Long Past Dawn

I still can't move, I can't even breathe. I feel like I'm slowly drowning.

***

I wake up with a start. My mind feels hazy like I saw something I can never forget but never quite remember.

I sit up in my bed, it feels like there's a weight in my stomach that I can't get rid of.

I slip out of bed and head to the bathroom, I catch myself in the mirror, even though I washed it last night my hair is greasy, bags are starting to form under my eyes and my face is just pale in general. I almost thought I was a red haired ghost for a second.

I sigh, I'm going out shopping with Stephen today and I have my fight with Black Canary, probably better that I don't look like a ghost for those things...

I hop in the shower and come back out about fifteen minutes later feeling refreshed and ready for whatever the day has in store for me.

I change into a t-shirt and jeans and head out. When I get out into the main warehouse I see breakfast laid out on the main table for once. Well, if you can call donuts and either coffee or tea breakfast. Probably not but, hey, they taste good.

I can already see Stephen and Flash at the table, I don't know since when but they seem like they've suddenly become best buds in like twenty-four hours. I guess they're what you call fast friends.

They see me walking over and yet again Flash elbows Stephen. I have no idea what it means. I walk over to the table and grab a donut at random and a cup of coffee, coffee might be gross but it is caffeinated. Caffeinated sludge that is.

I then go over to join Stephen and Flash. "So where are we going today?"

Stephen blushes slightly and Flash beams, I'm not sure I'll ever understand these two. "I-I was thinking we could go to a mall... Batman said he would get someone to give us a ride..."

Ugh. I've never really liked malls, too many people, too many shops but if he wants to go I guess it's fine. "Sounds good." I turn to look at Flash, "Are you coming too?"

I take a bite of donut and Stephen blushes harder and I'm starting to think red is his natural skin color when Flash replies, "Nah, I think I'll let you two have your fun. Isn't that right Stephen?"

Stephen nods and is about to say something when we hear a car horn sound outside. "Well, there you guys go! Have fun and enjoy your youth!"

He grabs my donut and coffee cup out of my hand before I can finish them. Flash pushes us out of the warehouse. Enjoy your youth, you say that like you aren't only about ten years older than me.

In front of us is a sleek black car, out of the driver's seat comes an old-looking man. Probably the driver, he opens the car door for us and we slide in, I'm about to thank him when he hands both Stephen and I a package each and then shuts the door before I can say a word.

I look down at the package in my hands, it's about the size of a wallet and it's wrapped in brown paper, on it is a note that says, 'from bats.'

I can feel my face turn red from embarrassment as I tear open the package inside is a beautiful wallet. It has a rather simple design but I like it. Olive green leather with a copper stud. I pull the stud and the wallet falls open, there are two separate pieces so you can fold it back without bending anything the first has six cardholders and a zippered pocket for coins will the second has two cardholders and a see-through pocket for ID and a place to hold bills.

As I look closer at the wallet I see that that six of the eight cardholders have debit cards in them and the place where the bills are is full of five and ten dollar bills. I also notice that one of the cardholders has a note in it, it says 'try not to overspend. The PIN is your birthday'

I'm not sure I could if I even tried... How can he just give things like this to people? Damn these super-rich people and their expensive gifts... Also, how does he know my birthday?

I look over and see Stephen gaping at a black leather wallet that, like mine, is full of debit cards and dollar bills along with a similar note.

The rest of the ride is spent in silence as we look at wonder at the expensive gift in your hands.

After a while, the car stops and the driver comes out and opens the doors for us and we slide out. The man nods to us once we're out but also hands me another package, this time it's about the size of a smartphone. As I'm looking down at the package the driver gets back into the car and drives off.

Stephen and I exchange a look and I tear open the package again. It's Googles' latest smartphone, I gape down at it. Isn't this the phone that sold out the day they went on sale?

I look down at the screen and see another note on it 'call when you're done.' after it is a phone number I'm still lost in the shock of all that's happening that I almost jump out of my skin when the screen lights up with the message 'welcome Dawn'. Ok after getting over the initial shock I'm not that surprised it knows my name, after all, they probably preprogrammed it.

After I go through the sign-in steps and how-to-use-guide that the phone shows me I'm finally done. I turn and look around to see the mall behind us. I look over at Stephen, why didn't he get a phone? "let's go then..."

Stephen nods and we head into the mall but for some reason, I feel like we're being watched but it's probably just that we came out of a fancy car with a private driver right in front of a mall full of people.

As soon as we walk in the AC hits us and I shiver, I look around at the mall, we're on the ground floor and I can see the balconies of the other three floors above us, I see the food court and a fountain and the escalators that lead to other levels of the building.

Ok, confession time. I've never really spent time in a mall before. I mean I'll come and get clothes and then leave but not wander around and go window shopping and all that.

"Well... Let's do this!" I say. Who knows maybe this will be fun, I mean Stephen seems like a good guy after all.

"Y-yeah..." Stephen says, his face a little red. He points over to a book store that's almost right beside us. "Want to look in there?"

I can tell he wants to go so I laugh a little and nod, I think this is going to be fun. I laugh and grab Stephen's hand and pull him along towards the shop, Stephen laughs too even though he's as red as a tomato.

I was so caught up with all the surprise gifts Batman had thrown on us and the awaited shopping trip that I didn't even notice the three men that were tailing us from a distance.