Before We Grow

Speedy McQueen

Barbara had gone to visit family, leaving me to go on patrol with Bruce and Dick. Any night where I took off from patrol felt like a night wasted. Going out and flying around Gotham in the dead of night was exhilarating. The air kissed my skin, the city sang, and the bad guys were plentiful. I had more fun on patrol than I have ever had before.
    That night in particular, Bruce had intel that Penguin would be making a serious weapons deal at his club. We were each posted on a different building at different angles. The angle I was at had a full view of the back of the club. I was perched on the battlements on the side of the building. I was supposed to be on the lookout for Penguin, but all I saw were whores and gangsters.
    Stakeouts were my least favorite missions. It required sitting for hours on end, a task which I found more difficult than pummeling bad guys. Sitting still was not in my forte.
    "So, how long are we supposed to be doing this?" I asked.
    Bruce huffed, his voice staticy over the com in my ear, "Until Penguin shows up."
    "That could be never," Dick put in, "Are we supposed to sit here all night?"
    "If that's what it takes."
    I sighed. Dick probably did the same. I fell back onto my bottom, letting my legs dangle over the edge. The night vision goggles Bruce gave me were heavier than normal binoculars, and tired my arms out easier. They already felt like jelly.
    A large gust of wind nearly knocked me off the battlement. Prior to that, the skies had been still. Not single cloud nor gust of breeze blew, which only added to my discomfort. This new gust of wind was unsettling. I leapt up, quickly turning my gloves on just in case.
    Another hard gust of wind blew, followed by a young boy's voice saying, "Rob-whoa, wait, you're not Robin."
    I spun to my left, my eyes falling upon the speedster in question. A boy not much older than me stood just three feet away. He wore a skin-tight yellow outfit with a matching mask and goggles. His bright red hair stuck out of the top.
    "No, I'm Blitz," I lifted an eyebrow, "And you are?"
    He stuck out his hand, "Kid Flash, proud member of The Teen Titans."
    Dick had told me about his team of young superheroes. He said that, once I became more used to this life, maybe I could join as well. Since I had been with them, he had vanished at least six times to go with his team. Never once had I seen them.
    "Robin told me about you," Kid Flash grinned, "Said you had some electric dohickeys."
    I scoffed, "They're called Shockers."
    "Wow, shocking."
    I rolled my eyes at his pun. He glanced across the street and asked, "So, uh, where is Robin? I kinda, urgently, need to talk to him."
    "Why?"
    "Titans business."
    I stared at him a moment longer. Sighing deeply, I pressed a finger to my ear and said, "Hey, Robin, one of your friends nearly just threw me off the building."
    "What? Who?"
    "Calls himself Kid Flash. Says he needs your help."
    Dick was silent for a moment, "Alright, I'll be right over."
    I removed my finger and stared at Kid Flash. He shifted uncomfortably, whistling under his breath. Finally, he shook his head, "Dude, can you stop staring at me?"
    "No."
    Dick arrived moments later. He landed on the rooftop and asked, "KF, what're you doing here?"
    "Dude, I really need your help," Kid Flash replied, "Flash went missing three days ago. I've looked everywhere, but I can't find him."
    Dick lifted an eyebrow, "Did you contact The League?"
    "I tried, but they had their hands full."
    Dick ran a hand through his hair, "Alright, we'll get the team together and help you find him."
    I glanced between the two of them. They seemed to have forgotten I was there, which didn't bother me. Dick radioed Bruce to tell him before turning back to me, "Blitz-"
    "I'll cover for you," I interjected, "You can go."
    Dick grinned, "Thanks, sis."
    I felt my cheeks flush. Dick left with Kid Flash without even realizing what just happened. I watched them go.
    Dick had called me his sister for the first time. I mean, I had been with them for a year and a half, I like to think of him as a brother, but this was different. I had never truly had a sibling before. It made me smile brighter than ever before.
    "Blitz, pay attention," Bruce's voice appeared in my ear, "Penguin spotted on the South Eastern edge."
    "On it."
***
    The homework given this past week was the worst. I sat on the dining room table, trying to figure out why X mattered. Alfred came in, carrying a mug of hot chocolate, "Having trouble, Miss Lucille?"
    "Trouble is a loose term," I replied, "Why should I care what some long-dead man did hundreds of years ago?"
    "I have come to realize that history is used in many situations."
    "Name one."
    "Keeping the terrors from repeating themselves."
    I shut up after that. He placed the mug on the table next to me before returning to his usual duties. I did my best to focus on the homework.
    The manor felt lonely without Dick. True, he had only been gone one night, but it was still empty. I had gotten so used to him being just around the corner, that not having him there felt like a hole inside. I never realized exactly how close Dick and I were until he was gone. Perhaps that's what added to my stress.
    "This is ridiculous," I muttered, dropping my pencil and jumping up from the table, "I need to punch something!"
    Someone cleared their throat behind me, "Education is important, Lucille."
    I glanced behind me to see Bruce leaning against the doorframe. He had a sly smirk across his lips, something which didn't happen often. I crossed my arms and pouted, "Not if it costs my sanity."
    "I used to be pretty good at history," Bruce pushed off the frame, "Let's see if I can help."
    I lifted an eyebrow, "Really?"
    "Why not?"
    He sat in the chair next to mine and gazed at the paper. Slowly, I slid down with him. This was the dadliest thing he had ever done for me. Honestly, it made me kind of suspicious. I stared at him, half expecting him to make me wash the Batmobile, or clean out the Batcave.
    "A report on the Trail of Tears," Bruce read, "Seems a little gruesome for a twelve year old."
    "We got out nightly and beat up criminals, how could it possibly be more gruesome than that?"
    "Very true," Bruce laughed.
    I felt a smile rise to my lips. Bruce opened my textbook and began to read. I listened intently, taking notes as I did so. The entire time, my mind was halfway revelling in the moment.
    We were really and truly having a real family moment.