Bruises. Broken bones. Bloody noses. His parents thought he was just clumsy. Eventually he stopped trying to tell them otherwise.
Screaming. Waking up in a cold sweat. Horrible nightmares. It didn't take him long to stop running to mommy and daddy every time he had one.
Binary. Lines of data. A beautiful escape from the horrible, torturous world around him, where his intelligence wasn't a hindrace, something to mock, but a gift.
His music. A way to slip out of his worries, his responsibilities. A way to block out his parents screaming, whether it be at each other or at him.
Tattoo's. Longer hair. Makeup and bleached skin that made him look undead. His parents were furious. After a while, he stopped caring.
Money. Comfort. A roof over his head. Things he gave up for freedom.
Fur. Claws. Friendship. Woof was fightening, that much was sure, but he was a friend. Something Ghoul had never had before. Someone who would be concerned when he woke up sceaming in the middle of the night. Human or not, it was nice.
Lying. Cheating. Stealing. The Jokerz were a far cry from a family, but it was somewhere he was wanted. Needed, even.
Evil grins. Insanity. A laugh that could melt flesh. His boss, the Joker, back from the dead. He hated the Joker, but what choice did he have? If by some miracle the Joker didn't kill him, he had nowhere else to go.
Pain. Humiliation. Meaningless battle after meaningless battle. He had some bad experiences with fighting before, but this was worse than ever. He would endure it, though, to stay with the Jokerz. As much as he hated the Joker, it was the only home he had.
Defeat. Failure. Prison. Batman had gotten the better of him. Now he was alone again, more alone than he'd ever been before. He didn't even know what had become of Woof, because they wouldn't let him see him, afraid that if he were to see any of his former teammates, he might try to escape.
He didn't really regret his life. Except maybe joining the Joker. He just wished that things had turned out a bit differently.
But Fate had never been kind to him.
Why should it start now?