They drove in silence the rest of the way into the city, weaving through downtown all the way to uptown Gotham where tall glass buildings flanked them on either side. String lights circled trees along the street as wealthy citizens moved from store to high end store even as the night sky told the rest of Gotham that it was time to stay indoors. Crime didn't touch this area. Not out in the open at least. And as far as these people were concerned, the problems of most of the city weren't their own. It was easy to forget on this quiet street and she couldn't blame them for wanting to. She was one of them. At least she had been before her life had been turned upside down. Living in a false bubble that told her that the city wasn't as bad as everyone said it was and in doing so, she'd been part of the problem. It was clear now.
The Joker finally pulled into a tall parking garage, ignoring her as she sat up in the seat and looked over at him. Her wide eyes asking all of the questions that she was just barely keeping off of her lips. Enjoying the sound of the tires squealing around the corners, they drove all the way to the top of the garage, parking between two large suv's that effectively dwarfed the car, hiding it amongst the many others. Pursing her lips she let out a sigh. She hated uncertainty, but she still didn't dare ask him what was going on after the way she'd tested him earlier. It was getting harder not to these days.
Turning the car off, he ignored her for another moment, reaching into the back between the two duffle bags and pulling out a small black clutch, tossing it into her lap.
She took it without a word, opening it and peeking inside. It was mostly empty save for a driver's license. His black eyes stare at her with unfettered glee as she pulled out the card, squinting at it slightly. It looked like her, but it wasn't her license.
"Who's Tara Matthews?" She looked up at him confused.
"You are." He grinned finally. "For now. And right now, Tara has a hotel reservation that she needs to check in for. So – ah - why don't you go take care of that, dollface?" He settled back into his seat and closed his eyes without another word, waiting patiently for her to climb out of the car.
She didn't move, looking back at the clutch to make sure she hadn't missed something before looking back at him. Was this all the information he was going to give her? No hotel name, no money, no further instructions. She wanted direction. Surely she couldn't just walk into a hotel and check in under a fake name. There were laws against that. And she'd never blatantly broken the law. Nothing further than what she had to do for survival at least.
"Which hotel?" She questioned finally with a sigh when it became obvious that he had no intention of giving her any other bits of information.
He opened a single eye only slightly, glancing at her sideways. Giving his lips an annoyed smack he simply closed his eyes again. "Why don't you go and find out?"
She pursed her lips not even bothering to hide the eye roll as she climbed out of the car. If he wanted to be so cryptic then it was on him if she did it wrong. Slamming the door behind her, she stormed away from him to the elevator, tucking the clutch under her arm as her heels clicked with brisk steps, anxious to get out of the nearly abandoned garage area. As she stepped into the elevator, she gave a sigh of relief as she leaned back against the wall, enjoying the feeling of cold marble against her skin as it descended. It felt good to be on her own again for the second time tonight away from the Joker and his judgemental looks. Running a hand through her hair, she glanced up at the mirrored ceiling, looking at her reflection as if she'd never seen it before. She had almost forgotten how amazing she looked. It gave her the confidence she needed as the elevator came to a stop. Stepping out onto the street, she looked around, trying to gain her bearings. She knew where she was, had been in this part of Gotham many times when she dreamed of being able to afford it one day. On her right, she could see the hotel which consequently was the only one in the area. Scrunching her nose, she second guessed herself. Surely the Joker didn't mean that hotel. It was one of the most expensive ones in the city and she couldn't imagine he would spring for that type of luxury for anything, especially not her. But he had driven here. And he always seemed to know what he was doing, so she took a deep breath and headed through the door, giving a hesitant smile to the doorman on her way in. She could feel the eyes on her as soon as she walked in. Men glancing up at her not so stealthily and women assessing her outfit as long legs glided past them all. For the first time in a long time, she felt powerful. With a small, unseen smirk, she flipped her hair over her shoulder, making her way to the counter. If only they all knew. As she approached the counter, a thin, balding man looked up from the notebook he had been writing in.
"Oh!" He straightened, giving a smile that was much too large to be considered genuine. Running a brief hand along his jacket to smooth unseen wrinkles. "Ms. Matthews. We've been expecting you. Right this way please." He rushed to her, placing a hovering hand behind her back, being sure to not actually touch her as his other hand gestured to a computer at the end of the counter.
She looked at him oddly and followed but didn't reply, unsure of what to say.
"Do you have the ID?" He questioned, already beginning to type.
She hesitated, trying to figure out what he meant before remembering the clutch in her hand. "Oh. Oh yea." She quickly opened the bag, pulling out the ID and handing it to him.
"Thank you." He smiled, placing it upon a scanner quickly as he continued typing. "Must keep everything on the up and up." He gave a nervous chuckle, handing the small piece of plastic back to her. "I've kept one of our best suites open for you as requested by your..." He coughed, correcting himself. "As requested. Here is your room key." He handed the electronic card to her. "I'm sure you will find everything to your liking. Please, allow me to show you to your room." He rushed from around the counter again.
It took her a moment to process everything, surprised that it had been that easy but finally she gathered herself. "No. Don't worry. If you just tell me the number, I can find it myself."
"Please. I insist." He offered again with a nervous smile.
She pursed her lips. Obviously the Joker had set this entire thing up and had dealings with this man before. No wonder he was so nervous. The Joker really did own everything in this town. A small pang of pity rose in her stomach as she sighed. "Okay." She threw a lazy hand up. "Lead the way."
His nervous smile finally gave way to relief as he nodded. "Of course." He said, leading her out of the lobby. He was an extremely chatty man. A trait she assumed he had acquired from working in the hospitality industry for what she figured to be years. On the bright side, his need to talk offered her the chance to quietly look around the hotel in awe. It was obvious that no expense was spared on its decoration. Original paintings lined the walls and sometimes the ceilings in a few foyers. She didn't find the paintings to be particularly attractive and felt that they were in dire need of a dusting, but it was probably only because it was how she was used to looking at art. Finally, after a remarkably brief elevator ride, they came to a door at the end of the hall on the top floor of the hotel.
"Ah, here we are." The man stopped. "Your key please?" He held out his hand.
She hesitated before forcing a smile. "I think I've got it from here. Thanks." She glanced at his expression as it switched to nervous again before continuing. "It's just…I don't know how he'd feel about having someone else in there. That's all." She knew that he would understand immediately who it was that she was talking about, and though she had only said it to get rid of the man, it felt nice knowing that a simple inference was all it took to get what she wanted. She really hated him, but sometimes….as much as she hated to admit it, he proved useful.
The man looked at her quizzically for a moment. She could tell that he was confused by her, and wanted to question her further but his training had taught him otherwise. With a nod, he straightened up, running another hand across his coat. "Of course. If you need anything further, please don't hesitate to call." With a tight smile, he turned and walked back to the elevator with strides much too long for his short stature as if he couldn't wait to get away from the woman.
Arella watched him leave for a moment before turning to the tall door that almost reached the ceiling, unlocking it and letting herself in. Walking into the room, her mouth dropped. Elaborate furnishings begged to be flopped upon in the living room area with floor to ceiling windows that showcased a panoramic view of Gotham. At the end of the window wall two of the windows were instead doors opening to a wraparound balcony decorated with only the best patio furniture including a fire pit. To her right, a full open kitchen was fully stocked with all the wares she would ever need and a clear bar was stocked with overpriced drinks and snacks. The room boasted a fire place and a large flat screen television that faced a pair open double doors leading to the bedroom featuring a king size mattress that she could lie in for days without ever wanting to move. It was the most expensive hotel room she had ever been in. She couldn't figure out why the Joker had brought her here. And whether or not he would actually be coming in as well, but she didn't care to wait and find out.
Grinning she tossed the clutch onto the couch and headed straight for the bedroom, hopping on it and falling back with her arms spread out, enjoying the feel of the soft mattress against her back. Glancing up, she could see into the bathroom which distracted her from the comfort of the mattress. Jumping off of the bed, she ran to the bathroom, her heels clicking on a wooden floor as she took in the deep tub and the large shower. If she got to stay here tonight, it was going to be the best one in a long time. She was already making all sorts of plans in her head. As she stood in the bathroom in awe, the sound of an opening door startled her out of her musings. So he was coming in as well. Crossing her arms, she turned back towards the bed wondering what that meant for her before brushing the ideas away. He obviously wasn't killing her here, and anything else she could take. Glancing back at the tub, she pictured taking a long bath before smiling again and walking back into the living room.
When she entered the room, she saw the Joker already rifling through the mini bar, muttering as he tossed out what he didn't want with one hand creating a small mess on the floor and holding a small duffle bag in the other. For a second she thought that he had broken in, but he probably had a key if he set everything up.
She watched him for a moment, realizing how different the room felt now that he was in it. It almost felt crowded. Even when he wasn't speaking, his energy filled the room. It was calming. The thought almost made her laugh. That the Joker could mean calm to anyone. But after being stuck with him, her idea of home had changed. And even when she hated him, there was nothing she could do to fix that. Not in her current predicament.
"Do we get to spend the night here?" She questioned finally, trying hard to hide the smile that was begging to come out.
The Joker made a sound that boarded on a grunt as he glanced at her over his shoulder, a bag of pretzels in hand. Without a word, he tossed the duffel bag onto the couch, turning back to the bar and rooting through it for something he wanted.
"What's that?" She questioned, not moving from her spot in the doorway.
"Why don't you look-ah." He scowled slowly, not bothering to turn around to face her.
She made an unseen face at him before walking over to the couch flopping down, crossing her legs and pulling the bag closer to her. Sliding the zipper open, she looked inside to see most of her clothes sporadically stuffed into the bag along with many of the bath and makeup products she had seen on the counter earlier at the hospital. Ruffling through the clothes to see what pieces had been gathered she stopped when she saw something peeking out of the side. Pausing, she tilted her head before taking a closer look. Stuffed underneath the clothes, she saw at least six stacks of hundred dollar bills lying innocuously.
"Holy shit." She muttered with widened eyes, pushing the bag away from her. "Why is their money in here?" She looked over at the Joker accusingly as he munched loudly on the bag of pretzels he'd decided on, his mouth wide open as usual.
He turned around to look at her stupidly, his mouth slowing to a stop. "To spend." He said slowly before shaking a pretzel at her with a squint of the eye. "You didn't do a great job shopping last time. And after all the time I'd spent putting it together for you." He feigned a pained look…probably to hid the smirk he was holding back as he recalled the night.
She glanced back into the back, shrugging in agreement. He was right, she had been so focused on trying to escape that she had simply grabbed random pieces. Few things went together, and even fewer she could actually fit. It still annoyed her. She preferred not to remember those early days that now seemed like so long ago.
"That wasn't my fault. I would have done better if you weren't breathing down my neck." Her eyes narrowed at him.
He tilted his head at her, taking a step closer with a warning growl. He wasn't in the mood to tolerate her ungratefulness.
"Sorry." She said quickly, her tone dropping immediately and her eyes widening as she took in the expression on his face. There was no point in bringing up the past with him anyway.
"So it's for clothes?" She said shakily, changing the subject and running a hand through her hair and pulling it over her shoulder lazily.
"I don't care." He turned up his nose in a scowl. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small object and tossed it at her so that it landed next to her on the couch.
Glancing down, she picked up the small silver cell phone, looking at it oddly before looking up at him with furrowed brows. "Why do I need this? Are you not staying?"
"No I'm not-ah." He gave an annoyed suck of the cheeks, moving to flop down on the couch as well, much to close to her, and threw his arm around her shoulder, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. "See…I have some very important ah…errands to run over the next few days. And as much as I love spending time with my favorite toy..." He took a moment to smirk at the frown that crossed her lips at the use of the term. "You are far too beautiful to leave in the hands of just anyone, and I won't have time to babysit."
"I'm going to be here by myself?" She rephrased the question, not taking her eyes off of him as she tried to understand. She wasn't sure how she felt about being left here alone. On the one hand, it would be nice to not be constantly watched. Not so blatantly at least. But the Joker wouldn't leave her alone unless he had ulterior motives. Ones that she wasn't quite sure of yet.
"Well you're never alone." He smirked with a barely muffled giggle as he continued. "If you do anything stupid, I'll know. So make sure you don't 'accidentally' get close to any police stations. Who knows what kind of explosive fun will happen if you do?" His hands flew up, imitating explosions happily.
She pursed her lips, turning to look down at the phone in her hand. Turning it on and watching it light up, she turned it around in her fingers, trying to figure out his angle. She was jolted back to the present as the Joker tangled his hand through her hair, pulling only slightly.
She grimaced, but didn't pull away as he leaned closer to her ear.
"If you miss a call, I'm going to have to assume that you're doing something you're not supposed to." He sang softly in her ear.
"I won't." She said softly.
"I know you won't." He gave a happy hum, his fingers trailing down the back of her neck as he took a happy whiff of her hair. "Don't disappoint me, Ella."
She gave a curt nod, wanting to change the subject. Feeling herself shiver as his breath came hot on her ear.
"Good." He grinned, enjoying the effect that he was having on her whether she wanted to admit it or not. Tilting his head to not so discretely admire her long crossed legs propped up by the heels that she had yet to kick off. If he let himself, he could stay here all night, exploring that body that he was dying to touch again. But that would defeat the purpose. By the time she got back to the hideout, she was going to be dying to be near him again. So he took in a loud breath, letting go of her hair and standing suddenly with a growl, flipping his own greasy hair to the side out of his face and taking a moment to compose himself.
"I'll be back in three days." He continued finally, his voice losing all lyrical tones and turning back to a bored drawl. "Don't run out of money or you don't eat."
She could almost laugh at that. There was at least sixty thousand dollars in the bag if not more. She was sure she'd eat just fine. As the situation finally began to settle in, she could feel her excitement rising. He really was leaving her here. And as far as she could infer, she had free reign of the city with a pretty impressive amount of money. He hadn't specified what it was that she couldn't do, and she found that she didn't want to ask too many questions lest he limit her activities. Some things were inferred of course, and she knew that he would always have someone keeping tabs on her, but she didn't care. As long as she didn't run, she was sure she'd be fine.
Glancing down at the cellphone and the duffel bag next to her again. She looked back up at him as he headed to the door. "Thank you." She said finally. And for once she meant it. She wasn't sure what she had done to deserve a furlough, but it didn't matter.
He looked over his shoulder at her, letting his eyes roll over her once more before grunting, forcing himself out of the door.
Arella stare at the closed door for a long moment, unsure of what to do with the silence. It was the first time in the last few months that she felt legitimately alone and it was an odd feeling. But luckily she had enough to distract her. Smiling, she stood from the couch and headed straight for the bathroom.
The next morning, Arella awoke early, her face buried in the plush pillow beneath her. It was by far the most comfortable bed that she had ever slept in but that didn't stop her from waking anxiously every few hours the night before. And as she awoke now, it felt like she hadn't slept at all. Letting out a sigh, she squinted away the bright sun shining through the curtains and pulled the blanket over her face fully considering going back to sleep. But she was hungry, and the prospect of spending the day in one of her favorite neighborhoods was too bad to pass up. Groaning, she threw the blanket back and climbed out of bed, tightening the robe around herself and heading to the living room to find something to put on for the day.
"Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine." A voice came from the bar.
She jumped, spinning around and clutching her robe tighter at the sound of the foreign voice to see Dougie sitting casually at the bar with a glass of dark liquid in his hand and the gun he always kept with him on his lap. Aside from last night, she had heard him speak so rarely that she still wasn't used to the sound of his voice and for a moment she had panicked.
Narrowing her eyes, she tightened the robe again, painfully aware of how vulnerable she was underneath. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Just making sure you're still where you should be." He gave a careless shrug, turning back to the drink in his hand. "Don't worry, I'm not staying."
"Oh. No. Don't go." She said flatly, rolling her eyes and going over to the bag and pulling out a pair of plain black pants.
"And to make sure you understand how far you're allowed to go." Dougie continued with a scowl, annoyed that he had to be here this morning in the first place. But at the last minute, the Joker had decided that he should be a little more specific about what she was and was not allowed to do. She was starting to become far cleverer than she needed to be.
She let out an unseen sigh, pulling out a simple tee shirt as well before turning around. She would much rather the parameters be left unclear. "Fine." She crossed her arms, waiting.
Dougie set the drink on the counter before standing. "You can go anywhere in upper Gotham. You're not allowed into the narrows, to your old apartment, or anywhere close to a police station. And no talking to cops, or anyone else that you don't need to converse with to carry out normal operations. You're not here to make friends."
"No? Then what am I here for?" She questioned, a little more snarky than necessary.
He gave a non-committal shrug. "If you want I can take you back right now."
She frowned, giving up on conversing with him before bunching up the clothes in her arms with an annoyed sigh, starting to the back to change before stopping and turning around. "I didn't ask to be taken." She blurted out finally.
Dougie raised a brow, swallowing another gulp of whatever he had been drinking. "So?"
"So it's not my fault that you have to watch me. I clearly don't like it any more than you do. I don't like any of this." She said angrily.
"My trip to the pharmacy a couple of days ago says otherwise." He said in a calm, calculated tone, his eyes steadying on hers, the slightest hint of a smirk crossing his lips.
Arella's mouth dropped, sputtering as she tried to figure out some way to defend herself against his observations, suddenly remembering the nondescript pills he'd given her after their encounter. But nothing came to mind except a level of embarrassment that she hadn't felt in a long time. She didn't know he'd known. And logically, she knew that it didn't matter. That she'd had her reasons for what she'd done and that no rational person could fault her for succumbing to the single moment of pleasure that she'd experienced in nearly six months under the Joker's thumb. But he wasn't being rational. He was trying to hit those areas that she was most sensitive about in an effort to pay her back for all the months of annoyance she'd caused him. He was out to wound. And he had.
Giving up on coming up with a reply, Arella lowered her head away from him, her hands tightening around the clothes in her hand as she gazed at the floor, trying to at least compose herself enough to change the subject. It was one thing to have to deal with the Joker's constant jabs. But in the months that they'd been forced to interact, even though he had ignored her to the point of exhaustion and even though she knew he hated her, his silence had allowed her to pretend that she had at least one person there that she didn't have to fear. A friend in his own twisted way. But that fantasy was shattered.
Feeling her chest tighten she quickly spun on her heels, running to the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. Leaning her back against the door, she let out a shaky sigh now that she was alone.
Dougie watched the closed door with a now fully recognized smirk, throwing his gun over his shoulder and finishing the last of the whisky he had poured not long before she had awoken. He didn't feel bad. Not in the least. After all he'd had to put up with, she deserved it. Walking over to the closed door, he stood silently for a moment outside of it, listening as she tried to control her heavy breathing. Leaning against the wall so that she could hear him clearly, he smiled.
"You've got two days here all alone." His clear voice drifted through the thin door. "If you decide you want to try and off yourself again, there's plenty of means and absolutely no one to stop you." He finished, standing next to the door until her could make out her muffled sobs before finally righting himself and leaving the room with a smile.
Inside the bathroom, Arella had collapsed onto the floor, tears flowing from her eyes in droves as she buried her face in the clothes she had been clinging to for dear life. But what Dougie didn't know, was that though those tears had initially come out of pure despair, that sadness had quickly warped into a rage that she hadn't felt in a long time. She wanted to kill him. Probably would have tried if she had any sort of weapon with her at the time. But any chance of success was almost miniscule at the moment so she cried. Infuriated tears that made her afraid to move for fear of destroying the closest inanimate object that she could find. For a long time, she sat on the floor, feeling her anger rise with each moment until finally she felt something snap inside her. She didn't need to listen to him. Didn't need any of it. The Joker had given her more than enough money to make it on her own for a while and if Dougie hadn't been lying, there was no one here to stop her from leaving. The worst the Joker would do was kill her and she was feeling low enough that it didn't matter right now. Wiping her eyes on the plush white sleeve of the robe, she forced herself off of the floor, finally yanking the door open and stormed out of the bathroom, grabbing a few simple pieces of clothing and stuffing most of the money into the clutch she had received the night before. She didn't care to bother with a shower. She was on a mission and it didn't matter how she smelled as far as she cared. Quickly pulling on a plain pair of black pants and a thin, fitted long sleeve grey zip-up hoodie, she stuffed the clutch inside her top, before sliding her boots on and pulling the hoodie over her head. Walking to the door, she paused, turning around to look at the small silver cell phone lying innocuously on the counter top. There was a chance that he would use it to track her. More than a chance really, but the idea of leaving it still terrified her. Maybe she wanted to be caught. In any case, she let out a sigh and walked back to grab the phone before finally leaving the room.
She wasn't sure if it was because it was the first time she had been out alone in months, or because she had decided to run, but stepping out of the hotel into the street was an overwhelming experience. People rushed down the sidewalk, carelessly bumping her and each other in their attempts to get to whatever meetings and appointments they were running late for. Her eyes swollen and red from crying, she was sure that she was a sight to see and tried to keep her head facing the ground, not bothering to look up at anyone as she made her way to the nearest subway station over a mile away. There had been plans to build a closer station decades ago, but the upper crust of Gotham quickly let it be known that they enjoyed being relatively inaccessible. It was true that it kept crime down but it made her job harder right now. For a moment, she considered hailing one of the many cabs driving along the street but if she was being watched, there was no point in putting an innocent cab driver's life in danger. So she walked briskly down the street. Her nerves causing her to panic momentarily every time someone glanced her way. She never thought that walking through the safest part of Gotham would be just as terrifying as walking through a dark alley. But it was. She was unarmed, alone, and probably about to make the biggest mistake of her life. Her mind was screaming at her to stop. But she kept going. Angry at Dougie, angry at herself, but mostly angry at him. It took nearly thirty minutes for her to finally reach the subway station. And as it finally came into view. She stopped, staring at it as she tried to figure out what to do. Most of the crowds had since disapated, and now she stood on the wide sidewalk mostly alone except for the occasional groups exiting the stairwell. The sun clouded over as she stuffed her hands on her pockets, biting her lip in nervousness. Now that she had finally arrived, she wanted to turn around and pretend like she hadn't. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes with her forearm again, unable to calm the nervous twitters in her stomach.
The sudden vibration of the cell phone pocket caused her to let out an audible gasp, yanking it out and looking at the unknown number. She knew who it was and for a moment considered ignoring it. But something in her couldn't. So after the fourth rang, she finally hit the green button and put the phone to her ear, not bothering with a hello.
"Oh Ella, Ella, Ella. And here I thought we'd gotten passed this." Came the nasally voice in a calm calculated tone.
She sniffed again, trying to hold back the lump in her throat as she felt something wash over her that she would almost describe as relief if she could believe half of what her mind was telling her right now. Letting out a heavy sigh, she crouched down against a nearby wall, cradling her head in her hands as she choked back a sob. As she sat there, a terrifying realization began to dawn on her. She wanted to be stopped. She wanted the phone call for nothing else then to have someone to talk to, even if it was him. Especially from him right now. And the relief from not having to make a decision about entering the subway was overwhelming. The unsettling calmness that she felt for a brief moment unnerved her as she tried to consider its implications.
"Didn't I tell you that you were never alone? Hmm?" He continued, ignoring her silence. She could tell that he was angry, even though his voice remained calm. "What, did you want proof?"
"Yes." She said finally with a sniffle, standing again and starting off back to the hotel slowly.
For a long moment, there was silence on the other line as he tried to figure out what she was talking about. She could hear him sucking on his cheeks for a moment before he finally replied. "Are we going to have a problem, cupcake? You don't want to make me have to come get you."
"No." She said quickly. "I didn't leave Upper Gotham. I was just…" She considered mentioning what Dougie had said this morning but she wasn't a tattle and the Joker would just make fun of her anyway. "It's been a rough morning. And I got scared."
"So you tried to run." He said simply.
"I didn't." She insisted firmly, feeling herself calm down again as she walked. "I wouldn't have answered if I was."
"Then what are you doing?" He began to get annoyed again. He didn't like being confused and he liked cryptic answers even less. If she didn't give him a straight answer soon then he'd simply drive down there and deal with the situation himself.
She panicked slightly, not wanting to tell him the truth. Not wanting to admit to herself what she knew in the back of her mind. That she had so quickly sank into a deep depression that rendered her lonely and in dire need of someone to talk to. The one person who she knew could force her to calm down. But she could tell that her resistance was making him angrier. Taking a deep breath, she ran a hand through her hair.
"I just needed to know that you'd call." She said slowly, her voice wavering, angry that she hadn't been quick enough to think of a lie.
The Joker was silent for what felt like a full, uncomfortable minute, trying to figure out what it was that had rattled her so much this early in the morning that she would seek out a call. Something that he hadn't been the cause of for once. The thought made him angry. He had decided long ago that he was the only one who wanted to kill her, and that possessive need to control her life spread to rattling her nerves as well. It was his job. His pleasure, and he didn't like the idea of someone else taking that away from him. He would force her to tell him later, but he had other things to do right now. So he let it go.
"Maybe so. But you know this isn't going unpunished." He sang over the phone.
Her footsteps slowed to a stop nervously, looking around in confusion, wondering who it was that was watching her, but all she could see where clueless pedestrians moving in and out of the subway station. "I didn't do anything."
"You don't think I really believe that, do you?" He said with a giggle. "Now lucky for you, I'm in a great mood. So how bout a magic trick, hmm?"
She frowned, beginning to regret the phone call. "No."
"Oh you're gonna love this." He ignored her response. "Why don't you take a look behind you to the dashing young fellow in the yellow shirt?"
Arella let out a groan, turning around reluctantly to see the aforementioned man standing at the entrance of the subway chatting happily on a cell phone, completely oblivious to the danger that he was in. "I'm sorry." She said again.
"Now look closely." He grinned, ignoring her apology.
She rolled her eyes, shifting uncomfortably as she stare at the man who for a minute, seemed to be completely unaffected. But without warning, he suddenly stopped talking, getting a strange pain look over his face. Dropping the phone from his hand, he reached up and gripped his neck, gripping the railing of the subway before slouching forward to his knees. A couple of people stopped to help him on the way into the station, but neither could stop him from falling face first into the ground, his hands dropping limply to his sides as his body stilled.
Arella's mouth dropped in shock as the Joker cackled on the other end of the line, letting her hand lower from her ear she stood nervously for a moment, staring at the crowd the dead man was beginning to draw before whirling around on her heels and storming back towards the hotel. Yanking the phone back to her ear she let out a growl.
"You god damn piece of shit." She yelled at him in hushed tones, looking around to make sure that no one could hear her as she quickly tried to put as much difference as possible between herself and the fallen man. "You didn't have to do that."
"Oh I did. I reeeally did. If you don't want anyone getting hurt, then maybe you should be more careful next time." He said with a growl. He didn't appreciate the name calling, not one bit. Especially when it was her own fault that someone got hurt. He had warned her. And the fact that he didn't have his man shoot her instead was a testament to his patience.
She gave a frustrated growl. It had been stupid to bait the Joker into anything, she realized that. And she should have expected his response. But the realization didn't stop her feeling of spiraling out of control. She would have to better learn how to control her fluctuating emotions. People died when she didn't. Taking a deep breath, she pursed her lips before replying.
"Fine. I'm going back to the hotel." She said simply before hanging up the phone defiantly, shoving it into her pocket and walking with determined steps.
When she finally got back to the hotel room, she didn't bother to change out of her clothes or grab breakfast even though her stomach was screaming at her for some sort of meal. It was all she could do to muster enough energy to crawl back into bed and pull the blanket over her head. And that was where she stayed for hours drifting in and out of consciousness and trying to forget the disappointing start she had to her morning. Even when she was alone with a practically endless supply of money, the frustrating control that the Joker maintained over her was frightening. And her desire for his attention when she was upset was nauseating. But she couldn't leave it alone, she had to know why. So for hours she tried to convince herself that it was a normal reaction for someone in her situation. Someone who hadn't been used to the emotional attention and suddenly had it in droves, even if was a madman. She couldn't force herself not to want it.
Hey Again, Loves! Thought I'd get a new chapter out to celebrate the New Year, but may have had a little too much fun. So five days later...
Does anyone love Dougie as much as I do? He's kind of a dick, but he's insanely fun to write, plus he has his reasons that we'll find out eventually. ;) I was on edge waiting for him to start talking, but I think she needed that person to attach to and not be afraid of for a long time, even if the attachment was built on falsehoods.
I wanted to focus a bit of this chapter on the denial/detachment our protagonist is feeling about her crimes. So far, she's been able to pin them all on the Joker and still see herself as a good person despite the fact that she's a murderer too, but it'll be interesting to see how that changes later...you know if it does.
Anyway, Happy New Year guys! Please review and see you next chapter. :)