Disclaimer: All characters belong to DC, with the exception of the Magda, Jim, and Danny. This one takes a departure from the usual, a little day in the life with Jason and Magda. Another long one.
I woke up at sunrise and decided to take a long walk to the west side of Gotham. I made it to Aparo Park about an hour later. It was a chilly morning and I could still see my breath. I hung out on a park bench near the river. I went over in my head what I had to do today. I pulled out the money and counted it. Everything was still there, but it wasn't much, just one hundred in twenties. The cold was starting to get to me, so I made my way to the closest diner.
Dave's Diner was very generic, but had great coffee. A waitress with the nametag "Linda" took my order. "What'll you have kid?" She looked at me oddly probably because I did seem dirty and grungy. "Some coffee, a side of eggs and sausage." She wrote it down, and walked away. She was very quick to come back with a fresh pot of coffee and a clean cup. "Do you have today's paper?" She gave an annoyed look. "Sure kid." She went over to the serving counter and brought over an unoccupied copy of the current paper.
"Thanks." I said while hugging the hot cup in my hands. The front of the paper read Joker's big night foiled by the Bat . It was continued on page five, with another small picture present. The image was a person holding a gun in the air, with the caption "Unknown female starts night with a bang! To announce the Joker." I squinted at the picture. Thank god it was so small, that no one should recognize me. Linda came back with my food. "You done with that?" She pointed to the paper in my hands. I didn't reply, just handed it over. I had my breakfast, maybe too fast because I got some awkward glances from customers. I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday morning. I skipped lunch yesterday to avoid throwing up from nervousness at the party.
After another forty five minutes and another couple refills of coffee, much to Linda's dismay, I asked for the check. When she came back with it I reached for it, and my sleeve crept up. I quickly pulled it down knowing that Linda probably saw the bruises. I passed on a twenty to her, and told her to keep the change. Before I could get to the door, I felt a hand tug on my sleeve. I felt sweaty. Did I do something wrong? I turned around and Linda slipped me a card. "You might need this kid." I rushed out the door, and ducked into the alley. The card read Free Clinic. Dr. Leslie Thompkins . She was located in the northeast corner of Crime Alley. This might come in handy, but I didn't feel any need to go there right now.
I needed to find some running water badly. There was a convenience store around the corner. I walked in and asked if I could use the restroom. The clerk gave me an angry look, "For paying customers only." I went around the store and picked up a bar of soap, a pack of gum, and travel size deodorant. I slapped it on the counter along with another twenty. He gave me my change. "Here." He handed me a key to the restroom. I took it and my stuff and unlocked the door. "Fucking jerk." I said under my breath. I put the key and gum in my pocket, and arranged the soap and deodorant on the sink. I took off my long sleeved, dark purple sweater and sat it on the back of the toilet. I put my hands on the corners of the sink. While looking down, my hand managed to find the hot water knob. I waited awhile until I could feel some steam come from the sink. I unhooked my bra and let it fall to the ground.
I looked up into a half fogged mirror, and almost didn't recognize myself with the smudges of dirt on my face. The swelling from the cut on my lip was gone, but there was some dried blood from last nights sleep. My hair was greasy and tangled. I stood up straight examining the rest of my body. My wrists bruised. My sides bruised from the sparing with Jim. No cuts, thank god, except on my lip. I poked the bruises to see how tender they were. Only the ones on my wrists had any sensation of pain. I splashed some hot water on my face. I worked the soap in my hands to get a lather. I started with my stomach and worked my way up. I used the tips of my fingers to scrub away anything I could. The warmth felt so good. On my stomach. On my breasts. On my arms. On my neck. I washed away the suds with cupped handfuls of water. I made a mess, but I didn't care. When I got to my face, I closed my eyes and carefully rubbed soap from my forehead to my chin. I poked at the cut on my lip.
I held my breath and put my head under the faucet. I washed the soap away and soaked my hair. When I came back up for air I froze. I thought I saw him. I looked down again quickly breathing. When I looked up he was gone. I rubbed my eyes and turned around just to make sure. No one was there. My breathing slowed as I turned off the faucet. I tore off many sheets of two-ply brown paper, and got as much water off me as I could. I rang out my hair in the sink, and patted it dry with more paper towels. I picked up my bra and put it back on. I cracked open the deodorant stick and used it, then threw it away. I picked up my sweater and slid it over my head into place. I left the soap, and exited the bathroom. I gave the key back to the clerk, and just started walking. My head needed to clear.
I walked until I heard music and noticed a presence of street performers. I stopped and saw a ferris wheel in the distance. I had walked to the outskirts of Amusement Mile. The smell of fried foods filled the air. I needed some protein, so I stopped at a hotdog stand. The man handed me one with a stripe of mustard and catsup. "That'll be two dollars." I handed over the change, and found a place on the ground to sit out of the way. I finished my food quickly, when a pair of dirty sneakers stepped in front of me. His voice sounded cheery, "I think we need to get you a backpack, and a new set of clothes." I my gaze followed up a pair of worn out, dark grey jeans, with holes in the knees. He wore a black and gold team jersey for the Gotham Blades, the local Hockey team.
When our eyes met, he dropped a hand down to help me up. I took it and pushed my weight up from the ground. "So how much money do you have left?" He seemed genuinely concerned.
"Lets see. Twenty for breakfast. Eight at the convenience store, and a two now. So that's seventy."
"You'll burn through that in two more days. Maybe I can lend you some."
"I'm not looking for handouts." I began to walk away. He pulled on my sleeve.
"Hey wait a minute! Can I at least buy you that backpack and clothes?"
"I guess that's fine." We start walking back towards town. I became curious, "So where did you come from? You know...to get here."
"Sorry that's a company secret." He gave a sweet smile. "I have been following you since you left that convenience store. You seemed a little out of it, so I kept my distance."
"I thought you would of been following me since I woke up. Nice to know you won't always be around." I stuck my tongue out at him playfully.
"That's a little mean. You know I'm growin' on ya." He managed a playful nudge.
"So you walked all the way to Crime Alley from your "secret location" or did you get a ride?"
He had an odd look in his eyes. "That's a great question. Yes I did have a ride, and I hid it in Sheldon Park. And no it's not a bicycle. It's a motorcycle." I started laughing uncontrollably. "What kind of a reaction is that?"
I had to catch my breath. "You don't seem to be...that type."
"Just wait. There is still plenty of time to surprise you."
"My what a big ego you have. Ok so, where are we going exactly? I mean Crime Alley doesn't exactly have clothing stores."
"A very keen observation. We are heading into the city. Just as soon as we get to my ride." We continued to walk for a good hour and a half, until we reached the park. We didn't have much to talk about. I told him a little more about growing up in the Orphanage. We only had a field trip to the city maybe twice a year, and one was always for Christmas. We stopped in front of an abandoned amphitheater. The stage was so deep that there was complete darkness at the back. He went in, and emerged with his motorcycle. While pushing it forward he tossed me an extra helmet. "Safety first." He slipped on his helmet and a leather jacket. I just stood there and stared at him, as he got on. "Don't worry you'll be fine, just hold on tight." I got on the back and wrapped my arms around his waist. As he started it up I clutched him tighter. He didn't say anything, he just laid a hand on mine to let me know we were on our way.
AN: I apologize for any misspellings, grammar errors, ect. Please feel free to comment, review, like, or favorite. I'm looking for any feedback you have on how I can improve the story. I've been on fan film kick lately, so if anyone has suggestions send me links or titles to look up. Suggestion from me, look up "The Laughing Man" on youtube. That one is creepy in a good way.
