No Rest for the Wicked || The Joker's Daughter { ON HIATUS}

Chapter 2: Evaluation

     Mary fluffed her hair as she checked herself in the mirror one final time before heading down to the visitation area. Her eyes sat atop dark circles and she placed a pair of dark rimmed glasses on to hide them. Shuffling into the room, she couldn't hide her smile as Eli stood to greet her. He was always such a gentleman. He asked for the cuffs to be removed from his friend, stating that they were not needed. Hesitantly, the guards complied. Then, they were left alone, locked in a large metal box. The two stared at each other for a moment. Eli's hair was longer than the last time she'd seen him. The dark curls now hung into his eyes and he had to push them aside every so often. He had grown into a tall, handsome man in the years they had known each other.

     "I've missed you." The two embraced and then sat across from each other at the table. "I'm sorry this trip was so long. I hope you didn't get too bored without me, but the documentary that I filmed... Well, let's just say you would be proud." Mary just smiled. It was usually like this, ever since they were children. Eli did most of the talking between the two of them but he didn't really mind. Mary didn't get much time to practice her social skills, he imagined. Besides, she was usually doped up on sedatives. 

     "All thanks to this baby." He pulled a camcorder out of his bag and pointed it at Mary before pressing the record button. "Stop!" She whined, holding a hand up to cover her face. "You stop." Eli chuckled, flipping the screen around so that she could see herself. "I can't help myself when it comes to filming beautiful things, remember?" Mary blushed, sticking her tongue out at the camera. He zoomed, teasingly, into her nostrils and she covered the camera with her hand. 

     "Why are you even here, Pickett? Shouldn't you be out on one of your little adventures?" She teased back, prompting him to set the camera down and gain a serious demeanor. "Why? Are you jealous?" He replied, a small remnant of a smile appearing on his face. "Because there's actually something I wanted to tell you." Mary shifted and stood, feeling immediate uncontrollable anger as she came up with a million different outcomes in her head. "You can't fucking leave me again, Eli." Her fists were clenched and she choked back tears. "You're all I have here making me still feel human. Like, a real person." The times when Eli went away on trips seemed to draw out and had recently felt like they were becoming more and more frequent. She wondered if he had grown tired of her or even if she was beginning to scare him off like everyone else. 

     "Mary, listen." He attempted to hold her but she pushed him away, only to be gripped by the wrist. The fresh wounds on her arm stung so she didn't attempt to tug away again. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise." There was a slight pause as he brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "But you might be." The words had caught her off guard as she started to argue but cut herself off. "Wait, What do you mean? Like, a transfer? An execution?" Eli snorted, shaking his head. "I've spoken to my dad a million times about this and he finally agreed to put in a request for your release due to good behavior." Mary stumbled, the rush of excitement making her a little lightheaded. "You can't be serious." Helping her into the chair, he knelt down so their faces were inches from each other. "Best 18th birthday present or what?" Mary leapt into his arms, squealing happily. "Down, Quinzel." A guard spoke harshly as he entered the room and ordered the two of them apart. "We'll be in touch." Eli spoke, mocking the formality of the officer with a wink. He was escorted out as Mary was cuffed once more. 

▶▶

     The next day, Mary was woken up earlier than usual and ordered to get ready. "What's going on?" She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes but the officer didn't respond, only continued out the door. She got up to follow and was escorted into a room that was nothing like the rest of the facility. Instead of blindingly white walls, a mocha color filled the room. A faint scent of vanilla was present in the air. It would've felt like a cozy home if it weren't for the sickeningly happy man sitting across from her.

     "Hello, Miss Quinzel. I'm Dr. Marsh." He held his wrinkly hand out for her to shake but she just crossed her arms. "How are you feeling today, Mary? Can I call you Mary?" She simply nodded. "I'm fine." He shuffled through some papers and continued to speak as he did so. "I've been informed that you are eligible for early release." "Yeah, after only 18 years." Mary scoffed, sarcastically. "Oh, you're still young. You've got plenty of your life left to live." She could only roll her eyes at the man's attempt to be friendly. She wasn't buying it. No one in Arkham was friendly for the hell of it. She had already figured out what was about to happen. He would ask her questions that didn't really matter and no matter what she would answer, he would rule her mentally unstable. It was what all the 'friendly' faces around there did. They were all for show.

     "I'm here to ask you a few questions. Simple things, really, to see if-" "To see if I'm still crazy?" She interrupted him. "To see if you've improved at all." He countered, bluntly. They went through basic information, checking Mary's identification before moving on to her physical health. After what seemed like forever, Dr. Marsh pulled out a stack of cards. "What do you see here, Mary?" She stared a moment. This was it. The main show. The inkblot before her just looked like a big blob. She shifted, beginning to feel nervous. The doctor could see her struggling and urged her to just attempt the exercise. "Anything could be there. It's all in the imagination." He tapped his freckled scalp.

     Mary focused for another moment, this time trying her best, before it became perfectly clear. The image couldn't be unseen as she tilted her head to the side to try to see something else. The image was obviously of a man bashing another with what seemed to be an icepick. Blood splattered across the corners of the page. Her voice caught in her throat, though. She couldn't speak of such things if she had any hope of actually being released. She knew that much. "I see a whale." She faked a giggle. She could put on an act just as well as the rest of them. "See the fin and the ocean splashing across the edges?" For a moment, she feared that he would see through her facade. She let out a shaky breath, however, as he shared her chuckle. "Brilliant." He even praised her, moving on to the next. A woman being choked came into view as the doctor held up another card. Mary did her best to wave it from her mind. "A queen. See her large whimsical collar?"

     Finally, an image that sent a slight shiver down her spine. It was a large clown mask. The smile stared right into her, threatening to burn a hole right through her. It wasn't just any clown, she could tell. It was her father. That smile had haunted her dreams for as long as she could remember. Still, she swallowed sheepishly and coughed up a laugh. "A smiling face." Mary's eyes lingered on the image. She tried to act like it wasn't as obvious as it was. "And a weirdly drawn one at that." Dr. Marsh sighed, almost as if he were disappointed. She was sure he expected something a little more exciting to happen. The whole thing was a bit humorous to her. Him being excited to get to tap into the mind of a girl who was the daughter of the infamous Clown Prince of Crime, only to find out that there wasn't anything unusual going on in there. Of course, there was. Luckily for Mary, however, she also inherited her father's quick wit and expert problem solving.

     "Well." The doctor ran his fingers through what was left of his hair. "I feel like we're done here." He stood and walked around the desk, reaching out to shake his patient's hand once more. This time she returned the favor. "So, does that mean that I'm getting out?" Her voice was low. He just glanced in her direction before heading towards the door, stopping as his hand touched the doorknob. "I can't say anything for certain, but I don't believe that you're a hazard to society. I can't see any reason that your request should be denied." Overwhelmed with excitement, Mary squealed and hugged the man. He jumped slightly but hugged back anyway. "You be good, now." He called as the guard took the girl back to her cell.