Alrighty meh lovely readers! Here ya go! Sorry this took so long, my internet decided to be a complete douche bag and not work!!
His piercing eyes meet minePlease simply stay to me and I'll hear youDon't fall asleep this timeGotta stay awake, gotta stay awakeDon't you see me reaching for you?I swear I really do love can I love you back?What can I do to show you?His piercing eyes meet mine
~Flyleaf - Sleepwalker
I avoided Crane like a slacker avoids working. It was fairly easy; all I had to do was go bulimia for a minute and land myself in the infirmary.
I was thinking up a plan to trap the demon when a male nurse (or Murse) walked in and announced that I had a visitor.
I sat up slowly. "Frankie?"
"Ew, hell, no." came a very familiar voice. "But if you want me to leave…"
"VAL!" I shrieked, about to jump up and hug my life-long friend, but nurse-boy coughed a warning at me. I laid back down, but my excitement did not diminish. "Sorry, I was expecting just Frankie."
Val just grinned. "So, Frankster wants to know…" she added in a very low voice, "why you are you still here?"
"I found sulfur." I said darkly. She understood immediately and sat down at the left side of the bed.
"Tomorrow night." she murmured, just barely for me to hear. "I bring the gang, and all that goes with it. Who and where?"
"A Dr. Hahl, I think. Call her, pretend to be someone important that wants to see her in her office, tomorrow night at about 10:00, ok?"
"Are you sure it's her?" she whispered.
I nodded.
She sat still for a moment, obviously thinking about something.
"What?" I asked
"I need some pie, man." she said.
I threw my head back and roared. Val was so damn random sometimes, it's a wonder she's not in Arkham herself.
"You're such a dork Val," I managed to spurt out. She just laughed with me.
Suddenly she yelped and fell off the bed. I burst out into fresh peals of laughter and peered down at her sprawled on the floor. "Cell vibrated." she gasped between chuckles, "Freaked me out!"
She checked her cell. Obviously she had a text message. "Sarah needs me back." She explained. "See ya later Cass."
She got up and left rather quickly, leaving me all alone with the cranky murse.
It was pretty quiet for a while until a black shape collided with a window across the room. "JEEZUS FISH!" I screamed. The murse didn't seem startled at all. The crumpled shape stood up and shook it's wings. "Ya freakin bird!" I muttered.
What kind was it, a crow maybe? Hmm…Crow…Crow… Scarecrow! Crap, I almost forgot about him! I sighed. Seeing that I was never going to see him after we got out of here, there was really no point…… ah what the hell I'll talk to him anyway.
"Oh murse." I called. "I actually feel a lot better, can I go back now?"
"Yeah, sure I… wait, what did you call me?" He said.
"Nothing…" I said innocently, and smiled sweetly. It was a good thing I decided to be well when I did. It was time for lunch again. I walked into the overcrowded cafeteria, hoping Crane was there. I spotted his messy brown head, and plopped down beside him.
"Hey." I said simply.
He just stared at me for a moment, his eyes crawling over my face as if he were judging whether or not it was a good idea to talk to me.
I waited. "What?" I asked.
"I thought you were angry at me." he said. His eyes were boring holes into my skull now, making me uneasy. It wasn't that I was afraid of him, but he always looked like he was analyzing me, trying to figure me out. That actually pissed me off.
"I was never angry, just irritated. I have a lot on my mind right now." I replied. "And what the hell are you eating?"
"I think it's supposed to be spaghetti and meatballs." he said with a grin slowly spreading across his face. "It tastes more like cardboard and Styrofoam."
I wrinkled my nose. "Ugh. How do you stand it?" I asked.
"It's really not so horrible, just don't think about it." He paused. "I know you uh, may not like me much, but um… I want to show you something. Err, unless you really don't want to."
Was he blushing a little? Cute.
"Now?" I asked.
"No, tonight. Midnight."
I stared at him blankly, wondering how a non-hunter would get out.
As if he read my mind, he said "Don't worry, I'm the only one whose broken out of Arkham more times than the Joker."
I nodded, and looked at him right in the eyes. The were still icy and cold, but something else was there this time. A tiny speck of some twisted form of affection. Surprisingly, I couldn't look away from him this time.
LATER…
I had decided it had been an hour after the lights FINALLY went out that night. Time to get a move on before Crane showed up. I grabbed the chalk and repeated the incantation from the other night, ready to initiate plane trap-the-demon-and-send-it-back-to-hell-without-getting-caught-by-the-cops.
I…I need a new name for my plan…
Anyway, the halls are lightly guarded, which probably contributed to the constant escaping of the Joker and Crane. Way to step up guys. No, really, great job.
I got lost trying to find Dr. Hahl's room, but I got there eventually. I found myself once again inside her office, dull as ever. Her desk had a blue coffee mug with pens and pencils and such, so I grabbed a marker, flipped her little floor rug over and began to draw.
About 40 minutes later I finished and stepped back to admire my work. It was a devil's trap; a huge, ancient, pentagram-looking thing that would keep a demon in place for as long as you wanted. But it would only work if it was totally complete or not messed up. I needed to capture the demon tomorrow so I didn't finish it now. I covered up the devil's trap with the rug (it would still work with it on top) and headed back to my cell. Hopefully Frankie and the girls would do the rest.
Lord, I hope she doesn't move that rug.
- - - - -
It took a bit longer than I expected for Crane to show up. He was standing in the doorway, holding the keys up and jingling them. I groaned a little and followed him to what I assumed was someone's old office.
It was empty except for a faded green couch and a few cardboard boxes here and there.
"So… what's all this?" I said.
He smiled deviously and turned to one of the boxes. He stood up and produced something that may or may not have been burlap.
"This," Crane said "Is my mask." He slipped it over his head and waited for my response.
"Niiice." I said, trying not to laugh. "How often do you wear that thing?"
"Whenever Scarecrow wants to come out and play." His eyes were suddenly savage and hungry. This wasn't Crane anymore.
"Play?" I asked suspiciously.
Without warning, I found myself sprayed with some unknown substance. The room seemed to darken and spin, forcing me to sit down.
"What the HELL did I do? What the hell did YOU do?" I coughed, not looking at him.
"Nothing yet." He whispered.
And then I looked up and saw Crane. No, not Crane, Scarecrow.
"What the.." I gasped. "Oh, that's attractive."
The mask was different now. The burlap material was now crumpled skin, peeling and rotting with maggots squirming out. There were bottomless holes for eye sockets that seemed to suck you in and leave you suspended in space.
At first Scarecrow didn't respond to my snarkish comment. I assumed it was whatever he sprayed me with was causing these nightmarish visions. He paced the floor.
"Why aren't you screaming?" He snarled.
I was silent.
"Look at me and scream!" He said. "Cower! Cry! Tremble! Why aren't you afraid?"
He was shaking me now, but I remained silent. He threw things, pushed me, tried everything he could to make my visions frighten me, but somehow… I wasn't afraid of him. Finally he sat down on the dusty faded couch, pulled off his mask and buried his face in his hands.
Slowly I pulled myself up, ignoring all the hallucinations that tried to stop me. I sat down beside him and we were both very still for what seemed an eternity.
"You seem upset." I said, sounding very much like a shrink.
"You wont scream." he murmured. Suddenly he sat up and grabbed both my arms, His forehead leaned against mine. "Tell me what you're scared of. You all have to be afraid."
I stared right into his eyes and saw that he was Crane this time. Quiet, calm, slightly nerdy Crane.
"J-Jonathan?" I whispered. "I'm not afraid of Scarecrow and I'm not afraid of you. You can't control me-"
I was cut short when his lips suddenly met mine. I was shocked, but oddly pleased when he did, so I didn't break away. He had his hands cupped around my face and I tangled my fingers through his hair. He leaned back, pulling towards him and ran his hands down my back. We broke off and I laid my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat gradually slow to a steady pace, like a drum.
We spent the whole night like this, until I finally drifted off to sleep, not caring what happened when I woke.
OKAY!!! This has to be the most awkward thing I've ever written, and It wasn't even that graphic! You have no idea how difficult this was for me to write! Yes I know I'm weird, but I have guilt issues! And this is hardly something to be ashamed of!! ARGGH!