On a chilly afternoon, Barbara Gordon ran into the mall in downtown Gotham City. She needed to pick up a few more bags of Halloween candy for the trick-or-treaters that evening. Unfortunately, hundreds of other people had the same idea. As the secret super hero Batgirl, Barbara often battled the world’s worst villains — but she wasn’t prepared to fight the holiday crowd.

“What a waste of time,” Barbara said to herself. She turned and headed toward the mall’s exit empty-handed.

“Barbara?” shouted someone behind her. She immediately recognized the voice of Jason Graves, one of her classmates.

Barbara hadn’t planned on running into the most popular boy in school. She quickly fixed her hair, checked her breath, and spun around.

“Oh, hi!” said Barbara, acting surprised. “What are you doing at the mall?”

Jason held up several bagfuls of candy and Halloween decorations. “My dad’s throwing a costume party tonight,” he replied. “He asked me to grab a few
last-minute things.”

Barbara already knew about the party. According to her friends, it was going to be the social event of the year. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been invited.

“A costume party?” asked Barbara, pretending she didn’t know about it. “That sounds like fun.”

“Would you like to come?” asked Jason.

“Really?!” Barbara exclaimed. She tried to hold back her excitement. “I mean, I might be able to stop by later.”

“Cool,” replied Jason. He swung the shopping bags over his shoulder and headed outside. “Maybe I’ll see you there.”

“Yeah, maybe,” said Barbara. She watched the automatic doors shut behind Jason and then let out a little squeal. “Definitely,” she whispered to herself.

Moments later, Barbara jumped into her car and called Batman, her crime-fighting mentor. If she planned on going anywhere that night, she needed his permission first.

“Batman?” asked Barbara, speaking into her car’s wireless transmitter.

“At your service, Miss Gordon,” replied the Dark Knight.

“Very funny,” said Barbara. She pulled out of the mall’s parking lot and headed toward the interstate. “Where are you?”

“I’m on my way to Arkham Asylum,” said Batman. “Apparently, one of the inmates is having a mental breakdown. Nothing too unusual for Halloween.”

“About that,” said Barbara. “I just got invited to a costume party.”

“Halloween is the busiest crime night of the year, Barbara,” Batman said. “You and Robin are supposed to patrol the streets.”

“I know that,” began Barbara, “but maybe he could come with me.”

Barbara cringed at bringing Robin, her younger crime-fighting partner, to the party. However, she knew it might be the only way to convince Batman to let her go.

“The party is at the Graves Mansion on the city’s east side. We’d be able to keep an eye on one of Gotham’s wealthiest neighborhoods,” Barbara added. She nervously waited for Batman’s response.

“That’s not a bad idea,” said the Dark Knight. “Just keep in close communication. If either of you see anything suspicious, you know where to reach me.”

“Thanks, Batman,” said Barbara. “We’ll be sure to let you know.” She switched off the computer, turned on her car’s afterburners, and sped toward Wayne Manor to pick up the Boy Wonder.