The little bubbles covered my body so gently. As I waded in my bath water I could hear their little popping sounds tickle my ears. For the first time all day, I was relaxing. My short inverted bob cut hair hung off the back of the tub. Its blue colors gave me a lot of stares from on lookers but I didn't mind. At least it was a break from the brown color it was before. Maybe you guessed by my obscure shaded blue hair that I am not in the professional world. I used to be, but alas... my mind often went back to those days when I had a secure job. When I worked along side my best friend for the greater good. Nurse Jenks. That was me. Lucy Jenks, the youngest nurse at Arkham Asylum. I was very much proud of my position because I earned it. Never did I imagine that I would be stripped of everything because of my greatest accomplishment.
I felt an icy tear glide down my cheek. Just one, that I quickly whipped away with my hand.
Knocking sounds exploded at the front door. Customers. I stood up from the tub carefully holding on to the sides as I stepped out. Not really caring that I lived in a wretched neighborhood, the only effort i made to looking presentable was to wrap myself in a fluffy white bathrobe. As I fastened the robe to my body, I observed wether or not the house was presentable. The furniture was clean in the living room and its neutral and red color scheme was looking nice. The kitchen still had a few leftover dishes from past meals but it wasn't bad and all of my clothes were put away from the course of the week's laundry. Not bad, but I am glad that I actually cleaned a little.
The front door had four locks that clicked as i released them and opened the door. Well three of the locks did, the last was a chain to let me see who I was dealing with tonight.
"Ms. Lucy! I think its time!" A very pregnant young teenage girl stood in the doorway clutching her protruded belly. I quickly undid the latch and helped carry her over to the bed. My bed, because I wasn't exactly funded enough to separate where I slept from where my patients were. I quickly grabbed two towels from the dresser and laid one under her and one over her to cover her and make her more comfortable.
"Alright, now if this is the real deal, this baby is a premie and needs a lot of care. when did your contractions begin." (She was only seven and a half months pregnant).
"About an hour ago." She looked down at me with big scared green eyes. I smiled, trying to comfort her.
"Did your water break?" I sighed
"Well ,uhh, no."
"Good news, It looks like you may not be having your baby today." She shot up with surprise.
"But I felt really... really bad aches." she curled her knees to her chest but was blocked by her belly. "I just want to get this baby out and to its parents." A tear rolled down her cheek. I brushed it away with my thumb.
"Don't worry, Shannon,Cramps are normal during pregnancy and the baby will come on its own time. You are so brave." Most girls her age would have gotten an abortion but she chose to stick it out to the end even if that meant her parents kicking her out till the baby was adopted. I have respect for this girl.
"You want to stay here for dinner so we can just make sure that you're okay?" It's actually regulation in typical hospitals for the patient to stay longer , but wording it his way makes it seem more like a girls night out than a surprise visit to the nurse. She smiled again, good she needs to smile. I helped her out of bed and we moved to the couch.
I had called in pizza and it just got here a few moments. At this point I was wearing my pajamas, long black sweat pants and a tight crop white shirt with a small bit of cash in hand to cover the cost. I unbolted the door again to see the underpaid pepperoni faced boy holding a very large cheese pizza in his hands.
"Your total will be $13.53." He held out his hand to receive the money, for some reason that always bugged me. It screamed I'm greedy. Never the less I gave him fifteen, a crappy tip but a tip none the less. Shannon and I ate the pizza watching comedy movies that I had from my small collection. It's good that she remembers to laugh. I wish she did it more often.
By one in the morning she had fallen asleep and I could tell by then she was going to be fine. She had been here for five hours and nothing had happened.
"Shannon, sweetie." Her eyes fluttered open. "It's time I take you home."
She smiled. "Okay."
I threw on a coat and helped the girl out of the door. She lived a short bus ride away, but I dare not let her walk through the streets of Gotham at night all alone she was in enough trouble as is to put up with the thugs that lurked in the shadows.
"So how is school going for you." I attempted to make idle chat on the bus to get my mind off of the nasty, hard, sticky seats.
"It's alright I guess, grades are good since I lost most of my friends. But on the bright side I figured out who my true friends were."
I gave her a weak smile. "Get good enough grades and you'l be their boss one day. Any idea what you want to be when you grow up?" The bus rolled up to its stop that was conveniently right in front of her apartment. "Do you got it from here? If I stop and get back on they'll make me pay again."
"I got it" She smiled as I helped her up. "By the way Lucy... I want to be a nurse." Those words hit me like a bullet. Shannon idolized me. I have made a difference to someone in this world and I could feel it. I treated her like a friend but I never considered how that must have felt to her during the time she needed it the most. "G-good night Shannon." I was at a lost for words and wether or not she replied was beyond me. I was like a machine going back home. Doing it because it was more programmed than actually thought out, to the point that I was not aware of the unexpected guest that waited for me. I unlocked the door with the old key and went back to the bathroom for another good soak. I usually don't do it more than once a day to avoid water bills but I was worth it. The steamy water filled the tub as I poured in the sweet purple liquid to complete my bubble bath. I stripped down and slowly eased my way into the water. It was hot at first but felt better as I got used to it. Just when I started to relax BAM! Two hands from behind grabbed my neck. I let out a quick gasp of fear as simultaneously all lights in the room shattered, and then I started to laugh. The adrenaline of being scared was too much for me, so I let it out in a different way than most.
"Lulu! What happened to your back, who did this to you!" The two small red and black gloved hands continued to try to pull me into a hug, though it was incredibly uncomfortable since i was wearing no clothing...
"Harley, its fine, really please pass me my robe." I wrapped up and faced her. She had seen better days. "Jeez, Harlz what did you do." My wet hands touched her arm where a deep gash had cut it. She had bruises all along her side as well.
"Awww, this is nothin. Mr. J and I were just trying to get some pretty things and the Big bad Bat had to swoop in and burst our fun.
"Is he here too." I nervously pulled my robe tighter to my body.
"Sure is, my Mister J wanted the best nurse in Gotham to be lookin' out for me after my little spill." She giggled. Of course he did. I didn't charge them. Harley was my best friend at Arkham when we were employed and I wanted no trouble with the mad clown. She grabbed my arm and drug me out of the bathroom, "Come on Lulu, Pudden is good with scars." I struggled but she caught me off guard.
"No, no, no, no, no, Joker cannot see this, I spoke too fast for it to sound right and before I knew it I was face to face with the clown prince... well more like chest to face since I am not tall.
Harley held me firmly in place. "Mister J, Look at what these bad people did to our Jinx." She spun me around and removed my robe to expose my back. I was able to hold enough of it up to cover the important parts but I still felt violated in my own home. His purple gloved hand traced down my spine at the gruesome scars. I felt pressure but I had lost most of the nerve endings on that part of my skin to feel the cool leather.
"Oh dear, seems like Jinx didn't bring her lucky horseshoe. So did you open one too many umbrellas indoors." Harley laughed.
"Good one Mister J."
I could feel his hand trailing too far down before he removed them. "Actually, I broke some glass, and my seven years turned into a life time." I pulled my robe up and went for my first aid kit. "Harley, I'm going to patch you up."
"Sounds A-Okay to me."
I went back into my room and shut the door so that I could get dressed first. The mirror in front of my bed showed me starring back at myself. I was looking pretty good for my self all things considered. I finally got that pesky pimple from a few days ago to go away and my hair dye was still looking rather great I might add. Then I decided to bite the bullet and removed my robe to see my self. I was thin and a bit muscular, good curves on the waist but I was sure that If I ever had to breast feed a child it might starve to death. I laughed a little as I remember how jealous I used to be of how big chested Harley was or at least how much attention she used to get from it. I Turned around to see my ugly side. Scars, scars every where along the length of my spine. I grimaced at its sight. The length ran from the nape of my neck to almost being in line with my waist. It was a sloppy job, obviously not done by a doctor and not stitched up by one either because the stitches should be to minimize the actually scar, not enhance and define it along the sides. I raked my brain, trying to remember the details of what had happened but I had suppressed that a long time ago and it wouldn't come back. Maybe in nightmares i could get a glimpse but then I would never remember the dream when I woke up.
Harley needed me so I put aside my starring and put on under garments and my jeans with a blue and white stripped shirt and walked out to her with my gear.
In the living room, Joker had moved to the sofa and was sitting there playing with his knife making a wise crack at Harley's expense, and being the naive woman she is she took it. I examined her arm as she sat on my kitchen table.
"Owie! It hurts."
"Well Harlz, I hate to tell you this but you need stitches." I opened my box as she began to flip out.
"Nn-o no no no I hate needles! You'd think living with Mister J I would be good with a little pain but I'm not."
Joker chimed in, come now Harley, with all the times Ive pricked you, this should be a synch." He started to laugh.
"Please Doc, there's gotta be another way." She whined in her nasally New York accent.
"well..." I looked at it again and bent her arm, that didn't bother the cut. "Its not a high tension area. How did you get this cut?"
She sat up straight. "You see, I was minding my own business trying to get out of a museum when I accidentally set off an alarm, then woosh! Bat man came crashing in and I cut my self on shattered glass from the Batman." she smiled but I knew with the way the joker chuckled, he was responsible for it by pushing her or something. "Clumsy little humpty dumpty here isn't she?"
I smiled as i started to clean the wound. "Fortunately, I'm better than all the kings horses and all the kings men." Harley hissed as I cleaned, but it looked better and better as I went. "Okay so since its a glass cut, I can give you something called skin glue instead." I pulled it out and began to apply it so that the skin closed and stopped bleeding.
"Ohhhh, Thanks Jinxy!" She seemed to relax a lot more as I grabbed the tube of skin glue and began to apply it to her wound.
"Once it dries right, that should be all there is to it." I looked over at the Joker and our eyes met for a split second before I broke it off. He gave me a nervous feel in the pit of my stomach, I just couldn't put my finger on it. It was good and Terrible. Though I think mostly terrifying.
I handed ointment over to Harley. Apply this at least twice a day. Three times If it necessary. Clean it well to avoid infection too. Cover it if you and Joker are going to do things with explosions. You don't want any dust sneaking in this." Harley Jumped down quite acrobatically. "Thanks Jinxy." She ran over and hugged the arm of the joker into her chest. His purple jacket almost didn't seem to wrinkle under her pressure.
"Good night to the both of you." I waved them good bye and smiled. Joker walked over to me and pinched my cheeks with his leather gloved hands. They squeaked in my ears as the leather rubbed from from his clinched fists.
"Uh, See you later sweet cheeks." He licked his lips on the corner of his mouth as he typically did and walked away, but his eyes never left mine. It was as if he was trying to send an evil message to me. I locked the door behind my guest and breathed heavily trying to release any tension that I had from their un expected encounter. I put pajamas back on and looked back longingly at my bath. At least I had gotten clean. I reached into the bubbles and pulled out a the stopper.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH" My heart skipped a beat as the entire tub shattered and flung around the bathroom creating so much irreparable damage as I threw the stopper across the room. It was long black hair with flesh at the bottom of it. Horrifying, like something out of a movie. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I frantically pulled my blue hair out of my eyes. The stopper was just a cork... This happened to me when I forgot my medication. I quickly grabbed my bottle of Prephenazine and pulled out my pills. Yes, one of my darker sides. I suffer from Undifferentiated Schizophrenia. I haven't always had it. It came to me after Arkham days, but other than that I cannot pin point a certain time. I hated how the pills made me feel. My mouth was dry and it made me gain weight though I never wanted to eat and headaches. But the thing I may have hated more than taking the pills was not taking them. I suffered from waking night terrors with out them and for some reason, things got violent. It is as if the world around me reacted to my emotion or rather my fear. I walked back into the bathroom. "...Shit.." The room was an absolute wreck. There were holes in the walls the tub was shattered. Water from broken pipes leaked all over the tile floors that also seemed to be missing bits that mixed in with the rest of the damaged area. I had become quite handy in fixing these things. "Alrighty folks, time to saddle up and get'er done." I pulled out my best cowboy accent I could. I don't know why, I was just feeling a bit of cowboy today.
It took thirty minutes and two rolls of tape to seal up everything. I had turned the water off early but I just wanted to make sure that nothing was going to spring a leak. It took another hour to sweep up all of the garbage that littered my floor. It was Almost four by the time I hit the sack and I was exhausted.
Bright lights shown in my eyes as I laid on a cold hard table. At least I think it was me. I had that strange feeling as if looking on what is happening from a distance. Almost an out of body experience. Men in masks. They surrounded me. I wanted to run or scream, but I couldn't. My lungs would not let me. They flipped me over and I started to panic. My heart rate increased and but the rate of my breathing did not. I needed more air but was refused it. I tried not to panic to slow my heart rate down so that I didn't need to breathe. It worked for a second. I watched as my limp form was flipped face down. The men in masks began to cut into my spine, sticking in metal electrodes on to nerve endings. My body spazzed when certain parts were hit. 'Stop, please stop. I'm not a bad person. I don't deserve this.' I tried to speak it, but nothing came out. "Stop".
I shot up in my bed, sweat forming on my brow. The bed room was just as trashed as the bathroom now. I had a nasty habit of leaving a trail where I went. Looks like it is about time to move again before the land lord discovers what I have done. I got up and checked my cell phone that was in the kitchen. 10:32. I slept a little later than I thought but at the same time I was entertaining and cleaning till four. I went back to the room and threw all of my belongings into my suitcase. I didn't think I would be able to close it but once I moved some stuff to the my back pack, it eventually fit.
Next up I went to one of the few contacts on my phone and hit call. I needed to move my things away as soon as possible.
Ring... As it echo in my ear I tried to really think what I was doing. Ring... Harley Lived with the Joker, and I couldn't bring Shannon there ever. Ring... on top of that, he was the one man in this world that frightened me.
"Hello?" The voice was groggy, she must have still been asleep.
"Harley Baby, I need a favor."
She Yawned, letting me know how sleepy she was. "Okay okay, what is it."
"Great! You see, I made a big mess and I need a new place to live since this could get me put away for destruction of property and failure to pay. I need the car to help me move out furniture."
"Okie Dokie Artichokie." She hung up and I knew she would be here soon. With the spare time I had, I decided to pack the more fragile things like vases and pictures in boxes. There were silly ones of Harley and I in our early days working together. We knew we we're going to be friends. There were a lot of my family. The one I was most fond of was one of me and my father. I was on a pony at my 10th Birthday party and he helped to bring it around our back yard. I was so foolish. I basically ran away from home, and now I am too ashamed to go back. Most people in Gotham don't even know that Dan and Mary Jenks exist. Not even Harley has met my parents. Thats good though... They would be too embarrassed to see me now. Lost in my thought, I didn't notice the rapping on the door until the woman called my name.
"Lucy, open up, I brought the car." I quickly put the fame down and covered it to let her in. She stood there in her short red dress pajamas. The ones she wore when she was trying to seduce the Joker. "Good morning blue. Good too see you're still in your Pj's too."
I was and had no shame. I loved being comfortable. "Thanks for coming out here. This won't take too long. I promise."
Harley was sweet enough to help me get my things in the car. She was even smart enough to attach a trailer hitch enough for moving things. The Entire back seat was packed and so was every space available in the addition. But in about two hours we were off.
"So where is home this time Harley." She giggled and threw her hand up in the air of the convertible car.
"You get to live with me and Puddin' and the babies!"
I smiled. I get to live with my best friend and her pet Hyenas forget the crazy boyfriend, I wasn't going to live alone and I couldn't be happier. Oh, wait.
"Hey, Harlz, I'm going to make a quick phone call, okay?" Her blond hair flipped behind her and even without her makeup she wore a smile.
"Sure thing Jinx."
I picked up my cell phone again and called Shannon. It gave me three rings and then an answering machine. "Hey, you've reached the mobil phone of Shannon Mills, sorry I can't make it to the phone right now. But please leave your message and I will call you back as soon as possible thank you."
I ducked down to avoid the earsplitting wind in the phone and left my message.
"Hey, Shannon its Nurse Lucy. I just wanted to let you know that a lot of problems went down in my apartment last night. NO NO Not with you. I mean the plumbing exploded and there is water every where. Anyway I had to move in with some friends. If you need me, call me because I'm afraid you won't be able to walk to me. Eat plenty of the Vitamins I gave you and exercise often. Chao!"
I hung up the phone and sunk back into my seat hands crossed behind my head.
"You and I are going to have so much fun!" I said through bit of laughter. I meant it too.
"You said it blue, We are going to have a blast as the new queens of crime."
I blinked a few times. I didn't want to be a villain. I just wanted to live with my friend, not become insane. Arkham Asylum already believes me to have been top list cray-cray. They let me out for good behavior, but one slip up and I will be back. Maybe I was crazy. I can't even remember how it was I was there or what happened to me during my time there. Maybe its because of the pills. "Oh, wait." I reached into my pocket where I had put my medicine. "Time for another round." I swallowed the pills and one got stuck. I started to cough and Harley held out her bottle of coke with a little straw in it.
"Here you go. This will help ya." I nodded to her and said a raspy thanks before sinking into another coughing fit. I drank it gladly even if it was a little flat and handed it back to her. "Sorry about that. I almost forgot my medicine... Even if my medicine makes me forget me." She Put her arm around me in a playful way.
"Awww cheer up Blue. You and I are going to make so many fun memories together! YAHOO!"
We had a bunch of fun small talk on the way to our destination and once we pulled up I could not have been anymore underwhelmed by the building. It was an abandoned warehouse just as I had imagined in the deepest part of the slums of Gotham. Not even the police force would venture to these parts and the ones that did were corrupt. I knew that as well as anyone. This is where I came when I left Arkham so that people could forget about me, and with the Joker doing what he does, like murder and robbery It didn't take long for me to surface to the safer upper slums.
The car parked out back and I grabbed a carry on to bring inside. Harley opened the back side door and called into the dark warehouse. "Puddin, Company!"
I could hear Hyenas laughing and other than that it was quiet. They sounded precious.
Harley walked up some stairs "This way, they're four bed rooms up here but, only Mister J and I use two of them. (Sometimes one)" I caught that last part in a whisper but she didn't notice. She just continued. "You'll be in this room right next to mine. She opened the door and it was pretty plain, big but nothing special. Grey walls grey floors a bathroom in the back that was just as plain as the bed room. The light fixture had those awful fluorescent bulbs that give people headaches after too long. I knew I had my work cut out for me.
"this is Lovely Harley! I can't wait to get started." I threw my back pack on the table which was the only piece of furniture in the room. "I'll unload by myself if you have some where to go. I just needed to leave fast. The Land Lord would have killed me and I'm pretty sure they were involved with the mob. ."
Harley gave me a thumbs up. "Sure thing. Puddin and I were going to go get somethings today and I really need to go with him."
I started to walk past Harley. "Hey any chance I could borrow the car to go get some things?"
Harley was about to go back to her room when she stopped at the door. "Sure thing. I think Mister J and I are going to use the van tonight." She closed the door and I could hear her singing "la la la la." in the background.
The bed was probably the heaviest thing to pull up the stairs. Occasionally in the middle of my heavy lifting, a fire would light in me and it felt as if the furniture was pushing itself. I pulled my sweaty blue hair out of my face and sat in an old wooden chair panting a bit trying to cool down. Good thing I had changed into working clothes. "Okay, to the Home improvement store." Harley left the keys on the hook sown stairs, I grabbed it and drove full speed to the store. It felt amazing to be able to be free to drive. I pulled up at the stop light next to some jerks that felt the best way to get my attention was to whistle at me like you would a dog. I Pulled my sunglasses down to stare at them from the top of glasses and made kissey faces at them. This got them going and one of them was about to get out of the car. The light was still red but I saw an opening. As I screeched off, tires blazing, and shot them the hand signal of the peeved off. They didn't dare follow me through the traffic.
I had all of my things I needed. Paint, floor stick ons to make things look real when its not, furniture coverings, and tape and I even splurged on a nice, red, brown and gold carpet. I won't be able to splurge again for a while but I don't intend to move for a while.
Back in my room, all of the furniture was covered in a tarp and I was painting the walls a beautiful red sparkling color and the celling and crown, floor lining with gold. All of the wall decorations were gold as well with a bit of tarnish and I just had to wait for the paint to dry to put anything on the walls. by 1 o'clock in the morning I sat in the main area reading a book. "The Picture of Dorian grey." I had read it before but I wanted to read it again. It's story spoke to me, about how eventually everyone had to face their own sins no matter who they were and where they came from.
I heard a van pull up into a screeching halt. "Daddy's home." I Said mechanically without realizing the words slipped from my mouth. I could hear Harley trying to defend herself from outside "But Puddin' I swear it wasn't my fault' I had it and the the Batman got me."-
"No Harley! Quiet, thats the thing, you don't listen. Its like you are all mouth and not enough ears. When I say put it back, you put it back."
"OW, Ow ow."
I'm assuming that he grabbed her ears and pulled hard as I heard my friend whimper. I Threw the book down and opened the door open to the outside. I saw the broad back of the man in the purple suite and just around him, the red and black Jester. She and I made eye contact but she waved me off motioning me not to get involved. The Joker noticed this and turned to face me.
"Why, uh Hello there." He used his knife to pull his hair back as if he was flirting. "Tell me, Beautiful, What happens if you don't listen to your patients." Harley looked defeated and hurt that he would call me beautiful. I looked down at my feet, I didn't want to answer. I just wanted him to leave her alone. His leather gloves squeaked when he grabbed my chin " Look at me!" his voice dropped low and menacing voice and I was afraid. He grinned his sickly yellow smile, and from that point my eyes never left his. My soul dropped, at first he was normal joker and then it almost seemed as if his flesh was falling off. My eyes widened with fear as my hands instinctively reached out to hold his face together. I could feel the flesh falling off and sliding through my fingers starting at his scared cheeks. "aahh-ahh." Small gasps escaped my lips as I watched the horror. The lights outside began to shatter and the guns that the lackys were holding went off, three oh them were shot by rapid firing bursts. I looked around, my world was falling apart. It seemed as is snakes were crawling out of the bullet holes of the men and they were grabbing them by the head in attemps to keep the snakes from getting them. I slipped to the floor. Jokers flesh coming down in my hands as they trailed down his body. Trails of blood where I touched. I laughed. I couldn't believe this was my reality. The stench of death filled my noes as I looked at Harley for help. Her face distorted as she walked past me. I held on to the Jokers vest laughing and hiding my face into his pant leg. The smell of gasoline I was hoping would drown out the visions and his purple coat blocked out the world around me. I couldn't help but laugh, trying to tell my self everything was okay. Tears streamed down my face that I'm sure was blood but forget it. I felt hands on my face pushing cockroaches down my throat. 'Oh God.' I gagged but the hands basically pushed it down. and with that everything went black.
I was Back at Arkham, In my cell faced down on a ridiculously thin mat. So much pain. I wasn't wearing a shirt but had gauze and blankets all over me. So much pain I couldn't move. My head was turned so I could see out of my cell. Not many people came to where I was. Only the low of the low seemed to be down here. I don't belong here. I'm not crazy. I could tell a lot of time was passing. It was as If I was watching the sun rise and set. It had been weeks maybe even over a month. I was beginning to move. My muscles had atrophied from the time and I was as useful as a rag doll. My hair was longer, and shaggier with a dark brown color instead of my fun blue. I weighed close to nothing. I looked like death or somewhere in between. Poor me. I tried to walk, only to fall. "Silly girl, you can't start walking until you have learned to crawl." I was talking to myself. But at least I listened to my own advise. My hands gripped the door of my cell and pulled myself up to a standing position. And there he was. I was face to face with the Harlequin of hate. He was back in Arkham being escorted to a lower cell. "Well, well, well, a little behind bars. I didn't know I was going to the zoo, nurse. he he he he he!" His laughter rang through my ears.
I woke up in a different room than mine. Themed red and black with little Jesters everywhere. This was Harley's room no doubt. I sat up realizing I was already dressed in Pajamas. An oversized blue and white stripped tee-shirt and little black shorts. I had to pull up the shirt to check because the shirt made it look like I wasn't wearing anything. I checked a clock that was on the wall. 5:28 in the morning no doubt. I walked down the metal stairs mentally kicking myself last night for forgetting to take my medicine. I had to have a break down on the Joker himself, and "Oh, no." I thought about the men that were shot last night. I had hurt people again. At least I was here now, and if anyone was hurt, they were criminals and not innocent people. I went back for my book but it wasn't there. Must have been picked up by Harley. Time for water. The Medicine made me so thirsty I could barely stand it. I licked my lips and it felt like cotton in my mouth. The Kitchen wasn't much of a kitchen. It was a back corner of a room with a fridge, metal sink, oven with stove top and a few cabinets. The Sink had no dishes in it, looks like Harley was cleaner than I was. All the glasses were piled in the cabinets and I helped myself to one and filled it with dirty water from the sink. Oh, well better brown water than no water. It felt so good down my throat . MORE! My mind screamed it as I put the empty glass down and swallowed the pills that I actually remembered, and put my head in the running sink. My mouth opened to let in the water. I drank as half of it went down my face mixing in my blue hair. I could feel my mouth become less dry, but my thirst wasn't quenched after so long. It was pointless. It was maddening. This was what it was like to have to take darn psychological medicine.
"Dries you like a desert, uh, doesn't it beautiful." The Joker stood there in his Shirt and vest. His log sleeves were rolled up exposing his forearms that were crossed over his chest.
"With not even a hint of oasis." He chuckled. Water streamed down my cheek and onto my shirt. I realized my breaths were heavy as I had focused so much on water I forgot to breathe. "J-Joker." I tried to speak firmly but it just came out exasperated. He licked at his lips.
"Yes?" He leaned against the door frame.
"For earlier... I'm sorry."
"Shh shh shh shh." He came over and pinched my cheeks again. This time he was not wearing his gloves. I could feel his rough skin against my face as he looked at me with cold black eyes. (They were really brown but they felt as harsh and devoid of life.) "Listen. I know you've had a really bad day once." He licked the corner of his mouth. "As have I. We're not so different you and me. Just trying to get through a... really... bad... day." He walked away leaving me there to think about what he had said. There was no way he and I were similar. I helped people get better, he took their lives. The only thing we may have had in common is dry mouth. I got to thinking though. what was my bad day? I raked my brain and It must have been some time at Arkham that i just cat put my finger on.
"Wait, Joker!" I went after him to see him sitting on his large chair with a Hyena on each side. His bare hand rested on the head of one and the other held open a book. My book 'The Picture of Dorian Grey.'
"You know. I think I will get a Portrait of my self done. What do you think?" He outlined his face with the corner of the book. "I would look good painted over a fireplace. Nice velvet suit maybe even a pipe. What do you say?"
I chuckled "Read the ending."
"Pfft. You're right too over used. I'd lay on a lion's pelt" He threw the book behind him causing the Hyenas to stir. "So, couldn't get enough of me could you." He licked his mouth and looked up at me.
"What do you know about my bad day?" He burst into laughter.
"They really got you good didn't they." He stood up "You, you really don't remember a thing. Hahahaha Hehehehe Hohoho." He approached me as if he was going to give me a proposal. "Here is the deal... I will not tell you what had happened.-"
"Because jokes can't be explained..."
He wagged his finger in my face with a smile. "Nothing gets past you. But I will- I will tell you this. What they did to you... They made you what you are. " He smacked his lips again. "Bad things happen when you are afraid and then someone did the unthinkable and made you afraid of the world."
I stood there in silence. He was scary if you didn't know how to handle him, but that didn't mean that he still wasn't violent. The joker must have two eyes on him at all times. These people, I am sure were still at Arkham and If they were willing to scar me they they would scar others as well. This was a matter saving other people, It had to be about that and not revenge. I looked up at the Joker, "Will you help me?"
He smirked down at me. Only natural though he was about 6'2" and I was about 5'3". "Will I help you? What are the magic words?"
He was going to squeeze every and anything out of me. "Please help me Joker. You are the only one that can help me get answers."
He laughed like a mad man. "Now we are cooking with grease. But If you want my help, you bend like a tree to my rules." He stood up and seemed to be almost dancing. It was too late for me to notice that he was indeed when he grabbed my waist and pretended to formally dance with me. "This is going to be a ball. Hahahaha."
"W-whats all the noise." It was the New York accented Jester waking up from our noise.
"Oh Harley Dear, Come celebrate a new beginning." He grinned at her and she tried to smile but I could tell she was more concerned with who was close to her Joker. He stopped spinning me and face her laughing. "Well my dear, I am going to work on a little project . Tah-Tah." He walked off to his work room or what I am assuming is such. Harley came down stairs looking at me.
"What was that?" She wasn't too miffed because she knew I didn't want anything to do with the Joker but I don't blame her for wanting answers.
"I said I would help both of you out, in exchange for you helping me get my memories back."
Harley sighed in relief. "Good, you're telling the truth. Do you want breakfast?"
She was still good enough to know wether or not people were lying to her from her Psychiatrist days. That scares me a bit, but as long as you tell the truth, she trusts you.
"I'm actually not hungry right now. I just had my pills." Which I was storing in my pocket for good measure now.
I decided to help her cook anyway. I mean I'm sure she wanted to cook for the Joker so I might as well make her food. I mean, I was obsessed with my sickness, trying to figure out what caused it. Her sickness was her obsession. She would starve her self if she had to for The Joker's approval. The eggs and bacon sizzled on the pan as I stirred it around. I was making her an omelet and she was making bacon, sunny-side up eggs and sausage links all for him. My mind wondered to nerve racking places. 'What would the Joker have me do or worse, what would I become?' I wanted answers but I also wanted to be me. Not someone that deserved Arkham.
"I'll be right back Blue, I'm just going to give this to Mister J." she walked off with the plate of food while put her breakfast on a plat. I sat down with it at the table with a cup of hot coco in my other hand. It wasn't cold outside, it was actually rounding the end of summer but I couldn't resist the temptation of chocolate.
She came back, luckily not wearing her gift and sat down. I passed her the omelet which she accepted with delight.
"Awww thank you. You're the greatest." She smiled between bites and twirled her fork through her dish. "You know, maybe Mister J would be more excited about my cooking If I cooked like you did." She seemed defeated. I didn't like the way Joker made Harley feel sometimes. If she was happy, it was because she was obsessed and when she was sad, she was genuinely hurt.
"Don't say that! This place would fall apart with out you and Joker knows it! Who would feed the babies, wash, do laundry and keep this whole thing running smoothly." I pointed at her. "You Harley." She laughed happily.
"You know you're right." She finished her meal and stood up. "Come on Blue, lets go feed the babies." She went into the fridge and pulled out meat scrapings from pretty much anything and put it into a bowl.
"Yippie! I missed the babies."
