The Dark Dragon (The Arkham Monster Book 1)

3: New Friends?

 I woke up to the sounds of water dripping. I lifted up my head and saw a woman in red and black clothing with a white lab coat. in front of the cell bars. She had two blonde twin pigtails. She had a needle in her hand and she pumped it, dropping little drips of weird liquid.

 I growled and stood up.

 "Whoa, whoa, whoa," the woman said. She held her hands up. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you. They just sent me to check on you. I'm not going to inject this in you."

 I began to hiss.

 "All right. I'll put it away. I promise I won't hurt you though. Calm down. Hey, it's going to be ok."

 "How?" I snapped. "When I'm such a freak to everyone. It's true. I don't belong anywhere but maybe here. This is the true home for the freaks."

 "Well, welcome to the club," the woman said. "This is the true home for freaks anywhere. Hey, maybe you and me have a lot in common. We both are freaks and we both are unwelcomed by others who don't want to know us first. OMG! I'm going to have like my first groupie sister! I'm Harley Quinn by the way."

 Harley Quinn? Oh, of course. The Joker's crazier pyschotic girlfriend.

 "We have nothing in common," I said. "We may be freaks but your mind just went more crazier than I thought."

 "Watch it, sister," Harley Quinn said, bringing out her needle. "You may be soon be my groupie sister but those remarks are worth refixing now."

 As she walked over closer to me, I felt my nails grow into claws. Maybe I can gut them in her neck and choke her. Then she'll know who not to mess with.

 "Harley! We need her alive, not dead!"

 "Sorry, babe," Harley said, rolling her eyes and going up to the cell door. She opened it and The Joker came in.

 He had the same disgusting white face and grimly red smile. His hair was the same green glob of mess. He wore a white shirt with a green vest.

 "Where's your purple jacket, Clown?" I hissed.

 "Shut your trap, lizard," The Joker said. "I know what you are."

 I winced. "Huh? How?"

 "I can tell by your scales on your neck. You're the Dark Dragon. You're the one we've been hearing on the news about the monster that's been rampaging in Gotham. Nice job on the Gotham Main Hall. I thought I would of done a better job."

 "I'm not like you," I said. "First of all, I'm a freak but not a villain."

 "You could be if you gave it a try."

 "I won't."

 "Then good luck with Batman out there. I'm sure he'll want to know who's the one behind all the destruction."

 "Like you're really going to report me to Batman...."

 "I can and I will. And I'm sure you're going to have fun being tested in lab experiments."

 I growled. Lab experiments weren't going to be put on me. "Fine then. You win. Looks like I didn't have a choice in the beginning anyway."

 "Excellent," the Joker said. "You'll feel at home soon enough. Hey, you're just like us anyway. We're all freaks, aren't we? Well, you're not the villain type but we'll figure out how to control yourself. Right this way please."

****

 I followed the Joker and Harley Quinn out of the cell and into the rest of the Asylum. Most of it was cells and darkness. I couldn't see anything and I felt damp and cold. I felt bad for the villains. Was this what they had to go through everytime? Couldn't they just be placed in jail and given the chance for a brighter future?

 Maybe that's why they go after Batman so much. They felt there was no ray of light to rain down upon them in this dark world and they only went out to the city again was because the lights made them see.

 "And here's the family," Joker said.

 I stopped and saw a group of villains at a round table. Several of them I automatically recognized but some were quite new to me.

 "Have a seat," Joker said, pulling out a chair. I sat down and Joker sat down at the front of the table with Harley at his side.

 "Everyone, this is the Dark Dragon," Joker said. "The one we hear on the news the whole time. The one who just broke down Gotham Main Hall. Let's give her a clap for that."

 The villains clapped and some cheered.

 I just swiped my eyes from side to side, staring at the villains.

 "Now, then, in order to make her feel at home, let's all introduce ourselves," the Joker continued. "I'm the head huncho, the Joker. This is Harley Quinn. And..."

 A man in brown skin stood up. I thought it was brown skin but it ended up being rocky brown clay skin.

 "Name's Clayface," the guy said. "I can form into anyone I want and I'm very...soft." He sat back down.

 Another villain stood up. He had on a black suit and a top hat. He carried an umbrella. "I'm the Penguin," the villain said. "I'm great at strategies and I'm a brilliant enigneer." He sat down too.

 A woman in a green dress stood up. She had wicked red blazing hair. "I'm Poison Ivy," she said. "Please respect the plants."

 A man with tally marks on his body stood up. "Victor Zsasz," he said. "Are you going to be my next victim?"

 "Do you want a huge mark on your chest?" I hissed.

 "Whoa, whoa, watch it, Zsasz," Joker said. "She's new here and I don't wany any trouble now."

 Each villain continued with his/her name by standin up and sat down.

 "Ok, now that's everyone," Joker said. "Now, what's your name, lizardgirl?"

 "Melani. Melani Roseson," I said.

 The villains gasped.

 "Roseson?" the Penguin gapped.

 "Yeah," I said. "What's wrong?"

 "The Rosesons were the best robbers ever in Gotham," Clayface said. "I heard they robbed 20 banks in one night. I never knew how they did it but I'm guessing that secret they hid is now a part of you."

 "Wait," I said, shaking my head. "Are you saying that I'm the daughter of two famous robbers that could be dragons?"

 "Maybe," Poison Ivy said. "They probably hid their dragon idenitities and used only their dragon powers like the claws."

 "No wonder there was always explosions," the Penguin said. "They blew it up with their fire."

 "And now, you can be a part of us," the Joker said.

 "Just because my parents were robbers, doesn't mean I'm joining you," I said.

 "What choice do you have?" the Joker said. "Do you even know how to control your powers? I bet you don't."

 He did have a point. I didn't know how to control my powers. And besides, I didn't know anywhere else to go.

 "How funny," I said. "They left their own daughter to survive on her own."

 "Maybe it was for your good," Clayface said. "I mean, maybe they didn't want you to be like them but now, you're stuck with us."

 I nodded. "So, um, how am I going to control my powers?"

 "We'll help you," Joker said. "I'm having Scarecrow set up tests and the rest of us will do the same. We're going to help train you to control your powers so that....you won't go crazy like you usually do."

 I sighed. "Well, at least I'll be in control of myself."

 "Good."

 The Joker got up and patted my back. "Here's to our new sister, Melani, the Dark Dragon."

 The villains clapped and hollered with joy.

 I shook my head, knowing deep inside that this was not me.