Chapter 4: Girl, Interrupted
The cigarette fell to the ground before her, as did the lighter. The newcomer was astonished to say the least. She merely stared down at what she thought was too good to be true. Her insatiable craving for nicotine was extraordinarily powerful right about now, but it didn't overcome her curiosity.
"Where...how, did you get one of those?"
The blonde woman no more than three feet before her smirked tentatively and gave a sly shrug. "I know a guy, hon. He's been hooking me up with all my little wants 'n needs for the past eight months, since I met 'im."
She perched the small, white stick between her index finger and middle then brought it to her lips. She inhaled slowly, then exhaled a quick ring of smoke towards the woman in front of her. Selina was baffled that she had been stashing smokes under her bed for the past eight months. Maybe Arkham's security wasn't as top-notch as she initially presumed.
Selina had gone nearly twenty-four hours without the soothing intake of a mood-setting coffin nail. Another minute of deprivation and she'd go mad, though, she was already a tad insane…
She collected the Marlboro from the floor and shakily placed it between her full lips. She tersely lit up the small, light pink device and grinned relishingly to herself upon the smoky vapor that was brought into her lungs. Relaxation hit her for the first time in days. She fell back into her stiff twin bed adjacent to her roomie and crossed her legs. She was so caught up in her little fix that she had almost forgotten that she had a story to tell.
"Ahem."
Selina shot a look at her outlandish acquaintance who was giving her a wry smile and a gesturing wave of her arm, signalling her to declare her memoir. Her eyes averted downwards and she lost herself in deep muse. How would she begin? It was such an odd, and perhaps even pathetic anecdote.
She coughed improvisationally and even rubbed the nape of her neck in aversion to her situation. If only her reasoning for imprisonment was as engrossing a tale as Britney's.
She noticed the woman on the other side staring intently at her bandaged wrists. She quirked her eyebrows and nodded, as if to say, "ahh, I see."
"Suicidal, are we?" Britney's tone nearly denoted a hint of mock, like she was amused by her new roommate's perpetual sadness. "I know what ya did...but feel free to vent your life to me anyhow. I'm a great listener."
Selina's cheeks flourished a rosy tinge at her quick figuration. She shamefully hid her hands beneath her satin sheets and decided that it was time to break the ice. "So, um...you were told that I was coming, correct?"
Britney was now filing her long nails with laying down, her pillow fluffed to provide more upright support, and one leg rested over the other. "Selina Kyle. Beautiful name, I must say. Yep, told me just two hours ago, actually."
This statement had made Selina feel ashamed for some unidentifiable reason. She felt like she was intruding; barging into this woman's life suddenly and even rudely.
"Oh, God, I'm sorry, Britney. I feel as if I'm like, invading your personal space now, or something."
"No, no, really, it's cool, Sel. I was pretty lonely in here since the departure of my former roomie anyways...killed herself just last December."
And so the inevitable morbidity had settled in. Selina was really beginning to feel right at home here at the Arkham Asylum. She knew that things would only be getting darker as time went on. She would be seeing many cringe-worthy and unsettling things during her imprisonment.
Selina was a bit at loss for words. She said the only necessary thing to say at such a statement. "Jesus...I'm so sorry. How...how was she able to-"
"Hung herself on one of the willows outside. I dunno when she got out, or how, really. I think her aid was on break or whatever. Hmph, she was more miserable than myself, or even you, I'm sure." She blew another cloud of smoke into the air, then frowned and sighed "Jessie...just twenty-one, goddammit…"
Selina's smoke was currently settled between two tan, thin fingers and her light brown doe eyes were rested on the overwhelmingly white wall to the side. "Oh…"
"Yeah, enough of that." Britney waved a 'warning finger' at Kyle. "Don't you even think about ending it all. Now, I gotta warn ya that this place does suck dick. Pssh, it's like bad head...they say there's no such thing...bullshit. You'll see what I mean when you meet the Director of our humble abode, Leland."
"She mean?"
Wheezy giggles followed. "Hell yeah, real bitch, sweetheart. I'd advise being a good girl, if you know what's good for ya." She let her dying cig fall to the cement floor then hacked into her shirt's short sleeve for around ten seconds. She glanced back up and met watery eyes with the Cat. "Hag's given me like 23 sentences of solitary confinement in my past two years here."
Selina smirked lightly, hoping some laughter in response wouldn't burst her new bunk buddy's bubble. "Whaddya do?"
"Oh man, I've done all kinds of shit, girl. I don't have enough fingers and toes to list the things I've done wrongly, so you'll just have tuh keep track on your own."
Selina nodded and prepared for quite the narration. She fervently waited in excitement as Britney coughed some more before starting. "Incident number one: July 13th, 2011: Patient Britney Plathex starts" she paused to scoff "a brawl with multiple inmates during her lunch hour. Reason for fight is unknown, for the patient refuses to give details on the occurrence. Altercation results in four broken noses, six black eyes, and three missing teeth, all from a total of five different female inmates. Patient Plathex is sentenced to two weeks in solitary confinement."
She drew another smoke from her pack and lit that up, while Selina sat upright on her twin mattress listening intently. "...Incident number two…"
Most of the accounts had turned out to be mere catfights with the different patients in the girl's section of the ward, or all of the times she'd attempted to escape the place. Selina was not alarmed to hear that the men and women of the institution were sectioned off from each other. No males got to see the females, and vice versa. It seemed only rational. God knew how many rapists were inhabiting this run-down madhouse.
Selina's eyes trailed around the compact living space while her pal yakked on about her misdeeds. She failed to find basic housing items that seemed essential for proper living standards. Sure, a mini fridge would have been nice, but this dorm didn't even have a clock mounted on the wall, and there were two small dressers, one for Britney and one for herself. No lamp was to be seen, just the ceiling light high above them surrounded by visible and thick cobwebs. Selina could assume that they didn't receive housekeeping services frequently. Yet, she couldn't help but value the fact that she was set for her nicotined urges and had a companion who almost resembled herself in a way. This was just what she needed. Both the smokes and sociopathic outcast could help her cope through this hell of a home. In the past two hours she had already been here, she already felt less suicidal. Perhaps this long-term experience wouldn't be too dilapidated after all.
"So, I think I should give ya a tour around the place. We've got like thirty minutes before our therapy session." Britney stood up, dropped her smoke and crushed it carelessly into the floor, like a true badass. Selina couldn't help but adore her antics so far.
"Um...our therapy? I already saw this guy named Henry today...How many therapists do I see?"
Brief chortling was returned her way once a hand was placed on the doorknob. "Oh, well, actually it's group therapy, bebe. Ya see, all women here are required to take it. Our floor has sessions every Monday and Thursday at 11:15 a.m. We're in this room with like ten other chicks, and fuck, do some of them have issues. More than myself, even," she whispered. She opened the door and stepped to the side to provide leeway. "Our shrink's name is Gabrielle. We don't have to be all professional with her calling, which in my opinion makes her all the cooler."
Selina shrugged and followed her new accomplice out the door. Before doing so, she chucked her cancer stick over her shoulder without a damn given. The dinky room could burn up for all she cared. Maybe then they'd be able to get a larger one. Though, that was hardly probable.
They had twenty-five minutes to use up before their session, so they decided to spend this time exploring the areas they were allowed to, and not allowed to go. Sociopaths, they were, shits, they did not give.
The halls were dimly lit and windows were not abundant. The place had a gloomy essence about it, each and every square inch, in fact. Wandering the halls were women of all ages, all dressed in the same dark orange, V-necked shirts and baggy sweatpants, some supervised by a tag-wearing aid fresh out of school, others alone. Selina felt on edge whenever the two would pass an insane woman mumbling to herself and rolling against the wall. Some walked crookedly and cackled for brief moments then went stoic in a matter of seconds. Some gave the two, particularly the newcomer, looks of filth as they passed by. This was her life now. These were the people she'd be faced with everyday for quite a while, if not the rest of her days. At this recurring realization, Selina again felt the urge to upchuck in spite of dread.
They got onto the elevator at the far end of the hall along with a cross-eyed woman with her right index finger shoved deeply up her right nostril. Selina now at least had an excuse to vomit. She knew she'd be seeing far more gruesome as time went on. The nose-picker was just the beginning.
"Shower's on the second floor. We do that every morning at 7:30. All of us go in at once too, kinda sucks. Then breakfast is at 8, then we do these 'activities' with our designated healers, per se. Y'know, art and crafts, painting, even some recess, can really make ya feel like a kid again. Lunch at noon...dinner at 6:30...bed...Hmph, kind of a joke, ain't it? A relentless cycle day in and day out." An arm was slung around Selina and a shaky chuckle sounded in her ear. "Now you understand why this is gonna be hell."
Selina had noticed that all the floors were fairly similar. Generic and plain looking, all of them, and she loathed it. There was nothing artsy about this building's decor, which made sense, considering what it was used for.
Britney continued to rant on about the asylum and its people, as well as herself. She was raised by her aunt in the exurbs just outside of Gotham. She had always been rebellious, that was for sure. She went to Kenter high school for a year and a half before getting expelled for possession of nearly 10 grams of cocaine as well as a 42 oz. bottle of vodka that almost obnoxiously poked out of her backpack. To top things off, she had faced her third offense by getting caught having intercourse the band room, it being with the actual band teacher. While she was booted from the district for good, he was both laid off and arrested for undergoing sexual activities with a minor, though she was kind of close to eighteen to begin with.
That was her lifestyle. Selina wasn't' so bad. Sure, she had stolen store merchandise and done some pot in her day, but she was never expelled. She just dropped out on her own, shortly after she'd turned sixteen in the tenth grade. At that point, her mother had just been diagnosed with the lung cancer. It started in her left lung, and spread wildly from there. Selina did what she could to help her out. She had to work her ass off to pay off the hospital bills and treatment that was doing little to help her in the first place. She'd considered her three years working at a rathole of a diner in the projects of Los Angeles to be an excessive waste of her late teens. She lost her beloved mother nevertheless.
Her mom had been her only family, until now. Figuratively speaking, she was now the younger sister to one large and dysfunctional family. Selina could figure that adapting to these crazies would be perhaps her most horrendous challenge yet. At least she found her new roomie to be alright.
"God, I've just been bitching my ass off. C'mon, Selina, tell me about yourself," pressed the blonde who stood at least four inches taller than her. She understood that talking of herself just as the other had been for the past hour may have been customary, but she really didn't want to think about her messy self right then. She was enjoying the distraction.
"Yeah, I don't think you're gonna want to hear about me. My life is, and always has been, terrible."
A scoff and a mumbled "bullshit!" hit her ears in return. "I had guessed that, considering your em, little accident." She pointed to her bandaged wrists and donned a taunting smirk while doing so. Selina blushed out of both shame and slight aggravation. She had just been pointedly accused of her deed. Yes, she had slit her wrists, but why did everyone want to talk about it? It seemed as if the patronization just wouldn't cease.
Selina shoved her hands down the large pockets on either pant leg and grimaced, refraining any eye contact until the subject would fluctuate. "Let's not talk about that, okay?"
"Why not?"
"Well, because it's depressing! I just couldn't take it anymore." Selina, now abashed, stared blankly at the pale and cracked wall to her right. "I just want to die."
"No, you don't. Think about what you're saying, hon."
"I transparently fathom what I'm sayin', thanks." She could not hold down at least a couple tsks while averting her view to the black speckled white polished flooring. "I'm not scared of dying, I'm scared of living like this; the constant pain."
A reassuring pat landed on her left shoulder as they stopped mid-hall. Britney was one to understand, for she was technically depressed herself, that having been just one of her many disorders. "Let's go 'n see Gabby."
Located on the fifth floor in Room 346 was the Group Therapy 'class' held for the ladies with screwy minds and tortured souls. The room itself was large and bare for the most part, except for an array of chairs in one large circle in the center of the room. The session was to begin in a matter of minutes, leaving Britney some extra time to gossip about the girls Selina would be hearing. She obscenely pointed out all the worst cases, the schizo's, the victim's of PTSD, the gals with multiple personalities; all the interesting ones, basically. The two sat down a few seats away from where their instructor would be. At this point, a handful of troubled women had made their way in, and either stood in a corner mumbling drabble under their breaths or they obediently and normally took a seat. The shrink had been a thirty-something brunette with a cheeky, white smile and lively persona. Her impression really gave-off the 'feel good' vibes.
"Hey, girls! How are we doing?"
Selina rolled her eyes at her giddy flamboyance. It made her look pretentious, to the overly judgemental eyes of Selina Kyle. Selina silently fretted when she noticed that the row of pearls and tilted eyes were on her suddenly. Had she been targetted already?
A hand was held out before her. "You must be our new patient. What is your name, again?"
"Selina," she groused while staring at the fancy rock that was wrapped around her ring finger. Envy settled within her upon seeing how many carats were on the pendant. Selina had then acknowledged that this woman was her complete opposite. Happy, wealthy, married, sweet, confident, and everything else that the Cat was not. Her hand was grabbed and shaken three times up and down before release.
"Nice to meet you, Selina. Welcome to our session. You're going to have soo much fun in here! We share our thoughts and experiences, good or bad, and then we all chip in a helpful suggestion for them to consider."
Selina returned a nod of indifferent understanding, then the woman was back in her own seat, her eyes now on all the fidgeting women at once. "So...who would like to start today?"
At first nothing but a round of sighs and leg-crossings, then a feeble hand was raised from the far end to the left. "Alright, Jeanie. Have at it."
A light cough erupted from the young woman with mousy brown hair and small green eyes, then a declaration of pure defeat. "Last night, I was unable to stop thinking about my ex boyfriend. I was like, literally up all night thinking about those haunting chestnut eyes and well-defined body...I remembered the night he broke up with me a year ago...how I swallowed up a whole bottle of sleeping pills when he did...then that trip to the hospital, then here. I have had plenty of time to think about my decision, to try and kill myself, y'know. Even now, I feel that I want him too bad to carry on, like before. I feel...trapped."
Some understanding nods were presented her way as well as a few coughs and light groans of boredom. Selina was actually intrigued by what the woman had to say, for she could relate entirely. She too, dearly missed her man who had cut her out of his life, just like that. He broke her heart, Bruce Wayne had. He just couldn't accept a trainwreck such as herself. She was a compulsive klepo as well as a liar. He was a good man, a good man with a lotta' cash. Yet, Selina loved the Batman not for his budget, but for who he was. She had fallen head over heels for the deep and husky tone he used while on duty, and his chipper and wisecracking statements while he was Bruce Wayne, the billionaire playboy. Not to mention he was quite handsome as well. Very much so, in fact. She lusted over the man intensely back then. She'd even hesitate to borrow money from him despite his grand earnings and the chance that whatever she wanted to buy would have almost no real financial cost to him in any way. Though, she still shoved those fifteen dollar necklaces that were from a rack at JC Penney's down into her pockets or bra, or she'd drop a few mascaras into her purse when no one was looking. And after just two and a half months of dating him, he had caught her lashing out on a burglar with a whip of sorts at a bank heist back in '09, then he eventually found all of her clothes and makeup with no leftover receipt. He would have nothing of her after this.
The faintest of tears pooled around Selina's eyes at that reflection. She felt the urge to clap for the woman sitting across from her, and almost did so without a second thought, until the scoff of a lifetime roared from a woman sitting nearby her.
"Get ahold of yourself, Jean! What a pantsy! All this bitching over a man?! You need to man-up! H. Christ, trying to kill yourself all 'cause some fuck didn't like your pussy? Pathetic."
Wide eyes from all around the room were set on the brute of a woman with a deep voice and rude approach. Such a beast, this one was. A presumable six feet of height and a dark and murky skin tone with quite the display of scars engraved all throughout would send chills down the Batman's spine himself. A scowl crossed the speaker's prior innocent face and she stood from her seat, fists clenched and posture straightened elaborately.
"What right do you have to judge me, Stella? I think you need to up your dosage of sympathy!"
The silent observers remained hushed as the large woman rose from her seat with a creak to follow, then marched after the defiant victim of a broken heart. "You silly, J. All wound up over some dolt. Hell, maybe you should have taken your life, while ya had the chance-"
"Fuck off! At least I'm not a dyke like yourself!"
After another very brief round of pure quiet, a thud sounded along with the knocking over of two chairs. The larger woman was atop the smaller speaker, masculine hands gripped around her slender neck and vicious thrashing followed. The circle could only stare in shock as the Sasquatch pounded away at the feeble girl beneath. As the shock value began to settle in, the teach had it in her to stand and sprint out of the room, to likely get security.
The women did nothing to intercede the quarrel. "Ah, I love a good fight," chimed Britney, actually sporting a small grin, appearing to be entertained by the onslaught. Selina was quite taken aback to have already been in the face of danger.
"Does this happen frequently?" Selina whispered timidly in her friend's ear.
"Ho yes. You're in for about three fights a week, at least."
Selina felt chills run down her spine at the thought of her being victimized. She would have to stay far away from this beastly woman who looked to be in her late twenties. Two tall men somewhere in their twenties rushed in with Gabrielle, holding a shot with a long and frighteningly thick needle. The two worked together to pull the creature off of the bruising woman and inject her in the arm with the incisive sedative. A protesting growl ensued before a loud collapse to the carpeted floor. Sobbing could be heard even when the young woman was on a gurney halfway down the hall.
This woman, Stella, had to be dragged out of the room by the two guards. One of them, the younger looking one with deep blue eyes and brunet hair shot a smile and wink Britney's way, and she giggled in response. "My boyfriend," she whispered to Selina, who returned a startled look. "I'll explain later," she added quickly before the door was closed by Gabrielle, who was now immensely red in the face and audibly panting. Trembling fingers combed through sweaty brown wisps and a quiet "My god" was sighed. She drew her gaze back at the nine remaining women and straightened her stance. "...Anyone else? We have-" she glanced upwards at the barred clock resting high on the wall, "Eleven minutes."
All that could be heard in return was light breathing and a few stomach rumblings. "I think we're done for today, then."
"Who is she?" Selina asked the tall blonde beside her. They were now in line at the cafeteria, bare trays in their hands and the scent of meatloaf filling their airways.
"The black chick? Stella Kopper, aka, biggest butch in the world. Puts on quite a show, don't she?" The line was moving gradually today, and debating could be heard from further up the line. Meatloaf seemed to be the only thing on the menu today, and the girls weren't liking it.
"What's she in for?" The Cat was almost afraid to inquire. A chuckle was tossed back her way along with a shaking head. "Alleged murder and gangrape of 22-year old Desiree Phelps. She's here along with her two sisters, Keke and Tamya. They've been here for nearly six years now."
Selina felt her heart plummet at that news. "Shit, you mean there's two more of her?!"
More laughing carried on. Britney seemed to be pretty unfazed in character. "Don't worry, Lina, one's half her size and the other is, er, my height, but they're not nearly as brutal as their big sis is. Though, they do tend to follow after their sissy's ways. She's like, their leader, ya know? The ruler of the roost, I'd say."
She nodded comprehensively, but remained unnerved. "So, why aren't they on constant lockdown? She almost killed that poor woman back in therapy!"
"Pssh, I dunno. Probably would be the wisest thing to do now, wouldn't it?" They were now further up the line that had been dragging on for the past seven minutes. Selina didn't care for meatloaf, or really much meat at all aside from small portions of chicken or turkey here and there. She hadn't had a full meal in days, however, so she knew that she was have to save her pickiness for another time.
She reluctantly held her tray towards a burly woman looking to be in her fifties with stringy grayish brown hairs sticking out of her hairnet and an incredibly hardened expression. She scooped a small pile of gruel onto her plate and waved her arm to gesture her to move along. At the end of the line was a small salad bar, with no salad, but carrot sticks and some boiled broccoli along with a bin of bruised apples. The food here seemed worse than what they serve in soup kitchens.
She filled the other half of her tray up with baby carrots then followed Britney over to a clear table at the far end of the room. Selina picked away at her lump of mystery meat while Britney vented on about how she met Tyler Davis, Arkham's new twenty-seven year old security guard.
"He started workin' here like nine months ago, I think. I saw him standing in the corner with his partner when all of us lady inmates were making our way down to the 'Inspection Room' for our monthly cavity search, and-"
"WHAT?! Wh-what do ya mean cavity search?"
Selina felt goosebumps spring up on her arms as the blonde explained that everyone is required to undergo a thorough and buck-naked inspection on the 20th of every month. Inmate procedure. It was established. When she noticed how pale the normally tan woman went at that news, she assured her that "It doesn't hurt or take too long, and a hot guy does it".
While she was still disquieted, Britney decided to continue on. "I saw him smoking while on duty. His rebellion made me pretty wet, too. I cut out of our 'single line' for a moment so I could brush my ass against him, snatch his smoke, and tell him to meet me in the boiler room that night at 9:30. I didn't wait for his obligation, I skipped on ahead and got back in line." A sly smirk played along her mouth and a throaty chuckle broke out past her lips. "Got tackled by fifteen women when they saw me with the cig, plenty of smokers here, ya know. Spent the next four weeks in the infirmary with a dislocated arm, shoulder, two broken fingers and bruises everywhere. The man visited me every night till I got out. We passionately fucked away without a stitch on in the lobby that night. Been getting together every so often since then."
Jealously rang through the petite woman's body. It had been just over three years since she'd last had sex, that being with her beloved Brucie. Since her breakup with him, she went asexual and hung around her late friend Pamela Isley. Pamela was promiscuous, and very much so. She had her share of one-night stands and flings, without a single care given. Selina had always preferred relationships and attachment of strings. She thought the one she had with Bruce was going exceptionally, until he disowned her for her criminal enactments. Since then she had felt so lost.
"Think you can hook me up with his buddy?" Selina asked, totally ready to start 'dating' again. It was time to move on, she figured. That other one she saw wasn't bad looking, and he would make for a decent run-to man for all of Selina's long-unrequited sexual urges. However, Selina didn't receive the answer she had wanted.
"Oh, thing is, Francis is gay."
Selina nearly snorted out her sip of 2% milk. How unfortunately ironic. "You sure?"
"Eyup. A few months back I was gonna propose a threesome night with Tyler, wanting to include his partner, but I saw the man having an intense make-out session with one of the male inmates. Some Mexican...But maybe he's bi."
Selina dismissed him as a potential boyfriend. There was always someone else. "Nah, it's cool. I have this therapist named Dr. Frederick. He's a little older, but he's still pretty hot. I'm gonna see if I can get anywhere with him."
Britney laughed. "I doubt it, honey. Therapists are awful professional, single or not. You so much as peck him on the cheek you'll be faced with a restraining order."
"Have you had him?"
"Nope. Had I, then I'd've fucked him a loong time ago, and right now I'd be tellin' you how it was."
"...Still, a girl's gotta try."
With that, Selina knew that the following Wednesday would be the day she'd try to get her sex life back, even if it was with her shrink.