I'm Not Sure the Boy Wonder Fell for Me

She was running as fast as she could away from the laughter behind her. She had heard this laughter before, and it haunted her even when she was awake. The darkness surrounded her, suffocating her so she had no more breath. The laughter was closing in now and panic gripped her. Suddenly, a small ball of light formed in front of her, orange and yellow flames leaping from it. The flames spread quickly so a wall of fire rose above her. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. The wall started to rock back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, until it leaned forward and started to collapse on her…

Amanda snapped her eyes open and nearly screamed. A dark figure was sitting on her bed and frantically covering her mouth. She struggled as the figure turned on her bedside lamp, until she saw it was Dick. He was wearing his pajamas with a tired look in his eyes. She glanced over at the clock; it read 3:20 a.m. Amanda groaned and put her arm over her eyes.

“I knew you were still having nightmares,” he rubbed his temples. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You scared me,” she mumbled.

“I’m sorry I startled you,” he apologized. “I know I should have knocked, but you were asleep.”

“Dick, why are you here?” she asked. She set her arm down and saw his hurt expression. “It’s not that I didn’t want to see you,” she said quickly as she sat up. “But why are in my room at this time of night?”

“I was sleeping when I heard noises coming from your room. I thought it might be an intruder, so I poked in. All I saw was you gripping your pillow as if it were a life preserver with your legs tangled in your sheets. You kept mumbling something that I couldn’t make out,” he scratched his neck. “I tried to wake you up, but you kind of did that on your own.”

Amanda ran her hand through her hair. “I’m sorry, Dick. I really am. I mean, I feel bad that you had to wake up so late…”

“Hey, don’t say that,” he held her hand. “I’d wake up for you any time of the night.”

She smiled and looked up at him under her lashes. “You’re too good for me, you know that?”

He grinned and kissed her forehead. “You sure it’s not the other way around?”

She smiled once again and kissed his lips. They were warm and soft, but she detected a sense of weariness to them. Reluctantly, she broke apart from him, which led to further confusion. Amanda chuckled, but then grew serious. “But seriously, I know you’ve been busy lately with…you know…bird watching.”

Dick nodded. “I know. Bruce and I have been having some trouble lately with…bird watching.”

She squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry; Batman and Robin always catch the bad guy, remember?”

He sighed. “I hope so. Truthfully, we’ve been having trouble with this criminal. He, or she, is just vandalizing every place they go without stealing a single thing. They’re acting very sly.”

“They’re all sly, in a way. But no matter what, the Dynamic Duo always overcome it. I have faith in the both of you.”

“I know you do,” he smiled. They both stopped talking for a moment, but then he said, “How are things at the school? Is Amelia okay?”

“She’s fine, and the school is fine. We’re all going on a field trip to Marshall’s Dairy Farm on Wednesday,” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “How are things at Roosevelt High?”

“Fine. But you know, this year is challenging.”

“I sympathize. My school year hasn’t exactly been a picnic either,” she sighed.

“Don’t worry, though,” he took up both of her hands. “Once we’re out of school, we’ll be with each other much more often and who knows, we may end up going to the same college together.”

Amanda swallowed and said nervously, “Um, Dick…t-that’s a long way off, you know.”

“I know,” he replied. “Well, I’ll let you get some sleep, okay?”

She nodded. “Alright. I’ll see you in a few hours, Dick.”

He chuckled. “See you in a few hours.” With a quick kiss, he was out the door and she was alone.

Amanda collapsed back onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She knew he was talking about their future, probably even about how they could get married one day and start a family. Despite them dating for a full year, she hadn’t really given it much thought. She had just enjoyed being with Dick, but marriage… Safe to say she was mortified about making a commitment that big at seventeen years old. As she snuggled back under her covers and untangled her legs from her sheets, she turned to her window where the moon was peeking through the curtains. Amanda had always found comfort in the moon when she was sad or distressed. When she was finally old enough to acknowledge her parents’ deaths, the moon would calm her down and make her feel relaxed. In a way, the moon was her quiet protector, a guardian angel watching her sleep. With that comforting thought in mind, Amanda drifted off to sleep.