Insanity // J.Valeska

Part Seven: The Problem

Her bones ached. She could actually feel her skeleton creaking with effort. But it was the end, she was unscathed. Physically at least.

Mentally she was exhausted; emotionally she was drained. But physically, physically she was okay.

"Y'know, I haven't seen such... Pizazz in awhile."

Steph turned her head slowly, and she visibly tensed, prepared to take down yet another challenge if necessary. Secretly and internally though, all she longed for was a chance to rest. A chance to sit down, maybe a nice Shiatsu massage - was that too much to ask for?

"Relax, gorgeous, I ain't gonna hurt ya."

Her eyes took him in, and recognition took over her features. He was the ginger from the circus. The circus that had changed almost everything for her.

Steph lowered her bloody make-shift weapons, feeling both defeated and anxious at the same time. Would he hurt her?

She took a chance, and plopped down on the closest plush sofa she could find. Dropping the pins on the ground with a delightful clatter, Steph kicked up her feet, kicking the unconscious bastard who was draped over the couch onto his rightful place: the floor.

"What do you want?" Attitude practically dribbled from her red-stained lips.

The ginger leered closer, "so beautiful what's your name? I'm Jerome."

Steph scoffed at his forwardness; who the hell did this guy think he was?

"I'm Steph," she said after a moment's hesitation.

Jerome's grinned visibly widened and he hopped up onto the arm of the chair. "So, what's a pretty girl like you doing with a bunch of nut cases?"

Steph leapt to her feet as he inched even closer. "Get the hell away from me, you, you freak!" She hissed with as much venom as she could muster.

Jerome chuckled darkly, clearly unaffected by her attempt at intimidation -"no need for name-calling, sugar. All I asked was a simple question."

Lowering her defences, she relaxed back into the couch, keeping her gaze straight ahead and her body tense. "I was kidnapped. I'm not like you people, I'm not crazy."

Everything seemed to pause for a moment, and then sound exploded, her senses going haywire with unease. Jerome burst into a fit of laughter, making Steph jump two feet into the air, and almost as sudden as he had started laughing, he stopped. Leaning even closer to her as he almost viciously pulled at the skin surrounding his eye socket.

"Oh sugar, I'm not crazy," he giggled again, "I'm just ahead of the curb."

Steph tensed again, and sunk lower into the couch cushions, so as to create more space between the two. Despite her desire to appear strong and unbreakable, Steph was scared, scared and alone and unsure as to how to proceed in her current situation. In an act to soothe her buzzing nerves, Steph curled into herself, tightly winding her arms around her knees so as to hug them into her chest, rocking ever so slightly. Jerome merely took her motion as an invitation to scoot even closer to her, feeling something close to pity for the obviously startled girl.

Steph, summoning every ounce of courage within her being, straightened her spine and crossed her arms defiantly across her chest and huffed in irritation, feigning annoyance and bravery. "You clearly have no concept of personal space, huh Ginger?"

Jerome cackled in glee, swinging one his well-toned arms around Steph's shoulders. He tugged her a bit closer to him, much to Stephanie's annoyance and frustration.

"Well doll, it seems that you're faced with quite the dilemma now."

Steph continued to ignore him, however, and she scooted away from Jerome as far as she could so that she was practically hanging off the couch, Jerome however, merely inched even closer, so that he was practically sitting on her lap. Jerome giggled menacingly again, "nu-uh doll face, you aren't getting away from me that easily. Besides, you need my help now," he attempted to reason as he snatched her to his side again.

Steph glowered at the strange red-haired man before her, "and how, exactly did you come to that conclusion?"

Steph was merely feigning nonchalance; in reality she was terrified. This guy was put in Arkham for a reason, and here he was, touching her, leering at her, and just overall being near her. She had to think of an escape plan, and fast.

"Well babe, Daddy Galavan over there obviously had a motive for using you. And since you've clearly proven you're a little spitfire," he chuckled, "he and Stabby Tabby will try and get rid of you."

Steph cocked her head to the side; was he really trying to help her? Just how gullible did this maniac think she was?

"While I truly do appreciate your offer I-"

"Ah, ah, ah," Jerome tauntingly waved his index finger, "did I say I was finished?"

Steph ground her teeth together in aggravation; biting her tongue seemed to be her only resort when faced with a deranged lunatic who was also a homicidal psychopath.

"As I was saying," he smirked. "Good ol' Galavan can't touch you, if you're with me. And the best part is, you can be my.... Apprentice of sorts. What'd ya say, huh doll?"

Steph was taken aback from Jerome's offer. The situation was really beginning to dawn on her now, as did her choices of survival. Alone, she would have to get past both the Galavan's as well as Jerome. However, if she did help Jerome, she could be granted immunity, at least for now. Plus then whenever the chance appeared, she could make her escape and be gone before anyone realized.

Steph stood abruptly, stalking to the large windows on the edge of the room. Stepping over the unconscious bodies scattered around the floor, Steph leaned against the pane of glass, deep in thought.

Make a deal with an escaped Arkham inmate? What were the odds of him going against his word and slaughtering her brutally when her back was turned. Stephanie was completely in the dark; she had no choices that were her own anymore. This, this decision was based purely on logic. No... logic didn't feel like the right word when considering agreeing to becoming the accomplice of a former Arkham inmate.

The logic that Jerome would have to keep his word so as to gain followers and eventually rise up against Galavan. That was merely logic.

The logic that the more he came to trust her, the longer the leash she would be given, leading to her inevitable escape.

The logic that if she denied his request in a truce, he could ruin her.

The logic that the clock was ticking on her time here.

Steph turned sharply, blonde hair glistened hauntingly in the dimming sunlight, "where do I sign?"

Ik Ik to some it may not seem realistic to suddenly team up with a serial killer,  but:

1. Steph has already proven how she isn't really normal
2. It's all a matter of survival. Jerome has offered her a chance at living that also helps him gain popularity

Thx for reading :)

*edited*