A magic trick

Getting Into The Game

It had been a few months since she started working for Oswald at the club, but luckily for her she rarely saw the odd man. The club was rather empty due to it being early in the morning and she already finished checking inventory. The henchmen who stayed at the bar quickly came to like the outspoken girl and they would frequently talk, but even today they were too busy to acknowledge her existence causing her to sigh softly. She heard the front entrance open and glanced over only to see Harvey and James looking around for someone particular. She gasped softly and ducked down behind the bar counter while trying to calm her breathing. She heard the men walk around calling out for Oswald and noticed an arm reaching out above her.

"I'm sure he won't mind a missing bottle of whiskey." He said with a laugh stretching more only to look down and make awkward eye contact with the girl staring up at him from below. "What the hell?!" He yelled while dropping the bottle of whiskey causing it to shatter all over the floor. Alice stood up quickly so no liquid could get on her and looked at Harvey feeling irritated.

"You're going to have to pay for that! Hell, You're gonna clean up while your at it." She said through clenched teeth trying to walk past James only to feel her bicep be grabbed roughly. She looked at James as he stared at her furiously.

"So this is where you've been?" He asked with a not so friendly tone. She nods slowly and points to the bar counter again.

"His gun is in the box with all the bullets still in there." She reaches over and grabs the box handing it to Harvey who takes it roughly. "Looking for Oswald?" She asked curiously while drying a cup with a white rag boredly.

"What? Working with one criminal wasn't good enough?" James stated feeling a bit annoyed with the girl as she ignored the situation at hand.

"I'm just the bartender." She said waving the glass at the man and smiles forcefully rolling her eyes when Harvey snatches the glass out of her hand and poors alcohol inside.

"You became a bartender after your boyfriend was killed?" Harvey said with an insensitive laugh causing the girl to kick the barstool from under the man watching him fall, but hold his hand in the air as to not spill his drink. "What the hell is your problem?!" He yelled annoyed looking at the girl who only peered down at him with a cold and harsh stare. James looks at her and makes her face him roughly.

"Look, this man your working for is not who he made himself seem to be." James explained slowly while motioning around the club as if to prove a point. Alice followed his pointing and then looked at James smirking.

"Is that why the cops come here often? Because I'm pretty sure this is where I see all the corrupt men of Gotham. Now excuse me but I have things I need to do. So get the hell out of my club." She said through clenched teeth earning a shocked expression from James who nodded at Harvey and the two exited the club. Alice went behind the counter and felt a head splitting pain shoot through her skull causing her to crouch. She winced in pain and her eyes widened in fear as the pain grew worse.

"Did ya have to be so harsh?" A familiar voice rang through her head and she looked over seeing Jerome pale and dead playing with the glass from the broken whiskey bottle. She stared at him and remained silent feeling to scared to speak up. The dead boy sat calmly and leaned against the cabinet and glanced at Alice holding up the piece he was messing with before between his thumb and pointer finger smiling menacingly. "Be careful. You might cut yourself." Almost in a flash he pulled a knife out of his neck slowly while staring at the girl who watched in horror. The knife was ripped out and blood flowed down the boys neck and he fell to the floor. She backs away gasping for air while making cries for help reaching for anything she could.

A pair of hands hoisted her up and she looks at the owner of the hands to see a large italian man. He looked at her confused and felt her head seeing the girl was now pale. "You alright? Look like ya seen a ghost or somethin." He commented watching her gaze look behind the bar which he did as well seeing nothing but the broken whiskey bottle. She rubs her eyes and looks again confirming the fact no one was there after all.