"Jeremiah Arkham... was your grandfather".

It was a mistake! Jeremiah? She'd never heard of him... Not even in passing!

Cassidy backed away.

"No... My dad... He said my grandparents died years ago... You... You've got it wrong..." Cassidy stuttered, frantic, shaking her head.

Hugo took out a pocket handkerchief and wiped the fog off his glasses.

"I'm sorry- but I'm afraid you have been misinformed"

Cassidy sank into the soft leather chair, the world blurring in a haze as she stared into nothing.

She wasn't present.

It's a mistake... It's...

Hugo sat on the chair opposite, with a small brown coffee table between them. For a moment he remained silent, and tucked the handkerchief away.

"Your mother's name was Katherine, yes?"

Cassidy's head lowered with a solemn bow, and she nodded.

"Jeremiah was not registered on her birth certificate. It appears a former partner of his- Lillian Burke- left without telling him she was pregnant with your mother. He was unaware- until recently"

"... Wh... What happened?" Cassidy whispered.

Hugo clipped open his briefcase, rummaging through loose scraps of paperwork.

"... After the death of his wife, Diana- he became fixated on his family's legacy, desperate to find any surviving members of the Arkham line. Then, he found you"

He pulled out a clear plastic folder and slid it across the table. Cassidy gulped when she saw the front page, underlined in black ink:

'Last Will and Testament

of

Dr. Jeremiah Arkham'

Hesitant, she opened the folder, skimming through each page with nervous concentration.

"We've checked the records. Jeremiah instructed that his possessions be passed solely to you, including property"

Shuffling to the 3rd page, she froze dead in her tracks.

The passage at the bottom read:

'3. Beneficiaries

I bequeath my granddaughter, Cassidy Price, currently of 101 Oakleigh Dr, Maitland, FL, with the entirety of my estate, including full ownership of the following institution:

Arkham Asylum, 116 Arkham Island, Gotham City, NJ'

Cassidy's jaw dropped. Hugo observed the look of disbelief that spread across her face- and his eyes narrowed.

"As of now-" Hugo stated, leaning over to her "- You are the last living descendant of the Arkham family, and the sole heir of Arkham Asylum"

She looked at Hugo, quivering.

"I... Don't understand... Why? H-h-he never met me... Why would he...?"

Before Hugo could answer, the front door swung open, and heavy footsteps barged into the living room. Henry Price, drenched in sweat, as if he had been running a marathon.

He locked eyes with Hugo, breathing labored.

"Ah- Henry. Nice to see you again"

"GET OUT" Henry gritted through his teeth.

Hugo cocked his eyebrow, and put his glasses back on, completely unfazed.

"I was just about to"

He rose off the chair and took the will from Cassidy's quivering hands, packing it into his briefcase.

"Jeremiah's funeral is on Wednesday, should you wish to attend... There are arrangements we will need to discuss"

He placed a small business card on the arm of Cassidy's chair and walked away. In a rush of panic, she shot up.

"Wait!"

Hugo stopped, halfway out the door.

"My grandfather... how did he die?"

Hugo turned away from her.

"... He took his own life"

Cassidy said nothing as Hugo shut the door behind him. For a moment, she was limp. Henry's eyes pleaded with her, but she looked through him.

"... You lied to me?"

Cassidy ran to her room before he could reach her. Alone, he lowered his head, with the only thing to keep him company being the business card slumped on the chair for all to see.

A mark of guilt.

///

Cassidy curled on her bed for hours, her cheeks red as tears dried around her.

Vacant glances at her desk weren't helpful either. All the photos there were much happier than what she was then; everything from her old Lego projects to clay figurines.

Her eyes fell to the emptiest corner, where the only photo of her family was: 'Coney Island '87'.

The three of them stood by the Ferris wheel in the summer heat, where a sign with a green-haired clown and a ruby grin pointed to the tunnel below:

'More Rides

This Way'

4-year-old Cassidy stood between them, wearing a baggy top and flip-flops that matched her parents. Except her mother, Katherine, was the only one wearing jeans instead of khaki shorts.

Katherine, gangly and ginger-haired, had the biggest smile of the three of them. Mischievous.

Cassidy winced. The memories of her mother were a blur, and Cassidy herself- 4 years old again, in the kitchen of their old home. The two of them, dancing under the lights, laughing.

And the bedroom door- glowing red under the cracks.

The smoke.

Within seconds, reality threw Cassidy back: her mother, gone.

She clung to the pillow in her lap, squeezing it hard.

The moment was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Cass?"

Hearing no response from Cassidy, he opened the door. Cassidy didn't move, or acknowledge him in the slightest.

"... I... I know I shouldn't have... But... Your mother's family... There's a lot about them that... Well... I wanted to keep you away from"

Henry sat on the edge of her bed, their backs turned to each other.

"You've had enough to deal with as it is..."

Still nothing. Her silence was deafening. He shuffled, rubbing the dry cracks of his hands.

"... The funeral's at Gotham Cathedral... gives us a couple of days... if we start packing..."

Cassidy flinched, and looked at him for a brief moment before turning away.

"What about work?" Cassidy asked.

"They owe me some time off. Besides-"

Henry stood up and walked out of the door.

"- The quicker this gets done- the better"

Cassidy sat up as he left, spotting the last trail of sunlight through the windowsill.

///

Cassidy gripped the family photo in her hand, tighter and tighter, before tucking it in her wallet.

It was time to leave Maitland.

Not forever, but it felt that way.

Henry loaded the final luggage into the trunk of the taxi. He wasn't up to driving. Neither of them were.

Looking back at their bungalow one last time, Cassidy put on her face mask and climbed into the back seat behind Henry.

Goodbye...

The taxi drove off... And that was that.

The hours beyond that were slow, heavy, as if time tried to stop them from leaving. So much so that on the plane, they felt nothing could entertain them but rest.

It was easy for Cassidy; she had reclined her seat, drifting in and out of sleep with her headphones on.

But not for Henry.

He wouldn't touch the food, peeling back the packaging of his sandwich every once in a while, only to leave it discarded again.

Cassidy turned to him, catching the unsteady flicker of his eyes as he stared out of the window. She couldn't bring herself to ask.

More hours went by.

The next taxi drive was monotonous, Henry in the front passenger seat once again as the digital clock on the dashboard read:

'11:55'

Cassidy looked out the window. There were a couple of industrial plants, hardly visible past the ebon black smoke engulfing the bridge. What clean air was left, remained suffocated beyond hope.

None but the dead would have invited it in.

Then finally, something stood out of the dark. Towering over 200 ft, an iron woman, blindfolded with scales in one hand, and a sword in her other. The Statue of Justice.

As the bridge came to a close, a neon sign approached, flashing blood-red:

'Welcome to Gotham City'.

A/N: Taking out life insurance in Gotham must be a pain!