Harley Quinn and the Joker

Sneak Peek of 'Harry and Joy'

"Five...four...three...two...one!" Joy squealed, and Harry sunk deeper into the bushes. His palms were sweaty and his heartbeat rose as she came closer to where he was hiding, chuckling to herself.

"I know you're out there! I'm coming to get you." She sang the words, but nothing about it was cute. Even at this young age, he knew it wasn't just a game. Joy loved games, but they were never just that.

His back was digging into a thorn and tears sprung up into his eyes but he didn't move. If he moved, she would find him. He had jumped into the rose bushes as a last attempt, seeing as there was nothing else to hide behind. Joy always rigged the games to win.

She was mean sometimes. Joy could be very, very mean. He had seen what she could do...

"Harry! I'm coming to find you!" Through the bushes he could see her white dress, with the pink bow wrapped around her waist and her long, honey-blonde hair swishing around her in the light. "When I find you I'm gonna kill you!" He whimpered and shuffled further back, despite the thorn now lodged firmly in his back. The thorn couldn't do as much hurt as Joy could.

Once, Joy had ripped the nails off their pet cat, Pudgy, because he had screeched too loud the last time and got her in trouble with mommy. Another time she had stabbed Harry with a nail so many times that he had to go to hospital. He was there for 3 weeks, and when he came back Joy had hit him in the gut with a hammer until he threw up blood. Those weren't even the worst things. She had killed people...

"Found you!" She pulled apart the bushes and grinned at him, her blonde hair falling over her pretty brown eyes. Harry started to cry.

"Don't be such a baby, Harry!" She cried but she was still grinning, brown eyes sparkling. She came closer, reaching down to grip his wrists. "Don't be such a baby." She whispered, then pulled him forward and off the thorn. He screamed and kicked, but she was much stronger than him.

"Baby, baby!" She shouted, dancing around his small body curled up on the grass. He let out a loud sob and she squatted down next to him. She smelt like roses. Pink roses. "Guess what I have, Harry." She whispered. He mumbled something, a nail. She clapped her hands together, delighted. "Not a nail, Harry. I have this!" She pulled a small kitchen knife out of her pocket, and Harry's eyes widened further. He tried to scramble up, away from her...but she grabbed him and pulled him down again. She was strangely calm, as she hovered over him, with her rosy cheeks and her shiny golden hair catching in the sunlight. "Goodnight, Harry." She whispered. He screamed.