No Rest for the Wicked || The Joker's Daughter { ON HIATUS}

Chapter 4: Reunion

     Mary took a deep breath as she fixed her blonde hair as best as she knew how. Thirteen years in confinement didn't give much time for beauty lessons. She held a red and black diamond necklace in front of her purple blouse before hearing a knock at her bedroom door. It was Eli. He was taking her to see her mother. That thought alone frightened Mary to the core. It had been so many years. Harley had stopped visiting Mary once she turned ten with no excuse as to why. Undeniably, there was a bit of resentment that the girl held for her birth giver.

     "You ready?" Eli called, snapping Mary out of her thoughts. She swallowed at the lump in her throat, placing the jewelry back down, and nodded even though he couldn't see her from the other room. "As ready as I'll ever be." She spoke faintly, stepping out from her bedroom and into Eli's sight for the first time. "Wow..." He breathed, taking notice of how nice his friend could clean up. She just looked at him strangely, causing him to divert his eyes to the ground.

     The ride was barely ten minutes long, though it felt like an eternity. She held her breath the entire way. The house was a simple trailer with vines entrapping the entirety of it. As they made their way up to the doorstep, Eli gripped Mary's hand in his own. "It'll be okay." His voice was barely a whisper as he assured her. It took three sets of knocks for the door to unlock, opening to reveal a disheveled looking woman. She seemed to be only in her 40's, but was weathered to appear a bit older. Drugs and alcohol had taken their toll, Mary assumed. The woman stared grumpily at the pair who just stood in collective silence. "Well?" Harley snapped, harshly. Eli cleared his throat before looking over at a speechless Mary. "I'm sorry. I thought my dad had contacted you... This is Mary." He motioned to his friend and a flicker of recognition danced across her face. "Yes, of course!" She faked a laugh and pulled her matted hair into a bun. "Come on in." She couldn't take her eyes off of her daughter. "You know, You have his eyes." Mary forced a smile.

     The three sat together, chatting for hours about each others' lives. It almost seemed like the two girls were making up for all the lost time. Harley actually seemed... kind. "Eli, honey." Harley finally cut the conversation. "There are a few things of Mary's in a box in the spare closet, Would you mind grabbing it?" Happily, the man obliged. 

     That was when it happened, almost like a switch had been flipped. The moment Eli was out of earshot, Harley's demeanor darkened. "What the hell has happened to you?" She demanded, taking Mary back a bit. "W-what do you mean?" Mary's face softened, trying to read her mother. "You're finally out of the loony bin and the company you decide to keep is a police officer's son?" "He's my friend." Mary countered, sounding more hurt than she'd meant to. "Him and his dad were there for me all those years when you couldn't even be bothered to visit me once a month!" She stood, ready to call Eli and leave, only to be shoved by Harley. "They just feel sorry for you, you stupid girl. Do you truly think that he's just going to accept you as you are? That's ridiculous." She giggled uncontrollably, taking a fist full of her daughter's hair and yanked her head back. "No matter how good you think you're being, everyone will always see you for what you really are. A psychopath. A murderer. A villain. So, just give in! Live up to your legacy!" Mary was frightened, letting the words reside in her mind. It only reinforced the feelings she'd had about herself deep down. She was nothing but a cursed child of two terrible people. "Eli doesn't think of me like that." She choked out, only to be pulled harder by the hair. "Then you're more of a psycho than I thought." Releasing her hair, Harley took Mary by the shoulders. "You know, It should have been you that died, not Mister J. He would be sickened to see how you turned out." The words stung Mary like a thousand needles. While she hadn't known her father and had heard plenty about how awful of a person he was, She was still hurt by the idea that she had let him down. That made her feel even sicker with herself.

     Mary was about to ask more about her father when Eli returned with the box Harley had requested. It contained a few aged clown themed baby items, such as a blanket and a rattle. Intriguingly, however, it also held a load of VHS tapes labeled "My little trickster". The handwriting was haphazard and messy. Perhaps they held answers to the questions she had about her father. The box was handed to Mary and she insisted that they had to go. Eli gave a questioning look but figured, with this family, that it was better not to argue. When he asked about the tapes, Mary simply dismissed it as just some old home movies. "I'd rather not watch them." She shrugged but still held the box tight. It was stored in the back of her closet, but she knew she would definitely be coming back for them.