After spending five and a half more hours than necessary at the party, Selina and Kat were finally headed back to her car around ten thirty. Fortunately, Selina had managed to only have one glass of champagne while Kat had refrained herself, easily, from having anything to eat or drink. She spent the entire time sitting at the few tables that were around, ignoring the few men who had tried to converse with her, or the rest of the time following Selina around while she introduced Kat to everybody, the conclusion being quickly drawn to the guests that Kat was, in all simplicity, a bitch. Now all Kat wanted to do was go home, crawl into her bed and sleep for as long as she could.
"Some party, huh?" Selina squeaked happily as she took her keys from her small purse. Kat raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything back as she vowed to herself in her mind that was by far the last Gotham social event she would ever attend. No friendship was worth it. "Well, thanks for going," Selina said as she mindlessly placed her hand on the handle. "However I can pay you back, just let me-" she paused as she opened her car door without having to use the key, and she nervously looked up to Kat. "Oh, my God! I never locked the car!"
Staying calm, Kat reached out to open her own door, and she leaned in to look over her things while Selina did the same on her side. Her pants were still folded on floor with her shirt tossed on top, and her clutch bag was right where she had left it. She glanced to the backseat before she looked to Selina. "Everything's here," she said simply, and she got into the car before she closed her door. Eyes wide, Selina got in the car herself, quickly shutting her door before she started turned the key.
"I just can't believe I did that," she was saying as she pulled away from the curb, glancing behind her shoulder more times than necessary. "I mean we were talking about it and I still did it!"
Kat was only half listening as she placed her elbow on the door, and she clutched some of her wavy hair as she leaned her head on her hand, her eyelids heavy. Before she knew it, Selina was pulling in front of the A building of Kat's apartment complex. With the car jerking to a stop Kat quickly sat up, glancing around until she finally recognized her surroundings.
"Thank you for going with me," Selina said again with a happy smile. "I'll have to pay you back."
"Yeah," Kat said. "You do." She grinned at her before she collected her things and opened her door. "I can return all this to you tomorrow."
"Don't worry about it," Selina said back with a wave of her hand. "It looks better on you anyway." With a quick exchange of goodbyes, Kat closed the door and immediately turned around to go to the B building. She dragged her feet as she made her way down the hall on the second floor, pausing at her door to sleepily grab her keys from her side pocket on her pants. She unlocked the door and stepped inside quickly, shutting and locking the door behind her. With an obnoxious yawn she threw her bag and clothes onto her bed before she headed towards her bathroom, instantly peeling the tight dress from her small body. She picked up her same pajamas she had worn the previous night that hung on her towel rack, and after brushing her teeth she sleepily made her way to her bed after turning off the bathroom light.
With an annoyed grumble she picked up the stupid clutch bag from the bed and she zipped it open, lazily pouring out the contacts on the bed before she tossed it behind her. She was just about to start to put everything away when she paused suddenly, her draw dropping. Where was her wallet?
She blinked rapidly a few times to make sure she wasn't just imagining things, and once she confirmed that yes, her wallet was not on the bed in front of her, she quickly turned around to check in the bag again. But it was empty, as were her pants pockets, and she took a minute as she closed her eyes, trying to think. It's probably just in her car, Kat thought, trying to keep calm about this. She quickly took her cellphone off her bed and scrolled to Selina's number, assuming she'd be home.
"Hey, Kat," she said, sounding confused once she had picked up the phone.
"Hey, um... is my wallet in your car?" Kat bit her bottom lip as she waited for Selina to reply.
"Oh, was it not in your purse?"
"No." Kat rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "I'm sorry, I know your probably trying to go to bed, but-"
"Oh no, it's fine! Let me go check, hold on okay?" Before Kat could respond Selina dropped her phone on the couch, grabbed her keys and was out the door. Kat sighed loudly as she turned around to step back over to bed. She glanced down, raising an eyebrow when she noticed her iPod on now, the screen bright in the dim lighting. Confused, she picked up, swearing she had turned it off and locked it, and she grew even more confused. Korn, Twisted Transistor, she read the name of the song on the screen in her head, noticing the song was half way through. She met her eyebrows in the middle; she was certain that was not the last song she was listening to, in fact, she was positive. She shook her head a second later, figuring she had just forgotten to lock it and on the way over a bump caused it to turn back on and play through. However, this did not explain where her wallet was...
Finally Selina returned to the phone, sounding breathless. "Kat," she said, and she frowned, detecting the worry in her voice. "I looked all around my car and it wasn't in there. You don't think somebody stole it do you?"
Kat rolled her eyes at this. "No," she said as she reminded herself that was stupid, and there was just no way that was what happened. But with further thought, the possibility was high. Where else would have her wallet gotten to? "Well... I don't know," she said. "What the hell do you do about a stolen wallet?"
"I don't know," Selina said sadly. "Did it have your ID in it?"
"Yes," Kat said as she plopped down onto her bed. Selina 'hmm-ed' on the other end. "Whatever, I'll figure it out tomorrow," Kat said after a yawn.
"But Kat this is serious." Selina scolded. "You need your ID for just about... everything!"
"It's fine," Kat said, getting annoyed easily now. "It's probably around here somewhere. I can't even remember if I brought it in the first place."
"Well, if you're sure..."
"I am," Kat said. "G'night." After Selina responded Kat let her phone drop to the floor. She reached over, turning off her lamp and she immediately rested her head on her pillow, and after getting comfortable under the blankets, she was asleep the second her eyes closed.
–
Kat had woken up the following morning to her phone ringing, and after groggily checking the number and realizing she didn't recognize it, she answered, and much to her excitement the caller had informed of her a job interview for later that night at a twenty-four hour cafe a good ten minute walk from her complex. Excited and fully awake, Kat had quickly gotten out bed to shower.
Now, eight hours later, after several cups of tea and endless TV shows, Kat was in her bathroom, readying herself for her interview. She wore black dress pants, black sandals, and up top she wore a white, button down, long sleeved shirt. After fixing the collar of it she put on some make-up, thinly lining only the top of her eyes before she put on mascara on her top and bottom lashes. She skipped past anything on her lips, and after adjusting her hair over her shoulders nicely, she grabbed her keys and phone, put them in her pocket, and started out the door.
The sun had just started to set as she walked down the street, the sky a magnificent gold and purple color beyond the tall buildings. She watched as a few cars drove past her on the streets, and she reminded herself the importance of getting a car as soon as possible, as soon as she found her license, however, which she unfortunately had no luck with finding that day.
A good ten to fifteen minutes later she made it to the small cafe, simply called Cafe' Pete's. She walked inside, the smell of freshly brewed coffee instantly entering her nostrils. She made a slight face, wondering quickly if she wanted to work in a place where that was most likely the only smell she'd inhale, but she was desperate, and being that this was the only place that called her back, she knew she'd have to learn to deal with it.
She smiled at a waitress being the counter, and she politely informed her that she had an interview, and if she could please alert Jane Hensley. After a short moment of waiting, a tall woman with short, brown hair made her way around the counter, smiling warmly as she held out her hand.
"Jane Hensley," she said as she shook Kat's hand.
"Kat Megan's," she said back as she forced a smile, trying to make it as sincere as she could. She followed Jane behind the counter and into her office, where she sat down across from her at her light wood desk in a comfortable, red chair.
"So, Kat," Jane started. "Our interviews are usually pretty informal, I hate those stupid forms they gave us. Anyway, where are you currently residing?" She immediately jumped into the questions.
"Pleasant View Apartments," Kat answered. "It's about a fifteen minute walk up the street."
"Great," Jane answered. "Do you have an experience with serving?"
"No," Kat answered honestly. "I was a busser for a few months back at home, though."
"Were you fired from that job?"
"No, I quit. I was trying to raise enough money so I could move here."
The two conversed a while more, Jane asking Kat question after question until finally, much to Kat's annoyance, the two got to talking about the weather, of all things, on the East Coast. Finally, a good hour and a half later, Jane explained to Kat that she had a high shot of getting the job, it all depended on one final interview for a man named Thomas. Kat thanked her, hoping she came off as friendly and professional, and she made her way out of the cafe'.
A gust of wind blew past Kat once she stepped into the cold, night air. With a huff she threw her hair behind her shoulders and started up the street, the moon shining brightly above her, the stars dim compared to the ball of white light. The roads were completely bare, and absolutely no one, beside herself, walked on the streets. Kat continued on, despise the loneliness, and she crossed the deserted road early to the opposite side.
Kat could see her apartment just ahead of her now, seemingly only another short two minutes away. She thought of her warm bed that awaited her, where she could lay down and forget about the fret over where her wallet was and if she'd get this job or not. The thoughts pressed her on, but still, a small shock of worry stung her neck when she noticed the three, pitch black alleyways she had to pass. With alleys on either side of the street, Kat had no choice but to walk past them. With a roll of her eyes she proceeded on, trying hard to ignore the biting and stinging cold that nipped her skin through her thin shirt.
The wind blew past again, ruffling her hair to the side as she approached the first alley. She continued on, unable to help but turn her head slightly to look down it, into the shadows it held. It was bare and completely silent, and before she knew it she was past it, just a buildings front length away from the other. A car drove by her on the street, it's headlights bright, the driver unknowingly calming Kat's small nerves she refused to admit she had as she started past the second, deep alleyway.
Her apartment was just ahead now, and she quickened her pace as she came upon the third and final alley. She took long steps as she approached, her eye on the apartment that was so close, but her skin turned death cold and she came to a sudden and complete halt when the sound of low, off-key singing came to her ears.
"Hey you, hey you, Devils little sister..."
Kat's heart raced as the voice faded, it seemed so close, and she stared in front of her without seeing anything as she remained standing, frozen on the spot.
"Listening to your twisted transistor..."
Kat swallowed the lump that had risen in her throat, and she nervously looked to the alley, the shadows that engulfed it not helping matters as she finally took a step forward. It made no sense, this singing, but Kat was honestly a little too freaked out at the moment to even think straight.
"Hold it between your legs... turn it up, turn it up..."
The singing was louder now that she was so close to the last alley, and all in an instant, as the singing faded again, her eyes widened to twice their normal size. This was the last song that had been on her iPod... She swallowed again, taking another step slowly forward as her body shook gently.
"The wind is coming through... can't get... enough..." The singing faded off into long, eerie laughter, "Ha ha ha haaaa..."
Kat stood directly in front of the alley now, and she nervously stayed frozen, too freaked out to move. She waited, the alley suddenly silent. Her eyebrows met in the middle as she leaned over slightly, straining to hear. The wind blew passed, her hair flowing behind her while the alley remained silent. She turned away slowly, about to take a step forward, until suddenly...
"Gotchya!"
The voice was raspy and quick, and Kat let out a scream as someone jumped in front of her. The scream was short lived for the shadowy figure was quick to clamp a cold, leather hand over her mouth, muffling her shout for any help as it wrapped an arm over her chest. Her eyes went wide she struggled against the strong figure as she was dragged backwards into the evil alley, her sandals making all sorts of scratchy noises as she struggled like mad to get out of the somewhat painful grasp.
A short second later, however, she was suddenly thrown against the freezing brick wall, that hand still clamped over her mouth while the other pushed down on her chest, holding her against it. Her eyes darted around like mad, trying to make out who the person, a man obviously, was in front her, until a bright light was shone in her face, causing her to squint her eyes. She blinked rapidly a few times before the light was suddenly removed from her face to shine on something different entirely. Her eyes widened as she finally stared eye to eye with the man who had grabbed her, and under his hand her lips parted as her jaw went slack. She stared at him, a look of disbelief on her face as she took in his white face, those black, deep and dark sloppy rings around his eyes, that murderous, blood red, painted smile and green hair. A sinister grin slid onto Joker's face as he took in Kat's look of horror.
"Hello there," he said as he slid his hand off her mouth finally, exposing her slack jaw and parted lips. The man who held the flashlight – Rocco – switched hands, causing the eerie shadow's on Joker's face to change direction a bit, causing his face to look even more devilish. Kat swallowed, her lips going dry as she continued to look up at him.
"W-who are you?" She tried to demand in a hoarse voice. "What do you want?" She swallowed again as she continued to stare into this mans painted eyes, and she closed her eyes tight and jumped when he let out horrendous, clowny laughter.
"Who am I?" He repeated as he leaned in closer to her as she opened her eyes again, his smile showing some of his teeth. "Isn't it obvious?" He continued to stare at Kat, and he raised his eyebrows when she continued to just stare at him, at a loss of words. "No?" He asked. "They call me the Joker around these parts," he answered as he straightened his body back up, and he held out his hand to the side before he placed it onto her neck. Kat's own eyebrows went up as she stood on her tip toes, her way of trying to keep her neck away from Joker's hand, but it proved useless, of course. The Joker? She thought to herself. No fucking way...
She swallowed again as Joker gently tightened his fingers around her neck, applying just enough pressure to keep her breathing clearly, but also frighten her that much more. "So, Kat, new to Gotham are we?" Joker asked this so casually, but at the moment Kat was more freaked out over that fact that he knew her name. "You going to answer my question?"
"Yes," Kat answered, and Joker nodded at this as he took his hand off her neck. Kat swallowed again as she turned her head to the side to stare up at the large man who held the flash light, another large man standing behind him with his arms crossed. She turned back to Joker, her eyes sliding up his neck, past his jaw and back onto his eyes. "H-how do you know my name?"
Her voice was lower than most girls he had encountered, and he liked it. Only one side of her face was illuminated by the flashlight, the other half engulfed in shadows, and Joker's eyes looked from her long, wavy and shiny hair, down to her eyes, her nose, her small put plump limps, and he ended at her neck before his eyes slid back up to her eyes as well. "A word of advice, Kat," he started. "Maybe try to make friends with somebody a little more responsible. In this city it's not so safe to leave your car unlocked..." Kat's eyebrows met in the middle again as everything started to lock into place. "Oh and by the way, your mother called!" His voice was higher, clowny and causal now. "She's worried sick about you, ya know. You really ought to call her back, Kitty-Kat." He said this name so evilly, quickly and in such a raspy voice it sent a cold shudder up Kat's spine.
Joker laughed darkly again as he continued to watch her until suddenly his eyes dropped down to her hips. His eyes slid back up her body, and Kat froze as he touched his gloved hand to her waist, never breaking eye contact. He stared intensely into her eyes as he reached his hand out to draw out her keys. They jangled as he mindlessly tossed them over to Henshaw, who caught them easily, even in the dark, and after Joker pulled out her cell phone did Kat realize this was it. She knew her life at Gotham was about to be turned upside down...
"So, Kat," Joker started casually again as he started to go through her phone again. "Why do we have so many calls from your mother on this thing?" It seemed he was putting all his weight into his arm and hand as he held her against the wall, seemingly leaning on her as he would against a wall. The pressure hurt, forcing her to have a hard time with answering, not that she even wanted to in the first place. Her mind was racing, her brain full of mixed thoughts over the situation. "Hmm?" Joker pestered on as glanced over to her.
"I left home," Kat said, her voice just above a whisper.
"Hmm," Joker grunted with a nod as he looked back to her. "What's a twenty-one year old organ donor doing at home still? Don't chya know most kiddies move out when their eighteen?"
Kat frowned at this, a pang of anger striking at her heart, but given the circumstances, the pressure on her chest, and the thought of death being the only things she could focus on she kept quiet, realizing finally, once and for all, Joker was the one who had broken into the car and who had stolen her wallet. She didn't answer though, and she watched as Joker turned back to scroll through her phone, the pressure easing on her chest as he did so. With another nervous swallow Kat glanced to the opening of the alley. Judging by where the fat guy with the flashlight was standing, he left a good two or three foot clearance between himself and wall, a perfect amount of space for Kat to run through. She was considering this, but Joker's dark chuckling broke her thoughts, and she quickly looked back to him.
"Don't try it, Kitty-Kat," he warned with a slight shake of his head. Her body shaking and thoughts pushing the desire to run, Kat looked back to the entrance before she suddenly placed her hands on Joker's chest and she pushed him back as hard as she could. He stumbled back a tad, giving Kat the opportunity to start to run. She yelled out in pain, however, when she felt a hard tug on on her hair, forcing her head back, until suddenly Joker bashed the side of her head into the wall. She collapsed to the ground like a ton of bricks, that light bright on her face as she struggled to keep her eyes open. But regardless of the light, everything above her started to go dark and fuzzy, and just faintly she could still hear the Joker's grave voice looming above her.
"Kat, Kat, Kat," he scolded as he 'tsk-ed' a second later. "I told you not to do it." She groaned quietly as she felt a pair of heavy hands grab her shoulders, but before Joker could bring her to her feet Kat was already out...
–
Kat woke with a start the following the morning, her eyes popping open as the ceiling above her came into view. She quickly shot her body to a sitting up position, glancing around nervously and quickly until she finally realized she was in her own room...
Her eyebrows met in the middle as she looked around more slowly this time, and she paused, listening. The apartment was silent, deathly silent. Still completely confused, as her body woke up more, her head began to hurt faintly, and she touched her hand to it only to jump slightly and bring her hand back down when she felt dried blood on her hair. Whatever happened last night definitely was not a dream...
With a shuddering breath she threw the blankets off of her, her body shaking slightly as she recalled her walk home from her job interview. She didn't know what to think as she remembered Joker's voice and appearance, his clown face paint, the way his coat flowed behind him in the faint wind, the way the flashlight had cast menacing shadows on his face, exaggerating all that shouldn't be exaggerated. So that had been the Joker. The one person who Kat scoffed at was the one man in Gotham who had grabbed Kat and forced her into a deep, Gotham alleyway. What were the chances?
She shook her head as she stood fully from her bed, both surprised and thankful to see she still wore her clothes from last night. She looked up to her dresser mirror, she could barely recognize herself, for her skin was pale, some of her make-up had run down onto her cheeks, her hair was a tangled mess, and a small line of dried blood trailed down the side of head. She dropped her eyes to the top of her dresser a moment later, and she furrowed her eyebrows when she saw her keys and cell phone on top of it. She swallowed as she grabbed her phone, wondering to herself how she could have been so stupid as to have just stood there when she knew something was wrong. Even an idiot would have turned around, screaming for help in the night as he ran, but not dumb ol' Kat. Hearing him sing that song, so randomly, had completely thrown her off. As she thought about it further she didn't blame herself for just standing there. It was truly the most oddest experience in her life.
But now existed the question of why did Joker drop her off at her apartment? Surely he was going to kill Kat that night or kidnap her, perhaps even rape her... bringing her back to her apartment where she could easily call the police or run away just didn't seem logical, especially with all the trouble he had apparently gone through just to meet her. She nervously stepped out of her bedroom, glancing around the apartment before she slowly made her way towards the living room and kitchen. She continued to wander around, wondering if perhaps he had stayed the night, but her apartment seemed bare of any other person. She finally looked down to her phone, and she instinctively selected Selina's number, and just as she realized what she was doing it was too late.
"Hello?"
"Hi..." Kat said slowly as she stood in the middle of the kitchen, staring at the microwave that read eleven in the morning.
"Hi, Kat," Selina said happily. "How are you this morning?"
"Um..." Kat started as she blinked before turning away from the microwave. "Something... happened last night..." The line went blank as Selina paused nervously on the other end.
"Happened?" She repeated in a more serious tone. "What happened?"
Just down the street from the apartment, Joker had his own phone pressed to his ear, and he sat in the tinted car, grinning to himself as he listened to Kitty-Kat describe to Selina what had happened to her. His knee bounced as he stared at the floor, his grin expanding when Selina boomed on the other end.
"Kat!" She screamed. "Kat your kidding! Oh no, no, no, no! Kat you need to get out of there."
"Selina, I think it's fine, I-"
"No, Kat!" She yelled again, causing Kat, and unknowingly Joker to flinch. "He knows where you live. He knows everything Kat! You need to leave. Come here," she said suddenly. "Please, take a cab and get here as soon as possible. Did you call the police?"
Kat sighed on the other end. "What are the police going to do?" She wondered as she scratched the dried blood from the side of her head. "I don't know where he is Selina! I don't know how he... and... I just don't know!"
"Kat look, just get here right now and well figure it out when we get here, okay? Please?"
"Fine."
"Good," Selina sighed. "Just please be careful, okay?"
"Yes, please be careful, Kat," Joker repeated darkly after he hung up his phone. He cleared his throat before he leaned forward slightly, and he pointed out the windshield, signaling to his driver that he should start to move the car forward.
Kat grabbed her keys and placed them and her phone into her pocket before she headed out the door. She was wondering how she would pay for the cab with no wallet, but perhaps she could explain to the driver her situation, and if all else failed, make a run for it. She started down the stairs and past the main entrance to the building. Fortunately, a taxi pulled up to the curb, the door opening a short second later as a tall and skinny man stepped out, closing the door behind him. Thanking whoever for her good luck, Kat jogged past the tall man and up to the taxi, and she threw the door open before the driver had a chance to leave and she got in.
"Sparrow's Nest Apartments," she told the driver as she situated herself in the car, glancing out the window somewhat nervously. She causally turned to look forward when the car started to slowly pull away from the curb until her body gave a violent jerk when she came face to face with the Joker, sitting right next to her.
"We meet again," Joker said darkly with a grin as he started to lean over towards her. Kat's jaw dropped and she frantically turned around, placing her hand on the handle of the cab, but shouted out a second later when the Joker placed his gloved hands on her shoulders, and he forced her backwards, her head landing in his lap. He placed a cloth soaked with chloroform over Kat's face, waiting a good five seconds until her screaming and flailing stopped, coming to a complete halt. Completely knocked out, again, Joker placed the cloth into his back pocket before he turned back to look down at Kat, and he gently moved her light copper colored hair out of her face.
"Where are we going, boss?" Leroy asked from the front as he looked at Joker through the mirror.
"The hotel, Leroy," Joker answered simply as his hands slid back into Kat's pockets. He placed her keys into his pocket before he removed his other hand from under Kat to slide out the battery from her phone, and he placed those in his pocket as well.
"So what's so special about this chick, anyway?" Leroy asked as he made a U-turn at the stoplight.
"Not sure," Joker answered honestly as his eyes fell back to the passed out Kat. He slouched down in his seat a little bit before he looked out the window, deciding to just keep Kat's head on his lap. "Guess we'll find out," he added a moment later, watching as all the tinted scenery flew past.
–
The sound of a door slamming shut in the distance was quick to jerk Kat out of a very deep sleep. With a groan she turned around – it felt as though she was on a bed of sorts – and as the feeling of being awake took a toll on her body she finally opened her eyes, and she came to stare at an unfamiliar crimson curtain covering an unfamiliar placed window. Her eyebrows met in the middle as she looked to the wall with peeling, gray wallpaper before she looked back to the window. Where was she?
Her head began to faintly hurt again as she leaned up, holding her self up with her arm stretched behind her, and she closed her eyes as she placed her hand to her head. It all came rushing back, waking up in her room, the phone call, the taxi... how was it at all possible he continued to know where she was at any given moment? She opened her eyes and sat up on her own now and she turned her body on the bed to face the rest of the unfamiliar room.
She swallowed nervously as she stared at the sloppily made bed next to her, the big but old TV in front of the two beds, and that familiar bathroom/sink area in front of the door. It seemed as though she was in a hotel room of some sorts. She scooted herself off the bed to stand in front of the curtains, and she parted them, bracing herself for bright sunlight, but her heart sank when she saw it was ridiculously dark outside. She cupped her hands around the glass to drown out the dim lighting caused by the lamp next behind her, and much to her misery, she still couldn't see very far into the night outside. The light above the window on the outside of the building only illuminated what was around it, which was nothing but trees, bushes, and a field of dead grass. She couldn't see beyond it, but either way, she had no idea where the hell she was.
The sound of a key being pushed into a lock jerked Kat out of her thoughts and she quickly turned around, and she stared at the door as somebody on the other sound seemingly undid some sort of a lock. She held her breath as the hand turned and once the door swung open Joker stepped inside, humming something that sounded sickeningly familiar as he closed the door, locking it shortly afterward. Kat watched as he placed a small keyring into his purple pants pocket before he came to finally look up at her with a twisted grin.
"Good evening," he said flatly, a hint of that clowny tone in his voice. He went about making his way further into the room while Kat glanced at the clock on the night stand. 9:45 PM?
She stayed put by the curtain as she watched him turn on the TV before he plopped down onto his bed, his back against his propped up pillows. He relaxed his hands behind his head as the TV finally projected images. What the fuck? Kat thought to herself. Never in her life had she been so confused. Here was this guy, apparently the biggest and most feared name in Gotham, who had just kidnapped her and was obviously holding her hostage, and he's watching TV?
"Did you have a nice nap?" Joker asked casually as he glanced over to her. His make-up was smeared, the black running up his forehead and the once thin lines from his red smile had been smeared down, making that false smile larger and more awry. Kat made a face at him. Was this guy serious?
"No," she answered simply. "Where am I?"
"You're at Hotel du Joker," he said as he grabbed the remote from the end table. "Hotel of the the Joker," he translated.
Kat continued to make a slight face of disgust as she stared at him. She continued to watch as he started to flip through the channels. Gotham's most feared man didn't strike Kat as scary at all. If anything he was just creepy and lazy. Kat's body still shook gently, but she took a deep breath, trying to keep it under control. How could she be scared right now anyway? She figured right now was the perfect opportunity to get some answers.
"How did you know where I was going?"
Joker quickly looked back over to Kat from the TV, surprised by her sudden question. She was glaring at him, though he could detect a hint of nervousness in her voice. He grinned slowly at her. "You're gonna have to be a bit more specific," he told her. "There's been lots of instances where I knew where you were going..."
Kat swallowed. "Today," she went on. "When you were in the cab."
"Ah," he said. "I listened in to your phone call," he explained simply as if this was no big deal. Kat's lips parted, however, at this information. Of all the people in Gotham, why had he chosen her? Without another word she sat back down the bed, wondering if it was at all even possible to find away to get out of here. When Joker had entered the room she noticed he had locked the door, but that was only from the inside. She thought about it as she stared at the corner of the wall. She could pretend to be heading over to the bathroom, then quickly unlock the door and run for it. She remembered what happened last time she tried to run, but perhaps now, with Joker just watching TV, it could work. She took a deep breath before rising.
Joker followed her with his eyes as she slowly started past the TV, able to tell she was trying hard not to look at him. However as she got closer to the door he quickly swung his legs off the bed, and with a small and hyper jump he started over to her, brushing past her. "Where ya going?" He asked.
His sudden rising from the bed – Kat honestly thought he wouldn't do that – startled her, and she quickly stepped into the sink area of the room, turning around with a start. Joker casually placed his hands in his pocket, and he grinned widely at her, exposing his faint yellow teeth as he leaned against the hotel room door. Fucking dick, Kat thought sourly. "Bathroom," she answered in a small voice. Joker raised his eyebrows, still grinning, however he had closed his mouth now, and he nodded to the bathroom door.
"Go ahead," he said simply. Kat swallowed, unsure of what to do now. He continued to stare at her quietly as she just stood there, glaring back at him. He laughed darkly before he looked down, and he took a step away from the door as he removed his hands from his pockets. "You're not... afraid of me, are you?"
Kat frowned at him deeper as he took another step closer to her. "No," she spoke up bravely and honestly. However a shock ran up her spine when Joker grinned to laugh that low, eerie, slow laughter as he bowed his head, taking another step closer.
"You should be," he said, raising his head to look at her again, his eyebrows raised. Kat held her ground, which slightly bothered Joker, however it just gave him a reason to pull out his dear and beloved, black handled drop-point blade. "Would you like to know why?"
Kat breathed out of her nose as she instinctively took a step back, but all too suddenly Joker grabbed her with one hand, spun her around, and forced her to bend over the counter, her face stopping just a few inches from the knife he had suddenly pulled, his hand rested on the counter as he held it under her chin next to the sink. Breathing heavily and forcing to keep her head up as she grabbed either side of the counter, despite the heavy pressure he applied on the back of her neck to hold her in place, she glanced into the mirror to look up into his reflected eyes. He stared back at her reflection with a grin, her face expression obvious that he had caught her off guard. He licked his lips slowly before he leaned down, his lips next to her ear, as he continued to look into her eyes through the mirror.
"I've done things that even your worst nightmares couldn't show," he started, his breath warm as it hit her skin, sending a shutter up her spine as she swallowed. Her eyes fell to that random knife he held under her, the blade placed just under her chin, and her lips parted as she raised her eyes to look back into his. "I'm wanted in over twenty states, nine of which I've never even been in." Kat swallowed at this information, his bone-chilling, dark and low voice sent mad shocks up and down her spine. His eyes were glossy and emotionless as he stared back at her in the mirror, seemingly able to read her mind she felt. "I'm a master of crime and murder," he continued to brag. "And an excellent hide n' seek player." He laughed at this, studying her face further, feeling enjoyment as Kat swallowed nervously again, and he admired her parted, plump lips. "So, maybe you show some respect, hmm?"
Kat closed her lips, sucking in her bottom lip to bite on it as her heart pounded. Was all that he said true, or was it something he had stolen from a book or movie? Either way, it was enough to honestly freak Kat out some, and with that knife held tight under her chin she had no choice but to believe him.
"Nod if you agree," Joker continued, and he slid his eyes from the mirror to stare at the side of her face that was right next to him, her eyelashes appearing long due to the angle.
"Y-yes," Kat answered verbally instead as she looked back down to the knife.
"I said nod," Joker repeated in a bit of a harsher tone as he squeezed the back of her neck with his bare, rough hand. Kat closed her eyes, and she nodded her head slowly, each time feeling the tip of the ridiculously sharp blade touch her skin, just barely. "Good," Joker said. He lingered next to her for a moment longer until he finally leaned back up, taking his hand from her neck and he retracted the blade back into the handle before he placed it in his pocket, watching as Kat leaned off the counter, touching her hand to the front of her neck, her finger over where the blade at touched her. "You want to still try and escape?" He wondered out loud as she turned around finally, and he stared into her brown eyes. She slowly shook her head, Joker grinning slyly at this. "That's what I thought."
He waited for Kat to walk past him back towards the bed, and without a word she silently sat down on the edge of it, facing the window, her heart still racing as her body shook. Joker pressed his tongue to the inside of his right scar as he stared at her, and he gently sat back down on the bed, lifting his legs to drop them in front of him as he leaned back against the pillows. And that's all it takes, he thought to himself, and he let out a random, low laugh, unknowingly causing more painful shocks to run up Kat's spine.
a.n: and here is where the story gets GOOD. Kat is now in the presence of sir sexy psycho joker, himself (the lucky bitch.) hhaha anyway i want reviews telling me how you liked (or disliked..?) this chapter! the more reviews i get the sooner the 4th chapter will be posted :) thanks for reading, lovies.