Forever Lost

10

Starfire

My head hung limply against my chest and my feet dangled above the dirty floor beneath me. The blood that had fallen from my lip was now dry as I looked down at the small drops below me. The man had decided to have some "fun" with me while he waited for his father to come see me.
It was just a few punches to my gut and one to my face but since I had no powers and no strength, the attack had taken ten times more out of me than it would have only days ago. Exactly how long had I been in here?
Time seemed to blur by and every time I woke up, I was never sure about how long I had been asleep. Sullivan brought me three meals a day which only consisted of a glass of water, a slice of bread, and a slice of some sort of meat.
I don't know how much time has passed since I was captured but I did know that it was long enough for me to be dehydrated and hungry. My stomachs growled and my lips were cracked from lack of moisture. I could not even cry anymore because of how dehydrated I was. Are they looking for me? Of course they are right?
They are my friends and would do anything for me. This was the one thought that had kept my small amount of hope flickering in the darkness that surrounded me. This was the one thing that kept me from going mad; that and the necklace that Robin had given me. Every time I looked down and saw the small heart shaped locket, it gave me the motivation to keep going, I cannot let whoever these people are win.
My eyes closed and I started to drift off into sleep when a flash of light grabbed my attention. I looked up and my face paled at the sight in front of me. There stood Sullivan and the man, but there were also two other people with them.

The Joker and Harley Quinn.

Although I had never encountered them before, stories of who they were and what they had done had me shaking with fear.
Their skin was white and their eyes were piercing as they stared at me with large grins. "Good job boys, I'm proud of you."
That's when I understood what the man had said about their "dad being proud of them."
Sullivan and the man that had taken me were the sons of the Joker and Harley.
That's why the man laughed so much at my misery. The whole family is sick. "Now get out of here and leave the real fun up to us."
"Awe come on-" The man started to speak but immediately shut up when the Joker punched him, sending him hard into the concrete beneath us. "Shut up Danny, Mommy and Daddy are working." So that's his name. Danny. Danny got up with what seemed like no difficulty at all and wiped the blood from below his bleeding lip. "Sorry sir." With that said, Sullivan sent me one last menacing smirk before disappearing with Danny in a flash of light. My eyes landed on Harley who was walking towards me. "Awe Puddin' she seems so innocent and sweet, we should change that." A small, yet terrifying smile crept onto her face. He laughed and she joined in on the sickening melody of cackles released from his painted smile. "Well of course honey, how else do you think we will get the Bats attention?" As if the whole room had fallen twenty degrees below zero, chills ran down my spine and my body shook in fear. "What do I have to do with Batman?" My words came out stronger than I expected as I tried to remain strong in front of them. There's no way I can let them see me weak, no matter what. The Joker walked over until he stood directly in front of me. His gloved hand was placed beneath my chin and I felt the rancid taste of bile rise in my throat as I stared into his dark green eyes. I narrowed my eyes and placed a stern look on my face to show that I was not scared of him or what he could do to me.
"You my dear have nothing at all to do with the Batman, your friend Robin does. You see, I have come up with the most genius idea in all of the history of the world!" His spit hit my face and I heard Harley squeal behind him.
"While you are here you will be tortured, held hostage, etcetera, etcetera, and all the while your little band of teamates will be going mad searching for you. Especially your friend Robin. Care to explain some more pumpkin?"
It was now Harley's turn to step up and talk to me. The Joker released his grip from me and a sigh of relief fell from my lips.
"Well, I've been watchin' you guys for a few weeks now and I've seen how much you and mr. birdy loooovee each other. So naturally we take you and have him suffer. Eventually the boy will break down and poor, poor batsy will feel so bad for him he will just have to come save his little friend. Oh, and you also have something that we want." She turned to the Joker with a large smile.
"Once we get what we need, me and my Puddin' will live happily ever after, right?" She looked to the Joker with a smile, but it faltered for a moment as she looked for his approval.
I looked behind her to see him roll his eyes. "Yes dear, of course. Now we'll leave you alone with your thoughts but I've decided to let you out of your chains; but you have to promise me you won't try to attack me."
I put the most innocent and needy smile on my face as I nodded with as much conviction as I could. He smiled and walked up to me before pretending to "magically" pull a key from behind my ear. Not a moment later did I fall to the ground in a heap. My wrists were sore and my arms tingled as the blood began to properly circulate again. A yell unwillingly erupted from my chest and I charged towards the Joker with all of my might. Adrenaline seemed to help me ignore the pain surging through my body from being inactive for several days. My fist was mere inches from his smug face before a hard fist collided with my jaw. I flew to the hard ground beneath me and felt my hands and knees cut underneath my weight. My head was spinning and my vision was blurry as I blinked and fought to remain conscious. Harley shocked me when she appeared by my side and hauled me to my feet before holding me in front of him.
He held a smile and stared at me in satisfaction. "Face it sweetheart, you're outnumbered and weaker than us. You can't be the "hero" anymore."
His foot connected with my stomach and Harley let me fall to the ground in pain as I held the aching area.
"Toodaloo," Harley said with a wave of her fingers before I was left alone again.
Tears pricked at the back of my eyes and my throat became incredibly tight as I tried to hold in the sobs wanting to escape. A drop of blood fell into my vision and only now did I feel the sting from my busted lip. My fingers reached up and I touched the newly torn skin with shaking fingers.
"You can't be the hero anymore."
His words rang through my head as I inspected the cuts on my knees and hands from my impact on the concrete. He's right. I am no longer the hero of the city.
I have become the victim.