My Ghost

twenty-eight

I close the door to my fathers home as quietly as possible. It's nearly two in the morning now, he should be home but hopefully he's asleep. I slide my boots off to quietly walk through the house, and as I reach the staircase leading to my room, I hear the floor creak behind me. Instinctively I grab my gun, spinning around and coming face to face with my father.

"You're a vigilante," my father whispers, staring at me. His eyes are watery as he searches mine for something I am unaware of. A near empty glass of some form of alcohol is in his hand; he's drunk. I quickly drop the gun, listening to it clatter against the floor as I stare back, trying to formulate a sentence that I can't yet think of. "You're one of them."

"I'm not, I-"

"Don't lie to me," he snaps. "Look at you, you're in the same goddamn costume you were wearing at the dinner! How could you?!" I reach up to my face and take my mask off, hanging my head. I'm at a loss for words, I don't know what to say. I had no reason to defend myself, I felt strongly about my actions and would not apologize for them; the only thing to feel sorry for was all of the deception.

"Speak, Ray!" he shouts.

"What do you want me to say?!" I yell at him, my voice strong and loud, which even I do not expect. "Yeah, I'm one of them!"

"Is that where you were? When we all thought you were fucking dead?! You were out playing dress up?!"

"No! I was actually kidnapped!"

"Or when you ran away from your apartment? Or the night that the Joker 'took' you? How much did you lie about?"

"Those times... yes," I answer him honestly, lowering my voice. "Look, Dad, I didn't mean to-"

"Why would you do that? Put your life at risk! And for what? Some entertainment?" he snarls at me, jabbing his hand with the glass at me, attempting to point his finger. "Batman defends this city enough, this isn't your job."

"Entertainment? You think this is fun? I can't sleep at night! What do you expect me to do, lay in bed staring at the ceiling when I can use my abilities to help people?" I question. "Batman does a damn good job, but he's not strong enough for this city alone!"

"Abilities? Like what?" he scoffs.

I hold my hand up and push it forward, pushing him back against his will with a force field. He looks up at me, his jaw agape. "I can create force fields and can run faster than the average human being," I explain.

"Since when- how can you- what-" he stutters, trying to find the words. I drop my palm and his body relaxes, his wide eyes still staring directly back at me.

"It was an accident, I was injected with an unknown serum and these were the side effects," I answer him honestly.

"By who? When?"

"The Joker when he captured me," I lie. Even now, in this terrible hour, I couldn't be brave enough to tell him the goddamn truth. 

"And that wouldn't have happened if you didn't start this... charade! When did you start this? When?"

I shrug my shoulders. "A little before Jason died," I answer honestly for once. "I had been training after Batman saved me, I started to realize I could defend people other than just myself."

He shakes his head, running his palm over his face and inhaling deeply. "I should've known you'd end up just like your mother." I stay quiet, I don't know how to respond.

"You already know, don't you?" he asks, and I nod in reply. "Of course you do."

"I found her mask in the drawer."