When she awoke late the next morning, it was to the smell of bacon wafting throughout the room. She smiled, her eyes closed as the sun shown though her window. For a brief moment, she was back at home in her apartment having breakfast cooked for her, Louie curled up near her head like always. When she finally opened her eyes, however, all the anger from the night before returned immediately, the smile fading from her face.
The Joker had pulled a chair close to the bed and was sitting only a foot away from her, dressed in a button down blue shirt and purple pants, his makeup freshly done. A plate of food sat upon the table next to him as his ankle crossed lazily over his other leg.
"Hi." He drawled, looking slightly guilty.
Her eyes narrowed at him angrily as she considered simply climbing out of bed and leaving him there with his smug smile, but her decision to not put clothes on the night before kept her snuggly under the blanket.
"Fuck you." She growled, glaring daggers at him.
He scrunched his nose at her, tilting his head with a smirk. "We've tried that already sweet cheeks."
An angry snort came out of her nose as she rolled over to face the wall. Anything to not have to look at his face. Her body was shaking with rage and lately, rage hadn't been her friend when it came to making rational decisions.
"Go. Away." She said flatly, pulling the blanket closer to her chin as she stare at the wall, curling her legs closer to her chest.
He giggled. "Can't do that, sweet cheeks. You and I have a fun day planned."
"Oh, another fun day with the Joker. Wonder who we're going to kill today." She said sarcastically.
"Ooh." He grinned. "Now she's getting the hang of it." There was a long pause as he studied her back, sucking his cheeks for a moment before continuing. "But I think we might save your hijinks for when you've been behaving a little…Better."
For a moment it felt as if everything stopped as she felt her anger spill over. Never mind the fact that knowing she wouldn't be forced to kill anyone today had initially calmed her, she couldn't believe what she was hearing right now and against every warning in her head screaming at her not to, she rolled back over, glaring at him
"Behaving better?" She repeated slowly, her breath shaking with anger as she kept her eyes locked on his, challenging him. "You expect me to wake up after everything you did to me yesterday and not have anything to say? You really are fucking insane if you think that anything short of me not trying to kill you isn't sparkling behavior."
A shadow seemed to fall over his face as she spoke, all traces of humor disappearing as he frowned, standing slowly. He was in full predator mode now as he fumed, anger emanating from his body in waves.
She knew that in a second, she would regret what she had said. Regret not lowering her eyes as he glared. But watching his anger rise, she couldn't help but feel a small sense of satisfaction. It was better than the teasing or laughing that she had to put up with normally. He was pissed, and she was the cause of it. That thought alone made a small smile cross her lips.
That seemed to do it. With an almost animalistic growl, he reached down towards her, grabbing her by the neck and dragging her out of the bed forcing a small yelp from her throat.
Her hands grabbed at the blanket desperately, trying to keep it against herself but the thin fabric slipped from her fingers as her body hit the floor with a thud. The Joker paid her naked body no mind as his hand remained around her throat squeezing tightly. She cried out in pain, her hands rising up to grab his arms, trying in vain to pull his hand away from her neck before deciding to simply dig her fingers into his skin. Nothing helped though, as he seemed impervious to the pain. Normally he would laugh at her attempts but his face remained stoned as he dragged her to the small bathroom attached to her room.
Arella screamed as the rough wood floor began to splinter off into her side. She had learned pretty early on not to slide her feet across the floor when she was doing something as simple as walking. And now, as her whole body slid, she could feel each splint of wood enter her body from thigh to back to rib.
"Please stop. Please stop." She begged, trying to kick herself to her feet but unable to find the leverage as Louie ran from the room with a terrified meow.
He ignored her, squeezing her neck even tighter in annoyance as he dragged her onto the bathroom floor, slamming the door behind him and releasing her on the floor into a crying heap without a word.
The cool tile was a small relief from the torturing wooden floor, but one none the less as the threat of new splinters finally subsided. As she finally caught her breath, she let out a pained sigh, lying on her back with a cringe while she stare at the Joker's back as he hovered over the tub. She could see his arm moving as he shuffled something in the tub around before turning the water on as he muttered incoherently to himself.
Once the water was running, he turned back to her, looming over her naked body for a moment before smirking, taking the time to slowly roll up his left sleeve and pinning it neatly back before turning to the right. From her extremely disadvantaged and vulnerable state on the floor, his faux calm demeanor was terrifying as he loomed. The urge to run was bubbling up with each moment the tub filled but he was blocking the only door out and there was no way she was pushing past him.
Her breath hitched in her throat as she stared up at him, watching him closely before glancing over to the tub. She wasn't sure what he was about to do, but it wasn't going to be good. A sense of dread that she hadn't felt in months began to wash over her.
As the Joker leaned down to pick her up, a short scream left her throat and her legs scrambled to push her back against the nearby wall. Even still, he grabbed her easily, lifting her up by her arm and yanking her over to the tub as she tried to pull away.
"I'm sorry." She said tears beginning to well in her eyes. He had gone relatively easy on her for the past month and she hadn't expected him to react so violently. Maybe a slap or a punch at most but the way he was staring at her now, she knew that she wasn't getting off so easy. She had to beg. There wasn't another way she saw out of it.
"I'm just frustrated, that's all. I didn't mean what I said."
He finally looked over at her with a fake smile. "We'll see." He said simply before pushing her back into the tub.
She screamed again as her body fall backwards into the water, arms swinging out wildly to grip anything she could grab a hold of. For a second, her head ducked under, forcing water through her nose and mouth and causing her to panic. Grabbing the sides, she yanked herself up, doubling over in a coughing fit, trying hard to get a clear breath. Before she could get it all out, he grabbed her by the hair again, pushing her head back under and holding it there.
She had never been drowned before, but she had always heard people say that it was one of the most painful ways to die and as she fought to make her way back to the surface for air, she could see why. Even as she held her breath, it felt like her lungs were about to burst. The small reserve of air she managed to trap in her lungs was quickly diminishing in her panicked state and the more she struggled, the less time she had.
Finally, the Joker released her allowing her to pull herself up with a , sputtering gasp as her hair clung in stringy sections across her face. "Please, I'm sorry. Please stop."
He giggled, "Stop? I can't stop." He kneeled down before grabbing her head again, narrowing his eyes. "Haven't you heard? I'm insane."
Her eyes widened. "No. N-" Before she could protest he pushed her head under again, licking his lips happily as he watched her struggle, her hands flailing up to try and grab the sides of the tub. Part of him wanted to keep her there until she stopped moving, it'd make him happy…temporarily at least. But he'd regret it later, he was still having so much fun with her.
With a growl, he finally lifted her head out of the water, watching as she desperately tried to clear her lungs while sobbing. He waited patiently until her coughing began to subside into heavy heaves.
"Now." He continued, his voice still threatening as he forced her eyes up to him with a yank of the hair. "Are we going to need to have another talk about your behavior?"
She shook her head rapidly, her eyes wide with fear as she sobbed.
"Good." He said with a sneer before letting go of her hair and standing, starting to the door. "Dry yourself off and get back out here." He called over his shoulder, pulling out a cell phone and dialing a number before leaving the bathroom door with a slam.
As soon as he left, Arella scrambled forward to turn the faucet off. The sound of the water filling was like a taunt and she hated it. Once it was quiet, she desperately ran a hand through her hair, gathering it in a handful beneath her ear and falling back against the back of the tub weakly, tears still streaming down her face.
"Stupid." She muttered aloud to herself, continuously stroking her shaking fingers through her ponytail. Looking back, she should have expected his reaction. If she had learned nothing else during her time here it was that the Joker did not like to have his sanity or his authority questioned. And in one ill-advised moment of anger, she had done both. She should be dead right now. With a choked sigh, she wiped the tears from her face, slowly pulling herself out of the water on shaky legs. Her body felt like it was being held down by a lead weight but she knew she had to move, lest she find herself in the same situation. Using the edge of the tub to hold her up, she ran a hand through her hair to smooth it away from her face before unstopping the tub, resting against it as she lowered herself to her knees, trying to control the never ending shaking. She lay like that for a long while before the nasally voice interrupted her silence.
"Ella. Don't make me come in there to get you."
She gave a soft gasp, looking towards the door before forcing herself up to her feet again, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around herself. With a final deep breath, she opened the door and sauntered back to the room.
The Joker looked up from the chair he had seated himself in again and gave a sympathetic frown, nearly all traces of anger seemingly gone. Patting the bed in front of him, he watched her as she winced towards it and floped down on her back with a heavy sigh.
"Mmm-mmm." He made a noise of disproval, waving his finger for her to roll over onto her side.
She obeyed, thankful that he didn't force her to lie on the side with the many splinters. It was already hurting like hell.
"I gotta say, Ella. If I keep letting you live after our ah…exchanges, the boys downstairs are going to start getting reeeally jealous." He smirked, beginning to unwrap the towel she had rolled herself in.
For a moment, she considered jerking it back, but she was nowhere near dumb enough to try her luck right now. Instead she swallowed, trying to remain still and ignore the fact she was completely exposed. .
"You don't care about what your men think." She said softly avoiding his eyes, trying to sound as innocent as possible. She didn't want him mistaking any of her comments for sass. Not right now. Luckily he laughed at that.
"Well you got me." He said with a laugh, reaching over to the side table and grabbing a tube of what looked like ointment, squeezing it into his palm and beginning to rub it along her side gently wherever he could see the dark brown pieces of wood poking from her skin. "But, I do care what you think." He said after a long moment, setting the tube aside before reaching up and grabbing her chin gently and tilting her head down to look at him as he gave a thoughtful frown.
"Tell me, do you reeeally think I'm insane?"
Arella shook her head slowly, her eyes wide. She could feel her left side going numb where he had applied the cream and it was more than welcome.
"I'm sorry." She said with a sigh, not taking her eyes away from him. "I'm just having a hard time dealing with the last couple of days."
"Mmm." He started, releasing her chin with a smile. "Projecting are we?"
She gave another slight nod, flicking her eyes over to the plate of food that sat on the nightstand still. It was just starting to bother her how hungry she was. After last night's debacle, she had gone to bed without eating and it only now hit her how bad an idea it was.
"You'd better eat it before I do." He sang, pulling out a pair of tweezers and began to set at work pulling the splinters out of her already numbed skin as she began to eat the food hesitantly. It took nearly twenty minutes for him to finally finish, running a slow hand over the curve of her thigh and hip with a satisfied growl, admiring his handiwork. Admiring her curves as his mind drifted back to a few nights ago.
"Looks like that floor really did a number on you." He smirked, trailing his fingertips back down along her rib cage.
She glanced over at the pile of wooden splinters he had collected before lying her head back onto the pillow with an exhausted sigh. "Do we still get to go out?" She questioned softly.
He glared up at her with a smack of the lips as his hand came to a stop. "No. You don't-ah."
There was a long, unsettling silence as the Joker stare at her for a moment, sucking his cheeks. He was annoyed by the morning's events and the effects they had on his plans. For a brief moment, he considered going along with them anyway before deciding against it. She wouldn't be any good at it today. With a growl, he stood, leaving the room without another word.
Late that night, Arella had crawled back into bed after spending another day exploring the fifth floor of the building, angry that she had been forced to spend the day alone again after she had already suffered enough that morning. The Joker was simply rubbing salt in the wound trying to make a point. Or perhaps, after the morning they had, he simply didn't want to be near her anymore. Which was fine with her, since she was still angry about the night before. As she lie in bed, she found her thoughts drifting back to that night even as she tried to force them away. It had been the only time in the past month that she had almost felt normal. She wanted it back. Wanted to pretend like she wasn't a captive here if only for a night. For a brief moment, she wondered what time it was. The Joker usually always returned to his room around what she assumed to be the same time every night after he brought her dinner. And judging by the rumbling of her stomach that time was near. With a sigh, she pushed herself out of bed, sliding on a pair of flats and walking out of the room into the quiet hall. Hesitantly, she tip toed to the door closest to hers, the one that she heard slam every night when he finally headed to bed. With a quiet sigh, she knocked gently and waited, pressing her ear against the door as carefully as possible. There was no response, no sounds coming from the room to hint at life inside.
An annoyed huff left her lips after a short minute as she contemplated heading back to the room. But she was sick of her room. So instead, she made her way to the stairs, flopping down on the top step and waiting, dropping her chin into her hands. For over an hour she sat there alone, tapping her shoes idly on the top stair forming rhythms with the small clicking sounds. Finally, she heard the familiar heavy steps climbing the stairs causing her to stiffen, unsure of what she should do or say. As the steps came closer, she clasped her hands between her knees nervously, waiting.
The Joker slowed as he rounded the landing holding a plate and eying her suspiciously as she fidgeted. His chin tilted against his chest as he glared at her, taking each step slowly.
"I didn't leave the floor." She said softly, avoiding his gaze. "I was just sitting here, that's all."
He didn't reply, continuing to walk up the stairs, making her more nervous.
"I'm sorry about this morning." She continued, suddenly wondering why she was sitting on the stairs waiting for him. "I just…I get angry sometimes, being here…alone."
Finally, he smirked nearing the top stair and setting the food on her lap before patting her head much as if he was patting a pet and walking off to his room.
She watched him leave before letting out a heavy sigh, glancing at the plate and dropping her head against the banister. For a long while she sat there, unsure if anything had been resolved and wondering if she should try going back to his room again. Deciding against both of them, she finally stood with her plate and walked back to her bedroom to eat dinner alone.
When she awoke in the morning, it was to the feel of her bed shifting. Her eyes shot open and her entire body stiffened as she felt another body press against her back. She was afraid to turn around for a long time, scared of what she might find. It took a moment before she finally found her voice.
"Is that you?" She asked nervously, still remaining frozen in her spot.
"You're going to have to be more specific sweet cheeks." He said with a low laugh.
He was being a jerk, but she let out a slow, relieved sigh none the less. Her body relaxing back into the bed. She had yet been intruded upon by one of his men, but there was a first time for everything. When the initial shock finally wore off, she quickly decided that she still didn't want to be near him. Not wanting his body against hers after what had happened the last time they were this close.
He seemed to disagree, however, his hand on her waist pinning her firmly to her position against him, forcing her to feel his excitement through his pants, in an attempt to tease her. And it was working. Arella's eyes squeezed shut as she held back a groan, trying to figure out if she was annoyed because she was disgusted, nervous, or because she was still highly unsatisfied. He was going to drive her crazy, and he loved it.
"What's wrong, Ella. I thought you liked this." He murmmered in her ear with a grin.
"I don't like being teased." She said softly, trying hard to keep her tone of voice neutral to avoid another fallout.
"So you do like it?" He chuckled again, pressing his pelvis against her.
She finally let out the frustrated growl she had been holding in, feeling her anger start to build again. What she wouldn't give to be able to turn around and punch him in the face right now. Instead she set her mouth into a frown, waiting impatiently for him to get bored with torturing her. Finally he did, moving on.
"Are we ready to try our day again?" He asked in a low throaty voice, his breath hitting the back of her neck.
"Yes." She said softly, wanting to yell at him to get away from her but not wanting to anger him.
"No more outbursts today?" He spoke to her as if she was a child.
"No." She muttered, wishing he would simply leave her alone. She hoped that this wasn't going to be one of his new favorite forms of torture. She had always had a healthy sexual appetite, before she was kidnapped, and this was killing her. She never thought she'd admit it, but the Joker's self-control levels were beyond normal. She had never met a man who could simply stop in the middle of a sexual encounter and leave as if nothing had happened. Not to mention the fact that their recent encounters had only just begun happening. As far as she knew, he had gone without for the last few months when he had a woman at his beck and call. Unless he was just as bad as some of the men that he continued urging her to kill and disappeared during the day to satisfy himself. She doubted that was the case, though. He seemed to use the threat of rape as torture more than actually doing it. He had too much control for that. She would have to ask him that one day when he was in a much better mood and she wasn't at risk for losing out on anything.
"Good." He smiled, trailing his hand down to his favorite part of her, squeezing slightly and forcing her to cringe. "And if you're good, I have a surprise for you when we're done." He hummed.
That thought terrified her more than whatever 'fun' he thought he had planned for the day. His surprises always turned out to be more heart attack inducing than his blasé tone implied and she hated it.
"Does it matter what I wear?" She questioned barely above a whisper. The past few times he had planned things, he had laid out her clothes. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of outfit would be fitting for whatever events they were about to engage in.
He couldn't help but smile at her question; he found that he liked her more and more as she learned which ones to ask and which to leave alone. Maybe, if she kept this up, he would take a little longer before killing her.
"No." He said simply before leaning forward, trailing his teeth down the back of her neck, considering biting the smooth skin there.
She gasped, letting out an involuntary shiver before pulling away automatically, not caring about where it would anger him or not.
"Stop it." She ordered, brushing her hair over her neck.
He chuckled, standing away from the bed and walking off. "Be at the stairs in fifteen minutes." He muttered, walking off.
After spending ten minutes taking a quick shower and pulling on an easy pair of black pants, the combat boots that she had grown quite fond of, and a plain loose fitting teal tank top before meeting the Joker at the top of the stairs where he lead her down to the first floor and out to an open lawn area that she had never been too before facing the woods.
She looked around, immediately fascinated before looking up at the huge building towering behind them. This was the first time that she had been outside during the day since she was kidnapped from the museum and as she took in the sun she almost wanted to go for a run. Maybe she could beg for that privilege later if she was around long enough.
The Joker stare at her from a few feet away as he worked on loading the magazine in his hand. It was absolutely fascinating how easy it was to make her forget where she was. Throw a little sun at her or something pretty and she was putty. He smirked to himself before sliding the magazine into the gun extra loudly in order to get her attention. Even still, she seemed completely oblivious, staring at the building in front of her. He hated being ignored.
"Hey dum dum." He called with a frown.
She jumped slightly before turning around, seeing the gun in his hand immediately. Her mind began panicking, had he brought her out here to kill her. To make clean up easier?
"We came out here for a reason, and not for you to stare at trees." He said annoyed, closing the space between them in three quick steps to stand behind her, placing his hands on her waist and turning her around to face the woods.
For a moment she considered drawing attention to the fact that he had just turned her to face the trees he had just told her not to stare at. But she didn't want to be forced inside earlier than she had to.
"Now." He said finally, resting his chin on her bare shoulder and guiding her face to the tree line where he had painted a few targets. "After watching your-ah…impressive performance the other night, I gotta say…you're a pretty terrible shot." He scrunched his nose at her.
Her head turned towards him only slightly with a frown. His head was too close to warrant a full turn but she wanted to make a point. "I hit two of them." She said stubbornly.
"You should have hit all three with bullets to spare." He growled before jerking her head back towards the front, sliding the gun into her hands as he stood behind her still, guiding her hand around it in the way he wanted and lifting her arm to a suitable level. "Practice hitting those targets painted on the tree." He gestured loosely with his free hand.
She sighed, wanting to question why he was forcing her to do this before pursing her lips instead. "How many times?"
"Until you run out of bullets."
She nodded, beginning to hold her arm up to aim before the Joker stopped her, forcing her eyes back to him as his face became serious again and his voice lowered threateningly. "If you think about so much as pointing this gun at me, I'll have to kill you."
A flash of nervousness flashed through her eyes as she lowered them away from the black orbs that shadowed even in the sunlight. She only managed a slight nod in agreement before he finally let her go with a slight shove, moving away from her and crossing his arms impatiently.
She sighed, looking down at the heavy gun in her hand nervously. This was only the second time she had held a gun in her hand and the first time had been so traumatic that she wasn't sure she ever wanted to have to deal with it again. But a glance behind her at the Joker's impatient frown told her that 'no' wasn't going to be an option. So before he could yell at her, she raised hair hands again, aiming at the first of the four targets and squeezing the trigger, her eyes squinting shut as the loud sound assaulted her ears. She continued to squeeze until she finally heard the telltale click. A loud exhale reminded her that she had been holding her breath and she turned around to the Joker as she shook.
"Are we done?" She questioned hopefully.
He laughed, slapping his knee before tilting his head to a small box next to the door. "You've still got bullets left, sweet cheeks."
Her face fell as she looked over the nearly full box. There had to be hundreds of bullets in there. At this rate they'd be here for hours. At least they were doing it outside, though. It was almost worth the annoyance. With a sigh, she walked over to the box, handing the Joker the gun for him to reload before starting again. This went on for the next hour, the Joker mostly leaving her alone as she shot. Occasionally he would stop to yell at her for shutting her eyes or aiming lazily, and after the third time of reloading the magazine for her, he finally got tired of doing it and showed her how with a grumpy frown before going and leaning against the nearby wall. Eventually, he stood with an annoyed growl as she began loading the next magazine.
"Do you have any idea how painful it is to watch this? Hmm?" He yelled at her, walking closer with his shoulders hunched near his ears. "Have you actually hit any of them?"
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, dropping the gun at her side and pressing her jaw together. "Yes" She replied finally through gritted teeth.
He narrowed his eyes at her, pulling a gun from a holster attached to his back and shooting the target easily, all while not removing his eyes from hers. "That is how you shoot."
"Well I am not a trained killer. I hadn't even picked up a gun before two days ago." She gave an annoyed huff.
"Oh ho ho." He threw out his arms gave a fake laugh. "Trustme. No one's arguing that, sweet cheeks."
She pursed her lips, turning back to the tree line and beginning to unload the next few rounds angrily without a reply.
He growled again, grabbing her wrist and yanking it to point the gun away from them both to get her attention before she could fire another round.
"Calm down." He ordered in a firm, slow voice, staring at her.
She glared at him for a long moment before turning away, taking a moment to control her breathing. "I'm calm." She said finally.
He studied her for another long moment before stepping behind her, turning her around to face the trees again, his hands on her waist.
"Now aim, using both hands, and keep your eyes open or I'll yank them out." He growled in a low voice.
Arella almost wanted to laugh at his threat until she remembered who it was that said it. He probably would if he was feeling so inclined. So with a sigh, she raised the gun to eye level.
"You don't shoot like this." She muttered.
"Because I am so much better at it than you." He replied, using his foot to kick the inside of hers, spreading her legs apart to shoulder width.
"Why are you teaching me this?" She finally questioned. "What's the point if you plan on killing me soon?"
He smirked, letting out a small snort. "I don't want you to die before I get a chance to. And I never said soon." He licked his lips with a chuckle. "Now, stop talking and line up the length with the target."
She did, making sure the center of the target was in her eye line, taking a deep breath before firing, freezing for a moment before lowering the gun and narrowing her eyes at the target, trying to see if it had actually hit the center. She really needed to consider glasses.
But when the Joker stepped away from her with another snort, she knew that it had. "Do that another hundred times and maybe you'll get to come out again."
"Boss." Came a call from the doorway.
The Joker turned to look over his shoulder at the goon standing in the doorway.
"Detective Lewis is here."
"Send him out." He grumbled
Arella froze, turning around as well. Still trying to come to terms with the fact she had killed five men so far, the threat of police caused her stomach to drop for a moment before she realized that she wasn't in the real world anymore. This was the Joker's world, and if a cop was coming here, it was either because he was in the same situation she was, or he was on the Joker's side.
When the detective finally came outside he was flanked by two of the Joker's men holding the large guns they were normally seen with. Her eyes locked on them for a moment as she wondered whether or not the Joker would make her learn how to shoot one of those as well. His nasally voice forced her eyes back up.
"Ah…Detective Lewis." He grinned, his shoulders slouching as he walked closer to middle aged, grey haired cop whose face looked surprisingly calm.
"That answers that." She muttered to herself, her hope disappearing immediately as she took in the man's appearance. A stout man whose roundness was offset by his over six feet in height that nearly matched the Joker. He was wearing a dark collared jacket that looked odd in the warm summer weather. After a moment she scowled at the man before turning back to the gun, in her hand, ejecting the magazine and beginning to fill it again to busy herself. She suddenly found that she hated this man. The Joker was one thing, but she found it absolutely despicable that someone who pretended to help Gotham was secretly everything that was wrong with it.
"Joker." He acknowledged in a smooth voice, southern it seemed. Something that wasn't heard a lot in Gotham city. His eyes glided over to Arella before giving a smile. "Is that her? No wonder you didn't kill her."
She looked up at the man, wanting to badly to say something, but before she could say anything, the Joker let out a warning growl, tilting his head at the detective and side stepping so that his slouching body interrupted the man's eye line.
The detective immediately held his hands up defensively, one wrapped around a rolled manila envelope. "Sorry, Joker. Didn't mean any harm." He held out the envelope in his right hand. "I brought what you asked for."
"Everything?" The Joker glared up at him, stepping forward and snatching the envelope away, beginning to open it.
"Of course. It's everything the police and the media have, which honestly isn't much. When you do a job, you do it good."
The Joker ignored him, giving a brief look through the contents before sliding everything back in. Arella looked over, interested, wondering what it was, but his back was to her, and though they were only twenty feet away, she wasn't able to make out any of the words on the documents. Finally, she gave up, clicking the full magazine back into the gun before sighing and flopping down into the grass with a sigh. While the Joker was distracted, she might as well enjoy the outdoors uninhibited.
"Need anything else?" The detective questioned, breaking the long, uncomfortable silence.
He gave a quick suck on his cheeks before sliding the envelope into his back pocket and looking up with a tight smile. "No." He drawled, pulling out a wad of money from another pocket as tossing it at the detective before turning and starting back towards where she was sitting.
The detective looked confused, turning to the goon on his left.
"You're done." The goon ordered, leading the man inside.
The Joker glanced behind him to the third goon and gave a quick nod before he too disappeared into the building.
Arella stare up at him as he came closer to her. "You're going to kill him." She said, more as a statement than a question.
He smirked. "I'm right here." He held his arms up as he shrugged.
"You know what I mean." An annoyed scowl crossed her lips.
He laughed, licking the inside of his cheeks. "The problem with dirty cops is that they are so…fickle. You can just never trust 'em. No. What you want are people with something to lose. You can trust them to not do anything stupid."
She was silent, already bored with the conversation. She reached over, removing the safety on the gun before glancing back up at the sky, her legs crossed under her. With a sigh, she turned to the box of bullets which was still halfway full.
"Keep going?" She questioned, not looking up.
"I think you've had enough today. Don't you?" He tilted his head.
She didn't reply, honestly, it was the most fun she had in a while. It was surprisingly therapeutic having the gun next to her and she wished that he would let her hold on to it, but she knew that he wouldn't. It'd probably be a bad idea anyway with her anger problems as of late.
Without a word, she reapplied the safety and handed him the gun briefly wondering why she just didn't shoot him when she had the chance.
"Let's go." He finally stood up straight and slid the gun into another hidden holster before turning and walking towards the doors.
Arella watched him, starting to stand up before changing her mind, remaining rooted to her spot. It was a few more steps before the Joker finally stopped, turning around and tilting his head at her curiously. His eyes quickly narrowed before taking a slow step back towards her.
She held her breath nervously as he advanced towards her, slowly. His dark orbs threatening her without a word. Still, though, she remained rooted to her spot, trying hard to look as calm as possible.
"Can we please stay out here?" She questioned hesitantly as he came within arm's reach, keeping her voice soft in hopes that he wouldn't take it as a challenge.
He sneered at her, leaning down and lacing his fingers in her hair, squeezing to the point of it being uncomfortable but not painful.
"Stay?" He repeated. "And what makes you think you've earned that? Hmm?"
She winced but tried hard to force herself to remain still, looking up at him calmly. "I don't. I just haven't been outside in a month. I feel like I'm going crazy and…" She searched desperately for a way to convince him. "This keeps me calm. You hate when I fight you."
He gave a low chuckle that boarded on a growl. "Is that what you think? I love it when you fight me." He tightened his grip forcing her to yelp.
"Please?" She continued with a cringe. "Just for a little while, I'll behave, I swear."
He leaned closer to her face, studying her for a long moment before bursting into laughter and letting go of her hair. "I like a girl who's not afraid to-ah…ask for what she wants. You can stay for an hour." He paused before grinning. "On one condition-ah."
A slow unnoticed sigh left her lips as she waited, wondering what he would request. "What?"
"Let's take another shower tonight. I did enjoy that. Didn't you?" He smirked.
She froze, thinking back to that night with a frown. The idea of going through that mind fuck again wasn't the least bit appealing.
"No." She said finally, glaring up at him.
"Well now I'm excited. I like this deal." He grinned, standing up straight and turning back to the doorway.
"Dougie get out here." The Joker called to seemingly nothing. Before he had a chance to get the entire sentence out, however, the man that Arella remembered from guarding her cell door stepped into view, his gun pointed at the ground as he looked to the Joker for instruction.
She wondered how long the man had been standing there, watching them. She was quickly learning that his men were always nearby in the shadows, whether she knew it or not.
"Do you mind keeping my pet company for an hour? Apparently she needs a little fresh air." He chuckled.
Arella's eyes widened as the man gave a nod. She whipped back around to the Joker. "Wait, what? Where are you going? You can't leave me here by myself."
He laughed. "You won't be." He gave a careless shrug before turning again and starting off. "Oh, here you go, kid." He pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it up to her, walking off.
She caught the object before looking down. Her mouth dropped, turning her old ipod around in her hands as she tried to convince herself that it was real. Tears began to well in her eyes as a happy sob escaped her lips. She had always assumed that it had been destroyed in the explosion, but of course he would have grabbed her bag. It seemed like a silly thing to get emotional over, but she had always used it to get through tough times. And being in the hardest experience that she had ever had to endure, it was one of the best things he could have given her. She sniffed, looking up to see his purple coat disappear behind the French doors. Her eyes turned to the goon who looked back at her blankly. With a nervous jump, she quickly turned her eyes back down to the ipod and turned in on, letting out an excited gasp as it lit up. Shakily, she put the buds in her ear and pressed play. It didn't matter what song came out. She didn't care as long as it played. And as the music started, she let out a content sigh, lying back in the grass and instantly relaxing as she stare at the sky.
The Joker watched her from one of the first floor windows as she grinned. A laugh escaped his lips as he shook his head. She was way too easy. She had probably been a cheap date too. He was surprised, though, that she hadn't bothered trying to kill him. He was expecting it, was excited for it, but nothing. Maybe he was doing an even better job than he thought. With another chuckle, he turned and walked off.
It was chilly when she opened her eyes again to realize that the sun was already setting. She stare at the sky for a long moment, unmoving as the colors faded from blue to pink, to orange. She didn't know what time they had come out to begin with, but it had to have been more than an hour that she had fallen asleep for. A glance back towards the door found the man still leaning against the wall, with a bored, almost perturbed look upon his face.
Groaning, she pushed herself up off the ground, stretching and placing a hand on her back which was sore from being curled up on the ground.
"Fuck." She mumbled, twisting her body until she heard a satisfying pop. With a sigh, she pulled the earbuds from her ears and stood, brushing the dirt from her body and turning to the man who was staring at her now, shifting the gun in his hands.
Her eyes darted to the gun momentarily before she let out a soft sigh, wrapping her arms around herself and walking closer to him slowly, their eyes locked on each other as he stare without a word. She wondered what command the Joker had given this man regarding her. Most of the time, the goons averted their eyes, but he was unabashed in his blank staring right now. It was like he was studying her, daring for her to make a move.
She stopped about three feet away from him, looking away for a moment. "Where's Joker?" She questioned softly.
He gave a non-committal shrug before finally looking away to brush an invisible speck from his gun. He was young, like most of the Joker's men. Probably no older than 30. His dark brown hair hung low into his brown eyes, and a strong jaw was covered in dirty stubble. She wondered why the Joker had trusted this particular man near her, but she supposed the fact that she was standing here, still unharmed answered that.
She followed his gaze to his gun, wrapping her arms tighter around herself for a moment and moistening her lips. "Can I…can I go back upstairs now?"
He didn't respond, glancing up at her.
They both stood there for a long moment, each waiting for the other to do something.
"Well okay then." She finally said annoyed, turning and starting to the door. She figured that if he wanted to stop her, he would. But he didn't. Instead, he stood off of the wall, following her in.
She hesitated, turning behind her and glancing at him as he stopped as well, staring at her with pursed lips. Taking a deep breath, she continued walking to the elevator, passing a number of Joker's men as she did. She could hear distant conversations stop as she walked by, most of them turning to stare at her curiously, others remaining rigidly looking at the ground. She kept her head down though, not wanting to meet any of their eyes. Every now and again, she would make a fleeting glance behind her to see Dougie still following her no more than five steps behind. He followed her all the way to the bottom of the fourth floor stairs before finally stopping, watching as she ascended to the fifth level.
Glancing behind once more before she rounded the landing, she frowned, whipping her head back around.
"Creep." She muttered to herself, heading to her room.
Later that evening, Arella was in a large sunroom on the fifth floor working on clearing out some of the bigger pieces of debris into a corner. After spending the last few days exploring, she had quickly decided that this room was her favorite. It was smaller than most of the other rooms on the floor, but it was vastly bigger than her own room and the two entire walls of floor to ceiling windows made the area feel like it was outdoors. She found herself returning to it often and figured it would be better to clear it out so that it was livable. If she was around that long. As much as she tried to pretend it wasn't the case, it still tore at her that she could die any day now. The Joker was both volatile and calculated at the same time and try as she might, she wasn't sure she'd ever get a handle on his moods. Her best bet was to simply stay out of his way but her ever nagging sense of loneliness was making that a near impossibility.
"Enjoy your time out?" Came a nasally voice from the doorway.
She jumped slightly, dropping the large piece of wood she was carrying.
"Fuck." She muttered with a sigh, brushing her hands off on her pants shakily before finally looking up to see the Joker standing in the doorway, smirking at her frightened state. She briefly took in his appearance. He was wearing a simple blue button down that looked like it had seen better days. It was heavily frayed at the edges where it hung over a pair of dark blue pants. Both were covered in a fair amount of fresh grime. And though his makeup was still in place, it was clearly done in lazy swipes. She had only ever seen him in his full purple suit and this dressed down version of him was unsettling her.
"Yea." She said with a long exhale, standing awkwardly in the middle of the floor. "Thank you." She pursed her lips, looking back down at the ground before continuing. "That was more than an hour."
"So?" He tilted his head at her, studying her strange stance.
"Does that mean we're going to have to change the deal?"
He smirked, eyeing her up and down for a moment before stepping into the room, moving close to her. "I wouldn't mind…upping the terms." He circled her slowly, grinning down at her like a hungry predator. "Now that you mention it."
She groaned inwardly, wishing that she hadn't brought it up.
"But not tonight." He said, pulling away from her suddenly. As much as he was looking forward to being able to run his hands across her body again, he didn't want a repeat of the night before. It had been a mistake, one that he'd never admit to. It was truthfully only meant to be a shower but he had gotten carried away and had only barely been able to stop himself. And here he was about to make the same mistake again. Ever since he had seen her kill for the first time, he was having a hard time keeping his hands off of her.
"Sorry to dash your hopes, kid, but I've already had an explosive day and now…all I want to do is shower…alone." He gave an exaggerated frown. "You understand, dontcha?"
Her mouth dropped slightly as she stare at him in utter confusion, unsure of whether he was kidding or not. After a long moment, she only gave a slight nod, wrapping her arms around herself again and lowering her eyes to the floor.
The Joker continued to stare back at her for a long moment, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes as he studied her shivering form. Frowning, he took a few steps closer to her.
Arella held her breath, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground as she tried to frantically figure out what it was that had peaked his interest. She was trying extra hard to keep her face neutral today and to contain the intense anger, shame, and humiliation she had been feeling all day. But the truth of the matter was that even after killing so many people over the past few days, he terrified her now more than ever. Now, she wasn't just afraid of what he might do to her here, but of what might happen to her if she left. He controlled everything and the thought of making him angry was almost unbearable.
He came closer to her now, his face only inches away from her for a long moment. Finally, he backed away, his hands on his waist.
"Why so nervous, sweet cheeks?" He asked in a light, lyrical tone, the lazy smirk on his face again.
She didn't reply, not raising her eyes to him still.
"What…still a little-ah…bent outta shape about the other night?" He scrunched his nose, waving his hand dismissively. "Hmm?"
She pursed her lips for a long moment as her anger rose, hating him for bringing that up. "You…ra-" Her voice cut off, not willing to stray into the territory just yet.
"I what?" He frowned, looking at her quizzically.
"You made me…I didn't want to do any of that. You made me." She shook.
Finally he let out a loud cackle, leaning back from the force of the laugh before leaning close to her again. "Is that what you're telling yourself? You and I remember that very differently." He wagged his finger at her. "If I hadn't stopped you, you'd be walking on air right now."
"Stopped me?" She repeated, looking up at him angrily now, her eyes narrowed. "I didn't-"
"Yes you did." He said, smiling. "And you know, at first…I was feeling pretty taken advantage of. But…I know you didn't mean it."
Her mouth dropped in disbelief and shock. He never took responsibility for anything, but this took the cake. It was almost laughable if she wasn't filling with rage. Her arms uncrossed and dropped to her sides as angry fists began to form, aching to punch him in the face. He was absolutely infuriating. But he continued, ignoring her imminent outburst.
"And then, after leaving me in such a state you insult me the next morning. I just snapped!" He said with a laugh. "But can you blame me? You really know how to wound."
She only managed to let out an angry growl. It was pointless to argue with him. He really was insane. And as angry as she was right now, the danger of the clown faced man in front of her never escaped the back of her mind. Instead, she simply spun on her heels, starting away from him.
A hand reached out quickly, grabbing the back of her neck and guiding her backwards with a tight grip until her ear was close to his lips.
He hummed contently in her ear for a moment as his voice lowered. "You…are so…beautiful when you're angry." He said with a sneer. "Maybe one day we can be on the same page, hmm?"
She ground her teeth angrily for a long moment waiting for him to release her. But when he didn't move fast enough, she finally rolled her eyes and shoved his hand away angrily as she stormed off to the sound of laughing behind her.
**So I decided to do a faux Meyers Briggs personality test for the Joker and our leading lady and I figured we're dealing with an INTP, ENTJ situation here. The Joker, at least, seems to fit ENTJ to a tee. What do you guys think? By the way, if it isn't obvious, I just finished an upper level psych course so you'll have to bear with my random observations and my attempts at working out the ability to portray abnormal psychiatric disorders effectively.
I promise it'll start picking up soon, I'm just trying to get an realistic view of Arella's warping mental state. Rewiring a persons brain is hard work. :)
I also just realized (You know, ten chapters in) that the main character has the same nickname as my screen name which was completely unintentional. In case you're wondering, I chose the name Arella because of it's meaning and now it's simply grown on me.
Anyway, Thanks for reading so far. You guys are amazing, and leave reviews! **