A Shade Of Purple With A Side Of Chaos

My First Day

"So first day at Arkham? Good luck Dr. Quinn" the young guard smirked at the large iron gate which lead up to Arkham Asylum

Harley's cheeks flared in embarrassment "Thank you" she said, though not meaning it.

She had to remain calm, getting pissed off at the first guard she met would NOT look good or do her any favors. She tried to collect her thoughts as she drove up the long winding road right up to the Asylum's front door.

But god she was so nervous, this was her first actual appointment as a Doctor and she didn't want to mess this up, she wanted, NO needed to prove so many people wrong. This is the only thing she had been working towards the past 5 year, Harley could not waste this opportunity.

Harley was so lost in her own thoughts she almost crashed into the security checkpoint leading into the Asylum grounds. Still in shock she looked at the guard in the booth "Oh god, I am so sorry!" He looked up from his newspaper. Poor guy, he had probably been in the same booth for the past 20 years. "I.D?" he spoke in a low, deep tone.

"But I nearly- actually, never mind. Here" Harley handed her new pass over, she actually started shaking with excitement..or nerves, she couldn't tell.

The Guard barely glanced at it, gave it back and pressed a button behind the desk. "Welcome to Arkham Asylum" he said before looking back at his morning paper.

The way the guard spoke, it sounded like he had actually died 10 years ago and was just being propped there as a dummy with a voice over

Harley drove through, carefully noting the disregard he had to checking her, she could have been any old lunatic with a fake I.D. She parked up and got out the car, admiring the building the way she did on her first visit with her class at college. Harley couldn't help but marvel at the grandeur and Gothic nature of the building, it was so enormous but so beautiful from the outside. It was actually hard to believe the kind of horrors this place has seen and the people it contained, if she didn't know any better, Arkham Asylum could have been the most beautiful place in Gotham.

- Fifth Floor-

Read the big black lettering on the corridor sign, Harley was already out breath from the stairs, she began to think it was time to do some exercise, especially if she had to escape insane patients chasing her with a sharpened pencil, she held that thought as she stopped at the office of her new boss.

As Harley warmed herself up to meet her, she was wondering how Dr. Leland was as a boss, she was well known for being a ruthless yet efficient Psychiatrist throughout Gotham. Some of Harley's previous bosses had been utter creeps especially the pervert she worked for at that coffee shop...that's the last time she works somewhere where there is a peeping hole into the changing rooms.

As she prepared to walk in she quickly straightened her skirt and took a quick rain check in her pocket mirror to make sure she didn't look like she was about to have a mental breakdown. Okay, be polite, friendly and calm, don't say anything stupid or nerd out. Harley sighed at the last bit and knocked on the door.

"Come in" called a clear, feminine voice.

Harley opened the door and stepped in. "Hello Dr. Leland? I'm Harleen Quinzel "

The women sat at the desk in front of her had a friendly smile on her face, something that reassured Harley, people with good smiles always calmed her. Dr. Leland had soft features with laughter lines, a brunette bob and brown eyes, she had a tall yet skinny frame and a beauty mark underneath her right eye. Harley guessed she was around 40.

"Ah , it's very nice to meet you, I have just been going over your CV, Dr. Quinzel, please sit down." gestured to the chair in front of her desk.

Harley closed the door and as she walked to the chair, Dr, Leland stood up, shook Harleys hand, then both women took their seats.

Harley took the opportunity to look around the office, it was a medium-sized room with around 5 cabinets, most likely filled with patient files. There was also a large window with blinds, several pictures on the walls, this included a pretty painting of the sea, a doctorate certificate and a poster depicting a kitten hanging from a tree with the slogan 'Hang in there Kitty!'.

The desk was large and made of mahogany. The wallpaper was beige and the carpet too. It was all quite calming, she guessed that this was the point.

She then quickly turned back to the still smiling women sitting opposite her. Dr. Leland spoke first "Before you start to worry everything looks fine and in order, did you find my office alright?" she inquired gently.

Harley smiled back "Oh everything has been great. The nurses at the front desk were very helpful, thank you ." Privately she was cursing the skinny, stuck-up, unhelpful, judgmental bitches with their fake acrylic nails and stupid faces.

Dr. Leland snorted at this comment "That would be a first, anyway, you can call me Joan, just not around board officials" She grinned at this, Harley grinned back, she liked this woman. "You can call me Harley."

"Well then Harley, I'm afraid this is where we have to go over the protocols and rules and then I will take you for a tour of Arkham"

Harley sighed inwards, this would be boring however after all the official stuff she would get to see what Arkham was really like.

Half an hour later both women were walking down the corridor. They both had to wear their white coats with their name-tag on it however Joan was wearing trousers and Harley was wearing a skirt. Albeit a slightly too tight skirt.

"Joan, how big is Arkham overall?" Harley questioned as her and Joan walked through many different stair ways, corridors and rooms, it just never had an end.

"Big enough to get lost easily, you have no idea how often a crying intern turns up at my office in the beginning of September!" Joan laughed heartily at this.

"I really shouldn't laugh but I remember when I was doing the same thing at Gotham General. It's good to be on the other side of the looking-glass for once!" Harley smiled, feeling for once, like an actual adult.

Joan continued and described each ward as they went through them, from the mild and hopeless to the deranged and dangerous. They had arrived at the elevator for the heavy security wing, otherwise known as 'The Rogues Gallery'.

Joan turned to Harley with a serious look "Now this is for these 'super criminals' I am sure you keep seeing on the TV, the people in this ward are psychos and downright terrifying human beings who have no objection to killing and would easily kill you and your family."

This made Harley's adrenaline kick in, this was what she wanted to see, to learn about. Joan continued "I'm just warning you to keep your wits about you, be careful of who you interact with and frequently check you have all items on you that entered with." she then swiped her security card, both got in the elevator. Joan spoke quietly as the door slid shut.

"I will take you around the ward and let you see some of the patients. Normally we wouldn't do this with staff on their first day but I have faith in you, you seem to be able to handle yourself and I think you'll do just fine here" with that, she smiled at the young doctor.

Harley swelled with pride "I love a challenge. I believe no-one is incurable. You just need the right medicine."

Joan raised her eyebrow slightly "Well we will see how you do with some of your first patients but be ready, it might be different to what you expect"

The elevator door opened to another a corridor going in opposite directions but right in front of the two Doctors was another heavy door with 3 heavily protected men with their weapons. These were the heavy-duty guards.

Harley let out a small smile "I'm ready."

This was the beginning to the end of Harleen Quinzel's life.