Tales From a New World

Chapter 1 : Joker the joker

"I'm not to sure about this one man..."

"Stop being such a wuss Nick! You know it's going to be worth it" Nick and I were like brothers, we went out of the frying pan and into the fire together. I would follow Nick through Hell if such a place existed. As I set up the final wire in my master plan, he nervously looks out the window afraid we were going to get caught, of course he was being completely ridiculous. I planned out every move, every tiny little detail for days waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

"Are you almost done? I think someone's coming"

"Stop being so paranoid you little kitten!"

I said knowing all too well how easily on edge he gets over these kinds of things. "Ok I'm done, let's get a good view" I say with a shining bursts of enthusiasm and excitement. We sit just at the top of the stairs so we can run as soon as the trap is sprung. As if on cue, the door opens and in steps Jane, as she opens the door the string snaps and the bucket of homemade slime jerks from the nail, the nail detaches from the ceiling and the bucket just hits the top of the doorway and.... and..... and it.... gets caught by Jane in mid air with the handle of her umbrella as she gently sets down the bucket to the side of the doorway, looks up at us and says to me with a smirk on her face, "You're smart for a ten year old Joker, but not smart enough." She laughs, takes a leisurely bow and proceeds on with her activities. "Ugh!" I let out the most disappointing noise I could possibly think of "You are the worst!" I scream in disgust. "It was a good try Joker" Nick states attempting to comfort me in my time of "distress and agony." I stomp up to my room and begin to cry tears of frustration on my pillow. This had been about the sixth time this month that I have tried to catch my aunt off guard with my simple trip wire trap, as it is the only kind of trap I know how to make. Jane taught me everything I know. She is a well known hunter who is credited for bringing in the most amount of game compared to every other hunter in the city. On top of that she is adept in most of the martial arts (including taekwondo, jiu jitsu and others I can barely pronounce) making her comparable to Batwoman on some levels, but most of all she is the best chef in town. No one cooks like her that I have had the pleasure of meeting. Especially her chicken, mmm.... with the teriyaki sauce and her pies..... oh yea, her pies...... hmmm...... Where was I? Oh yes, needless to say catching a hunter is not an easy job let alone Jane and yet I still try for the simple reason that I know I will get her one day.

"Where did I go wrong, Nick? It was perfect. Foolproof even!"

I look up as if there was some sort of advice to give me, all he could muster up was "Maybe she is just that good?"

In my mind all I could think was, "What an idiot. That's all you could say? Really?"

I restrained myself from telling him what I was thinking because I thought it might upset him so I gave him the "you can't be serious" look, to which he replied with a shrug. I turn and continue to cry till I fall asleep where at least in my dreams my traps work. Later waking up in a bad mood, I walked downstairs into the living room. "Back to the scene of the crime," I thought to myself with a bitter feeling walking by my trap. I walked in through the open doorway into the kitchen, the smell of cookies in the air along with the ever captivating aroma of chocolate that I knew all too well. I pull out a stool from the countertop and climb up onto it. I am greeted by a tray of cookies so jampacked with the delicious chocolate chip goodness that was Jane's double chocolate chip cookies, with extra chocolate of course. These babies put chocolate bars to shame. Each one just sitting there calling my name, and who was I to deny them? My body was ready! As I reached for one I started to imagine what a paradise I would be in when I started to taste the wonderful luscious chocolate and the soft cookie that felt as if you were eating the clouds in the sky. When suddenly I heard the most terrifying sound in the world. "Joker hands off the cookies!" erupted Jane's voice from behind me. I nearly fell off the stool and onto my uncle's coffee table. Luckily, I caught myself on the counter or I would have been in for a world of hurt when uncle Luke got home. "Come on Jane, just one. I promise I won't get more than that, honest." I begged her so. What a crime it would be to deny me from my destiny.

"Those are not for us. Ok Joker? I'm selling them."

"For how much? I've been saving up since New Years."

"One euro" she replies "But for you, I like you, one hundred euro."

I look at her very disappointed and defeated.

"A cookie will make me feel better after my trap didn't work." I smile at her thinking this may unite my tongue with the wonder that was the cookies on the tray.

"You are still not over that? You shouldn't be so hard on yourself Joker."

"You could at least give me a chance!" I state contestingly.

"If I let you win, you wouldn't get anything out of it. You would just get use to getting what you want and I am not raising you to be a snotty brat who gets everything handed to him."

She had a point there, I mean what else did I expect from a hunter who makes a living off of getting things herself? Content with this answer, I continue on to ask her about my uncle.

"Why isn't Luke home yet? It's getting late." I say worryingly.

"He is probably stuck at the office again."

My Uncle Luke had a desk job at the department of defence in our city. He often got stuck there filing reports about Hun "activities" going on at the city's borders. He was a commander of a security unit that monitors the "bowling alley," a long stretch of ruined roads that was a key point in defending the city from the Huns. Needles to say a somewhat important job. "I'm sure he will be back soon as he can." Sometimes Luke wouldn't come home at night because he was so swamped with work, but at least makes lots of money. Right? I wonder all the time if Luke was happy with his job. He never really told us, but then again I never asked. "Where did Nick go?" I asked.

"He helped me bake the cookies, then I took him home."

I didn't even realize what time it was. 20:31 way past my bed time but Jane didn't notice so I felt like such a Rebel. In my mind I though "I love to live dangerously." Jane noticed my snickering and said, "I know it's past your bedtime, don't think I haven't noticed."