DECODE {The Batman 2022}

Chapter IX

a/n: y'all are either gonna love me or hate me for this one

Through the mist and faded moonlight, Zatanna looked across the long muddle lawn. The oak trees that she had loved so much growing up still stood tall and down a cobblestone path, there was a black iron bench. It was rusted and the mud had swallowed the right legs into the ground but it had survived all these years, just like her.

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    "Miss. Zatara slow down!" Zatanna heard one of the nuns call to her. She slid down the splintering wooden banister, risking splinters and all. She didn't care. Swiftly she hopped off it with a bright smile on her face. She held two envelopes in her hand.

    "Sorry, Sister Francesca." She waved up at the older woman before spinning around and running right out the door. It was one of the best days ever, no one could get her down. She wouldn't let anything change how she felt.

    She walked into the muddy grass, passed a big oak tree, and across a small cobblestone path. She glanced up to a bench she'd become super familiar with over the last several years. Edward sat there, his lanky limbs sprawled across the small bench. There was a book in his hand, his hair was shaggier than normal. His glasses are on the edge of his nose. She slowly crept up behind him and covered his eyes.

    "Who am I?" She asked.

    He tensed up and took in a breath before a smile graced his thin lips, "Hmm I wonder?" He looked up at her.

    "You were supposed to guess!" She rolled her eyes, "You know whenever you ask me riddles you give me no hints."

    "I wouldn't really say, 'who am I?' Would count as a riddle." He sat up and slid over. "Don't worry, one day you'll be an expert."

    "Whatcha reading?" She asked and glanced down at the book. He picked it up and turned over the cover.

    "N-nothing." He said quickly his eyes widening slightly.

    "Let me guess," She narrowed her eyes. "Frankenstein!" She said.

    "Maybe." He said and grabbed the old book and passed it to Zatanna. "I may have stolen your copy."

    "Keep it." She pushed it back into his lap.

    "What?" He asked.

    "You heard me." She shrugged.

    "This is your favorite book." He waved it around. She nodded and looked up at the few big trees that surrounded them.

    "And I want you to have it." She said. "Whenever you get out of this town, I want you to have something to remember me."

    "We don't know that I'm getting in yet." Edward tilted his head to the side. She looked down at her hands. "And you could get in too." He said.

    "I'm not an engineering genius like you, Ed." She gave him a quick glance before lifting up the two envelopes. She watched Edward's face change into something unsure and surprised. "They came in this morning. Both are from Metropolis Institute." She said before reaching the envelope out for him to take.

    "Now?" His eyebrows raised.

    "Yes now." She sat up. "If I don't do this now I'm going to be anxious for the rest of the day." She stood up and walked a few feet from Edward. "Okay, ready?"

    He nodded.

    "One, two, three..." They opened up their envelopes at the same time. Zatanna wasn't surprised that she got a rejection letter. She may have been the valedictorian but Metropolis wanted the best and brightest in robotics, engineering, and mathematics. That's not what she wanted to do but, she'd hoped to be able to join Edward, to get out of Gotham before the ship sunk. She turned around and looked at Edward. He was leaning forward one hand held the letter the other rested on his thigh. He stared at the letter with an unreadable glare.