Knowing that the element of surprise was crucial to thwarting any attack, Wonder Woman kicked down the door and leapt inside. Shocked by the scene that lay before her, she gasped. The room looked like it had been ransacked. Wonder Woman had never seen such chaos!
Piles of clothes and junk were strewn everywhere. A television was blasting, and so was a music video on the computer. A damp beach towel hung from the curtain rod. Camera equipment was scattered about. Empty potato chip bags were piled on papers that were piled on books that were piled on one of the beds. Wonder Woman assumed, at least, that there was a bed under it all.
“She’s here!” someone yelled.
Wonder Woman whipped around, and in a nanosecond, the girl was wrapped in the Lasso of Truth. She dropped her video camera and gushed, “I was waiting for you.”
Bumblebee, now tiny, flew into the room and landed on Wonder Woman’s shoulder. Before she could say anything, Wonder Woman demanded, “Who are you and what do you want?”
Entangled in the Lasso of Truth, the girl had no choice but to be honest. “My name is Harley Quinn, and I want to shoot a video of you for my station, HQTV,” she said, then added, “and I am totally extremely super excited to be your roommate!”
That was when Wonder Woman recognized her. Of course! She was the blond girl in almost every scene in the Super Hero High School recruitment video. The circus-colored pigtails, the giant smile, the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. Wonder Woman released Harley and apologized.
Much to Wonder Woman’s surprise, Harley was far from being angry. She was thrilled, and let out a long, loud laugh.
“I was just talking to the camera, saying I wanted to shoot you, and then BAM, you rock the room! And…and then you throw your famous lasso at me! ME! The best part is I caught it all here!” Harley raised her camera into the air like it was a trophy. “Exclusive footage, that’s what I have. An HQTV exclusive! So great to meet you, Wonder Woman!”
When Harley extended her hand, Wonder Woman shook it with such enthusiasm that Harley’s head bounced back and forth like a bobblehead doll. But Harley Quinn didn’t look fazed.
“Excuse me?” The buzz got louder until Bumblebee was back to her full size.
Wonder Woman had forgotten that Bumblebee was in the room. She had been so small and so quiet.
“I’ve got to tackle my homework,” Bumblebee said. She motioned to Wonder Woman and told Harley, “She already wrote her paper on why weapons shouldn’t be allowed in assemblies and handed it in!”
Harley nodded knowingly. “Not surprised, not surprised,” she said. “Keep doing things like that, and you’re sure to be every teacher’s pet!”
Wonder Woman tilted her head to one side. “But I’m not an animal—I’m a girl,” she said earnestly.
Harley let out another signature laugh. “Funny!” she said. “You’re a regular comedian! I love that.”
“Oh! No, I’m not a comedian, I’m a super hero,” Wonder Woman said.
“It’s a joke,” Harley said. “Ha, ha. You know, a joke?” When Wonder Woman stared blankly at her, she said, “Aw, don’t be so serious. Come on, get a sense of humor!”
“Okay,” Wonder Woman said. She wrote on her to-do list Get a sense of humor.
As Harley prattled on about how they would be the best roommates in the history of Super Hero High, Wonder Woman surveyed the room. With super-fast skills, she began to tidy up, tossing out trash, straightening books, and rearranging the furniture. When she lifted a pile of Harley’s belongings off her bed, she realized it wasn’t a bed at all—it was a trampoline!
“So then—this Mandy Bowin was a real case,” Harley was saying as she edited her video with the finesse of a master playing the piano. “She was this really quiet kid. Nice, but couldn’t take a joke, if you know what I mean. One time I hid her violin and she went ballistic! And get this, it was a regular violin, not even a weapon. Mandy and her music. It was like twenty-four/seven. She didn’t even have a super hero name, just plain Mandy. Everyone here has a super hero name.”
Harley did a double backflip, bounced on the bed, and then sat back down, continuing to edit her video.
“So then,” Harley said, “one day, BAM! Mandy’s gone and you’re here. Done editing! Yes, I’m that fast.” Harley stood and looked around the room. “Wow, wow, wow! And did I say, wow?”
It was spotless. And practically empty.
Wonder Woman smiled modestly. “I cleaned our room,” she said.
“Where’s all my stuff?” Harley asked, looking under the beds.
“In the trash,” Wonder Woman answered.
“I don’t know what to say…,” Harley began.
“It was my pleasure,” Wonder Woman said. “Um, could you tell me where the bathroom is?”
Harley pointed. “Down the hall, to the left. And hurry back—dinner is soon.”
“Will do!” Wonder Woman said.
When she returned, Wonder Woman found her roommate sitting crossed-legged on her trampoline bed, designing some graphics on her computer. Their room, which Wonder Woman had just cleaned, was already a mess again.
“Did you use a time-warp machine to get the room to go back to the way it was?” she asked.
“Nope,” Harley said cheerfully. “I just put a few of my personal belongings back where they were.” Wonder Woman looked at the bulletin board, which was newly cluttered with photos and pages from magazines. One of the posters read:
The Three POWS!
Super-POWer
Brain-POWer
Will-POWer
Wonder Woman wondered if her new roommate had super powers. She was certainly a force of nature.