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chapter five ━ silent ones

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❝ and so the broken angel shrugged, silent ❞

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THE SMILE THAT was on her face yesterday didn't last for long. Skylar - like every night - had a nightmare about Bruce. He had spit insults in her face, calling her pathetic and weak and saying that she was stupid for thinking that he'd ever be her friend. When the nightmare ended, she had dissolved into fits of tears. Her parents were dead asleep so there was no one to comfort her. It wouldn't have mattered anyway.

After that moment, Skylar decided not to visit Bruce for the book because she believed the nightmare. She believed every single nightmare she had. They weren't made from her insecurities, they were made from the truth. Skylar would never be friends with Bruce; she would never have any friends.

It was like Jim knew she had a rough night somehow which was why he brought her to the station. Jim had hoped that Skylar would feel at least a tad better. His daughter seemed to love going to work with him, even if it was dangerous. But it was a way to get her mind off of things she wanted to forget. However, Skylar had many things she wanted to forget. She'd never forget them though.

Gotham was the home of strange crimes. The one that Skylar was taken to with her dad was no different. Someone had been tied to a weather balloon, sending them high in the air. No one seemed to care really. He must have been a bad guy then. Harvey didn't look all too happy to see Skylar with them. But Jim had defended her, saying that it was his idea.

While Jim searched the cart, Skylar stood nearby, silently watching. Her father stood, going over to Havey and his daughter. "Cart was loaded with bricks for ballast." Jim put a hand on his hips. "So, Ronald Danzer cheats half of Gotham out of their savings, but before he can stand trial, an unknown man clips him to a balloon? No body? We calling this a murder?"

Skylar shrugged. "That guy just sentenced him to death basically."

Harvey was one of the people who didn't care. This guy was a cheat. In her mind, it seemed dark, but the karma caught up with Danzer. He paid the price. "Call it a public service. Danzer was a bum. He got what he deserved. I'm gonna go get a Danish. It's what I deserve."

The older man walked away leaving Jim and Skylar. Her dad had his thinking face on and she already knew what he was thinking. It didn't take much thought. "No, dad, please. I'll be fine."

"I don't know Skylar." He looked at her with his authoritative expression. "It's dangerous out here."

She crossed her arms over her chest with a pointed glare. "Well, you already brought me out here. You can't take me home now."

---

That was the first argument she'd ever won in a while. Jim had concluded that it would probably be safer for him to keep an eye on her. Leaving her at home didn't seem like an option at this point. So Skylar sat at her dad's desk, looking at his files. Harvey sat across from her, reading another file. The detective didn't want her there. She didn't know if it was because he found her presence annoying or if he was worried about her. He was probably annoyed by her presence.

Jim jogged up the stairs and threw a file down, pulling out his chair to sit down. "I just met lieutenant Cranston."

His tone suggested that whoever Cranston was, he wasn't a nice guy. Skylar's nose wrinkled in confusion. Harvey didn't look up from the file to look at her or Jim. "The man, the myth, the legend."

Skylar would've laughed at that if she wasn't so upset. But that was the usual. She was always upset. Jim sat down. "He's a thug. So, no fingerprints and those carts are too easy to buy or steal to trace. How are you coming on those death threats?"

That's when Harvey looked up. Skylar sighed and flipped closed the file, setting it down. "I'll be right back." Once she got up, the two continued their conversation. A man with a girl that looked to be about Skylar's age entered the building. Her eyebrows raised and she walked over. "Excuse me?" They looked at her. "Are you looking for someone?"

"Yes," the man told her, keeping a firm grip on the girl's arm. "I'm looking for detective James Gordon."

Skylar nodded. "He's my dad." She looked at the girl. "I'm Skylar."

The girl nodded to her. "Selina. My friends call me Cat."

Friends. The word sent her mind plummeting toward the ground. Never would she have friends. And the memory of her only friend, Jerome, would be forgive etched into her head. Because never would she meet someone else that cared as much as he did. Bruce appeared in her brain and she quickly cleared her throat, forcing a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Cat. This way."

Skylar led the two up the stairs and to where Jim and Harvey were still talking. Harvey's glasses were off as he pointed them at Jim. Though she didn't say anything about it, she didn't like that the guy was holding Selina in a death-grip.

The man greeted them, still holding Selina. "Detective Gordon?" Selina yanked her arm out of his grip, causing a slight smile from Skylar. He didn't bother grabbing her back as he continued. "Davis Lamond from juvenile services? You asked to see Selina Kyle. Could you sign for custody? And when you finish, you can bring her to our new facility on water street." Selina leaned over Harvey's shoulder to look at the files, snatching a pen. "She's scheduled to be transferred upstate tomorrow."

Jim took the clipboard and Skylar nudged Selina, gaining her attention. She gestured toward Harvey who clearly could see what she did if he paid attention. "Yeah, that's gonna be delayed." He signed the paper and then handed it back to the man. "She has information about an investigation."

Without another word, the man left and Selina had a content smirk on her face. Harvey looked at the two girls. "Would you mind... stepping... Back... a bit, please?" But then he stopped and pointed at Selina. "Wait a minute. Is that one of the kids that were snatched?" He looked at Jim. "Another closed case. What is it about the word "closed" you don't understand?"

Skylar couldn't help but mummer a comment. "Nothing obviously."

The only person who heard her was Selina who simply grinned. Jim made a face from Harvey's insult. "This is something else. Just read the letters, track the balloons. I'll be back in an hour."

He grabbed Selina's arm and dragged the two girls. Just from common courtesy, Jim released Selina's arm once they were out of view from the station. The two had picked up a conversation and as per usual, Skylar stayed quiet, listening but not quite at the same time. She had a firm belief that if she was supposed to know something, someone would tell her. Eavesdropping to her was bad, even though sometimes she did it anyway.

Jim came to a stop and the girls followed. He looked at Selina. "So?"

She made a face and looked past him. Nothing odd seemed to stand out in the alleyway; it looked just like every other one they passed along the way. A citizen of the city wouldn't have ever thought that the Wayne parents were killed in that alleyway. Despite Gotham's peculiar crimes and the fact that crime was everywhere, it seemed just like another alleyway.

"The killer came from there," Selina pointed and they followed to where she directed. "Took the man's wallet and the woman's necklace. Then shot them both. He left the boy alive." Another point, this time to a staircase. "I was up there."

Her dad didn't seem to be having it. Jim gave Selina a pointed look. "Everybody knows that much. Plus, the killer's face was covered."

The feeling of knowing something was going to happening was appalling. Skylar had held that feeling in the entirety of their stay in Gotham. From time to time it would flare up, then would fade which only went to prove that Skylar was wrong and that everything was ok. However, that emotion wasn't leaving at that specific moment.

Selina denied Jim's comment. "Not at first. He pulled up his scarf when he walked toward them. I saw him for a second."

It seemed far-fetched, but Skylar got a feeling that the lonely girl was lying. After all, Selina wanted to get away before she was taken upstate. The only way to escape that from happening was if Selina caught Jim off guard, then ran. Skylar wouldn't chase after her.

"How can you see in the dark?" Skylar questioned, drawing both of their attention's.

Cat seemed to be surprised that she spoke. Nothing surprising in the other teen's opinion. Being silent and not existing was one of the few things Skylar was good at. It was easy for people to forget that she was there with them. It was almost like she faded into the background and no one noticed her until she spoke, bring her back to reality. Selina replied, "I can see in the dark." Jim didn't look convinced. "You don't believe me."

"There's a question of whether you're lying about what you saw, and then there's the question of whether you were even here. You're not giving me proof."

His hands were on his hips and his so-called "police face" was on. Selina mimicked his movements. "I just told you, I stole some chump's wallet just before it happened. That was, like, two blocks from here. Didn't he report it?"

Jim nodded. "Yes, a man did report his wallet stolen by a thief that matches your description, and, yes, the timing does work out to just before the Waynes were murdered. But that does not place you here."

Selina seemed to be thinking. Her eyes were cast to the ground and raised once he finished his sentence. "I dumped the wallet." She gestured toward the sewer grate. "There."

"The sewer. Great." He glanced at Skylar who had no facial expression (as usual) and then at Selina, whipping out the cuffs. Once he began to cuff her, Selina's eyes went wide in alarm. "It's not that I don't trust you not to run away. But, well... I don't."

He led her over to the same staircase Bruce sat upon not too long ago and Selina argued, "You find the wallet, you'll let me go, right? That's the deal."

Skylar stayed in her place and didn't stray. Jim cuffed Selina to the staircase. "No. Find the wallet, that places you here. We still have to find the guy."

They argued a little bit more and Jim instructed Skylar to stay with Selina while he went down in the sewers. Of course, his daughter complied without a fight. A rattling sound broke her trance at the wall in front of her. Selina had gotten out of the cuffs with the pen she stole. Her attention immediately went to Skylar who frowned. "You're not going to help?"

Selina didn't reply and then ran off, dropping the cuffs in the sewer where Jim was. Her dad saw them and quickly climbed up the ladder to see Selina gone, Skylar staring off to where she ran. Jim wiped his hands off and then sighed, cursing. "Come on."

---

Much to her disappointment, Skylar was taken home. Jim left right after. That night was just as dull as the many before it. She ate, showered, got ready for bed, then fell asleep next to Barbara. Her mother noticed the shift in her behavior. Though it was nothing out of the ordinary, it felt like with each passing day, Barbara lost more and more of her daughter. She couldn't lose her.

The next morning, Jim left for work, giving Barbara a kiss and Skylar a hug with a kiss on the top of her head. Skylar resorted to reading quietly in her room while Barbara was downstairs. It was only when her head began to hurt that she went downstairs for some Tylenol.

Voices sounded through the living room, making Skylar stop in her tracks. Her feet softly tapped against the wood floor as she padded over to peer around the corner. The same woman from the other day stood in front of her mother. And when she saw the woman quickly kiss Barbara on the corner of her lips, she lost it. Tears sprung from her eyes and Skylar covered her mouth with one hand, backing up.

On accident, her back hit a small table, causing a sound that alerted Barbara and the woman. They both ran into the room to see Skylar in tears. Barbara instantly began to cry and went to her, wrapping her arms around her. "Oh honey, please. It's ok. It's ok."

Montoya backed up, looking guilty. "I'm sorry-"

"Leave!" Barbara yelled. This woman she used to know had accused her fiancee of murder, and now had the nerve to kiss her, hurting her daughter. "Leave before I call the cops!"

She listened and left, the door closing with a slam. Barbara held Skylar so close to her. Her daughter - one of the few people she couldn't bear to hurt - was hurting because of what Montoya did. What she had done. "Please," she sobbed. "It wasn't what it looked like."

The teen stood up and backed away. "It wasn't what it looked like?"

Barbara stood and reached out to her. "I didn't kiss her back. I never would. You know how much I love you and Jim."

Skylar had never understood what love was. She had watched it from a distance but never truly understood what it meant. Considering that she had never felt it, Skylar never looked for it. From what was gathered, Jim and Barbara did love each other deeply. But the girl did not understand why Montoya would kiss her mother. "I don't understand."

The blonde nodded, crouching down to hold Skylar's hands and to look up at her. "I know. But you will when you're older. Just know that I love you and Jim more than anything. Nothing will change that."

Her daughter didn't know what to say and simply embraced Barbara. She hugged back. Nothing in Gotham was normal because the city itself wasn't normal. People changed faster than anyone could imagine. You think that you know someone, but then it's like you don't. They become a completely different person. And that is exactly what would happen to the both of them.

---

Jim had come home that night after catching the "balloon man". He had a bad fall on his back and Barbara was getting him some ice when there was a knock at the door. It was a regular knock, nothing special or different about it. However, the vibe Skylar got wasn't a good one.

And when she opened the door, a man with black spiked hair and a tux was there. He smiled politely when he saw her and Jim tensed and sat up, narrowing his eyes at the man. But the man's smile never wavered. "Hello, James, old friend. This must be your daughter, Skylar."

Skylar stood frozen. Unbeknownst to her, she just met one of Gotham's future crime bosses.

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The chapters are going to be slow at first, but this mainly surrounds Skylar's character development. So I apologize if the chapters are boring at times. I hope you guys have a great day/night and don't forget to vote on this chapter, comment your thoughts, and follow me for updates!