The Journey 'Home'

This chapter's all about the coach journey... Loads more conversation/characterization here:) Kinda sets the scene for the next chapter. Are these chapters too short..? Too long? idk, opinions on this sorta thing in the reviews would be really appreciated, thank you! x

The atmosphere in the school bus was tense. The girl, for some reason, had a constant flood of thoughts: mainly imagining what anarchy might be unleashed if a pin was to drop. It felt that any commotion might be enough to tip someone over the edge. Although she didn't know any of her kidnappers well enough, the clown disguises gave her enough reasoning to conclude that none of them were very mentally stable. She had no one to trust. Except from... maybe the guy in the makeup. He had been so gentle with her... However he did seem to be their leader. Maybe he was the craziest after all.

The silence continued for what seemed like hours. Gotham's skyscraper-filled centre faded away after about fifteen minutes (the girl guessed), revealing the dense outskirts of the city. She'd never seen a place so drab, being a city girl. Because of working in the bank, she'd had an apartment in one of those famous skyscrapers. She'd never seen something so ugly.

There was only one thing to focus her interest on the whole way... For continuously, out of the corner of her eye, the girl noticed something else. That man - the man with the creepy makeup - kept watching her. She never returned his gaze. She didn't want to give the wrong impression. She wasn't interested in him, she kept telling herself. Not at all! But why had he taken her? Why kidnap her? Was it the way she'd feared him back at the bank? 'Oh God... please don't let him be one of those perverted sadists..."

An eerie, slightly nasally voice pierced the otherwise 'awkward' silence. He savoured every syllable in his words: "He-llo."

She let her eyes dart around the coach quickly. The driver was on his own at the front of the bus. Aside from herself and maybe two other henchmen who'd made it onto the getaway vehicle, she was alone with the woman in the jumpsuit and the man with the makeup. He stared at her. This time, she stared back.

His mouth moved: "C'mon, city girly, didn't your daddy teach you any manners?"

She didn't respond. After matching the voice with the face, she was suddenly afraid.

Folding his arms, the Joker sighed. He gazed out of the window, pretending to sulk again. "If he didn't teach ya any, I'm gonna have to do it for him..."

It sounded like a threat. He continued. "You see, uh," he smacked his lips, "I don't do the kinda, y'know, 'daddy's little angel' discipline? I do the 'daddy's little hussy' kind that involves you going over my knee and my hand." He mimed slapping the air. His pretty little hostage knew what that meant. It meant it was time to be sociable.

"I think I'll stick to just talking, thanks." Her voice shook, but the Joker was amazed. He hadn't had a hostage that bold before. Even the girl was amazed by her sudden bravery, even if it had been diluted a little by fear.

"Ooh, bitta fight in you." He smacked his lips again and leaned forwards slightly. "I like that."

The girl leaned away from him. She averted her eye contact. He reminded her of a pervy drunk off of a street corner. Even being the high-flying city girl she was, she'd seen plenty of those types of men and had never been attracted to them. If that's what this clown was getting at. Now, talking didn't seem a very good option either.

The Joker chuckled excitedly. Not only was she a squealer, but she was a squirmer, too. He liked making squirmers squirm equally as much as making squealers squeal. This girl was gonna be a lot of fun indeed...

Harley, too, had her arms folded. She was genuinely annoyed that this little rich girl make her puddin' act like this. But she had nothing to say. She just continued to sulk and make sideways glares at her puddin'.

The Joker meanwhile, had relaxed now that he'd broken the ice, and was leant back in his seat, arms folded, yet they were far more eased up. He and Harley were sat opposite their little hostage and he had the perfect view of both of them. It seemed flirting with the girl was annoying Harley. Annoying both of them, even. Time to talk a bit more.

"So toots, you gotta name?"

"Leila."

"You gonna tell me your surname too, little lady?"

"Napier."

Both the Joker and Harley felt a pang of nostalgia. Their eyes widened, stunned. Neither of them said anything, but both of them felt that pain in their hearts... Especially the Joker. He remembered that missing piece: the piece of the jigsaw that was forever lost.

"Napier?" He quickly recovered. "That's a cute name you've got yourself there. Bet the men at that little bank you, uh, 'work' at? Bet they were falling over eachother for you."

Leila still wasn't looking at either of them: that way she could be more confident. She'd sensed the nostalgia. Time to make him squirm a little.

"And you? What's your name?"

The Joker scoffed. "Don't ask me questions okay, you're my cute little girly hostage. Cute little girly hostages don't ask their kidnappers personal questions from now on, agreed?"

"Puddin', you told her if she didn't talk to ya, you'd spank her silly?" Harley wanted to confirm her puddin' wouldn't do that to anyone else but her. Spanking was her kinky punishment.

"Maybe I will, she's mine now!" The Joker giggled. He noticed the moody frown on Harley's face and sighed. "What am I gonna do with you, Harl, you get so jealous."

"I'm not jealous!" she snapped. Now it was her turn to avoid eye contact with him. This, of course, only made the Joker laugh more. Personally, it creeped Laila out. She didn't love his creepiness like Harley did. She was just a girl who'd gone to work, been robbed, and been kidnapped. By almost complete strangers. She wasn't charmed.

The Joker gazed out of the window. He seemed as though he were daydreaming, but then he noticed his surroundings. "Oop, almost forgot." Reaching deep into a pocket in his purple trench coat, he pulled out a blindfold. It was skin coloured, but had cartoon, exaggerated 'scared' eyes on it. He laughed to himself, admiring his creativity. Then he handed it to his hostage.

"For you, Leeeiilaaa." He hung on the vowel sounds, turning her name into an elongated drawl. Obviously mocking her job in a posh bank. At first, because of his cheekiness, she refused to put it on. Then his eyes went dark. "Put them on, toots, you can't see where exactly you're going. You see..." he smacked his lips, "...it's a bit risky telling your hostages where old Batsy should pick them up from."

Leila felt daring again. "Maybe I want him to pick me up."

The Joker chuckled to her, fixing her blindfold in place and tying it tight. "Oh, you are a feisty little one... But he can't pick you up toots, because you're my cute little girly hostage, remember? I decide if you're gonna get rescued. The kidnapper always calls the shots. Rule no.1 of kidnapping, y'know."

The bus pulled sharply around a corner, and suddenly the road became far more rough. The wheels bounced off the uneven ground and Leila hit her head several times against the glass of the windows. Although she could no longer see, she sensed they were driving over some kinda field.

"We're not going over a field, if that's what you're planning to tell Batsy," the same odd little voice muttered.

"Where else could we b-"

"Atata... Remember what we agreed? The cute little girly hostage doesn't ask her kidnapper personal questions. Asking where somebody lives is a very personal question indeed."

He looked to Harley and whispered cheekily into her ear: "she might be going over my knee for that."

Harley huffed. She was done with him for today. She got up, moved up the bus, and went to sit at the wheel with the driver. Hopefully she might get her puddin' as jealous as her.

"Did you hear that, Leeiilla?"

Leila shook her head. She didn't want to talk now she knew there was no hope for her rescue.

His eyes shone bright with giddiness. "I told the little green eyed monster that you'd be going over my knee later. Do you remember what that entails?"

Leila nodded cautiously.

"Do you want to go over my knee later?"

Leila shook her head straightaway; making it clear it was the worst thing she could think of.

The Joker sniggered at her immediate reaction. He was making her squirm… "In that case, the cute little girly hostage is going to have to recall what she must never, eevver do. Can you remember that, toots?"

Leila nodded.

He grinned, even though he knew she couldn't see. "Tell me?"

Leila gulped quietly; preparing herself to begin. It was too long a wait for her kidnapper.

"Ugh, I have to do everything round here," he muttered quickly. "Listen - I want you to say 'I must never ever ask my handsome kidnapper personal questions because I don't want to have my bottom slapped."

"I must never ever ask my," she paused, crinkling up her nose, "handsome kidnapper personal questions."

"Oh, but why ever so not, cute little girly hostage of mine?"

She stalled. "Because I don't want to have my bottom slapped."

Grinning wider, he praised her, "ata girl... In perfect time, too." Leaning very close to her, he slowly lifted her blindfold. She jumped from having the clown's face so close to her own. Smirking, he murmured. "We're home, toots."

Don't know if this did as much as I wanted it to:( And Leila is in no way related to the Joker! Just wanted to add some nostalgia:') please review, positives and negatives would be much appreciated:) Thank you for reading Chapter 2! x