Anna maneuvered herself around the crowd of people starting to swarm around her.
"Anna, dear, I'm so sorry."
"Anna, honey, stay strong."
"Anna, have a drink."
Shaking her head, Anna searched the room for her niece. Bethany wasn't standing, but Anna could have guessed that. She immediately looked for the nearest corner, whenever Bethany was upset she isolated herself. Anna found Bethany behind a fake plant with her hair covering her face and her knees glued to her chest.
Anna took a few seconds to slow down her breathing. How could these crazy people be Bethany's parents? There was no record of them, Bethany was left at the foster home when she was two years old. No note, nothing.
Bethany was the cutest child with long, blonde, hair that refused to lay straight. Her round face and chubby cheeks made her get away with anything she wanted to. But she was the nicest child, who thought of others before herself.
"The parents must have taught her manners; it must have been a money issue. They must have been good people to have such a perfect child." Eveline said after a year of caring for Bethany.
Anna took a breath and walked up to Bethany, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Come outside with me?" Anna nodded and wiped her eyes. Some people put a reassuring touch of their shoulders as they left the home. "Bethany, this wasn't my decision-" Anna started to speak when they reached the parking lot.
"Lucy!" Bethany turned her head at the voice. A voice, she could have sworn she had heard before. Looking back at Anna, Bethany stepped back, confused.
"Were they a friend of mom and dad's?" Bethany shielded the sun from her eyes to get a good look at the couple. With a gasp Bethany dropped her hand. "Anna, call the police."
"Do you know them?" Anna asked surprised.
"Anna, that's the Joker and Harley Quinn. They're bad guys. They kill people." Bethany, with a bolt of confidence, stepped forward. "I don't know what business you have here, and I don't care, but you are going to leave. Or you will be arrested."
Harley looked to Joker and put a hand to her chest. "She's perfect, isn't she."
Joker stepped forward and put a hand around Harley's shoulder. "Perfect. Alright, let's go. Bethany, in the car. It's the purple one." Joker gestured to a purple sports car that had taken up two parking spaces.
Anna stepped forward, putting herself in between Bethany and her birth parents. "You said just talking." Joker laughed and rubbed his jaw as he walked toward Anna.
"I say a lot of things." Joker grabbed Anna's head and twisted it, a loud crack rang through Bethany's ears.
How badly Bethany wanted to scream, to draw attention to the mass murderers, but no sound came.
"Why?" Bethany asked, throwing herself on top of Anna. "We haven't done anything to you. This is my parent's funeral!" Joker pulled Bethany from the ground.
"We're your parents, sweetheart."
And Bethany's world went black.
"Good morning, Lucy." A pale face covered in blonde hair smiled down at the small child. "It's mommy, that's right. Mommy's here." The child put a hand on her mother's neck, when she took her hand off, it was covered in a red liquid that smelled bad.
The child began to cry. "Oh, don't cry, Lucy. It's just blood." The child stopped crying once her mother cleaned off her hand. "See, all gone."
"Harley!" A low voice yelled.
"Coming, Mister J." Harley picked up the child and exited the room. "Daddy's home. Let's go see Daddy."
"Harley, did you take Lucy out?" Harley looked down at her feet.
"Just to the park. Kids need the park. I loved the park." Joker would have hit her if she wasn't holding his child.
"Stupid woman! They know, they are coming to take Lucy from us. We've kept her a secret for so long and you blew it." Lucy began to cry. Harley started bouncing lightly and smoothing down her hair.
"We'll fight for her. No one can take her from us." Joker pointed a finger at Harley.
"You better hope so, or I'll string you up the the ceiling by your feet and have you covered in honey until bees come and kill you."
"Yes, Mister J."
Joker held out his hands, Harley handed over Lucy.
Lucy looked at her father's pale face and put a hand on his cheek. She pulled her hand back, there was no paint or blood on it.
"Don't worry, sweetheart, we won't drop you into chemical acid until you're older." Joker held out a necklace, dangling it in front of his daughter. "This is a gift from the Museum, isn't it pretty?" A golden heart filled with etchings hung on a golden chain. "It's for you, my sweetheart. My Lucy."
Bethany woke up in the trunk of a car. Needless to say, it wasn't the best day. Now, Bethany had seen many movies on what to do in this situation. She found the break light and started kicking. After what seemed like hours of kicking, the light did not give way. So Bethany looked around and behind her was a yellow rope. Bethany pulled on the string and part of the back seat fell on her.
Through the hole she could see Harley and Joker laughing and dancing to music. Bethany studied her choices.
Thinking quickly, Bethany squeezed through the hole in the car and simultaneously unlocked the car and pushed the door open. She threw herself out of the purple sports car and landed on her stomach. She began rolling until she felt grass underneath her arms.
Bethany stood up and started running, not looking behind her. To her left was a forest and to her right, in the distance, was a town. She veered left and pushed her legs faster and faster, putting as much distance between her and these criminals who claimed to be her parents.
The only sounds she could hear were her deep intakes of air and the crunches branches she left in her wake. The trees flew by her and Bethany momentarily closed her eyes and pretended that she was back at her home with Jacob and Eveline, chasing each other through the light woods surrounding their neighborhood. Bethany opened her eyes and barley ducked in time before a branch threatened to knock her out. She couldn't process moving her feet, and yet they kept moving, faster and faster. Making small cuts on her arms, legs, and face.
Bethany ran until she stepped in a hole, her ankle made a crack and Bethany started rolling instead of running. She felt the bruises starting to form as she rolled to a stop. When Bethany looked down at her ankle she bit down on her tongue to keep quiet. Her foot was faced in a painful angle. Spitting out blood, Bethany stood up, using a nearby tree for assistance.
"Lucy." The echo of a voice rang out. "Lucy." Bethany forced herself to run, tears streaming down her face every time she took a step. Her slow pace annoyed her, and she looked for any other option.
A large bush shone out like a star. Bethany lunged and twisted herself up in the shrub, making sure no limbs were sticking out. When she believed that she was in the clear, Bethany closed her eyes.
"There you are." Bethany opened her eyes to find Joker's face looking down at her, with metal teeth, and a horrid smile.