the jokers new toy

chapter five

 Rio walks into my room bright and early, he turns the light on and walks over to the window yanking the curtains aside letting in the morning sun. "What the hell?" I groan using my hand to shield myself from the sunlight.

"Get up," he walks over to me and sits next to me, "Boss is gonna wanna see you today"

"Ugh, noo" I groan, rubbing a hand down my face.

"Breakfast is at five," he stands up, leaving me alone in the room just to return four minutes later. "Ready?"

"I'm just going to wear this" I jump slightly as he barges into the room.

"Boss might not like that, he picked out a whole wardrobe for you" he points to the wardrobe.

"I don't want to wear a dress, i want to wear this" i shift my weight onto the other foot.

He raises his hand in a surrendering motion, "hey, you tell him that"

He leads me out of the room and back into the same dining room, Joker looks up from his plate, looks me up and down and shakes his head. "No, change"

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I cross my arms over my chest.

"I don't like it" he takes another bite of whatever he's eating.

"Ok? I like it, so i'm going to wear it"

Without looking up he says, "take her back to her room and make her change"

"If i have to go back to my room i won't come back"

He stops eating and squeezes his hands around the utensils, his knuckles turning white, "you will do as i say"

"Who says" I scowl, desperate for him not to like me so he'll leave me.

"I do!" He slams his fist against the table and stands up, he looks up at me and slowly walks over, "when i say something you fucking do it. If i tell you to jump you ask how high, go it!" he stared down at me, his piercing blue eyes drilling holes into my dark brown ones. "Now go change" he whispers.

Rio grabs my forearm pulling me back, "go" the joker breaths doing a 'shew' motion with his hand.

It takes only three seconds for Rio to yank me back and out of the dining room. My fists clenched at my sides, he lets go of my arm and walks next to me up the stairs. "What is his problem?" I turn to face Rio.

He looks around ensuring no one is around, "he's always like that"

"Always a stuck up bitch, ugh" I roll my eyes.

"You can't be saying that about the boss" he quickened his pace.

"Why not?" I whip around and cross my arms over my chest, "what is he going to do?"

"Oh you don't want to know what he does when people piss him off" he stepped closer to me.

"I do though, so tell me. What does a pathetic little man like the joker- who makes his little buddys do all the work for him do, when he's pissed off"

He grabs my wrist and pulls me the rest of the way up the stairs, he throws me into my room. "You need to shut the fuck up"

I spin around and look at him, "why should i?"

"You do not want to get on his bad side, you don't want to be caught by any of his men talking shit" he shuts the door behind him, "i promise you, you do not want to go on his bad side"

"I don't care anymore! What is he going to do? Kill me? I wish dying would be better than being locked up here!" I drop my arms by my sides, I've already thought of a few ways I can get out. Try the air vents- nope! I'm claustrophobic. When I'm getting taken for dinner, ditch my 'leader' and make a run for it- Stupid! They simply can catch up to me, they're taller, their legs are longer and they're much more muscular than I am.

"I know," he sighs, lowering his voice as he sits on the edge of the bed, "I know how you feel, being locked up in here. Do you think I joined him freely?"

I give him an eerie look.

"I didn't, I was seventeen and poor. I was homeless and looking for a job, he came up to me and set me on this little 'mission'" he uses air quotes around the word mission. "He was pleased with how it turned out, so he asked if I wanted to do something a little more... dangerous. I'd already gotten paid for the first 'mission' so I said no, he wasn't happy." he took a deep breath, "he sent his boys out to get me, sense i had nowhere to run they caught me. Didn't take as long as it took for them to catch you.

"They brought me to the same room you were in, only they weren't as nice to me as they were to you. I didn't get to be in a room like this until I proved my loyalty, I didn't get special treatment. I didn't get a new wardrobe I didn't-" he stops himself, closes his eyes for three seconds before I interject.

"So you're telling me you were here for how many years? What did they make you do? What did they do to you? Why were you homeless at seventeen? Sorry you don't have to answer that one if you don't want to. So they just took you, locked you in a room, sent you on missions and you never tried to leave?"

"It's not that easy Jade! I've thought about it, I've made a pros and cons list, cons alway, always outweigh the pros. I wish I wasn't here. I really do ok, I wish I was back home with my mother and..and.." he trails off. He shakes his head, "look point is, i've tried leaving. It doesn't work"

"How? How have you tried to leave? If it 'doesn't' work then you're not trying hard enough!" I pace around my room.

He stands up quickly, "I have tried! I have! You think there is a way to take it! I don't know what to tell you, I don't want you to be locked here."

I grip his shirt, "then help me get out!"

He held onto my wrists, "I'll come back tonight, think of a plan and I will tell you if it is safe- well none of it is. I'll tell you if you have a chance or not"

"Thank Rio, thank you" I smiled and pulled him into a hug.

Reluctantly he hugs me back. He leaves after a little bit, I take that time to think about a plan.. A way out.