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CHAPTER 25

The room was suddenly very, very tense. I wasn't sure what to do. Keep quiet and remain unnoticed. Or run like hell. I opted for the former. I sat in silence.
"I have every last dime you could want, sport," said the Joker.
With a smirk, Frost nodded his head, "Where is it?"
The Joker began laughing, "Hahahaha, nooooooo, son. That's not how I work. See, you tell me now where my girl is, or I'll paint the walls with your face."
The Joker cocked his gun and raised it to Frost's head.
"Fair deal," Frost replied. "She's down the hall, very last door on the left. Room 3030."
The Joker looked questioningly at Frost.
Frost spoke up, "But uh, why do you want her anyway. Seems this pretty little thing over here is much, much more attractive. What if, and here's a deal. What if, we trade girls….. "
The Joker laughed.
"No, Joker. I'm being honest. I keep the money, we trade girls, and I let you out of this building alive."
The Joker licked his lips, a habit I knew very well.
"No," he said. "You've forgotten, pal, that I'm the one with the upper hand. Your thugs aren't here remember?"
Frost laughed viciously, "I got the cops on my team, clown. And here's the funny part, they're already on their way. So, deal or no deal?"
The Joker was out of ideas for the moment.
"Go check 3030," he said to me. I nodded and quickly made my way out of the room.

~~~~Emma~~~~

I ran down the hall. I wanted more than anything to reach 3030 and see my sister. As soon as I made it to the door though, I froze. Ally would know everything once she saw me. She'd know this was my fault. She'd know who I was, what I did, and she'd hate me. I could never hide anything from her. There was a moment where I just felt like running for the stairs. Running, leaving, and not returning. And I honestly felt that I could do that. But that wasn't me. I caused my sister enough hurt, a little more won't kill her like Frost will.
I took some deep breaths.
Your baby sister is a monster, Ally.
A monster.
My hand stayed on the doorknob. I licked my lips nervously, then, I finally opened the door.

I was instantly confused and somewhat shocked.
First, this wasn't a condo like I had expected. It was a dark, empty room stripped of everything. Stone walls, stone floor. And the only light was the light emitting from a small lamp towards the left side of the room.

Second, I recognized who sat there. The little red head I met in the park, what seemed like ages ago. My first thought was she was a victim as well. And the thought that this innocent girl was trapped, well, it flared up something inside me I'd never felt before. But then realization kicked in when I seen that she wasn't bound but instead sat comfortably in a wooden chair. And her hand lifelessly held a gun.

Third, I finally looked to the opposite side of the room and I saw Ally. She was bruised, but not as bad as I had imagined. She hadn't registered it was me until she heard my voice.
"Ally," I said. Finally, I could breathe. I could move. Without second thought of the redhead next to me, I ran over to my sister.
"Ally, oh god, Ally. I'm so, so sorry," I said, all the while loosening the rope that kept her bound. "This is my fault. You shouldn't be here. They've done something bad, Ally. I'm so, so sorry. Maybe one day you could forgive me. Maybe you can see that I'm still your baby sister. That'd I still like to go home and watch Titanic with you. I haven't forgotten you, Ally. I really haven't."
I was panting, out of breath, and speechless. I was on the floor weeping, and my sister was sitting there next to me. She held me like she did so many years ago. When the Joker, when he was little. When I heard him kill his father. Damn, all of this over a childhood. Parents these days have no idea what they're getting into.

Ally was crying and stroking my hair. The light was hitting my face now, and I couldn't see her expression. I didn't want to.
"Oh, Emma," she said, "Your beautiful face, Emma. What has he done to you?'
I could only cry like a blubbering two year old that got caught doing something bad. She just looked at my face. I could imagine the scars there. I could imagine seeing my face in a new light. She must hate me. But she didn't let me know it if she did. She just cried along with me.
"Just tell me why, Emma. Why?" she asked.
I looked up at her, searching for her face in the dark, "Everyone needs someone, Ally. Who am I without him?"
Ally didn't respond back. She just held me tighter.

That's about the time I noticed the redhead staring at us. Anger flared inside me and I stood up, stomping over to her hunched frame.
"WHY!" I screamed. She looked up at me, tears rushing down her milky face. The gun slipped from her hand.
"I'm in love with a monster," she said. "Could you ever forgive me?"
I sighed and instead turned away from her. I felt something being tugged inside me. I had a connection with her, but Ally didn't need to know that right away.
"Come on Ally, we're leav-"

After Emma left the room, the Joker turned back to Frost,
"Where, is my money?" Frost asked again.
The Joker nodded his head and laughed, "Yes, right away, sir. If you would follow me."
But before the Joker could leave Frost halted him.
"No, no, Joker. Tell me where my money is."
"In the hallway, near the staircase."
Then Frost gave the Joker a sketchy eye. That's not an odd place at all to put $100,000. He didn't trust him, not one bit.
Frost slowly maneuvered his way to his front door. Then slowly, he opened it and took a look down the hallway. Sure enough, 5 suitcases laid neatly stacked down the hallway.
"Wait here," he said.
The Joker laughed, but obediently stayed. He counted the seconds on his hand.
10...
Frost made his way down the opposite end of the hallway. He was headed to room 3030.

9.….
He was planning on barging in and taking the sweet , bounded Emma away, just in case the Joker was trying to pull one over him.

8.…
But the scene he crept in on was a bit different.

7.…
The girl who was once bound spoke, "Just tell me why, Emma. Why?"

6.…
Realization dawned on him.
He had the wrong girl.
All along.

5.…
Then, the one who he now knew to be Emma approached his woman. His Kara.
"I'm in love with a monster," she said.

4.…
"Could you ever forgive me?"

3.…
Something enraged Frost, and he stepped in, grasping Emma by the arm and tugging her harshly into the hallway.

2.…
He pulled out his gun from his robe pocket and held it to her head.

1.…
"HELP!" she screeched; what an annoying voice.

0.

The Joker knew instantly who was screaming for help. Emma, his sweet, loving Emma. He bolted out of the room and looked upon Frost. His arm wrapped seductively around Emma's waist. The other holding a pistol up to the side of her head.

~~~~Emma~~~~

"Now what!" he yelled to the Joker. His grip on me was quite strong and struggling frightened me even more, for every time I moved, it seemed his gun pushed deeper into my head. The Joker stood quite stoically, not showing any emotion.
"Thought you could play me, ay J man?" Frost laughed manically. "Well, you're wrong! I've got your Emma now. It's all over."
"What, why!" I screamed. "You have your money!"
I just barely heard the redhead's voice from behind me, "Please, Cole, don't."
He turned to look at her, "Shut up, Kara!"
I stared, frightened to death, at the man who started this all. I heard my sister crying behind me. And yet, I still only wanted to be over there with him. A smile grew on his face and he slowly walked down the long hallway.

Frost sensed his movement and quickly looked back at the Joker.
"Don't move! Or I'll shoot."
The Joker laughed maliciously, "Do it then. She doesn't mean a thing to me."
Although I knew he was bluffing, it still surprised me that he would take such a big risk.
Kara screamed, "NO!"
Frost turned around the moment she started screaming.
Was her 'no' because she didn't want Frost to shoot me?
No. Not at all.
It was because the Joker had pulled his gun out too.
Frost made a very, fatal mistake.
BANG.
The body behind me fell back from the impact. I could feel dots of blood on my face. A moment past before I realized I hadn't been the one who was shot. And Ally was no longer screaming. I only assumed she had fainted. She did that a lot in high school. Good.

There was a moment's silence again, where I made eye contact with the Joker. I lowered my eyes, already anticipating what happened next.
"NOOO!" Kara's scream was unlike any I've ever heard. Like her heart had been ripped from her body. I didn't want to turn around. There was a rushing of noises coming to me at once. The sound of what must have been Ally, puking. Kara behind me, screaming and wailing a pain I had never felt before. And never wanted to feel. And the shouting of cops running down the hallway. Then another, BANG. And the screaming behind me stopped. But the Joker didn't do it. I watched him the whole time.

The whole time, while the cops ran down the hallway, pointing guns at everyone.
While they arrested him.
While they wrapped a weak blanket around me.
While they carried my sister to the elevator.
While they lifted the lifeless form of Kara into a body bag.
Oh, I cried.