~Jayden~

I was just about ready to fall asleep, as were most of the other graduates. Up at the podium, a 21-year-old girl named Clover talked, giggled, and, usually, rambled through her speech. She brushed her platinum-blonde hair away from her eyes for the 23rd time (I'd been keeping a mental tally) and proceeded with what we all hoped was her conclusion.

"And so, after all the crises and struggling that came with getting us here...we're finally on our way to our bright, sparkling future!" I tried to keep myself from rolling my eyes, but judging from the look my friend Feather shot me from a few seats down, I'd failed. "She has to put sparkles in everything!" I hissed through gritted teeth. The four or five people between us either shushed me or nodded, depending on their own opinions on Clover. Feather just smiled, her blue eyes shining.

"I know, just deal with it," she whispered back.

"Congratulations, class of 2012!" Clover shouted. Most of us weren't expecting such an anticlimactic ending, and it took us a few moments to realize we were supposed to rise and clap. When the class finally did, it was with so much cheering and clapping one would think we'd done something...well, a lot more significant than listening to a disorganized speech, for one thing. Clover, thinking that we were cheering for her, instead of the fact that the speech was finished, took several bows.

"Thank you, thank you!" She called, soaking up the attention like sunbeams. "Good job, and good luck!" Pretty soon, everyone started spilling out of the doors, wanting to be the first to drive away from Gotham University for the last time. Feather gave me a huge hug, which was surprising considering her wispy look. She was small, delicate...a lot like the feathers she was named after.

"Good luck, Jayden," She said to me, fiddling with her blonde braid. There was a whole three years separating us, but I saw her as both a best friend and the big sister I'd never had. "Be careful," Considering where we lived, the warning was completely necessary. Gotham City was always proving dangerous to everyone, no matter who they were. "You too," I replied, although Feather had definitely chosen the safer career path. She had gotten a job as an art teacher down at the elementary school, and kindergarten-through-sixth graders were about as safe as you could get.

"Jayden! Feather! How did I do?" Clover hollered, pushing her way towards us.

"Great, Clover!" Feather replied enthusiastically, giving me a pointed look.

"It was a good speech," I said, forcing a smile.

"Did you write it on your own?"

"I sure did!" Clover said proudly. I gave her a crooked smirk in reply.

"Yeah, I could tell," Clover beamed.

"Thanks!" I burst out laughing at the fact that she definitely hadn't gotten my real meaning. Feather, on the other hand, did, because she elbowed me in the ribs. Hard.

"So, where are you going after this?" She asked pleasantly while I tried to rub away the pain.

"I'm going into professional cheerleading. I might even be on TV!" Clover said. Feather nodded, apparently impressed, but I just stood there. In my opinion, cheerleading automatically reduced your IQ by 100 points. And while I might be okay after that, Clover, on the other hand...

"I'm working down at the elementary school. I'm their new art teacher," Feather replied, answering a question I hadn't heard. After a quick glance at the clock—11:13 at night—I tried my luck slipping out the door unnoticed. Social skills weren't really my strong point.

"What about you, Jayden?" Clover asked, grabbing my wrist and pulling me back over to where they stood. "I mean, you were taking a ton of psychology courses this whole time..." I sighed; there was only one reason why anyone would major in psychology. Or, in my case, psychopathology.

"I'm thinking of working at Arkham," I said as casually as I could. Clover's bright smile shrank by a few teeth.

"Oh," She said, finally allowing her lip-glossed smile to fade. "But why?" The question threw me for a loop. Why was I possibly throwing away my sanity for this job?

"I have no idea," I admitted, and the words scraped my throat and a few layers of my pride. Clover, of all people, had asked me a question I didn't know how to answer.

"You don't know why?" She asked in surprise.

"No," I said miserably. "Something to do, a way to prove myself, I guess," I stood there awkwardly for a moment until Clover suddenly reached over and pulled me into yet another hug.

"Well, be extra careful, okay?" She asked quietly. "Don't want you turning into another doctor-gone-rogue, do we?" Truthfully, that was what I'd worried about at first: turning into another Harley Quinn. But then I'd thought about all the walls I'd put up around myself, and that anxiety was pretty much gone.

"I won't," I said, accepting the fact that Clover was actually, genuinely, concerned about me. She nodded, reverting back to her bubbly self almost instantly.

"Happy graduation!" She cried, skipping off in a way that made her look nine years old.

"Thanks, Clover!" Feather called after her. I yawned a bit theatrically, but it seemed to do the trick.

"I'm gonna head home tonight. I start work tomorrow,"

"All right, Jayden," Feather said, a concerned smile on her face. Lordy, I was going to get tired of those looks. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"That sounds good," I said, smiling. After one last hug, I walked out of the stuffy gym towards my cobalt-blue car. A cold midnight wind ruffled through my hair, which I'd worn straight down my back for once. Feather had spent an hour and a half curling it into multiple ringlets that tumbled down my back, and I had to admit that it looked very pretty. Starting my car, I drove away from GU and was surprised to find that I really did feel the significance of this simple action.

The next day, I woke up to hear the alarm clock blaring out music from a radio station I couldn't name. Whatever it was, it was catchy and was the only reason I chose not to hit the snooze button. I checked the blue display, which read 7:15 AM, and sat in bed until the song ended. Then, I kicked off the dark blue sheets, took a quick shower to wash out my curls from last night, and got dressed in a pair of jeans, a dark blue shirt, and a pair of tennis shoes. It seemed way too casual, especially compared to what the other doctors seemed to wear, but I had talked to Dr. Leland about it and she'd said it was fine. The time was 7:50 when I'd rushed out the door, trying to make it before 8:00 and knowing that I'd probably fail.

~Dr. Leland~

I knocked on Dr. Arkham's door, needing to talk to him about the newest doctor-on-board.

"Come in," Came the gruff reply. I walked inside, closing the door softly behind me.

"I had a question about Dr. Tempest," Dr. Arkham looked at me blankly. "Jayden Tempest? The 19-year-old doctor who just graduated?"

"Ah, yes. The one with the exceptional grades. Some might even say genius,"

"Yes, her," I said. "Have you decided who her patient is going to be?" Dr. Arkham nodded before digging in his file cabinet.

"I believe I have," he said. "But you won't like it." At this, I tensed. Who had he set up for her? Not the Joker, certainly; we had all learned that lesson already. The folder Dr. Arkham had chosen was extraordinarily thick, which told me that it was a max-security patient. The name that I saw next proved Dr. Arkham right; I didn't like this decision at all.

"Isn't there anything else?" I asked him.

"It was either that or Crane. All the milder patients are already gone, of course,"

"Then why not give one of the more-experienced doctors this file? Switch them out so she has a patient more suitable for a beginner?"

"The last time I tried that, he drove Jorgenson crazy. Literally, I believe," Of course, he was right. Lucas Jorgenson was the last doctor to be put on this patient's case. He was wheeled into his own cell, babbling like an idiot, three weeks later. "Besides, the girl's intelligence speaks for itself. She could easily match his,"

"Which results in a challenge, which results in him trying extra hard to either force her to quit or drive her insane. Or simply kill her if he breaks out again." I responded, fighting so hard to spare the girl's life I could taste it. She had her whole life ahead of her, and I wasn't willing to force her to throw it all away for this patient; he'd eat her for breakfast. But in the long run, I really didn't have a choice but to go along with this decision.

Grudgingly, I picked up the folder, the motion feeling like I was throwing Jayden's sanity to the floor so I could grasp the folder.

"You understand why this must be, don't you, Joan?" Dr. Arkham said gently. "Between an obsession for riddles and an obsession for fear, I assumed that the former would be safer. Even though that may not be saying much,"

"I understand," I said flatly, striding out of the office. "All right, Mr. Nigma," I muttered under my breath. "You do anything to Jayden Tempest, anything at all, and I promise you that your position will get a whole lot worse," Did I think Jayden had a chance? Possibly, if she was as smart as Arkham said she was. Would that chance last long?

Sadly, no. I doubted that.

Just like everything else...I don't own Batman, or anything associated with him. But it'd be pretty cool if I did.

Anyways, with this story comes a bunch of new characters of mine, Jayden, Feather, and Clover being the first. Be prepared for multiple viewpoints throughout the story, and, as always, reading and reviewing is appreciated. Thank you for being patient with my sporadic updates and finicky writer's block, and I hope to see you next chapter!