EDITED: Hello, I am going back and editing my work, so I would appreciate any feedback you have to offer. I hope you enjoy the story, and thank you for reading!
1: The Drenched Stranger
"So what are up to this weekend, Rose?"
"Just relaxing," I smiled back at my boss, a woman of grand stature who has always been nice to me. "What about you, anything big going on?"
"You mean besides putting this case together for trial? I have a charity ball to go to, the Wayne foundation is throwing it, you are more than welcome to come too if you want?"
"Oh no, I will be fine kicking back watching TV."
"A beautiful young girl like yourself? What's keeping you from going out for nights on the town?"
"I will soon, I promise." I laughed. She walked back into her office chuckling to herself.
My walk home from work was strange, the clouds appeared much more menacing than they normally do, even in this city. The streets are calmer than they were a year ago, before Harvey Dent was killed, and thanks to the Batman. Even in this part of town it was reasonably safe. I walked up to my front door. My apartment isn't much, and they only reason I can afford it is because of its proximity to Arkham Asylum; the facility was located just across the river that ran several feet behind my back fence. I have tried to make it as charming as I can, with a few potted flowers by the front door, and I have repainted the whole place bright happy colors thanks to my lenient landlord. The kitchen area was a sky blue, the living area was sunshine yellow, the bathroom I ended up going with the same blue as the kitchen, and my bedroom was a deep purple. There is a small bookshelf filled with books besides a small fireplace. A comfy armchair with a reading lamp sat adjacent to the shelf. Above the fireplace there was a medium television, and a cabinet to the side with the cable box and DVD player. Directly in front of the television is a large auburn couch and a coffee table. My bedroom is very basic; a queen sized bed with a nightstand and a dresser, along with a nook in the corner with a desk that I use as a workspace. I have a small dining table in the kitchen that comfortably fits two, even if no one is ever around for dinner. The main reason I bought my apartment is that I have a back yard. It isn't much more than a square of grass, but it's more than most people get in this city. I share the place with my cat, my main source of companionship. The only other people I see, besides at work, is my family. Every other Sunday I visit my parents house up town, they are always glad to see me and I am always glad to see them, one day I will be able to afford a place closer to them, but for now I will grind. Work and school and work and school. They offered to help me out financially, but I wanted to do it myself. My dad told me when I refused his help he wasn't surprised. "If anyone can make it out there on their own its you," he told me the day I moved out. I had a younger sister who went out of state for college, she only came home once since she went away, and she was busy enjoying her life far away from the problems of Gotham. I turned the key and entered.
My cat greets me with a loud meow as I walk in the door, "Hello my sweet Kitty, I have missed you all day." We sat for a few minutes as I scratched her forehead and rubbed her tummy. "I got to take a shower, you behave and when I am done we will pop in a movie." I plopped her down on the couch next to me and headed to my shower. I always looked forward to a hot shower after a long week at work, there was something about the almost searing water that just burned away the stresses. I stood under the water for a while and let my thoughts wander. I was genuinely happy for the first time since… I can't think about that. I was happy, I only had one more semester of college and then I would be off trying to get a job that paid better than my secretarial position. There was so much I could do with an English degree. Maybe I would teach, or write. I would love to become a writer. I had so little happen in my life though, not enough experiences to provide good stories. Maybe I would become a reporter or something along those lines. Loads of possibilities waiting for me after summer and then the semester. I shampooed and then cleaned my skin. Then I stood for a while longer just letting the water wash over me. I wanted my life to be a little more exciting than it was now, graduation would help. I dried off glancing in the mirror for a moment, surveying my body. Since I stopped taking the cabs and started walking to work and watching what I ate I had lost a good twenty pounds. My abs were beginning to show under my skin, and I no longer had the cellulite on my legs. It had been hard, but it had been worth it. I brushed through my long blonde hair and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top and curled up on the couch with Kitty. I must have dozed off before I even turned on the TV because I was woken up by a thud.
I stood up immediately and looked at the source of the noise. My window was forced open and a lanky figure in an orange jumpsuit clumsily falling into my apartment. He stood up. My first impressions were that this man was tall; the sogginess of his jumpsuit hugged it tightly against his form showing me that, although clearly an escaped prisoner, he was very fit and very attractive.
"Hello," was all I could say when our eyes finally met, partially because I was so startled, and in part because he was strangely handsome regardless of his facial scars. He too seemed startled, but his response was to descend into a cackle of a laugh. I realized then exactly who he was, the Joker, the stuff of nightmares, a mad man on all accounts, a complete psychopath. I was faced with a weird situation, how do you treat the most dangerous man in Gotham? Here he was, handcuffs still in place, drenched from the swim across the channel, a man who has hurt so many, but still survived and managed to escape the most highly guarded facility in all of Gotham. There was only one way that I could ever approach this.