twenty-two ; arsonist's lullaby
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chapter twenty-two ━ arsonist's lullaby
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❝ when i was a child ❞
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SELINA COULDN'T STAND to live at Oswald's place anymore. She and Skylar both were followed every time they walked down a hallway. It was beginning to seem as though they were hostages rather than allies. But then her newly turned sarcastic friend brought up the good point that she wasn't interested in working for someone, she'd rather work for herself and then make deals with other. And so it was settled. The two moved to somewhere near the mansion of the crime boss but stayed on their own.
The place wasn't the most ideal and yet it was better than the dirty trailer Skylar used to live in back at the circus. Because of the cramped room, the two girls had to share a bed. The Valeska wasn't complaining given that she hated to sleep alone to begin with. And that is how they got there, sleeping peacefully beside one another until a knock awoke the oldest.
Skylar sat up, noticing the shadow of someone at the door. Cat was up not even a few seconds after her. They both watched for a moment, curious as to who it could be. The Valeska reached for the pocket knife she kept underneath her blanket, her fingers dancing on it before she grabbed it, standing up as she inched to the door. Selina followed her, moving slowly and quietly, a knife in her hands as well.
Reaching the doorway, Skylar peered into the small hole to see Butch. She exhaled, glad that it wasn't Oswald, pulled back, and closed the knife. Selina raised an eyebrow at her actions but then her friend lifted the latch, opening the door to let him in.
"What the hell do you want? You ruined our beauty sleep," her cold voice sounded to the right-hand man.
Butch only rolled his eyes, moving inside of the small room. He looked around, his nose scrunching up at the sight of it. It was nothing exciting or clean. Not that it mattered anyway. The cats that usually stayed nearby meowed at the sign of a new presence but didn't move any closer. "Nice place."
Skylar crossed her arms over her chest while Selina shut the door. "Am I going to have to repeat myself?"
He ignored her rude and blunt tone, getting straight to the reason why he was there. "I need you guys to take me to the Pike Brothers."
Her eyes went to her friend who came to stand behind her. Sure she knew quite a bit in her short time of living on the streets, she was still unfamiliar with some things and these people she had never heard of before. Selina rose an eyebrow, glancing at her to see the brunette shrug. "The firebugs from the Narrows?" Then she understood. "I used to hang with their sister, Bridgit, when I was a kid." They both smirked. "Why do you need us to take you?"
"To vouch for me. The Pikes are the best arsonists in town, but they're also Fish loyalists." He scoffed. "The idiots think she's coming back someday."
Skylar bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to frown at his words even though they stung a bit. Fish was fond of her and the teen respected her. Now that she was dead, it hurt that she couldn't properly say goodbye. "You never knew, she could come back."
Butch gave her a tiny smile as if he knew what she was feeling. And perhaps he did. "I was there, darlin'." Instead of snapping back at him, she stayed quiet, clenching her jaw. He sighed, continuing on. "Anyway, the Pikes hate me and Penguin, for obvious reasons, but... everyone knows Fish loved you two."
Their eyes seemed to lit up at the same time, looking at each other with smiles. "They do?" they said at the same time when they looked back over at him.
He grinned and nodded. "Your faces will open doors."
Skylar smirked, tilting her head up a bit, feeling smug. "Six hundred."
"Three fifty."
"Four fifty."
"Four hundred."
"Four fifty."
He gave her a tired look but she clearly wasn't budging. She narrowed her eyes at him. "That is the lowest amount. Take it or leave it." After a few moments, he nodded and agreed to the terms, making her smirk once more. Skylar grabbed their pocket knives, linking arms with Selina as they exited their tiny house.
---
When they arrived at the apartment, Butch spoke up for the first time since they had left. He sighed, following behind them. "Just let me do the talking. You just smile and make like we're friends.."
Instantly they both stopped, turning to look at him. Skylar scoffed in amusement while Cat raised an eyebrow. The oldest nodded her head as if she were trying to make sure she heard right. "Friends?" Her eyes went to Selina and then she looked at the right-hand man. "That's a hundred extra, keep it up."
Then they both made their way up the next flight of stairs. Butch mumbled something before following again. Selina placed her hands on the rail, dragging her hand across it. "So, everybody knows she loved us?"
"That's what they say. She loved me, too, once. And I loved her."
Skylar hummed thoughtfully, her lips twitching up. "And yet you shot her?" She turned around and walked backward up the stairs, smirking. "I feel the love."
"It was complicated," he replied with a grunt.
She said nothing else and then they arrived at the apartment. Cat knocked at the door and an older girl answered it, looking shy and timid. "Hi, Bridgit."
The latter seemed surprised, looking behind her before opening the door wider, shaking. Skylar frowned at the sight, pursing her lip right after doing so as if she didn't want to get caught showing any type of emotion. Bridgit glanced to Selina, surprised, but still moved slowly and nervously. "Hey, Selina. It's been a while." Her eyes went to the other brunette, widening slightly because she knew who she was. Most people did, if not all.
"Me and my pet gorilla are here on business," Selina explained jabbing a thumb towards him, Butch making a face and shaking his head. "Your brothers home?"
Bridgit nodded, confirming it quietly. They stepped inside and she closed the door. Skylar felt bad for scaring her, so she stopped and turned to the older girl. "It's nice to meet you. And don't worry, I'm not like Jerome." She smiled a tad before following her friend, seeing several males gathered at a table, a gun on top.
They unnerved her but Selina was acting cool, moving away from Butch. One of them grabbed the gun, holding it. "What are you doing with this rat, Selina?" Then he saw Skylar, his eyebrows raising up in surprise. "And the Valeska girl too?"
Skylar crossed her arms over her chest, playing cool like Cat. "I don't have a problem with you so I won't kill you. Unless you piss me off, then we'll have a problem."
He arched a brow at her but brushed her off. He didn't have anything against her, with Butch he did. So he focused on the former right-hand man of Fish. Selina saw his look and spoke up, acting extremely casual. "He's okay. I vouch for him."
"What do you mean, okay?" another one questioned. "The asshole shot Fish."
"It was complicated," Skylar replied smoothly, making them look at her. She shrugged. "He loves her just like you do. When she comes back, he will be right by her side as I imagine you guys will too."
The same male scoffed, looking impressed and pleased. "Nice to know you're loyal to her, Valeska."
She shrugged again. Butch smiled, amused by her words and then his response. "If she comes back? Sure." He chuckled, making the girls glare at him. "But she-"
"But right now, he got a nice job for you guys," Selina explained. "Business is business, right?"
Skylar crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head to the side. She rolled her eyes, looking to Butch who didn't seem to be taking this very seriously. He didn't seem fazed either. Even though the brothers clearly had the upper hand and were not happy to see him there. "If I am being entirely honest here, I wouldn't take business from you."
Butch gave her look as did Selina because now she wasn't helping their case. The brothers nodded at her words, making her wink at the cat-like teenager. She was trying to appeal to their good side so if they went downhill, they could get out of this alive if the brothers went after Butch.
Yet he sighed and moved along. "Hey, bygones, huh? We need the best, and you guys are the best." He went to pull a piece of paper from his suit but they all moved, grabbing guns and pointing it at him, expecting to get shot. But he raised his one hand in surrender. "Easy." The one in charge took it and read over it.
He whistled, shaking his head once he skimmed over it. "That's a lot of work."
"A lot of pay," he responded. "You up for it?"
"For sure."
He passed the paper to his brothers, letting them read it as well. The one who seemed to be the youngest spoke up. "We'll need more gear. I'll hit the Merc and stock up."
"We've got enough gear to burn down Gotham twice."
"There's always room for more napalm." Then he got up and left the apartment, the oldest shaking his head, looking displeased by his action.
Bridgit, who had been standing there the whole time silently, finally moved and grabbed the boys beers. She gave one to Butch who politely thanked her. Then she timidly gave one to her two brothers. When she walked away, he kicked her thigh, close to her butt. The feeling in the air shifted as Skylar tensed up, her heart beating fast as if she were watching a memory of her's. The men Lila would sleep with would try to touch her, and one had succeeded. Jerome punched him in the face twice, breaking his jaw when it collided with the kitchen counter.
He had a smirk on his face. "Hey, sis..." His smirk fell as he became serious. "What are you, a slob?" Skylar looked up with tears in her eyes, clenching her jaw as her fingers twitched, itching to go to her knife and teach them a lesson. Butch seemed to be in shock watching the scene. Selina stayed quiet. "We have company. What do we do when we have company?"
"We get them a glass," Bridgit replied.
"Ding, ding, ding. Go and do it." She did as she was told, going to grab two clear glass, bringing them over and setting them down. Her brother smirked once more. "Thank you, Bridgit." She said nothing and quickly left the apartment.
Selina shook her head with a scoff towards him, leaving too. Skylar finally looked up and went to him, staring him straight in the eye. "You better watch yourself. Because if you continue treating her like that, it will bite you in the ass one day. And I hope that day is very soon." Her voice became chilling, cold. Then she shoved him back, leaving.
Bridgit was in the alleyway beside the apartment complex, crying on some stone steps. Selina was walking towards her, indicating that she had talked to her already. Skylar made a face. "And? What did you say?"
"Nothing much. Just told her to take care of herself and be strong," she told her with a shrug. "What else would I say?" Skylar let it go, watching as Selina turned around. "I'll be waiting at the road." Then she bypassed the older girl, leaving them alone.
The brunette walked towards her and sat down on the step below where she sat, looking up at her. "How long?
She sniffled, tears running down her cheeks, then looked down at her. "I don't know. It feels like it goes on forever, you know?" She wiped the tears off with her sleeve, trying to act like it wasn't important. "It's nothing though, really, I'm fine."
"Don't lie to me," Skylar told her softly, shaking her head. "I practically invented that lie." She took her hands, making Bridgit look at her in surprise. "Look, I haven't really been nice to anyone in a while for certain reasons and I am not the best at giving advice. But I know what you are going through and I am not going to ignore that." She took a deep breath. "You are strong and all you need is a spark. You're brothers don't appreciate you or treat you right. So believe me when I say when you find your spark, you make a fire, you make them regret what they did to you. Welcome the flames."
The Valeska nodded to her once and then dropped her hands, standing up and walking down the alleyway to meet up with Selina. Bridgit stood too. "Wait!" Skylar stopped, turning to face her. The older girl smiled at her. "Thank you." She nodded with a smile of her own before returning to her journey. If only she knew how literal her words were.
---
Five fires all in one night. Skylar didn't care for the news but figured if she wanted to keep up with things in the city, she would have to read it. The GCPD hadn't caught the culprit and she smirked at the thought of Jim and the cops running around trying to find out who did it. She took a bit of her apple, leaning back against the wall behind the bed that was only a mattress with some blankets and crappy pillows.
Selina came in, taking out the wallets she had nabbed. "You gotta get the knife to Penguin, Sky."
The said teenager looked up from the newspaper. "Why me? Why can't you do it?" Her eyebrow raised challengingly, not threatening her though.
"Because we're running out of food and I'm going to go run to the market and get some things. Besides, Penguin doesn't like me as much as he likes you. You could convince him to lend us some supplies." Skylar smirked at her, taking another bite. Cat rolled her eyes, going over to her. "Don't make me say it." No reply. She groaned, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not saying it." Still no answer, only a smirk that grew wider as she chewed. "I'm still not saying it."
Skylar got up and tossed her apple into the trash. "Fine, I'll do it." She smiled at her, grabbing her jacket and her knives, sticking them in her boots. "Be careful, yeah?"
"Always."
They parted ways after that. Skylar walked up the stairs to the apartment and walked inside, seeing no one there. Her eyes scanned the room before her feet led her to the back room. Bridgit was there, sewing something and then tried it on. She looked intrigued, stepping further into the doorway. "What are you doing?"
Bridgit looked over at her and smiled. "Hi. Making a suit, so I won't get burned again."
Skylar moved over to the table, tilting her head with a confused expression. "Why would you get..." she trailed off before she realized what she was talking about. "They made you set those fires, didn't they?" Horror covered her face, concerned for her.
"I guess."
"You guess?" she scoffed.
The older girl sighed, looking over at her. "Sit down. You want a soda or something?"
She shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "No, I don't. I just need to take that knife to Penguin, that's all." Her head gestured to it.
Bridgit look disappointed but nodded her head. "Oh, okay." She went back to stitching the clothes.
Skylar bit the inside of her cheek, clenching her fists before she unclenched them. Her eyes avoided her's as she spoke again, this time quieter and more nervous than the last. "You're going to get yourself killed, you know?" Her newfound friend looked up at her, scoffing. "I'm serious. The cops are looking for the culprit. If you don't wind up arrested, you will get killed."
"I'll be careful. You were the one who said to find my spark. This is my spark." She set down the clothes and looked up at her. "It was exciting, Skylar. I actually kind of enjoyed it. I think this is my spark."
She shook her head, looking to her. "This isn't what I meant. I meant your spark was getting back at your brothers. Now you're helping them?"
"My brother said I did a good job. It's the family business."
"They are not your family!" she exclaimed, getting angry. Tears filled her eyes because she felt hurt, betrayed that her words were being ignored. Because she knew what it was like to be taken advantage of and Bridgit didn't even realize what was happening. She took a deep breath, looking away. "What kind of family treats you like this? Why have them when you can be free? When you can have a real family?" Her eyes went to her, full of tears.
Bridgit saw and looked down at the clothes. "Who cares if you're free? What good's freedom if you have no family and are trying to search for something that doesn't exist for me?"
Skylar scoffed, wiping the tear that fell. "What good's being treated like you are nothing but dirt underneath their shoes? Like you are nothing but a toy they use when they want to?" she replied, narrowing her eyes. No reply. She scoffed, shaking her head. "I don't even know why I bothered. Just for the record, I was trying to help you. Clearly, you don't need my help if you have everything figured out."
Then she grabbed the knife and left, storming out of the apartment and slamming the door on the way out.
---
She didn't understand why she cared so damn much about Bridgit but she did. And right after she delivered the knife to Penguin in exchange for some money and food, she and Selina ate quietly. They were halfway through their food when the oldest dropped her sandwich and stood up, grabbing her knives. Her friend smirked to herself. "Where are you going?"
"To make sure Bridget doesn't get burnt to a crisp," was what she replied with before dashing out of their little place. She jumped across rooftops the best she could (she was still rusty). And then she made it to their next target, jumping down to the stairway and swinging her legs over the rail.
Her eyes saw the fire. Jim and Harvey were there as well as Bridgit who was wearing the suit she had made earlier. Skylar watched closely as a cop came up from behind the older girl, the latter fighting back until she set him on fire. The cop dashed to Jim and Harvey who threw a blanket over him quickly, calling for an ambulance.
"Bridgit!" she yelled at her. The said girl looked up and saw her, taking off her mask. "Bridgit!" Skylar waved her forward before pushing down the ladder. "Come on, hurry!"
"Where are we going?"
Skylar bit her lip before she sighed. "Someplace safe. Now come on and stop standing around."
Bridgit climbed the ladder and ran up the stairs with her to the rooftop. Then they ran. Obviously, the older girl didn't have the abilities she did so Skylar took her to the other side of the building, down those stairs, and led her through the maze of alleyways. When they reached her place, she turned to her, narrowing her eyes.
"Just because I helped you, does not mean that I care, got it?" she snapped, though she was clearly lying because her newfound friend had gotten into her head already.
The firebug nodded. "Got it. Thank you."
Selina smirked when she saw them, waving. "Hello. Nice seeing you again Bridgit." Her eyes went to Skylar, casually sitting up on the mattress. "What she doing here, Sky?"
The brunette rolled her eyes, taking out only one of her knives keeping the other one in. "Saved her from getting snatched by the cops. Now she owes me a favor." She pretended to act cold and took off her jacket, tossing it aside. "I'm going to the roof." Then she was gone, just like that.
But she couldn't admit it. She couldn't say that a part of her cared for Bridgit.
---
I honestly considered this chapter a huge step for Skylar to realize her sexuality. As I wrote the episode, I came to find that Bridgit and Sky would probably have a connection because they went through similar things. They were abused, were used, their mothers slept with random guys, and they found their spark. Thoughts? I am so excited to get to the next chapter!
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!
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