I was jumping up and down in excitement at the thought of moving in with Bruce Wayne. Jack won't be able to find me! I thought happily. I started rushing around the apartment and picked up the landline, dialing as fast as I could. The rings were consistent and when my mother's sweet melodic voice answered on the other end, I was practically screaming in her ear, "Mom! Mom, you'll never guess who just asked me to come live with him! Bruce Wayne, Mom! Isn't that cool?! He offered me a place to stay as long as I stayed in college!"
"Oh, Harleen, that's great! Listen, honey, one of your old friends is here visiting. She's asking for you. Shall I give her the phone?" My mother replied. I shivered and gulped nervously.
"Yeah, Mom. Sure. Put her on." I heard my mother talking to someone in the background and suddenly, there was a new voice on the line.
"Hello, Harley," a stern female voice said. I froze, my hand shaking like a leaf.
"Hiya...Janet," I said slowly. "How's it going?" I heard her scoff and I thought back to the cruel face of Janet Pierce, Jack's "adopted" little sister. I thought back to the last day that I saw her, which was in court while I was testifying against her and Jack's gang. Jack held fled before the trial could really begin, but Janet had wound up being sent to juvie and later, to Blackgate Prison.
"Well, I'm out. That's all that matters to me. How's life been for you? I heard you got into GCU." I gulped, my stomach in a pit of nerves.
"Yeah, I did. I'm going to be a psychiatrist." She snickered.
"Sounds great. I'm glad that you got to finish school while the rest of us rotted away." I flinched away at her harsh tone and ran my fingers through my hair. "You know where Brennan and Louie are right now? They're in Arkham, Harleen! After juvie, they got sent to Arkham Asylum for schizophrenia." I took a deep breath and gazed out the window.
"I'm sorry to hear that. We can go visit them-"
"We?! What's this we business, Harley? There hasn't been a we since you turned me and Jack over to the cops!" I was already picturing my mother's scared face as she coddled my younger brother, Max. I hurried into my bedroom, quickly getting dressed.
"Janet, please. You have my attention like you wanted. What is it that I can do for you?"
"I want you to meet me at the old hangout. Got it?" I took a deep breath.
"And if I don't?"
"Maxxy will get hurt." I took a deep breath and released it slowly, easing my nerves.
"Alright, Janet. I'll see you in an hour. Can I please talk to my mother?" I could sense her smirk over the phone.
"Make sure she doesn't tell your old friend, Loeb, about this." My mother's voice came over the phone again.
"Mom?"
"Harleen, don't you worry about us. Do not go meet her."
"Mom, I will be fine. Now I need you to listen to me, okay?"
"Harleen." Her mom voice was active and I groaned in response.
"Mom, I'm serious. Just do what I say okay?"
"Okay, Harleen."
"The minute Janet leaves, I want you to get yourself and Max packed up. Tell Aunt Judy to do the same thing. You both need to go up to the cabin that Dad used to go to. It's imperative that you leave immediately. Don't take your car. Get a taxi and take as much cash as you can. Get rid of your cell phone and get a burner phone. I'll send you Bruce's cell phone. Do not call my number off of that phone."
