The first thing she'd noticed upon waking was the absence of her room's subtle, dewy lavender aroma; in its stead was a sort of intoxicatingly musky scent, with hints of what seemed like gunpowder, almost.
…. Had her sheets always been this silky?
Juno's eyes snapped open and she sat up with a start, disoriented by the complete gloominess of the room. She could hardly make out the shape of her hand against the smooth sheets; though that could've been because of the absence of her glasses.
…Where were they? Where was she?!
Attempting to pacify her racing heartbeat, she took deep breaths that only seemed to cloud her mind even further. She was surrounded by that powerful scent – she'd smelt it before, but what was it? The teen shook her head hurriedly and clambered into a sitting position, somewhat dismayed (yet relieved) to find herself in what she'd gone to bed with. Tugging the oversized shirt as far as it would go down her thighs, she shuffled about with her arms outstretched trying to find some sort of light switch.
Unfortunately, her arms were a few inches shy of the sofa directly in her path, and she ended up stubbing her toe on one of the stubby wooden legs. She swore loudly, falling onto her bum and kicked the sofa with the ball of her foot in frustration. The tell-tale sound of something clinking onto the floor reached her ears and she quickly shuffled over to the front of the sofa, hoping her captive had been moronic enough to leave a key or something of the like in the room.
Though it wasn't exactly what she'd hoped, the teen was pleased to feel the shape of her favorite cherry red glasses. She slipped them on and continued her search (along the wall now) for the light switch with renewed vigor. Upon finding it, the room was cast in a rather disappointingly dim light, but it was better than complete opacity, she mused.
Juno focused on her surroundings; crude cement floors and even dingier walls. Mold was eating at one of the corners of the roof, and she grimaced at the offending growth. The place obviously hadn't been occupied for long; the fact that the lone window was boarded up sloppily further unsettled her. She heaved a deep sigh and glanced at the door before jiggling the knob. Locked. Figures, but it couldn't have hurt to try. The man (or woman, but she wasn't convinced) hadn't even bothered to tie her up.
A sudden idea struck her as she spotted a dully glinting hair clip a couple steps away. Juno took the tiny object and listened at the door, satisfied to hear that no one seemed to be keeping watch. She hadn't exactly done this before, but it looked easy enough. She'd seen plenty of boys pick locks like this successfully in grade school, so it couldn't possibly be that complicated, right? Smoothing a bit of hair from her face, she squatted down and began her lousy amateur attempt at picking locks. After several moments all she'd managed to do was frustrate herself and break the tip off one part of the hair clip.
Just when it seemed like her efforts had been hopeless after all, the door swung open and she was momentarily thrilled, only to have that trampled over by a sense of cold dread. She was eye level with a long, glimmering chain and purple dress pants. She now remembered the owner of that pungent scent; The Joker.
Juno stumbled back, eyes wide with fright as she scrambled to her feet. She met that man's eyes for the second time, feeling the shocks of adrenaline run up her spine. He released an eerie little giggle, and a whistle.
"My, my so excited to see little ol' me? I'm flattered."
Externally, he'd appeared to have paid no mind to her state of undress. However, as he sauntered toward the seedy little sofa and took his seat, his mind had already taken in the eye-candy. A tantalizing view of her smooth, creamy thighs. The shirt that was far too big, but as she shifted her weight, revealed haunting little glances of her true figure. Unmarred; she was the absolute picture of innocence. Her flushed cheeks and disheveled bed-head, oh he just longed to corrupt her. He grinned at her, patting the spot next to himself excitedly.
"Now don't be such a shy little rabbit, c'mere darlin'. I don't bite. Much," he cackled, taunting her with his gaze.
The young woman swallowed thickly, knowing full well that he wanted her to play along with another one of his little games. She hadn't forgotten that the only thing covering her was a flimsy shirt, but fidgeting with it now would only draw his attention to her current flustered state.
"Yeah.. er.. I-I'm very okay right over here, thanks," she managed defiantly, pushing up her glasses as she sat on the edge of the bed directly opposite of the sofa. All the bravado she'd had back at the high school seemed to elude her, and she mentally chastised herself for being such a wuss.
He wiggled an eyebrow at her in mock flirtation, grin intensifying.
"You're a forward woman, I can respect that. Hell, I like it!"
The madman flourished his arms dramatically as he spoke, and one of her eyebrows twitched in annoyance. Mass murderer status be damned, she wasn't about to sit by idly as he made verbal swings at her ego. In hindsight, she should've known that he was probably baiting her, but Juno's temper was drawn far too short for her to care. She stood up, drawing an irked breath.
"Listen here, you psychopathic shitbag. I don't know who the hell you think you are, I don't even know what the hell you want with me! Who the fuck just abducts people from their beds while they sleep?!... Wait.. how-..how did you know where I live?"
The teen finished on a rather unsettled tone, and instead of fuming at him some more, she found herself increasingly worried for the safety of her adoptive family. This man – this monster could've blown up her home, and she'd be none the wiser.
"What did you do to them?" She whispered urgently, face drawn into a pained yet angry expression.
And oh, how he fed off of that look. The truth was that her folks hadn't even been in when he'd sent his men after her. But she didn't need to know that. She was his little puppet, and he the puppeteer pulling just the right strings. He imagined all the heinous deeds he could make her do at the drop of a pin, all for a tiny sliver of hope that he wouldn't burn all she held dear to the ground.
"Hm ~ I wonder. See, I just have the most terrible memory I can't. Quite. Remember. And just for the record, sweetheart, I'm not a psychopath, I see the world for what it is! This city, is nothing but a festering sore of optimistic do-gooders. I'm just here to throw a little chaos into the mix, ha!"
She scoffed at his little speech, but inside she was little more than a homesick child. Surely, surely by now he'd have mentioned her family's grisly end if it was truly so? Juno would have to furiously delude herself into believing that for the time being, lest she lose it in front of this maniac. Those people were all she had.
The Joker hummed that tune she'd first heard at the school as he rose from his seat, shoes clicking softly on the concrete as he took his sweet time reaching her. The young woman stood her ground, terrified as she might've been. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. In the confines of this dreary room, it was just them; whether it be against a wall or the plush bed behind her, he had her cornered.
And just when she felt he could shock her no longer, she felt a pair of slightly chapped, warm lips against her own. Little did she know, this was only the beginning.
(Thanks for all reviews everyone! I tried to make this the longest chapter yet to make up for the irregular updates and whatnot. Reviews make me write faster! Did you like their interaction? Suggestions are welcome!)