Besides? What could Bruce do? Say no? Well, yes, he could, but that really wouldn’t accomplish much. She would simply throw it right back in his face and do it anyway, flaunting, and at the same time, somewhat quick witted and wise. She had proven already that she could be an invaluable asset. And he’d rather have her out there, as long as he was the one doing the training.

He had watched her- actually, it was more like study her- and watched her shy away from the grandfather clock that led to the cave, and yet, was almost drawn to it, was fascinated by it. And despite all this, she had never, not one, asked him if she could go in. She, with some rare exception, kept to herself, and tried to ease her way into the world she’d been thrown in.

Besides, even should he try arguing with her, it was a thirst for vengeance that had started him off, and she had just as much a craving for revenge as he did.

So he hadn’t bothered wasting time. He had simply said, alright, and that as soon as possible, she would be trained.

And she excelled.

She never complained that it was too hard, or she was too tired. She listened, and then she did. Emily moved swiftly, trying to elude her problems, rather than having to face them head on and risk fighting with them. She was smaller than most thirteen year olds, to be sure, and she wasn’t a fraction as strong. But what she lacked in muscles, she more than redeemed herself for in her mind, and easy ability to dodge things, both valued skills. She had a fascinating ability to remain perfectly still in the shadows, not moving a muscle, until she almost seemed to disappear entirely, and would somehow wind up being some place that was completely different from where she’d assumedly been. And this baffled Tim.

“How do you do that?” he’d asked her.

“You mean you can’t?” she responded with surprise.

“No! Of course not! Can you teach me?”

Emily did try. She did struggle ever so hard to try, but she could never put it into words. She finally said “It is not something that can be taught. One just knows.”

More enigmas to Tim. Emily and Bruce seemed more alike to Tim by the day, but he never told her this. His gut told him it would be a bad idea, and only bad things could come from it.

But despite that, Emily seemed to purposely try and distance herself from Bruce even more. And it finally came to a point where Bruce was baffled. He didn’t know what else he could do, so finally, he decided to try root instinct. Gain her as an ally with gifts. They both very well knew that it was a dumb and ridiculous idea that would never work. But Bruce was at a loss as of what else to do, so this was the only thing left. It did succeed moderately. Emily slightly forced herself into speaking with him. A soft murmured “thank you,” and the occasional “good morning,” along with a few other words and fraises, but that was all. It was a start, but it was all.

Tim often watched her train and practice to give her advice, or simply to sit in silent companionship.

“New CD player?” Tim asked, noticing the walkman she was listening to while she worked.

“Hm? What? Oh…yeah, new CD player,” she said, almost with a hint of shame.

“What are you listening to?” he asked, then realized she wasn’t listening. He pulled off her ear phones to listen.

“Hey!” she cried.

“What’s this?”

“It’s nothing....”

“Are you listening to a symphony?”

“Um…”

“You know what? Sometimes, no, most of the time, I just don’t get you!”

“It’s good! You should listen to it!”

“If I had sleeping problems, I would.”

“But it’s got such depth, and it flows and-“

“And it’s boring and stupid.”

“Yeah, well so are you, but I like you anyway.”

“Hey!”

“So you made your own costume?”

“Yeah,” responded Emily. “Isn’t it neat?” And it really was. She had done remarkably well on it. It was coal black, with gray gloves, boots, and the inside of her cape, with a simply black mask that covered her eyes. It had no symbol, and it didn’t seem to connect her with a group of anything. “So what on earth should I call myself?”

“Shadow,” Tim replied without thinking, taking a drink from his water bottle.

“Why Shadow?”

“Because you are a shadow!”

Emily looked at him confusedly. Well, of course she really couldn’t see it. She had lived her life in complete and total isolation. She’d never felt or experienced any of the things Tim had taken for grated. She had been raised in a world of strange and different shadows, and had become one herself.

“What’s that matter with Shadow?” he asked.

“Nothing. I’ll take it. You wanna see what this button does?” she asked, pointing to a small button on the hip.

“Sure!”

She pressed it and a batarang, some how folded and twisted, popped out so that the person who’s hand was in the glove could easily and quickly grasp it.

“Cool! How many does it carry?”

“Just two per sleeve, but it’s easier for the small amount of time you can use it than fumbling around with a utility belt. At least for me.”

Emily was very much a mystery for Tim. She was a genius, yet the most ignorant person he knew.

“All I’m saying is maybe you should make her lighten up a little,” Tim told Bruce one day. But he didn’t say a word to Emily. Yes, they were very much like each other.

And all this that Emily did made her feel more and more ready and accomplished.

She now sat at her desk, looking at the mirror hanging on the wall while she treated a small cut with a bandage. And then she suddenly realized she had started to say something aloud to herself.

“A light shines in the darkness…..”

And she could almost hear her mother’s voice. Taunting, pulling, daring her to say the rest.

“Say it Emily, say it,” the voice chimed.

Emily turned off the light, and climbed into bed.