Fire and Ice [Slow Updates]

Chapter Eleven

Somewhere around where Theresa and Nicolas took Blyth to above.

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Theresa and Nicolas blindfolded me to take me back to the stores, unwilling to let me see the way they came. The Joker watched them blindfold me, making sure they didn't hurt me. When I was blindfolded, he came up to me.

"I'll be watching you, doll."

That was the last thing I heard before my arms were taken, and I was led away. As we descended the stairs, Theresa spoke. "You're a lot easier to lead than carry."

"That's because we aren't lugging her weight around," Nicolas spoke before I could. "Watch your step; we've got more stairs."

After several minutes, I lost track of how long I had been walking or where I was at anymore. I just continued forwards, listening to Theresa and Nicolas's warnings whenever the path changed. I stumbled several times, but neither of them allowed me to fall, instead catching me and helping me back to my feet. At one point, Theresa made a comment on how she didn't understand why the Joker was being so kind to me before Nicolas told her to stop talking about that.

I was confused, too. I had seen what the man could do, and I was confused as to why he helped, rather than hurt me. It was rare that anyone ever saw his kind side, and I supposed that even Harley faced his dangerous side.

"What happened to Harley?" I finally asked one of the many questions that bounced around my head with every step I took.

There was a long silence before Nicolas spoke. "We might as well tell her, Theresa. It's not like it'll make a difference." There was another silence, and I supposed that Theresa finally nodded, because Nicolas began talking again.

"Harley, like Joker said, is a wild spirit. She can't be tied down for too long, and he stayed in place for too long, and she left. She's done it before, and she's always back in a few weeks. To kill time, Joker finds another temporary girl. When Harley shows back up, he acts like the girl broke in, and they both kill her. I've seen it happen."

There was another long silence and the two waited for my reaction, and I struggled with understanding what Nicolas had just said. "So... does he call everyone doll?" I asked.

"Not really. He'll call them that once or twice to calm them down, and then he stops. No, Harley is his doll... and queen, I guess. That's what he calls her, and she calls him Puddin'. I'm never sure whether the nicknames are cute or disgusting." Nicolas replied. "If you're his new temporary girl, good luck."

I noticed that we had stopped walking. I felt something move behind my head, and then the blindfold disappeared, only to be replaced with a hand that continued to block my view.

"Keep your eyes closed and count to twenty when Theresa removes her hand from over your eyes," Nicolas instructed me. "You won't be able to find us."

"Wait," I spoke again. The two people around me grew still, waiting for my question. "Do you two hate me?" It was a stupid question, that I was aware of but I needed to know.

"No, just good luck." Nicolas spoke first.

"No, I guess not. I don't really hate anybody, beside Batman and all them. You hitting me, only self defense. I would've done the same thing." Janie spoke after a moment, her voice thoughtful.

I felt the hand leave my eyes, and I immediately sealed them closed. I began counting silently to myself, mouthing each number. One... two...

At twenty, I slowly opened my eyes, preparing for bright sunlight flooding my vision but instead darkness greeted me. I was back in the alley, where Theresa and Nicolas first knocked me out at. I began walking out of the alley, tapping my pockets for my phone. I discovered it in my back pocket, and pulled it out. Only forty-five minutes had lapsed, and  I began walking to see what I could in fifteen minutes.

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A/N

Finally, an update, am I right? It's been so long since I've updated this book. I hope no one is terribly upset about that. Hopefully updates will come much more frequently than this, because a five month wait for a chapter is simply too long. I hate waiting a day for someone to upload a chapter; I can't imagine what waiting five months would be like.

Please vote and comment! I would really, really appreciate it.