broken my umbrella so I called a taxi.

When I arrived at the mall I payed the taxi and strolled in. It was unusually quiet, probably due to the weather. I was on a timed mission and I had to stay focussed. I checked my watch; 6:45. Just enough time to find a dress for tonight.

I walked by a store with very expensive clothes and saw the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. I ran straight to it and crossed my fingers. I flipped the tag and let out a cheer. The original price was $120.00 but the whole store was 50% off! I found the dress in my size and went to try it on.

I slipped into the dress and twirled around in the mirror. The deep purple, satin dress hugged my slim figure until just above the knee where it flared out to create the skirt. The upper portion was my favorite part; it was strapless and had white diamonds of every shape cover the very top. I bought the dress and some silver heels to match as well as jewelry. I didn't need any hair accessories as I was planning on leaving it down and natural.

I walked out and called another taxi to take me home. The drive seemed longer because the taxi couldn't see very well; the rain became so thick you could only see a few feet ahead. I checked the time again and saw it was seven o'clock. We pulled up to the curb of my apartment not a moment later.

It took me about 45 minutes to both shower and get my hair to cooperate. I had my jewelry, dress, makeup, and hair done. I was putting on my heels when I heard knocking at the door. I nearly tripped trying to answer it, but when I did a handsome man stood before me.