She gazed at the huge building before her. "Here it is, Arkham Asylum." She whispered to herself. She shuddered as the word "asylum" escaped her lips. That word just gave off such a harsh vibe. It just reminded her of crazy psycos and murderers. She didn't think she was "crazy" per say, just a little bit off. She knew that her mind was different from other people.
She continued to stare at the towering structure. She gulped. Her eyes drifted down to her duffle bag that was resting at her side. She had packed everything she needed in order to live somewhere. To live here, she thought. She began to get very nervous. "Should I really do this?" she thought. She looked back at Gotham, but harshly turned back to face Arkham Asylum. "No, this is where I belong." There certainly no turning back now. She had caused too much damage, and much too much harm.
She had sealed the fate of never returning to her old life permanently. She knew she would face a very harsh consequence if she did. She had decided to live at the asylum, and get the help she needed. She looked back at Gotham one more time, and remembered her family. As she did so she began to cry.
"Why am I like this? Why am I such a freak? Is being normal too much to ask?" she said as she buried her face in her hands. She wiped away her tears, and adjusted her duffle bag so that it was higher on her shoulder. She breathed in deeply before walking up the stone bricks towards the gate of the asylum. When she reached the gate her hand rested on the handle. "This is it." She said.
She pushed open the gate, and started to walk towards the tall building. When she got to the automatic door her nervousness escalated. The door opened and she stepped inside.
The waiting room was awash with a beautiful violet hue. There was a desk with a receptionist behind it in the far back of the room. There were chairs lining the right side of the room, and a water dispenser on the left. At the end of the row of chairs was a big eucalyptus plant. Two doctors chatted quietly by the water dispenser, while the receptionist typed on her computer.
She gulped and stepped towards the receptionist. She stood by her desk and waited. No one noticed her really. The doctors continued chatting, and the receptionist continued typing. She cleared her throat. Still no one paid any mind. She noticed a bell on the receptionist's desk, and tapped it. A quiet ring filled the room. The receptionist looked up at her. She began to look confused.
"Um, can I help you?" the receptionist asked.
"Uh, I'm here to check myself in." she said.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm here to check myself in."
"Ok. Where are your parents?"
"I don't have any."
"You're an orphan?"
"Yes."
"Ok, what orphanage do you belong to?"
"None. Now may I please have an entry form?"
"Hold on, do you have a guardian?"
She was beginning to get annoyed with the receptionist.
"Do you have any-" the receptionist was cut off by the girl slamming her fist against the desk.
"LADY I HAVE NEARLY KILLED THREE PEOPLE! I FEEL I AM MENTALY UNSTABLE AND AM TRYING TO GET THE HELP I NEED. NOW COULD YOU STOP WITH THE POINTLESS QUESTIONS AND DO YOUR JOB BY LETTING ME CHECK IN!?" she yelled.
The entire room fell silent. The doctors stopped chatting, and the receptionist looked at her stunned. She looked around at the shocked faces. She began to take her fist off the desk. "Please." She said. The receptionist looked at her once more before picking up her phone.
"Hello? I need to have someone escorted to administration to be checked in." the receptionist said. She hung up the phone and looked cautiously at the girl.
Suddenly, two guards burst from a door nearby. They were big muscly men with shirts that read: Arkham Asylum.
"We understand someone needs to be escorted?" one of the guards asked.
The receptionist gestured towards the girl, who was shaking. The guards looked at her confused for a moment before motioning for her to follow them. She went through the door, and was in another room that was lined with filing cabinets. There was another big desk up against the far left wall. The room was a fading baby blue. The men guided her to a small old lady behind the desk. She had thin rimmed glasses that connected to a chain around her neck. She was wearing a bright purple blouse, and had her hair in a bun.
"We need an admission form." said one of the men. The old lady nodded and gave the man a form and a pen. The man handed them both to the girl. The girl studied the form. She filled it out quickly. It looked as followed:
ARKHAM ASYLUM ADMISSION FORM
NAME (FIRST): NA
NAME (LAST): NA
AGE: 13
DOB: May 14, 2001
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER: NA
REASON FOR STAY: I have extreme anger issues. I randomly physically hurt people. I have very bad thoughts.
RESIDENTS OR OVERNIGHT: residents
She handed the form to the men, who handed it to the lady. The lady looked at it for a while before handing it back to the guards confusingly. One guard looked it over and had the same expression.
"Why didn't you put down your name or social security number?" he asked
"Uh, I don't have one." She answered. The guards looked at each other.
"I guess we'll deal with that later." They said. The girl felt awful about lying so much. First she lied to the receptionist about not having parents, and now she lied to the guards about not having a name.
"Follow us, we'll bring you to your assigned cell." said the guards.
She gulped before following the guards. She squeezed her duffel bag tightly. She followed the guards to a big double door. They opened the door, and she gasped. There were dozens of cells filled with inmates. Each cell had a thick layer of plastic covering the front of their cell, a door that unlocked and locked from the outside, eight tiny holes cut into the door, and a small opening that was locked. Every cell also had a small bed, a small dresser, and a small desk by the bed. The girl noticed that most of the cells had paint or marker on the wall.
All the inmate's eyes followed her as she walked through the room. She began to get more and more scared. Was she really going to be living with these people? They kept walking until they made a left turn around a corner. They were met once again with a double door. The door had a large label on it that read: JUVINIALLE WARD.
"This will be your ward." One guard said. They opened the door. There were just as many cells as before, but almost none of them were filled. There were only six late teenaged inmates in total. She felt happy with the lack of people. The guard led her to a large cell at the end of the row.
"This is your cell." He said. She stepped inside her new home. It was pretty big, certainly enough for her to live comfortably.
"We live by a strict schedule here. You must always be on time. We will give you your assigned schedule in a moment. Settle in while you wait." said the guards.
"Ok." said the girl as she began to open her duffel bag. One guard grabbed the strap of her bag. "Mind if I have a look?" he said sternly. The girl released her grip, and allowed the guard to check her bag.
"Alright, looks good," said the guard, "we'll be back with your schedule shortly." The guards turned around and left her cell. She watched as the guards locked her cell, sealing her off from the outside. She sighed and laid her duffel bag on her bed. She unzipped it and began to take out her possessions. She pulled out all the outfits she had brought with her. She went to the far right wall of her cell, where the dresser was, and put the outfits inside. She had only brought four, so she had plenty of room. She probably would've had more if she hadn't left in such a hurry.
She went back to her duffel bag and pulled out her brush and two ponytail holders. She noticed a mirror hanging on her wall. She walked over to it, and examined it closely. It was bolted to the wall, and had a box shaped plastic covering. She tied her hair up into two perfect pigtails. She smiled. She always felt better when her hair was in pigtails.
She was starting to pull out a pair of her knee-high pink socks when a guard knocked one the wall of her cell. "Stand up against the wall and put your hands on your head." The timidly did what they said. She put her back against the wall, and put her hands on her head. She was beginning to shake. The guards unlocked and opened her door. One walked up to her, and handed her a piece of paper.
"Follow this carefully. If you slip up, there will be consequences." He said. They turned around, sealed her door shut again, and walked away. The girl sat on her bed, and read what was on the paper:
Patient #563485 Schedule
10:00: Wake up. A bell will ring at this precise time.
10:15: Get in line formation with the other inmates.
10:30: go to the cafeteria.
11:00: finish eating, and head to the showers.
11:30: therapy, go to Dr. Young's office.
12:30: go back to your cell.
1:00: social time.
3:00: go back to cell.
4:00: take your assigned medication
5:00: therapy, go to Dr. Young's office.
6:00: head to the cafeteria.
7:00: go back to your cell.
10:00: go to sleep.
She finished reading the schedule. She sighed deeply. She didn't like the fact that now all her days is decided for her. Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her plastic cell wall. it was a new guard she hadn't seen before. Her opened the little door on her cell, and dropped in a pack of markers, tubes of paint, and paintbrushes. "You are allowed to draw on the walls of your cell, these supplies are non-toxic. However, if we catch you misusing any of these products we will take them away." said the guard. He walked away.
She picked up the supplies and set them on her dresser. She noticed she was very tired. All the excitement had worn her out. She looked over at the small clock placed on her desk: 8:30. "Well, looks like it's gonna be an early night." She took out her pajamas from her dresser, and put them on. She went and lied down on her bed. The bed was pretty comfortable, and the blanket wasn't scratchy at all. She closed her eyes, and drifted to sleep.
RRRRRIIINNNGGGG!
The girl bolted upright in her bed. Her entire ward was filled with an extremely loud ringing noise. At first she was scared, but remembered that that was the wake up bell. She reached over onto her desk and read her schedule. She had fifteen minutes to get up and ready. She groggily got outta bed, and opened her dresser. She pulled out a pink shirt with a blue smiley face on it, and a pair of skinny jeans. She quickly changed into them. Then, she went over and picked up her brush. She looked in her mirror and chuckled. Her pigtails were now all messy and crooked after having been slept on. She took them out, and redid them. Now her hair was in perfect, even pigtails. She picked up her shoes and put them on. Finally, she was ready. She tucked the schedule in her back pocket, and checked her clock: 10:15.
There was a loud, mechanical noise, and every cell in her ward opened. A guard walked down the rows of cells with a megaphone. "Listen up! I want you to line up nicely by the ward entrance door! Anyone that fails to do so will be met with the upmost punishment!" All the six patience in her ward walked out, and lined up by the door. The girl timidly walked out of her cell and followed. She was standing behind a big teenage boy. He looked about seventeen. He looked at her and scoffed.
"Ok! I want you all to slowly walk to the cafeteria in perfect formation!" said the same guard. He opened the door, and the inmates slowly walked through the doorway. At the end of the hallway was a big double door that was labeled: CAFETERIA. The door opened, and all the inmates poured in. the girl stood in the doorway and gasped. The cafeteria was huge!
The girl got very scared. The cafeteria was filled with tons of scary looking inmates. Each one of them looked like they could end a life without even blinking.
She began to shake. "Get a move on! If you go in late you might not be able to eat what you want. All you'll get will be what everyone else doesn't want." said a guard by the doorway. The girl nodded and began walking towards the breakfast line. There were large piles of trays on a table nearby. She picked one up, and began waiting in line.
Thankfully, no one really seemed to notice her. She waited and waited until at last she was in front.
"What would you like?" said a chubby lady behind the counter. The girl examined her options: scrambled eggs and bacon, mini pancakes, or a corndog with an orange.
"I'll have the eggs and bacon." she said. The lady ladled some scrambled eggs onto her plate as well as bacon. The lady set down a small milk carton on her tray as well. "Thank you" said the girl. The lady looked at her confused, but then nodded. The girl looked around the room. Many of the tables were already taken by inmates, but there was one small empty table in the far back of the room. She headed that way.
She was almost to her table, when she accidentally tripped. She bumped into a large, male inmate. None of her food got on him, but he still looked at her furiously.
"Hey! Watch where you're going or imma teach you why you should!" the inmate raised his fist. The girl set down her tray on her desired table. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I tripped by accident." She said. "I don't care if I pushed you myself! Don't bump into me!" a crowed began to form around them.
"Again, I'm sorry." She said politely.
"Are you back talking me!?" asked the inmate.
"No, I-"
"Cause it sounded like you were!"
The girl lowered her head.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you! That's it!" the inmate raised his fist and tried to punch her in her face. She dodged it. He tried again, but she ducked and double punched him in his gut. He gasped on impact. He raised his fist and punched her on the side of her head. He looked at her and growled. He did a triple punch at her. She dodged the first two, but was hit right in the nose by that last one. Blood trickled from her nostril. She felt it with her finger. She saw the crimson on her index finger and growled. All the inmates around her started laughing. She looked straight at the person responsible with a deathly glare.
"Awe, what're you gonna do about it little girl? I doubt you c-" he was cut off by being punched straight in the mouth. The girl struck him three more times on each side of his head. He was dizzy at first, but regained himself. He tried to strike two times, but the girl blocked both of them. He tried again, but she ducked and punched him three times in the gut. He grabbed his stomach, and she jumped and kicked him in the side. He spit out blood. The inmate stood up, his eyes were ablaze.
"I'll kill you, you mutt!" he was about to hit again, but was cut off by someone screaming "ENOUGH!" everyone looked around for the source. Suddenly, a man with white skin, green hair, and a red outlined smile walked up. "That will be enough from you." He said to the inmate.
"Yes, boss." He said. He looked back at the girl, who was breathing heavily and covering her nose. "I'll deal with you later." said the inmate to the girl. The crowd around them dispersed. She sat down at her table. Her hand was covered in blood from her nose. She was shaking. The man that broke up the fight sat next to her. He pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. She looked at him cautiously before grabbing the handkerchief. She pressed it up against her bloody nose.
"That was some real fighting." He said.
"Thanks I guess. He just made me really mad." She said to him.
"I didn't know someone like you could fight like that. You should be proud, that man was eight times your size."
"Well I took martial arts, kung Fu, and karate classes before."
"Wow, so you're quite trained are you?"
"I guess. I usually don't engage in violence. It's just- ugh. Well it's just-" she stopped and began to look sad.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Well it's just that when I get mad this beast comes outta me, and just hurts whoever is making me mad. I have these outbursts and just lose control. I don't even care if the person dies. Heck, sometimes I even try to kill them." She began to cry.
The man rested his hand on her shoulder, "My dear, that's nothing to be ashamed of. If someone is making you mad they deserve to be killed. It'll serve them right. You should never let someone do anything like that. You should make them pay." She looked at him. No one ever really tried to see her side of it before. She smiled and wiped away her tears. There was something about this man that just made her so happy. She felt so safe and understood around him.
"Thanks" she said, "No one has ever really cared enough to see my side before." The girl looked at him more and more. He looked very familiar.
She looked at the clock on the wall: 10:55. She gasped at her lack of time. She shoveled all her food into her mouth.
"I'm sorry, but I've got to go." She said to the man.
"No problem at all. See you at social time." He said.
"Ok. Hey, before I go, what's your name?" she asked.
"You can call me Joker." He said.
She smiled. She liked that name, but it too sounded all too familiar. She stood up and rushed out the cafeteria. A guard stopped her by the door to her ward.
"Where are you going young lady?" he asked sternly.
"It's my time to use the showers. Could you please show me where they are?" She asked politely.
"Ok, I'll take you there." He said. They walked through the juvenile ward until he stopped in front of a silver door.
"The shower is in here." He said. She thanked him and stepped inside. The room was all white. There was a shower stall on the far wall in front of her. There were two white fluffy towels on a rack. She opened the shower and saw a shampoo bottle, a conditioner bottle, and a bar of soap. She noticed a small clock hanging on the wall. She only had twenty minutes to shower.
She finished putting on her clothes. She had finished her shower earlier than she thought. It was only 11:15, so she still had time to re-do her hair. She stepped out of the shower room. A guard stood by the door.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"I'm going to my cell to do my hair, and then I'm going to therapy with Dr. Young."
"I'll escort you." He said.
He led her back to her cell. She quickly put her now only damp hair back into pigtails.
"I'm ready to go to Dr. Young's office." She said to the guard, who was standing outside her cell. He nodded and opened her door. He escorted her outside her ward and through many hallways. As they were walking she started thinking about that guy she met in the cafeteria. He seemed really cool. He was basically the only person who understood what she felt. He also made her feel strangely safe. He kind of seemed like the father figure she never had.
What was she saying? How can a man she just met mean this much to her? It doesn't matter if he seemed perfect, he still couldn't be. She had leaned over the years that trusting and getting attached to someone never works out. She wasn't going to even think about him anymore.
"Alright, this is Dr. Young's office." said the guard. She had been so enveloped in her thoughts that she hadn't notice them approach this place. She thanked the guard and knocked on her door.
A women's kind voice was heard from inside, "Come in!" it said. The girl opened the door. The room had pinkish- red walls. Bookshelves covered the right wall. A large desk sat in the middle of the room, and a big cushy seat sat in front of it. A pretty lady with green eyes and her hair in a bun sat behind the desk.
"Hello there. I'm Dr. Young. Please, have a seat." She said kindly. The girl sat down on the comfortable seat.
"I'll be right outside if you need me." said the guard. Dr. Young nodded, and the guard shut the door.
"So, how are you doing today?" Dr. Young asked.
"Fine." said the girl.
"It says here that you didn't put sown a name for yourself. Why?"
"I don't have a name."
"Are you sure? Not even a nickname?"
"No, I'm sorry."
"That's ok. Tell you what, you come up with a nickname, tell me it at your second session, and that's what'll be your name from now on, ok?"
"Ok."
"How is your stay here so far?"
"It's ok."
"Is your cell nice?"
"Yes."
"Have you talked to anyone, or made any friends?"
The girl didn't like these questions. They were boring, and seemed meant for a little kid. However, she pondered her last question. Was the guy she met, the one called Joker, considered a friend? Well she did talk to him, so maybe he did qualify for this question.
"Yes I did. I talked to this very nice guy during breakfast." she said after a while.
"That's nice. What was his name?"
"His name was Joker." she said happily.
Doctor Young looked at her very seriously.
"What did he look like?" she asked sternly.
"He had green hair, white skin, and red around his lips. We started talking, and he really seems nice. He really understands how I feel."
"I forbid you from seeing him again! He's very bad news. He may act like he understands, but he doesn't. You won't get anything good out of talking to him." said Dr. Young.
This made the girl mad. Why does she get to decide what she can and can't do? Regardless of what she said, he was nice. He was the only person in her life that really understood.
"I don't really appreciate the way you are speaking to me, Ms. Young." She said.
"That doesn't matter at the moment, what matters is that you promise me not to go near him! Can you do that for me?" said Dr. Young. The girl looked at Dr. Young and thought hard. She looked down at her hands, which were sweating from her frustration. Was he really worth losing just to fulfil some stranger's wish? The girl looked straight up at Dr. Young, an angry look of defiance on her face.
"No! I will not stop seeing him! He protected me today! He saved me from these animals! I'm not just gonna throw him away just because you want me to!" the girl yelled angrily. Dr. Young looked at her shocked. The girl started to loosen her body from its tense status, but quickly tightened it once more. She wasn't going to back down just because she was starting to go soft again. As the Joker said, she had beaten that guy up all on her own! She achieved this great thing from a side of her she loathed.
Dr. Young regained herself and folded her hands on her desk.
"Very well I suppose," she began, "but if he says or does anything suspicious you come to me, understand?" the girl nodded half truthfully. She wasn't sure if she would snitch him out or not.
Dr. Young smiled, "All right then, on to some real questions. So, it says here you are an orphan. I'm very sorry to hear that. Did you live in an orphanage most of your childhood? Sorry to ask this but it's important, when did your parents perish?"
The girl sighed. Great, more lying to do. She thought for a moment before answering, "Well my parents were gone since I can remember. For the first infant years of my life I was raised by a lady who worked at a soup kitchen. She had found me on the building's front step. She made me a nice little bed in the far back kitchen. She lived with her mother, who was very old and needed constant care. It was for this reason that she didn't take me home with her. After I got to the age where I could function alone, I believe it was about seven, I just lived on the streets. I lived in a tent I found, and ate whatever the soup kitchen served."
The girl finished her rubbish of a story. That was farther away from the truth than the earth was from the sun. She couldn't tell Dr. Young the truth, though. Or else her past would catch up with her. That was the least thing she wanted.
Dr. Young nodded, her index fingers pressed to her lips. "That's a very sad story. I'm sorry you lived like that, dear." said Dr. Young, "So tell me, why did you decide to come here?"
"Well I need help, that's why. I believe I have anger issues because whenever I get mad I feel this ball of energy well up inside me until I explode in a fit of rage. I can hardly control myself, and often cause the people around me much harm. I get mad to easily, and just want to destroy whoever gets in my way." The girl said as a tear began to roll down her cheek.
"Well anger issues may be the case. Considering your rough background, I wouldn't be surprised that you had this. Anger issues can come from a poor and violent childhood." Dr. Young said.
"Well there is one more reason why I came here…" said the girl. Dr. Young nodded to show her to continue.
"Well, I have these thoughts, and they're absolutely awful. I fantasies about killing people. Whenever people make me mad or I don't like what they do, I'll have these thoughts. They're almost like plans, to kill them. I even feel this way about ordinary people who I don't even know. It's like they're just little pawns that get in my way! " The girl's voice began to rise, "They're stupid, meaningless lives are pointless! Especially if they made me mad! Then, they deserve to die!" the girl stood up abruptly, which caused her chair to fall back. The girl was breathing deeply, he fists balled at her sides, her legs shoulder-length apart in a threatening pose. Her sparkling blue eyes were blazing with pent up rage, and were locked with Dr. Young's.
Dr. Young carefully spoke in a quiet, calming voice, "Sweetie, would you please sit down? There is no need to be angry here, I'm here to help you." The girl looked at Dr. Young. She rid away all the tension in her body once more. She picked up the fallen chair, set it upright, and sat down. As soon as she did, she began balling into her hands.
"I'm so sorry! I just can't control myself!" she said in-between sobs. Dr. Young looked at her sympathetically, "It's ok, I can help you. I'm going to prescribe you with some anger suppressing medication, as well as anti-depressants."
"I'm slipping away, Doc. I'm afraid the other side of me will completely take over." The girl said, as she wiped tears of her cheeks.
Dr. Young rested a hand on her shoulder, "I won't let that happen. I will make sure that evil side of you will go away." The girl looked up at Dr. Young, then to the clock on the wall. It was 12:30, time for her to go back to her cell.
"I have to go." she said. Dr. Young nodded. The girl stepped outside her office, and asked the guard waiting outside to escort her back to her cell.
She lay staring up at the ceiling from her bed. She had twenty-five minutes until social time, and was already board. Her eyes wandered over to the paints and markers the guard had left previously. She reached over and picked them up. There was every color she could think of. She began to get excited. She was never allowed to draw on the walls at home. She picked the pink and blue markers from out of their box. Pink and blue were her all-time favorite colors.
She opened the blue marker, and on a small corner near her bed, wrote the words: list of possible names. She wrote in small lettering, because she wanted to save enough wall for later art projects. She drew a line under the title.
She thought hard. Her mind was really drawing a blank. She wrote down what her old nickname back at home was: Buggie. She made a weird face as soon as she finished writing the word. Buggie really wasn't full-on name material.
She started to think harder and harder, but she came up with nothing. She shrugged and decided to draw a few designs. She opened the pink marker and drew a smiley face. She really loved smiley faces. Whenever she drew them she felt, happy. It was like all her life worries just blew away. She outlined the pink smiley face with the blue marker. She drew another one, but colored it the opposite way: blue in the center with a pink outline. She capped the markers and set them down. She sat back on her bed.
She sighed. She had lied to Dr. Young big time. The reasons she came her, and how she felt was true, but her life story she told wasn't. She laid her head against the wall. Truth was she did have a family and a home, but she threw it all away. She deeply regrets what she did. Attempted murder was such a harsh and serious charge; she basically had no choice but to run. She knew she needed help. A normal person would never do that to their own family. It proved that she wasn't normal.
She began to think about that guy again. She smiled as she lay on her bed. "I bet he would tell me I didn't have to be normal. He would tell me I was ok." She whispered happily to herself. She closed her eyes.
Suddenly, she bolted upright, and had a look of realization on her face. "Hey, Dr. Young never said my mental state was ok. All she did was call it "monstrous". Joker was nicer than her! At least he made me feel comfortable about it!" she said to herself. "Wait, does talking to yourself make you crazy too?" she thought as she put her index finger towards her lips. She got a happy look on her face, "Aw, who cares?!" she said in absolute glee as she fell backwards on her bed. She looked at her clock: 12:50.
"Hooray! Almost social time!" she said. She was getting bored just sitting in her cell. She sat up and sighed. She got up off her bed. She looked back. She looked at her bed with a happy smile. She pressed her hand against it. She lifted it up quickly, and the bed bounced with it. She giggled, and jumped up on her bed. She hopped up and down, laughing with delight.
After a while she laid exhausted on her bed. Something about that guy just made her feel so happy. Maybe it was his understanding, or the way he made her feel normal. She looked at her clock: 12:56. She yipped with glee. She ran up to her plastic was and pounded on it with her fists. "Hey guards, let me out! It's social time!" she yelled happily.
A few guards ran over. "Ok, I'll escort you, but don't get our attention that way!" one guard said. All her happiness went away. What had she done? She didn't mean to cause a problem; her happiness just got the best of her. She lowered her head.
"Yes sir." She said. The guard nodded, and motioned for her to follow him. He led her through more twisty hallways until there was a door that said: EXIT.
"Go straight out there." He said. The girl opened the door, and stepped out into the sunshine. It was a large grassy clearing with a very tall cement wall surrounding it. There were cement benches, and guards against the walls watching everyone. There were many inmates walking, talking, and sitting. She nervously walked around. She was afraid she was going to run into the guy she fought earlier.
She was walking when a hand grabbed her shoulder, "Hey..." the person said. The girl shrieked and turned around. She was met by Joker. She laughed, "Ha-ha you scared me." She said. The Joker laughed, "Ha-ha sorry about that. Here, come sit in the shade over here." He led her to a large bunch under a tree that was outside the wall. They sat down.
"So" he said, "have ya gone to therapy yet?"
The girl scoffed, "Pfft yeah. I didn't like it at all. All she did was ask me boring questions and insult me!"
"Yeah. Those therapists can be a real pain. Who was your doctor?" he asked
"Dr. Young." She said.
"Bleh can't stand her."
"Haha me either. Hey can you help me with something?"
"Sure."
"I need to come up with a name. People need to be able to address me, and they can't. I tried to think earlier, but I came up with nothing."
"Well, what do you really like?"
The girl thought. She liked pink and blue, but those were hardly names. Her eyes drifted down to her shirt.
Her face lit up, "Of course!" she said as she snapped her fingers, "I absolutely love smiley faces! They just make me feel so happy!"
He giggled, "Ok, try to come up with a name about that."
She thought hard, "Hmm Facey? No. Happy? No. Smile? Nah."
He face lit up, "I've got it!" she yelled with glee, "My name is Smiley!"
Joker clapped his hands, "Very good, that sounds like a good name." Smiley beamed at him.
"Hey can I ask you something?" asked Smiley.
"Sure." said Joker.
"Well, Dr. Young prescribed me anti-depressants and anger suppressers. I'm kinda scared of taking medication. What should I do? "
"You were actually considering taking them?!"
"Well, I…" she said nervously looking down.
"Don't ever take anything they give you." He rested a hand on her shoulder, "Why take the meds if there is nothing wrong with you? All they want to do is make you something you're not. By giving you meds they're taking away everything that makes you, well, you!"
"Hey, you're right! Why should I allow them to remold me into something I'm not. So what if I'm a little different? It's not their decision to decide who I am. I'm not taking my medication!" she said angrily.
"Yeah! That's the spirit! You don't have to listen to them. It's you that decides to give them power over you." He said.
"You know what? You're right! Why do I let them control me? Why do I act like such a coward? I don't have to obey them! I'm strong! I can take them! I mean, I beat up a strong thug with no sweat!" she said, standing up.
"You know what, kid? You have potential! I'm gonna make sure you use all of it!" he said, standing up with her.
"Hooray! From now on, I'm my own person. No one is going to push me around! My anger and thoughts are not bad, they're my strengths! I'm not going to let anyone tell me otherwise!" she said happily.
"Yeah! If someone stands in your way you…?" he asked.
"Make them pay!" she said triumphantly.
"Oh thank you so much Joker! You've helped me so much! Thanks to you I finally feel… happy." She said as she embraced him in a tight hug. He chuckled and lightly pushed her off.
Suddenly, the same man from breakfast came walking over.
"Well if it isn't this little tyke!" he said rudely.
Smiley grit her teeth, "My name is Smiley." She said through clenched teeth.
"Eh, don't be getting snippy with me, or I'll have to teach you a lesson again." He said threateningly. Smiley got a worried look on her face. She glanced back at Joker, and immediately got her confidence back.
"Bring it. When a baby acts up, ya gotta spank it." She said mockingly to the inmate. People started to crowd around them again. It felt so good to finally assert herself for once. She didn't feel like a coward anymore. She stared straight at the inmate.
"So, you just gonna stand there or are ya gonna be a man, little tyke." She spat to the inmate. The inmate growled and threw a punch at her. She ducked, and hit him in the stomach with all her might. He wheezed, but then tried to kick her while she was still in ducking position. She narrowly dodged it. She tried to remember all she had learned in her fighting classes. "Disorient the victim." she thought to herself. She jumped back up, and powerfully clapped his head in-between her hands. The inmate screamed in pain. His vision went blurry, and his ears were ringing loudly. She punched him straight in the nose. A crunching sound was heard, and he stumbled backwards. He sat up and glared at Smiley. He ran up and punched her on the side of the head. The force of the blow knocked her back. She regained her balanced just as the Inmate struck her in the stomach. She coughed. sputtered, and fell to her knees. She looked up at the inmate, who was now laughing in her face. She looked over at Joker, who was standing there with a judging look on his face. She had to do this; she had to prove she was tough. She got back on her feet.
"I've had enough of you! You ticked me off, and now you'll pay!" she screamed as she punched him with all her might in his already damaged nose. He screamed in pain, and she punched him twice on each side of the head. She then jumped up and kicked him harshly in his abdomen. He grabbed his stomach and hunched over. She uppercut him four times in his jaw. Her blows were coming so fast that he couldn't dodge or retaliate. He fell to the floor as blood poured from his mouth, nose, and ears. Deep purple bruised spotted his face. She grabbed him while he was down by the little hair he had. She started punching him repeatedly in the head. She was in a fit of rage, there was no stopping her. She smiled and laughed happily as she struck him repeatedly.
Suddenly, two guards came rushing over.
"Hey! Stop that right now!" they both yelled at her.
She didn't stop. They ran over and tried pulling her off of him. She kicked and thrashed wildly, but they finally got her off. One guards held her upper body, and the other held her lower. She kept thrashing wildly yelling, "Let me go right now!" the guard holding her lower half managed to take out a pair of handcuffs. He cuffed her hands and, using the other guard's cuffs, her feet. They let go of her, and she landed on the floor with a thud. She tried to thrash, but realized she was cuffed. She was breathing hard. All the pain of the fight came rushing to her. She hunched over her legs in an attempt to hold her stomach. Her head was also throbbing from his blow.
"You, missy, are going to spend your free time in a padded cell!" one guard said angrily.
She glanced over at the inmate she had fought. He was lying on the floor unconscious. Blood was pouring from most of his orifices. She scoffed. She looked up and saw Joker standing where he was before. He had an evil and happy smile on his face. He flashed her a thumbs up and winked. She squealed with glee and laid on the floor.
"Ok ok it's time to go back to your cells. Social time is over. I expect no more mishaps next time!" said one guard to the crowd of inmates around them. All the inmates left and headed back to their cells. Soon, the area was empty. One guard glared down at Smiley, who was sitting happily on the floor.
"And as for you," he said, "You will be heading to a padded cell until you show improvement." Smiley looked scared, but quickly got back her gleeful spirit.
"Whatever." She said as she shrugged carelessly. It felt so much better to be carefree and strong. She was always scared and nervous, but now, she felt confident in herself. She had the power to her true self, no matter what everyone else wanted. If being the real her meant spending time in a padded cell then so be it. She felt her old self slip away. She knew she was changing and she liked it. She was becoming what made her happy. She didn't care if her old self died right there at her feet. She was becoming a trouble-maker, and she liked it.
She sat in her padded cell. Her straight jacket was annoyingly tight. She was bored. She had already spent thirty minutes in there, and was dreading the next hour and a half. She began to let her thoughts wander. She thought back to the fight. She was so proud of herself for actually standing up to him instead of rolling over and being a coward. She remembered the look of happiness on the Joker's face. It meant the world to her that she gained his approval. He was the only on in her life that was actually nice and understanding to her, and the fact that she made this person happy meant everything. She wanted to make sure he was as happy as her. With all the screwed up stuff in her life, she enjoyed every time she made someone smile. He had actually given her some happiness in her sad miserable life. She felt like she owed him everything for that. His words and his presence made her feel so comfortable. She didn't know why she got attached to him so fast, but she did. She was determined to keep him too.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a guard opening the door.
"Since you cooperated with being put in here, and since you seem to have calmed down, we have decided that you will go back to your cell." He said, "Since this is your first outburst we have lowered the punishment. However, if you continue to misbehave we will meet it with full punishment. Got it?" he finished sternly. Smiley felt nervous again. She didn't have Joker there to keep her confidence. All the force and trouble-making drained out of her. She lowered he head.
"Yes sir, I'm sorry." She said quietly. The guard nodded and led her back to her cell.
When they got there he picked up his intercom, and spoke quietly. Smiley couldn't hear what he said, but suddenly another guard showed up. He had in his hands an Arkham uniform that she had seen on every other inmate, and two pill bottles. He laid it all on her bed.
"You are to wear this every day from now on. Also, take the prescribed amount of these pills every day. A guard is always watching, so make sure you take it only at the assigned time." said the guard. Smiley nodded obediently. The guards left and she picked up her uniform. It was an orange jumpsuit with the word ARKHAM on the back. She changed into it quickly. She looked in her mirror and made a face. It certainly wasn't her style, but she better get used to it.
She picked up the two pill bottles. She remembered what Joker said. She was going to stay true to her word. She looked outside of her cell, and saw a guard watching her. She had to be sneaky. She was prescribed one of each, so she took them out and had them in her hand. She went to her sink, and cupped one of her hands. She drank the water from her cupped hand and carefully put each pill into her mouth. Hey eyes stayed locked with the guard. She used her tongue to slip each pill under her tongue, and swallowed. The guard nodded and looks away. She had fooled him. She got out her toothbrush and turned it on. She pretended to brush her teeth. After she finished "brushing" she spit the pills into the sink. Instead of toothpaste foam, two pills came out and went down the sink.
She happily giggled. She looked at her clock: 4:10. She still had fifty minutes to burn. She sat down on the floor. She noticed the pink and blue markers and paints she had left on the floor.
She crawled over to them. She looked at what she had written earlier. She picked up the blue and pink markers and wrote "Smiley" underneath Buggie. She wrote it in bold lettering in blue, and outlined it with pink. She really did like her new name.
As always her mind wandered towards Joker. She was so happy she actually made a friend here. Her fears of rotting away here alone were gone. Her life long struggle of being alone and misunderstood was gone too. He seemed to actually make her feel happy. He actually had taught her more in one period than her real dad ever bothered to. Her whole life no one really cared about her. That is, until now. She chuckled. The nagging feeling of him being familiar came back to her. She knew him from somewhere, but she couldn't remember where. She had moved to Gotham less than a year ago, so she didn't know much about the city. She knocked on the plastic wall of her cell.
"Hey excuse me guards." she said one guard walked over.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Do you know anything about a man here named Joker?" she asked.
The guard nodded, "Yeah I know that awful criminal, why?"
Smiley was taken aback by his remark about Joker, "Uh ok, please don't call him that. Anyway, could you tell me why he's here, and what he's done in Gotham?"
"Ok I suppose. He's the biggest murder and criminal this city's ever seen! He constantly hatches awful plans to kill tons of citizens. He's the clown prince of crime! Luckily, he's always stopped by the Batman." said the guard.
"Thank you, sir." said Smiley, expressionless.
The guard nodded and walked away. Smiley sat on her bed to process this information. She remembered where she heard of him from. She had seen an article about him flooding a theatre with poisonous gas, and killing everyone there. She didn't have TV, so newspapers were the only way she got news back where she lived. She wasn't sure how she felt about this.
She sure thought about doing stuff like that, but she never did it. She thought he kind of looked, well, evil now.
She nervously chewed her lip. Someone as nice as him must've had a reason for doing so, he must've! Could she have really been attached to a murderer? She began to get worried.
She tried to reason with herself. He probably won't do it again, she hoped. Regardless of this new information she still was on his side. These where just the words of some random guard, he could be lying. She decided not to make a final judgment on the Joker until she got more information.
She looked at her clock. Once again it was time to go to that horrid women's office. This time, she won't let her break her down. She'll stand her ground, like she said. She hoped she was able to do it without Joker's help. She had a guard take her to Dr. Young's office.
She opened her door and sat down.
"Hello once again," said Dr. Young, "did you think of a name yet?"
"I did. My name is now Smiley!" Smiley said happily.
"Well that's a very nice name, Smiley. Anyway, I'd like to talk about what you did today, more specifically about what you did to Rodney."
"Who's Rodney?"
"He's the guy you saw fit to beat up today. Tell me, what caused you to lash out like that? He has a broken nose for Pete's sake!"
Smiley looked at Dr. Young shocked. Had she really broken his nose? She didn't think she beat him that hard. She was beginning to regret her decision. She wished she had Joker here, but she didn't. She swallowed and looked at Dr. Young.
"I didn't know I hurt him that bad, I just, well he just made me so mad. I lost all control and just exploded. I was trying to be less weak, and trying not to be pushed around. I guess I took it too far." Smiley said as she lowered her head.
"Yes, you did. Try to be more passive. Ignore what he says or tell a guard. Don't go beating the living daylights out of a person, ok?" said Dr. Young.
Smiley nodded.
"Ok, did you also listen to be about not seeing Joker?" asked Dr. Young.
Smiley looked down and twiddled her thumbs.
"Well I kind of, I just…" she started.
Dr. Young looked at her disappointed, "I told you not to go near him! He's a very bad person, and a very bad influence! He does nothing but make things worse! He will just cause a problem for you, Smiley."
Smiley began to get mad. Why does she think she can insult someone so caring? So what if he possibly made a few mistakes? She was tired of this.
She looked straight at Dr. Young, stood up, and put her hands on the desk, "Maybe you're my problem!"
Dr. Young looked shocked, but quickly regained herself, "No, I'm not. I'm here to help you. Your mental state will only worsen unless you let me help you."
"Just because im not exactly what everyone wants me to be doesn't mean my mental state is bad!" she yelled at Dr. Young.
Dr. Young calmly looked at her, "Smiley, please, don't make this get out of hand. Please sit down; I don't think you want any more time in a padded cell."
"You think threatening me will help?" by now, Smiley was in full rage mode, "How about someone listens to me for once! I'm not totally insane! Im just different from you identical drones! Maybe, if someone cared enough, they would ask me what I think or how I feel, but no! They just try to change me!"
Dr. Young looked at her confused, "Smiley, did you take your medication? You shouldn't be acting out like this if you did."
Smiley looked at her with a look of pure anger, "No, I didn't. Im not gonna let you strip me of my personality, and my true self. Yeah I got a couple of screws loose, but im not some insane psyco. I came here for help, but all you did was judge me!"
"Where in the world did you get an idea like that from? Ugh is Joker telling you all this? Smiley, he's crazy. Anything he says is wrong. He's trying to turn you against us, and it might be working. Please Smiley, will you stop talking to him? He will only make things bad for you. No matter what you think, he doesn't care about you or anyone. He's just lying to you. Please see it this way, Smiley." said Dr. Young sympathetically.
Is he really lying to her? It seemed every time she listened to him she got in trouble. In fact, she seemed to lash out more whenever she took his advice. She hurt someone badly because of him. She unknowingly broke his nose! Was she really being tricked? Was it all fake? Tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Maybe you're right." Smiley said sadly, as she sat down in her chair.
"He only causes me trouble. It's just; he was the only one who really understood me, the only one who cared. I guess it was just too good to be true." Smiley said, crying softly.
Dr. Young looked at her with worried eyes, "Smiley, I care about you. If you have a problem, talk to me not him. Now I hate to ask this at such an emotional time, but I have to help you as much as I can in our sessions. Why did you beat up Rodney?"
Smiley sighed, "Well, he was being really mean to me at breakfast. I tried to ignore him, but he persisted. He started to fight me. I was so scared, I just attacked. We kept fighting, and I got so tired of being beat up that I just used all my energy and lashed out on him. He kept getting up, though. He was gonna keep fighting until he hurt me badly, or worse. I thought I was gonna really get it until someone broke up the fight. The Joker walked up and saved me. Afterwards we talked, and I just felt so empowered. We talked more at break, and he really inspired me. You see, my whole life people have walked all over me; I just let them, because I was such a coward and I thought I deserved it. The Joker told me I don't have to let people do that to me, I didn't have to be a doormat. He said I was strong enough to make people pay for hurting me." Smiley started to get happier and happier, "He said I have potential. No one had ever believed in me. It felt so good that he did. Anyway, that guy came back looking for another fight. I was so inspired and so happy that I just lashed out I suppose. Oh man did Joker smile. I felt like the world was mine. I defeated the man who made me feel sad, all thanks to Joker." Smiley made a face of realization, "He said you guys are just mad, because im not how you guys want me to be. He said im the one who lets you guys push me around," Smiley stood up once again, "And ya know what? Im not gonna let you anymore. I can't believe I let your words get to me! Joker is a good man, he is! It's you guys that are bad! You guys constantly bully him for being different! And you know what? I hate people who are mean to innocent, caring people! " Smiley finished.
Yes, she was empowered; and possibly delusional. Most importantly, she was on a rage powered roll. She was not going to let them be so mean and uncaring to someone so special.
"Smiley, you can't possibly believe that maniac?!" Dr. Young said concerned.
"Oh I do, and if you would kindly stop calling him that I'd really appreciate it." Smiley said through clenched teeth. Smiley balled her fists.
"Now Smiley, please calm down." Dr. Young said worriedly.
"I will not calm down! And the next time you tell me to, try to trick me, or insult the Joker, there will be trouble." She yelled.
Dr. Young cautiously pressed the button that alerted the guards on her desk phone.
"Now please Smiley, we don't need any more trouble." Dr. Young said.
"Well since you just snitched we do!" she yelled.
Smiley reached out and punched Dr. Young straight in the face. Two guards came rushing in right after. Smiley tried to attack again, but her arm was grabbed by a guard. Blood tricked from Dr. Young's nose as the guards tried hard to subdue Smiley. Smiley yelled and kicked with all her might. Eventually, she was once again cuffed.
ran over to the guards, holding her nose.
"I can't take how unpredictable and violent she is! I'm assigning her to a different doctor!" she said.
"Oh now im the problem!? Did it ever occur to you that I act like this because you can't show respect!?" Smiley yelled.
"Get her out of my office! Now!" Dr. Young said sternly.
They threw her into the padded cell. The guards slammed the hard metal door behind them. Smiley tried to get up, but fell. Her straight jacket was even tighter than before. She was able to sit up, and scoot to the corner of the room. She rested her head against the wall padding. There was a small clock on the space above the door. The clock was positioned so high it nearly touched the ceiling. 5:45, it read. Smiley let out a long, annoyed sigh. How long would she be in here this time?
"Hello?!" she yelled. She wanted to ask the guards how long she would be in here.
"Hello?! Is anyone out there?!" She yelled once more.
She yelled four more times before she gave up. No one was planning on answering here, especially after what she just did. She smiled at herself. Punching Dr. Young. Wait until Joker hears about this. Neither one of them liked her. She couldn't keep her disrespectful mouth shut, could she? She forced her hand.
What was she going to do in here? she no-doubt had a lot of time on her hands.
Her rage from her encounter with Dr. Young had not yet bubbled down. She was still in the mindset of being unstoppable with fury. Her explosive temper was worsening. She was, in fact, being slowly consumed by the dark part of her mind. Each little anger provoking event would push her slowly over the edge if no one helps her. All the awful occurrences in her life have slowly deteriorated her mind. She was becoming a different person. The Joker was changing her. She always had this part of her in her. However, it never showed this much, until now.
"How dare those guards think they can treat me this way. They think they can just push me around. Well they can't!" she whispered to herself, "I'll beat them until they beg for mercy! I'll-I'll," she narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth, "I'll kill 'em!"
Thoughts flooded her mind about how it would go about. Thoughts like this were not uncommon for her. She didn't do it on purpose. Every time someone ticked her off her dark side would plot murderous revenge. If she was her normal self right now she would cry and try to push away the awful thoughts. However, she wasn't her normal self right now, far from it. No, she was a monster with a bloodlust that only rarely came out of her.
She closed her eyes, and imagined a tall, thin knife piercing their hearts. She laughed at the thought. She kept imagining more and more sinister ways of ending their lives.
She opened her eyes and yawned. She had accidentally dozed off earlier. She tried to get up, but flopped over. She had forgotten her current predicament. The straight jacket remained firmly on her. She sat up, and looked at the clock: 6:30. She gasped at the time.
She was supposed to be at the cafeteria by 7:00.
She yelled loudly, "Hello?!"
A guard came over, and slipped open a little window on the large metal door, "What is it?"
"Wasn't I supposed to go to the cafeteria at 6:00?"
"Yeah, you were. Since you felt it necessary to punch a Doctor, though, you will be spending the night in here!" The guard said harshly, as he slapped the little window shut.
Smiley sat there, mouth agape. All night?
Suddenly her chest felt heavy. Her heart raced, and her breathing intensified. She had punched Dr. Young in the face. Why did she do that? All that had just happened came rushing back to her. The hitting, the cuffing, the padded room, and worse of all: the thoughts. The graphic images of the knifed guards made her stomach turn.
Tears began streaming down her cheeks. The thoughts were coming at her in full swing. She heard the guards scream for mercy in her head. She shook her head violently and wailed.
"Stop it! Please, just go away! Ahhhhh!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
She was having a mental breakdown. She had only had two before in her entire life. Her head filled with screams, and she flinched as a headache filled her head. She continued screaming and thrashing about. She began banging her head against her padded walls.
"Please! Somebody get them outta my head! I didn't mean to hurt anyone! Oh my gosh they're dying! I'm so sorry!" she wailed in-between sobs.
More and more images of her killing the guards flooded the depths of her brain. Her head throbbed with pain, and her eyes secreted hot tears. She screamed at the top of her lungs.
Suddenly, two medics rushed into the room. One tried holding Smiley the best they could. The other prepared a needle. Smiley continued thrashing about and screaming.
"They're dead! They're dead! I killed them! Please take me to him!" she yelled.
"Take you to whom? Who's dead?" one medic said concerned.
"Take me to Joker, please!" Smiley pleaded.
She needed his comfort. She needed to feel like someone understood what she was going through.
"I don't think we can…" the medic said.
"Please! I'll calm down, I swear! I just… I really need him right now." She said sobbing.
The medic looked at the other one with the needle. The medic nodded at her.
"Ok, we'll take you to him. However, you will be cuffed at the feet and still in that jacket. If you act up, you won't like the consequences!" she said firmly.
"Ok, Ok I will!" Smiley said helplessly.
Her mind was still buzzing, and her head still throbbed. The medics helped her up. They attached a pair of cuffs to her feet, and led her to Joker's cell.
They arrived at his cell. He was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. The medic knocked on the Plexiglas wall.
He looked up and smiled, "Well look who it is! How's it hangin', Smiley?"
"Joker I… I punched Dr. Young in the face." She said sniffling.
The Joker started laughing hard, "You did what? Why?"
"She was disrespecting you! I didn't know what to do. She was making me so mad, and I just snapped!" Smiley said.
The Joker got an evil smile on his face, "Good job, kid! So, to be clear, you punched her because you didn't like how she treated me?"
"Yes! I was so inspired by what you said earlier. I didn't want her pushing me around!" Smiley was beginning to calm down.
The Joker's evil smile stayed, "So you listen to me, do ya kid?"
"Yeah I do. You actually have wonderful things to say. I don't like the way these people pick on you. It's not right!" Smiley said.
The Joker laughed, "Well kid, you actually did better than I thought. I'll see you tomorrow. I have many more things for you to listen to. That is, if you're willing to do as I say."
"Yes! Anything!" Smiley said.
"Hey! That's enough out of you two! Get back to your cell!" the medic said as she tugged at her straight jacket.
The medics began walking her back. The Joker smiled and waved as she left.
"Good kid," he whispered to himself, "She's got a lot in her. All she needs now is a little push. Haha she already does whatever I say," he rolled over on his bed, "Lesson two, target practice Hahaha!"