Chapter 933: In the Depths of Misty Rain (Part Eight)

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In the dimly lit laboratory of dark creatures, Catwoman's face contorted with extreme fear. In a matter of moments, she leaped onto the nearby equipment, her eyes widened, fixated on the unfolding scene within the room.

This place appeared to be a laboratory initially designated for plant experiments. However, at this moment, the plants within it all began to sway violently, shattering the glass walls of their containment chambers as they surged madly toward Schiller.

Just as Catwoman considered descending to aid Schiller, she suddenly caught a hint of an enchanting fragrance in the air.

The shattering of a glass bottle pierced through the silence of the laboratory, and in the next instant, Catwoman found herself in a small room.

This room seemed to be a child's bedroom, not very spacious. Aside from a small window in one corner of the room, there was a small bedside table, a desk, and a little stool.

Catwoman was momentarily taken aback, but soon she recognized the situation. She had been drawn into a consciousness space before, by Schiller, during a playful encounter in an amusement park when Superman's consciousness had burst, startling her deeply.

"Whose memory is this?" Catwoman muttered, frowning as she crouched down. She continued, "It doesn't seem like Schiller's. He shouldn't be from this era. Could it be Pamela's? But why am I inside her memories?"

Catwoman lowered her gaze to a blanket adorned with a cute pink teddy bear pattern, placed on the small stool.

Catwoman straightened herself up and examined the room. Rather than calling it a child's room, it felt more like a princess's room. Many decorations were pink, including the curtains, bedsheets, and even the framed pictures on the walls.

Catwoman took a few steps forward and noticed a small backpack next to the desk, also in pink. She reached out, picked it up, and searched inside. She found a student ID card that read "Pamela Eisley."

Catwoman brought the student ID card closer and saw that the red-haired little girl in the photo looked exactly like Pamela. It had to be her childhood photo.

What puzzled Catwoman, however, was the expression on Pamela's face. She appeared unhappy, with a downturned mouth, reminding Catwoman of someone who was perpetually unhappy—Batman.

Just then, Catwoman heard a commotion from outside the door. She quietly approached the door, where she heard a woman's voice.

"Little Pam, how many times have I told you? Those aren't the toys you should be playing with. I bought you the best and most expensive dollhouse. You should take it to school and show it to your friends, prove that you're a true lady..."

"But I... I really don't like it..." a young girl's voice responded.

"Don't like it?!" the adult woman immediately raised her tone, her voice turning somewhat sharp, causing Catwoman to instinctively cover her ears. She heard the woman say, "Do you know that dollhouse cost me two months' worth of salary?! You must take it to school, starting tomorrow!"

"You must play with the same toys as the children from wealthy families to fit into their circle. You need to discuss the latest dollhouses, how to decorate beautiful light strings, what to wear for Christmas... instead of obsessing over mud all day!"

The sound of the little girl crying reached Catwoman's ears, but the woman's voice sounded even more distressed. She said, "Little Pam! Stop crying! You can't cry so loudly! I've spent so much money to get you into the best private school. You must become one of them..."

"Tell me quickly, you like the dollhouse, don't you? You like the dresses I bought for you! You'll wear them to the Christmas party... please, Little Pam... Pamela... I'm begging you!"

The woman also began to cry, saying, "Our house isn't presentable. You can't invite your classmates over, so you must actively attend the parties!"

Catwoman listened as hurried high-heeled footsteps approached the bedroom from outside. She wasn't sure if she would be seen, but she instinctively acted like a thief, slipping under the bed.

Hidden beneath the bed, Catwoman watched as the young girl entered, closed the door, and threw the expensive child's dress onto the bed. She sat down on the bed, and from the shape of her shadow on the floor, Catwoman guessed that she was curled up, crying.

"Seriously?" Catwoman thought. "With such a beautiful dress, she won't wear it? A Christmas party? She's never been to one, but it sounds like there will be delicious food..."

Catwoman shook her head under the bed, thinking, "The elite class of children can be so temperamental. If she had such conditions when she was a child, she would have been overjoyed."

After a while, Pamela reluctantly put on the dress, walked out of the room, and continued crying, despite the woman's continuous praise.

"All right, my little princess, it's time for your piano practice. Remember, playing the piano is the key to the noble class. There's a reason behind that saying. Yesterday, you practiced for only five hours. Today, you must practice for six hours, okay?"

The woman led Pamela into her bedroom and handed her a small piano, saying, "Practice here for now. I'll get some food ready. But before that, play the piece your teacher taught you yesterday. Let me hear it..."

Hidden under the bed, Catwoman could only judge Pamela's actions by the shape of her shadow. But from the speed at which she moved, it seemed like she was hesitant.

However, after a while, Pamela reluctantly picked up the piano bow and placed it on the piano strings. Her mother, holding the piano sheet music, watched her closely. When Pamela made the first note by stroking the piano strings with the bow, the woman uttered a puzzled "Hmm?"

Pamela immediately stopped, and Catwoman observed that her arms were trembling. Indeed, the next sound, much like sawing wood, only more grating, elicited a scream from the woman.

"What are you doing?! Eisley! Why are you playing like this? I spent thousands of dollars to find you the best teacher! Didn't you say you learned it at school yesterday?!"

Pamela backed away, trembling, and started crying again. The woman was clearly distraught, snatching the piano bow from Pamela's hand and tossing it onto the bed. She threw the small piano on the floor and exclaimed, "What are you crying for? If you didn't learn it, why didn't you tell me? I paid for the lessons!"

"I spent money, and you haven't learned a thing. You've had three lessons on the same piece! Why can other children learn it in one go?! Eisley! Are you defying me? Are you trying to drive me insane, just like your father...?"

The agitated woman picked up the nearby piano bow and struck it against little Pamela's arm. Pamela let out a sharp scream and cried as she retreated to a corner of the room. Catwoman was about to intervene, but the woman withdrew her hand and tearfully embraced Pamela, saying:

"It's all Mommy's fault. Mommy shouldn't have hit you, but your daddy abandoned us. One day, you'll go back to that social class, just like your dad and the people around him, living the life of the wealthy..."

"You need to excel in your skills, keep climbing upward, and not be like me, young and naive, deceived by others. Little Pam, you are my only hope. Please, study the violin and piano well, attend the parties..."

"Don't talk about the mud and the little plants at the parties. They won't like those things. You'll be ostracized and mocked by everyone for your humble background, just like me."

"Eventually, even those who claim to love you will abandon you because of your ignorance, foolishness, and innocence. You can't follow the path I took..."

The woman wept bitterly as she hugged little Pamela. When she crouched down, Catwoman could see half of her face. Her youth surprised Catwoman, but her voice sounded as if she had experienced a lifetime of hardship, like the women she encountered in the narrowest alleys of Gotham, the ones who put on a smiling face for others.

After the woman left, Pamela resumed playing the piano, but even though Catwoman didn't understand musical instruments, it was clear that the young girl had no interest in playing the violin. Her movements were stiff, and her entire demeanor showed resistance.

After a while, the woman returned, taking Pamela with her. Both of them left the room. Once they were gone, Catwoman crawled out and, along the crack of the bedroom door, peeked outside. She assumed they were going out, but to her surprise, they sat down at the dining table.

Catwoman furrowed her brow deeply because she couldn't smell any food. She believed her nose was sharp enough to detect the scent of a steak from several blocks away.

So, she widened the gap under the bedroom door a bit, stood up, and looked at the table. She realized that there was no meat on the table, and not even a single dish emitted steam.

In front of little Pamela, there was a small bowl of vegetable salad and two sandwiches with cheese and cucumbers. The woman's plate was even more extravagant, with three pieces of fruit.

"What on earth?!" Catwoman whispered inaudibly to herself, "Are they really going to eat this?! They'll starve themselves to death!"

Then, she heard the woman say, "Little Pam, don't make that face. You have to understand, it's for the sake of protecting the world. We can't eat those poor little animals anymore..."

"Correct, you should say the same to your classmates. You've always been a vegetarian because you're kind and can't stand to see animals hurt. You're an environmentalist, right?"

"Maybe you can also talk to them about your mother. You know, this is the most popular dietary trend among the wealthy. It will make them think highly of you."

Pamela sat at the table, poking at the vegetables with her fork. Then she looked up at the woman and asked, "What about plants? Don't they get hurt?"

This question seemed to stump the woman. She shrugged and said, "Animals run and make noise; they have souls. As for plants... they just grow in the ground and don't move."

"Do they not have souls if they grow in the ground and don't move?" Pamela asked again.

"Of course, if you kill animals, they scream, cry, and suffer. But plants don't."

"Maybe plants do, but no one can understand them," Pamela whispered softly. However, the woman raised her voice and said, "Little Pam! You've already upset me several times today! Don't defy me again!"

"You have to be a good child who protects animals. This is your ticket to the upper class. Why can't you understand? You need to have common topics with them to avoid revealing your awkwardness!"

"I can't afford to buy you expensive jewelry and fashionable dresses from shop windows anymore. You can only show them that you're just as wealthy from this aspect. You're a princess raised by the elite class!"

The woman grew angrier with her words and threw down her fork. She went to the window and picked up a small flowerpot. Inside it was a small plant. She said, "I know you like to stare at it and say things like 'plants can talk,' but that's nonsense! It's crazy, do you understand?"

"You mustn't say such things at school! If they think you're mentally ill, you're finished!... Why are you still looking at it? Why aren't you listening to me carefully?"

"Because... she seems to be crying..."

"What?!!!"

The woman, furious, slammed the flowerpot onto the floor, scattering soil and revealing the plant's roots. She picked up the shards of the flowerpot and began to violently attack the plant's stem, saying, "Look! See that? Plants can't talk. They won't respond to you. Plants have nothing to protect because they don't have souls!"

But little Pamela wore a terrified expression. She suddenly burst into tears and pointed at the small flower, shouting, "She's crying! She's crying! She's... she's angry!"

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 934: In the Depths of Misty Rain (Nine)