PRESENT
"Please, tell me how it happened, I want to know everything…"
4 YEARS AGO
"Jessica, oh Jessica, where are you? Daddy wants to talk to you. Jessica! This is not funny you come out this instance you hear me? Jessica!" He called out throughout the house. I was hiding even though I knew that would get me in more trouble then what I was all ready in but I knew that when I did eventually come out from under the cabinet that any punishment would at least be a little better then just letting him find me when he first came home.
After what felt like hours hunched in on my 4''3' height underneath something that was not even ten inches off the ground. I started to slither myself out from underneath and stretching out my limbs that had been folded in on each other. I had not even finished stretching out everything when I felt a hand reach out and grab a fist full of my waist length platinum hair. I reached back hoping to grab at least some of my blond locks from his hand but his grip was to strong and I felt myself being dragged out to the front door and out to the car. I knew that screaming was futile that no matter what I tried to say or do, it would make no difference. Being thrown into the car I couldn't help but wonder where he was taking me. He never took me outside the house unless it was absolutely necessary. I hunched in on myself not wanting to know the answer and after dozing off I knew that everything would be changing.
I woke up, disorientated, chained and lying on a single cot that had not a sheet or blanket on it. There was nothing to give away the location that I was now held prisoner in. I tried to stand up but the shackles that held my hands to the bed frame did not allow for much movement, so I shifted till I was in a semi-sitting position. I looked around still a bit dazed and noticed the bars that were at the front of what I know knew to be new cage. But the bars were different they were not like the ones that you see in prison movies, and the more I looked at them, it was soon that I realized where my Father had brought me. I was in Arkham, the place where all the critically insane were sent, or as most people called it Joker's home away from home.
PRESENT
""So you came to Arkham, did no one tell you why? Jessica? Are you listening? Why did you come to Arkham? When did you meet Him?" The shrink asked me,
"Him, Him, you want to know when I met him. I'll remember that day for the rest of my life, that was the day that He saved me."
3 YEARS AGO
I had been in this place for a year, I knew the orderlies by name, and the doctors by technique. Electricity was my new BFF and starvation a close runner up. And the never-ending screaming was my constant companion. I was still deemed to dangerous to have a cell mate, but I had been upgraded to a cell that allowed me to see out into the hall, and that is where I first saw Him. Everyone knew who He was. Even in this shackled state, He was still dangerous. I didn't even know how many times He had escaped this place, though I wish I knew how. Then I could and never have to think about anything that I didn't want to. But there He was and he got put in a cell across from mine. Once they knew he was secure they walked away, scurrying to wherever needed them next. And my attention was quickly averted to the drawing that I was currently working on.
"Whacha got going on there little one, that's a lot of blood to be wasting on a cell wall." I heard from across the hall.
My head snapped up staring at the King Clown of Gotham city, too much blood for a cell wall? What did he even mean by that? There was never too much, more could always be regrown, and added on. I walked up to the bars wrapping my hands around them, asking the questions that were once in my head. He only smiled and nodded his head before he disappeared into the shadows in the back of the cage. That was the first meeting, I guess you could call it. The first moment in my new life that held any significance.
There were other meetings throughout the first couple weeks, usually after we each had our sessions. We would talk and tell each other the stuff that the shrinks wanted us to tell them but instead we told each other. No harm right? Wrong! He must of wanted the info for something, and naïve me gave him everything, but nothing too personal, nothing that he could really use against me. At least I had that. He was there for three weeks, before he broke out, his goonies came and under an hour he was gone. I thought I would never see him again, but then I was wrong.
I don't know how long it had been till he was back again. My latest shock therapy had left me a little disorientated, but I still knew not to tell the shrinks what they wanted. But when I came back from another session, he was there.
"How was this one, tell them anything juicy?" It startled me. That cell was empty when I left, and now he was back. I didn't know what to do. Last time I was to forthcoming, I gave too much without expecting too much in return.
"It was fine, like any other." And I left it at that. Until he said more, and what he had to say halted me in my tracks.
"I found him you know, your Dad. Nice home life, reminded me of my own." He stood there peering through the bars, his trademark grin directed towards me.
"Oh? How is Daddy dearest? Still breathing obviously." He only laughed, at that point I had not seen the present that sat on my bed, nor knew the contents that lay within it. All I knew that I got my hall buddy back and at that point that was all that matter.
"Don't you like the present, my little Monique?" I looked around at that point and finally noticed it. It was pink, I hated pink but it was only the one corner so I could handle it for now. I walked towards it and opened it up and what was inside shocked me. For there, laying on what was once probaly white tissue paper, lay a finger. It was the index finger, and it was a present from the Joker, so who's finger was it? My gaze then shifted to his.
"Do you like it? Your Dad sent his regards, and fondest wishes that he couldn't be there but he hoped that this small part of him would be a good substitution."
My Dad's finger? Dad's? A smile broke out across my face, he must of suffered, especially if it was the Joker. I smiled back at the Joker and we both just laughed, his deeper then mine, but the two mixing in the air made one think that something darker was forming within the walls of Arkham.
PRESENT
"So then what, hmm, he was your best friend? Nothing could separate you two? You and him would rule the world?" The shrink interrupted why did they always do that?
"Of course we weren't the bestest of friends, nor did we trust each other. Why would we from the few times we talked to each other from across the hall? No at this point, this point was our breaking point."
2 YEARS AGO
I had not seen Joker in a year. He broke out one night and vanished, some people were even saying that he was dead, that Batsy killed him. But I knew that that wasn't true. Jokey walked into this place as he pleased, and right now he didn't feel for the drama of Arkham. So I sat alone waiting for my hall buddy to come back and give me comfort in a place that even the air was filled with insanity.
It had been a few weeks since the rumors had circulated about Jokey's death, when there was a commotion at the front doors. The alarms were blaring and the screams that could be muffled up took up a new high frequency, one that was not easily ignored. Everyone was at the front of their cells, peering out trying to see what was causing such a commotion. I stayed back, there was nothing that would interest me. I wanted nothing, did nothing, not even my pictures could be added onto any more. I was all alone. I just wanted to die, at least death would be interesting. When all of a sudden the doors to the hall way banged open. Hitting either wall, there was only three of us in this hallway. None of talked so I didn't know their names or nothing. But the doors were open and then there was a click. The cells doors they swung open.
PRESENT
"So the door opened. Why did you leave your cell Jessica? Why would you put yourself into danger. This is why your Dad is worried about you." The shrink again? Doesn't she know when to shut her mouth.
"Shrinky, Shrinky, Shrinky, don't you know that when a patient is talking you should SHUT UP! And listen? You might miss something important." I stood up and as the guards shifted closer to the table I sat down, placing my chained hands in my lap, "I'm cool, I'm cool".
"All right then Jessica what am I missing. You said the cells doors opened? Then what?" I smiled, finally.
"Well Doc, there was the mist." I smiled and laughed and then they dragged me back to my cell.
TWO YEAR AGO
"Some one want to play? Please I'm bored! Anyone, anyone, I'm all alone." I cried out into the hall, it was a few nights after the alarms had gone off and there seemed to be new guards, ones that I did not remember ever meeting. They didn't come as often as the other old ones, but that could be because the mist killed everyone else in the hall. There was only me left and I didn't even have the fun of screams from around the other hallways to entertain myself with. I slumped up in the corner. I didn't sleep in the bed anymore. I preferred the darkness to what ever artificial light filtered into my cell. I was about to nod off to sleep when I heard a noise. It was a slight scrapping noise. It peaked my interest and so I stood up to investigate.
"Who's out there, I don't like surprises you hear me? Hello? Answer me!" I couldn't see anything from my cell but that noise was still there. It started to scare me so I backed up in my corner and pulled my knees up to my chest. It didn't seem that long when suddenly there was someone in front of my cell.
"Well, well, well, Kitten in a corner, where have I seen this before?" He said, his voice seemed familiar, like one that you heard when your younger and liked the person it belonged to but then they disappeared and you never really knew what had happened to them. He peered into my cage seeming to be waiting for my reaction. I slowly stood up pulling down the dirty dress that I was in. I stepped up to the bars and wrapped my hands around them.
"Who said I was a Kitty?" I smiled at him, maybe he would let me out, all the other guards knew not to get close to me. I knew how to do too much damage to them. None of them liked to play. But he only smiled, and it was the smile that gave him away.
"Joker? Is that you?" I called out gently, he had been gone for a year, left me to rot. He abandoned me and that made me mad. But if he was standing in front of my cell, just on the outside of the cage, then I could forgive him.
"Of course my pretty, pretty Monique, where else would I be?" He grinned that trademark grin of his and as I was admiring that grin I failed to notice the keys being placed into the lock and the door swinging open, until the Joker stood in front of me.
"Dear, dear Monique I think that you have been locked up for far to long and it is time for you to come home, doesn't that sound nice." He stood in front of me smiling with his hand held out, waiting for my reaction. But when he said that he was going to take me home I had no desire to go with him, I would rather die then go back to that hole. I stepped back pressing myself into the corner,
"How dare you come in here and tell me that you are taking me home, I would rather rot right here in Arkham then step anywhere near that hell hole that is referred to as 'home'. You know how it was I told you, why would you send me back? Hmm, Jokey Boy, why would you torture me, I've never done anything against you. Why do you hate me? Why does everyone hate me?" I cried, it had been a while since I had but the thought of returning to the one place in the entire world in which I would do anything to never go back to how else was I suppose to respond? I heard a foot step, which made me burrow my head deeper against my chest, and then I felt a hand on my shoulder;
"Oh my dear, sweet, so very pretty Monique, I don't mean that hell hole, if it wasn't so suspicious I would burn it down to the ground with your father inside. No I mean my home, It isn't much, but you would have your own room, and though the men might be a little gruff around the edges you would have a family that would look out for you, and I would be there and I would make sure that you would want for nothing. Oh my sweet Monique, my little dolly please say you'll come." He ended with a beg, and me looking up to him, my eyes wide and watering.
"You mean it, you want me?" I couldn't help the hope that filled my voice, the idea of a family, someone to love and protect me, that was all that I ever wanted, all that I needed and for it to be offered to me, so willing by someone that I care a lot about it almost seemed to good to be true.
"Every word sweet one, say yes."
And I did in a heart beat, I don't remember much after that one word, all that I can was that I was pulled from my feet, and Joke and I ran through the halls before bursting through the front doors. That was the beginning of my new life.
