Sunlit Gotham

An Injured Red Hood has appeared! Do you choose: Fight, Flight, or Field Medic?

— ☼ —

I sit up on the roof for a while longer, running my fingers over the symbol of a Lyre that appeared on my arm when Apollo accepted me as his Chosen.

What have I gotten myself into?

[So what happened next? Uh, School. School happened next.]

— ☼ —

School begins the last week of August. Bobby and I have a routine that we developed after moving in with Uncle Nolan.

Wake up early (normally before Uncle Nolan's Awake)

Pack Lunch

Skate to the correct Bus Stop

Take the bus to Gotham Academy

I drop off Bobby as soon as the gates open for students to arrive (7:00am)

Say Hi to Frank the Security Guard who opens the gates

I take the bus back towards the Bowery

Hop on a different bus to Gotham Heights

Skateboard the rest of the way to Gotham Heights High School

Hope I made it in time for first period (7:45am)

Accept the tardy slip that I inevitably acquire

Go through the school day

Ditch last period and skate to bus stop

Take the bus to the Bowery

Change lines to get to Gotham Academy

Barely make it in time to pick up Bobby at 3pm

Is it a perfect system? No. But Bobby is ten years old. And I'm not letting him ride public transport alone to get to school. Especially not with the Gotham Academy uniform he has to wear. It practically screams 'I'm a money target, come mug or kidnap me!'

Back when we lived in Burnley - when Mom and Dad were still alive - Dad would take Bobby to school on his way to work and I would go with some of the neighbors to my school. That's not an option anymore, so here we are.

I'm just thankful that our schools start on the same day this year. I don't have a proper plan for what to do with Bobby on days where I have school and he doesn't due to various Rich Kid holidays that Gotham Academy takes. Last semester he just came with me to school since he couldn't stay home alone. It was either that or drop him off at the Gotham Public Library and hope that nothing went wrong while I was gone. At least when he came with me he wasn't by himself. Besides, other kids brought their younger siblings with them sometimes.

Gotham Heights High School was the school that kids from Crime Alley, the Bowery, and the Narrows go to - if they even go to school still. Yeah, kids from other areas go there too, but it's not uncommon for someone to have younger siblings with them so that their parents can go to work. Babysitters are expensive - nannies even more so - and it's not like the teachers are paid enough to care. As long as the kids didn't disrupt class too much they let it slide.

So the first day of school comes around and we begin our schedule. Wake up, make lunch, catch the first bus. Ignore the man talking to a small crowd of rats and the person sleeping upside down in one of the seats. And eventually arrive at Gotham Academy. We wait outside for about five minutes before the familiar sight of Frank the Security Guard wanders up from the other side of the gate.

"Hi Mr. Frank!" Bobby waves excitedly as Frank unlocks the gate and pulls it open. Frank's mustache twitches as he almost smiles at Bobby.

"Hello, Bobby, Skylar."