Hey guys, sorry this took so long. Life is a thing that I need to worry about with college, work and family. Try to be patient with me.
WARNING! This chapter mentions cutting and suicide attempts. It's not very detailed, or at least I don't think it is but just be prepared if you still wanna read and be sure to take care of yourselves.
Everything belongs to its rightful owners. Please review.
Reggie stood in the lunch line, just outside the cafeteria, during her second day at Arkham. Behind her was a tiny, skittish young man and in front of her was a quiet elderly woman who's kids probably just decided to put Granny in Arkham for her dementia instead of a nursing home. Reggie had heard of it happening before. Group therapy had been just as stupid and pointless as the day before. She wasn't sure if it was due to the fact that clearly no one wanted to be there or that Doctor Mahoney's patronizing voice made them all want to throttle her. For Christ's sake she treated them like kindergarteners! The plastic chairs and play dough didn't help either. Mental illness did not translate to having the mental capacity of five year olds.
Reggie ran a hand down her face. She was starting to sound like the Riddler which was a frightening thing to have happen when you were in the looney bin.
"Better the Riddler than Zsasz." The girl mumbled to herself. She tensed and then sighed. "And... I'm talking to myself."
'But I don't have anyone else to talk to.' Reggie thought to herself. At the very least she wasn't going to speak to herself out loud. 'Is Arkham that powerful or am I just easily affected? Or am I just over thinking things?'
Reggie grabbed a tan plastic tray and shuffled down the line. As she stared at the lunch lady she couldn't help but wonder if inmates were sometimes given chores around the asylum. Laundry duty, raking leaves in the fall or cafeteria duty. The image of Two-Face in a hairnet almost made her crack a smile. A ladle full of mystery meat was dropped onto her tray, along with a little package of animal crackers that had expired three years ago. She then grabbed a mini water bottle and sat down at the same table she had yesterday.
Staring at the lump of dark brown, lumpy meat, Reggie took her plastic spork and poked it. It wiggled like jello. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"I'm pretty sure its animal food." A soft voice said.
Reggie turned and saw the only other paitient sitting with her. She had tan skin that had a greysigh tinge to it, curly black hair, a wide nose, full lips and big brown eyes with dark bags under them. She was even younger than Reggie. She ducked her head and blushed, tugging at the sleeves of her uniform and pulling them down.
"I've seen containers of food that say 'strengthens hooves'." She said, picking at a frayed thread on her uniform.
"Shouldn't they be charged for inhumane treatment of inmates, or something for that?" Reggie asked, tightening her grip on her spork in anger. The girl flinched and Reggie instantly felt bad. "I'm not angry with you. I'm pissed at whatever genius thought this was going to help us 'recover'." Reggie said, using air quotes around the last word.
"Budget cuts?" She asked with a shrug, rubbing her wrists.
"This is basic human rights stuff!" Reggie snapped, feeling herself getting angrier and angrier. "Then again I suppose we have to be 'human' to have those." She could deal with crappy prison food but what was on her tray was ridiculous. She then took a deep breath. She had to stay calm and lie low. Drawing attention to herself was the last thing she needed. She wasn't stupid enough to go up to the lunch lady like she was eating at a restaurant, found a hair in her soup and demand her meal for free or for a refund.
The girl had gone quiet again and seemed to try and hide behind her hair. Reggie smiled gently and leaned down so that she could see the other girl's face. She spoke in a soft tone like one did to a shy child.
"My name's Reggie Wolffe. I'm in by court order for anger issues, as you just saw. What about you?" Reggie almost made a move to grab the girl's hand but decided against it. Now that she just told her about what she was in for she'd probably be scared. While Reggie was far from the most intimidating person, let alone inmate, the younger girl looked like she was afraid of her own shadow. But she still held her hand out for her to shake.
"Ruby Gonzales. I was put in here by my parents because of my latest suicide attempt last month." Ruby said, shaking Reggie's hand with quite possibly one of the loosest grips she had ever experienced.
Reggie was able to keep her face neutral for the most part but her stomach felt like it had dropped to the center of the earth. How did someone respond to that? A part of Reggie wanted to ask a lot of questions that she knew she shouldn't. Questions like how and why. She also wanted to ask what her parents were thinking, sending her to probably one of the most depressing places on earth for her depression. While Reggie didn't know much of the topic outside of what was taught in health class, she didn't think that handling it was something that could be truly taught in a classroom in ninth grade.
"Nice to meet you." Reggie said, trying to not look at the bandages that were peaking out from under the sleeves in Ruby's uniform.
"You too." Ruby said in a quiet voice.
Quickly looking to change the subject, Reggie opened her animal crackers and asked, "Where are the other inmates? I thought there'd be more." She frowned at the contents of her bag. She didn't have animal crackers, she had animal dust. Shrugging, she put the corner of the bag in her mouth, tilted her head back and let the contents slide into her mouth.
"They have their food in their cells. They're considered inept and unable to function around others." Ruby said, taking incredibly tiny bites of her mystery animal food before gesturing to their empty table.
"And they're considered socially capable?" Reggie couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice as she gestured with her eyes towards the rogue's table.
The next event was the last thing Reggie wanted to happen. She got a rogue's attention.
Well, they just made eye contact but it was still attention that she didn't need. It was Scarecrow that she met eyes with. Reggie couldn't decide if that was better or worse than Zsasz. Reggie wanted to immediately look away but that would no doubt make her look like a new test subject for the master of fear. As she kept eye contact with the rogue she had to stop herself from raising a brow at him. She didn't want to seem too confident, it would seem like a challenge. Keeping her breathing natural, and remaining very still, Reggie stared right back at the former psychologist. Scarecrow had very sharp and gaunt features like he didn't get enough to eat. He was stick thin with long limbs, his nose was long and beak like and his eyes were a very vivid light blue. Lighter than Reggie's and extremely creepy. They gave Reggie a feeling like she was a rat on a dissection table. It was probably the same way Scarecrow looked at all his 'patients'. It was most definetly, not a good look for the rogue to be giving her. But, then again, she was just a random nobody in the asylum. Surely there were more interesting inmates (or guards) with more interesting phobias.
Ruby, realizing what was going on, grabbed Reggie's arm and shook her head looking very scared. Without breaking eyes contact and by some miracle, without shaking, Reggie gently removed Ruby's hand and continued her staring contest with the Scarecrow. In that moment, Harley playfully shoved the Riddler into Scarecrow, causing him to be the first to break eye contact. Reggie sighed in relief.
"Are you insane!?" Ruby whispered, gripping her arm tightly.
Reggie smirked at her and raised an eyebrow. Ruby bowed her head but Reggie was able to see traces of a smile on her face.
"Right, dumb question." Ruby said.
Reggie smiled. "So what did you do before you came here?"
"I was in theatre and I was in the school's Spanish club." Ruby said.
"Did you already speak Spanish?" Reggie asked, pulling one of her black hairs out of her food.
"Well...my last name is Gonzales." Ruby said, rubbing her hands together shyly and ducking her head as if she expected Reggie to yell at her for being sarcastic.
"I didn't want to assume." Reggie said, shrugging. "I actually took Spanish in my first two years of high school."
"Cool." There was a few moments of awkward silence. "Do you have any pets?"
These were the kinds of questions that went back and forth through out lunch. They were stereotypical and a little awkward but it was nice being able to talk to someone. Friends, or at least acquaintances would no doubt make Reggie's stay at the asylum more bearable. Reggie internally shook her head. The asylum cafeteria was almost starting to feel like high school. But unl8ke high school Reggie wasn't the scary girl who was willing to beat up any bully that messed with her. She was at the bottom f the food chain in the asylum and now she had to hope and pray that she hadn't made herself a target for the Scarecrow.