The Dark Truth

Checkmate: Chapter 22

i see the empty shell of a home in front of me and i cant help but wonder. why didn't anyone buy this place? probably didn't want a house people were murdered in. but theirs plenty of those in Gotham. i run my hand on the wall as i walk in more. memories come rushing through my head. the awful dinners, mom drunk on the couch. "so tell me frost, why did you pick me up to show me this and not j? does he ever leave his little club?" i hold up my hand and rub some dust off between my fingers. "well J was busy today, someone came up quite jealous." i look to frost in question before realization comes over me. "Harley went to see him?" i pick up a doll laying on the floor and a sense of familiarity comes over me. "yeah, she was quite pissed, breaking things with her bat and losing her shit." i look back as him slightly. "is she okay?" i continue to walk to the kitchen. "yeah shes fine. if anything they had make up sex and everything will go back to normal." i stiffen a bit at what frost said but instantly gag and cover my mouth at the stench in the kitchen. their was plates with what im guessing use to be food on them. i quickly walk out of the kitchen and sit on the old rotting stairs. "you okay?" frost is instantly by my side holding onto my shoulder. i quickly nod my head and look at him with pleading eyes. "why is joker doing this?" i see pity in his eyes, but as quick as i see it its gone, covered by a stone face. "i wish i could just tell you but j would kill me if he found out i did. this is something he wants you to remember and honestly i think its best if your the one to remember." i stand up slowly and look up the stairs. "then i think i know where to look." i start heading up the stairs, careful to not fall through them. i walk to the room with no door, mine. i stop in my tracks when i see blood all over my floor. "i don't remember this...why.." as if a flash of light i see my father on the floor in a pool of his own blood with someone kneeling over him holding a knife. i cover my mouth as i see the familiar long blond hair of the person. i shake my head no but snap out of it when frost puts his hand on my shoulder. i jump away from him. i look at frost with wide, scared eyes and shaking my head no. "it wasn't me. i couldn't have..." i stumble to the other side of the room, my back hitting the wall. i slide to the floor. "lizzy, you need to calm down." frost tries to soothingly talk to me but i barely notice hes their. did i get j arrested for a crime i committed? it makes sense i would have forgotten. suddenly anger courses through my veins feeling like fire taking over my body. i snap my head up to look at frost. "you knew. you knew what i have done. yet you helped J torture me." i slowly stand up and i see frost stiffen a bit in alet,. "lizzy calm down, you don't remember everything. what did you just remember? you need to talk to me." i get angrier and angrier as he speaks. i laugh unamused and crack my neck. "shut the fuck up. all your doing is pissing me off. im done with yours and jokers little game. but i need to send that message to j don't i." pure venom is dripping from every word i speak and i can see frosts demeanor change. "lizzy, this isn't you. this is the monster joker wants you to be. do you want to give him that satisfaction? your better than this." i tangle my shaking hands into my hair and squeezes my eyes shut. my heads pounding and i growl out something. all of a sudden my anger melts to sadness and i fall to my knees crying. "whats happening to me?!" i hear frost running to me and next thing i know im cradled in his lap as he sits against the wall. i haven't felt this comforted in a while. why is he being so nice to me? i don't even think i deserve it. "tell me about this room lizzy, was it yours?" i hear frost whispers soothingly in my ear and i look up at him with sad eyes. "yeah, this was my room. where i got beat for stupid shit an tried to take my life in that bathroom right their. but...j was their to save me. now he just wants to damn me." i feel strain on my heart and i let out a struggling whimper. "hes manipulative, you have to be smarter than him, use his past against him like hes doing to you. just don't tell him i told ya so." i laugh at the last part but frost was right. i had to play the game or lose before even trying. i get up on wobbly legs and the help of frost. we slowly walk out the house that was only ever filled with terror. as we exit i stop and frost looks at me, "what are you doing?" i run to my purse and pull out a box of matches i have and run back to the door. "i think its time i do this neighborhood and me a favor." i light all the matches and throw it into the house. i watch as the flames eat the house like the vines once were. i back up a bit with a smirk playing on my face as the house is soon engulfed in the orange flames. if j wants to play a game, fine im playing. checkmate bitch.