Skip The Charades
Chapter 1
Summary: Harper Lewis. Barista. Student. Friend. Victim. When the Joker takes fun in tormenting Harper, she has to make her decision. Stay strong, and hope to escape. Or die. But will there be a turn of events? A change of heart? Joker/OC
Disclaimer: I own nothing created by Christopher Nolan by any means, and don't mean any infringement while using his characters is this story. I do claim the plot and any original characters made by me used in the story.
Enjoy!
Running. Faster and faster until my legs couldn't carry me any longer. I packed my bags and ran as fast as I could to get away from the things that haunted me.
I neep help. I'm not okay. What have I done? I need to go.
My bags are packed, I'm sitting at the bus station, trying to escape my personal Hell on Earth.
The world spins madly on, regardless of how much I wanted it to stop and turn back. My name is Harper Lewis, and I was abducted by the Joker when I was twenty-three years old.
Let's take it back to a few days before that fateful encounter.
Winter break has just ended, and unfortunately I was back at Gotham University for the last of my sophomore year. I was studying to be a nurse.
"...Now I'm not saying he should be tortured, I just think the only way to contain this guy is the death penalty. I mean, come one, he's escaped from Arkham what, five times in the last three years? Who's to say he's ever going to stay in there?" I sat down at the table in the student lounge, just as Cassidy finished her rant.
"I don't know if we should go to that extent. Maybe if they put him in prison with a few of the thugs to teach him a lesson, but death?" Her boyfriend, Daniel, added.
"He's killed literally hundreds of people. I don't think roughing him up will help, the man's insane. Harper, what do you think?" They turned toward me.
"I'm not the judge. Don't ask me, it's not my concern." I said carefully. I didn't like the subject of the Joker, it always seemed when someone brought him up, he popped up somewhere else. He's the reason people check over their shoulders in the broad daylight. Cassidy rolled her eyes as I avoided eye contact and picked at my sandwich.
I threw my long auburn hair into a ponytail to avoid it being in my face, and started my lunch while they continued their conversation. I was very non-confrontational. And I didn't like the pressure of someone else relying on my thoughts on my shoulder. I was very ambiguous on the subject of the Joker, preferring to leave it where it was.
"Harper, you really gotta get a point of view here soon." Daniel commented.
"I have a point of view, thank you. I prefer to remain neutral. It keeps me from bickering like you two do every day." I rolled my plain brown eyes at them and continued eating. "Why are you even discussing the Joker in the first place. He's in Arkham, leave it at that."
But I knew that look Daniel and Cassidy shared. The worried look, the look people shared when they knew someone wouldn't like what they had to hear. I should have assumed he would escape. No matter how many times the Batman caught him, he always found a way out. He would plead insanity, and when he would be charged with escaping, he would say the 'little voices in his head' told him to do it, and his meds would be increased and he'd live comfortably for a while before escaping again. I simply took to almost never using my tv. It saved me money on paying a cable bill, and saved me from seeing things like that.
Slowly, little by little, the hope of Gotham City diminished. More and more people fled the city every day, but the optimistic and hot-headed people quickly took their place. The city was becoming out of control. Yes, organized crime was virtually nonexistent, but that didn't stop the insane criminals from becoming more and more dramatic and intense than the one before. Each trying to outdo the Joker. But the Joker wasn't to be outdone, and he made sure people knew that.
"Forget I asked." I said, taking a sip from my water bottle. Cassidy and Daniel visibly relaxed, from not having to break the news. "I'll call my mom tonight. She'll want to know I'm okay."
My parents were against me coming to Gotham. I wanted to because they have the best nursing program in the country, and I wanted to pursue a career here. Being a nurse was always an aspiration for me, but in a small town in Ohio, you can imagine there weren't many opportunities for it.
I was motivated even further, after arriving right after the Joker's first attack on the city, when he blew up the hospital. Right away, before I even had a place to put my head, I signed up for volunteer clean up, and met the chief of staff, who offered to pay my first year in schooling, and a place to stay while we worked on cleaning up the ashes of the former hospital.
That's where I met Cassidy. She's the chief's daughter. We became friends fast, although I'm unsure if it's because we like each other or because we were forced to since I was staying with them. Cassidy works in Wayne tower, for one of the many board members, and forever brags about seeing the Bruce Wayne once during a meeting.
I, personally, don't understand the big deal Wayne has become, but then again, I only just moved here, where most people had lived here their entire lives.
I checked my watch and realized I would be late for class if I didn't stop reminiscing. I stood up and straightened my powder blue scrubs, waving bye to Cassidy and Daniel.
"Hey! Where are you going!" Cassidy hollered to me.
"Basic nutrition. Same as every week." I answered, walking backwards.
"Meet me here after, we're going out tonight!" I gave her a thumbs up to affirm and turned to jog toward class.
The lecture was boring, and I was restless. This year felt like it was dragging on and on, school wise. I was failing my Chem. class, science was never my strong subject. It was real smart of me to go into nursing, in that case, right?
I've done some bad things in my past, things I'm not proud of. I feel like I could get my life under control if I helped other people. Sure, sitting in an office answering phones and typing all day would be less hectic and difficult, but nothing could beat the satisfaction of helping save a life.
I packed up my things as the lecture wound down, and met Cassidy and Daniel back at the cafeteria to go back to the Sanders' house. Amazingly enough, Cassy and Daniel weren't bickering when I met them, it's a wonder they're even together with how much they argue.
"What Cassidy Sanders and Daniel Fields not arguing?" I asked. They rolled their eyes at me and started toward our cars. "Hey, I'll meet you guys at home, I have to pick up my schedule at work."
"Say hi to Tom for me!" Cassidy said sarcastically, I glared. Tom was my very...enthusiastic co-worker. Needless to say, he had a bit of crush. I don't like to talk about it. If I'm to be honest, I don't even know why he likes me. But I can't tell Cassidy that, or she'd just lecture me. Again.
As I climbed into my blue, woody Jeep Cherokee I turned on the heater full blast, shuddering at the cold leather on my jean-clad legs. My Jeep was my baby. Randy had gotten me here and had survived most of the awkward years of my later teens. I bought and paid for his insurance, my parents instilling the responsibility of being self-sufficient almost every day, and I appreciate them for it.
Honestly, I would walk, but it was getting colder by the minute, and the snow was covering the sidewalks. Gotham winters are more severe than Ohio winters, suffice to say. So, I drove the three blocks to The Java Spot, where I worked as assistant manager while I went to school. I watched the buildings as I drove by, it seemed every inch of Gotham was developed. You had to travel three miles out of the city to see a glimpse of real grass. I loved the city, but I had to get out every once in a while.
"Hi, Marley. I need my schedule, is it ready?" I asked my active manager. I liked her, she was like my big sister that I never had.
"Hi baby doll, right here." She handed me my slip of paper and I rushed out to avoid Tom, if he did catch me, I left my car running as an excuse.
"Hey! Harper! Wait up!" Tom came running out of the break room. I sighed and took my hand off the door handle, putting on my most sincere smile. It's gotten better since he started persisting to talk to me, every. Five. Seconds.
"Hi, Tom. Just came to get my schedule. I really should get home."
"Well, hold on a minute. I was just gonna ask what you were up to tonight, I get off in a couple of hours and I was hoping we could go see a movie or something." And here come the puppy eyes. I resisted rolling mine. My eyebrows scrunched up and for a second, I was even convinced that I was letting him down easy.
"Sorry, I have other plans, I would honestly. I really have to go though, my car's running. See you tomorrow." His demeanor physically deflated. He mumbled something and walked away, Marley looked at me like I kicked a puppy. I shrugged, waved, and exited the building. Really, I probably would date Tom. But it's just not the time for me, I'm focused on my career, and I don't feel like I'm completely healed from the past yet. Tom could get any other girl in the city, but for some reason, he chose me. He was ruggedly handsome, an unusual attribute in this city. He had the blond hair, and the sea green eyes. He was a cage-fighter-in-training, so he was in shape. But he was nagging and doesn't understand personal space.
I slowed my pace to my car as I saw a hooded man standing near it, thanking the high Heavens that I had thought to keep my purse on me. I learned that the hard way when I first came to Gotham. You can't leave your purses in gas stations like you could at home. He looked up just as I had stopped about twenty feet from him.
"Oh, sorry miss, I just saw your door open and was worried. You gotta be careful in a place like this." He said innocently, a little too innocently. But I was too freaked out to notice. His voice was an odd combination. It was low, but it had a nasally rasp to it.
"Oh, well thank you. I was just picking my schedule up from work, and didn't think I would take so long." Stop talking! I admonish myself, there's another thing you have to be careful about. Conversing with strangers. Back home, people say hi when you pass by. Here, people avoid eye contact like a disease. You just never know who's the wrong person to mess with.
"You have a good night, miss." He said before walking away. I let out the breath I wasn't aware I was holding and looked through my car before getting in, not for stolen items, but for harmful items.
"That was weird." I murmured to myself. I have a very bad habit of talking to myself. I check my phone before heading out, and see that I missed a text from Cassidy.
We're going to dinner, meet us at Gotham City Nights. - Cassy
I put my phone in the handle well of my door, and started out toward home. I still lived with Cassidy and her parents, they welcomed me as their third child- including Cassy's brother Dominic- and I figured it would be cheaper than getting an apartment.
I went back to the house, showered, and put on a black mini dress and zebra print flats, foregoing make up for the night. I threw on my heavy coat, gloves, and scarf and made my way out into the heart of the city.
"Well, boys, I think it's high time we add another onto our cozy family." A painted face spoke to his dutiful followers, who were looking rather uncomfortable. The Joker looked at his rag-tag army expectantly, waiting for a response.
"Yeah, just, uh, say the word boss and we'll grab someone." Shawn, the man who would be considered the Joker's right-hand man if he wasn't so moody.
"No, no, no. You guys always know how to mess any little thing I give you up. I'll find them myself." He said mischievously. But he already had someone in mind. And one way or another, she would be his toy. He smiled at the thought.
A/N: Hey all! I decided to try my hand at another Joker story, sufficient to say I've given up on Raven, I've just lost my inspiration and I don't like/know exactly where I was going with it. Although, I am still working on my sequel to Not Another Love Story, so we'll see about that. XD
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. This is just the first chapter, and I just wanted to publish to see if I should even continue so, if I get some good feedback, I'll continue but I haven't started on the 2nd chapter so if I don't get feedback I'll stop.
And another thing; if I do end up continuing it could be a while until I publish the second chapter, just so you all know.
Thanks for reading! Good? Bad? Lemme know!