© Ellie Goodson 2016

Chapter Twelve-I actually love the colour purple

~Arabella Jones~

When it finally clicked that for the Joker to have my clothes in his warehouse, in his bedroom, he would have had to break into my apartment, I was not a happy bunny. Not one bit. I groaned out loud as I paced the room, knowing what he had seen and not knowing what he could've possibly seen. The man had truly intruded my personal space, I felt seriously violated. Did he go himself or did he send one of his goons? Neither option sounded better than the other, the whole situation had become extremely embarrassing.

I flopped back down on the bed, pushing interestingly scary thoughts out of my head. I didn't know the time, as I had no phone and there wasn't a clock in the Joker's room. I hadn't eaten or had a drink all day, and I felt like I was about to pass out. "What's a girl got to do to get some food and water around here?" I shouted to myself, feeling my lips form into a pout like a little child. "I'm going to die in here!" I felt exasperated, and restless. I was bored out of my mind already, and now I was in need of food and water. Basic necessities.

"That's a little exaggerated, don't you think?" One of the Joker's goons entered my room, carrying a tray of food and drinks. "Boss thought you'd be hungry after all that...working. Told me to make you something to eat and give it to you."

With wide eyes and raised eyebrows, I took the tray from the goon and put it on the bed. "It looks really, really good. Thank you." I told him sincerely. He nodded his head and did a small bow before politely leaving the room, closing the door behind him. It was odd, how polite the goons were. I didn't know whether to believe him or not about the Joker sending me the food, but what reason did he have to lie to me?

Taking a seat next to the food, I examined the contents and felt my stomach growl with hunger. There was all manner of luxuries on the tray. The liquids ranged from a cup of tea to a glass of milk and then a glass of orange juice. There was toast and sandwiches and cake and biscuits for food, along with fruits like apple and strawberries. It was obvious that the goon didn't know what to make me, and it warmed my heart that he had gone through all that effort just to feed me something I may like.

I popped a strawberry in my mouth, moaning a little as the sweet juice exploded onto my tongue. I hadn't realised how desperate I was for something to drink and eat until then, and food rapidly left the tray, ending up in my stomach. Guzzling down some of the fresh milk which cooled my burning throat, I felt energy begin to explore my body once more. I was feeling a lot better after eating, as good as I could after being kidnapped by the Joker and having a big black bruise on my head that still aches and caused me pain whenever anything touched it.

When the food and liquids were all gone, I placed the tray, along with its components, onto the floor and stretched; for a beautiful moment I felt like a little kid at home. I missed my apartment, it was small and crappy but it was my apartment, the place where I would go home to after a hard working day at Arkham. I wondered how many days it would be until I was able to leave the warehouse, until I was able to see other people and breathe fresh air.

I got up from my seat, beginning to become increasingly restless once more. When I was younger, a couple years ago, I would dance around the room talking to myself when I was bored. And to be completely honest, I still did. Deciding to do exactly that as it never failed to entertain me, I mimicked my younger self. Arms outstretched as I spun around, kicking my feet out and doing small jumps, I began to think out loud. I needed to process some things anyway. "The room is very purple. But that's okay, I love the colour purple. I like the mixture of all the other colours as well, and it's rather amusing how every colour is part of the Joker's disguise. I know there's a face under the make-up; I swear to god I'll see it one day."

I jumped onto the other foot, flopping my body about like a dying fish, feeling so stupid I ended up laughing to myself. "I'm so crazy." I said to myself, abruptly stopping my giggles. "I'm not crazy, just weird. It's hardly any big shock, I haven't had the best run of it have I? I was bound to turn out a little strange, either that or a murderer. Maybe I'm a mix of both and I'm yet to see the killer side." Tilting my head a little, I thought the possibility over in my mind before bursting out loud in a fit of laughter. "But seriously, I've got to stop laughing and talking to myself in public, I'll end up in Arkham soon." Unable to stop the giggles that erupted from my personal joke, I leaned against the wall and caught my breath.

The truth is, I had always been like this. Always speaking to myself like someone was there, laughing at my own jokes when no one was around. I was a lonely child, and I always preferred my own company. That was just me. "You know, Bella. People say I'm the crazy one, but I'm starting to think that you're the crazier one in this warehouse." The voice was all too recognisable, and I could put a face to it before turning around. But I was more shocked than anything. How long had the Joker been standing there watching me?

I turned on the spot, using only one socked foot. "You should learn how to knock, Jack. People will think it's weird, you watching someone while they're unaware." I ruffled my hair with my fingers before making the smart decision of changing the subject. "One of your men told me that you sent me the food."

"I couldn't let you starve after you saved all my men now, could I?"

"Well, you easily could've. You made me wait long enough." I crossed my arms over my chest, shaking my head as I could predict this turning into a defensive argument.

There were a couple moments where neither of us spoke, but simply accepted each other's presence. I took a seat on the bed and rested against the wall. My fingers trailed over the purple paint. "I take it you heard my confession of loving the colour purple?"

"I found it quite pleasing."

"What, the colour or my confession?" I was rewarded by a low chuckle from the clown, who had decided to remain hovering in the doorway. "Why are you here?" I asked, in a way that told him that I didn't want him to leave, but simply wanted to know. "Why am I here?"

"So many questions, doll." He replied, letting his head tilt back. "You're here because I need you, and I'm here because I wanted to check that you are okay, because I need you...alive and healthy."

He needed me? Well, that was interesting. My whole attitude was beginning to change towards the Joker. I wasn't afraid of him anymore, because I knew- I knew-that deep down he would never kill me or seriously injure me. He would've done it by now. And obviously I was of some importance to him, if not I wouldn't be in his room right now. "Well, I believe that's satisfying enough for now. Do I remain in your room?"

"I believe so." Without another word, glance or any form of acceptance that I was even in the room, the Joker left and closed the door behind him softly.

I could never understand the clown, and that was only to be predicted of him. If his stories were true, then he had quite the traumatic childhood and then his adult life with his wife wasn't all the good either. And they were only things that he told; God knows what else he was hiding underneath. Bottling it all up, it wasn't good for you or your sanity. I then knew one reason for why the Joker was as insane as he was, and it was tragic really.

But, by him acting the way he was, it only seemed to be confusing me and my feeling for him even more. I didn't know whether I hated the man or whether I was falling head first in love with him. It could easily be either, and both were a frightening option that I wasn't sure I wanted to admit to feeling. I honestly couldn't tell, and it was something that I was well aware would end up with me having some form of break down for; I couldn't cope with confused or mixed feelings. I needed order and understanding, as soon as something went the other way, I'd shatter into tiny pieces.

Ridding myself of the most depressing thoughts that I had thought all day, I shook my body a little and got up from my position. I must've been sat there for a while, as my feet had gone numb and were now beginning to burn as the blood rushed to them. I hated the pain, the prickling sensation. I needed out, I needed to feel the wind whipping my hair back and I just needed to be around other people and a little less purple.

Scanning the room, I made sure that no one had by chance slipped in. Running to the door, I glanced around the corridors to make sure no one was around. The warehouse had gone deadly quiet once more, like it did every so often. I guessed that meant that the Joker and his goons had gone out for another round of crime. At least I'd have some time to escape properly. I wasn't leaving forever; my heart and mind told me that I'd find myself returning to the warehouse soon.

I left the room, knowing that I was too high up to leave through the window, that it was too risky and I'd most likely die if I jumped. I knew that I'd be running around the warehouse blind, having only left the room once to treat the Joker's goons. I turned a mixture of lefts and rights, running down flights of stairs only to find myself lost at more intersections until finally there it was. Two big double doors that unmistakably led to the outside world.

I sprinted for them, grabbing the handles and heaving with all my strength. I thought that they were locked at first, but after several pumps off pure strength, the doors flew open. And there it was. Gotham streets roaming with unobservant people who were too lost in their own world to notice a kidnapped psychiatrist leaving the Joker's warehouse.

Cool air hit my face blissfully, and I spent a minute just absorbing the cold. And then the warehouse doors slammed behind me, reminding me of what I had just done. I was dead, dead I was. The Joker would kill me for leaving him, he'd think that I couldn't stand to be around him and had just abandoned him. But it wasn't that, I just needed to go outside. And so I ran down the steps, and into the dark night.