Fearsome•Jonathan Crane

7

I slowly open the letter my eyes skim over it yup this was definitely from my mother I decided to read it.

Dear Elizabeth,

So I heard you're in Arkham, huh. Never thought that would happen. Paranoia I always thought you hated that villain because whenever they came on the TV you shunned your eyes away. I should've realized that you were going down this path. How stupid am I. My only child a villain. I don't know if I should dis own you or cradle you in my arms. No wonder you always disappeared for long periods of time I always thought you where out with a guy or something guess not.

Me with I guy the only guy I ever dated thought I was insane. I'll probably end up alone with fifty cats.

But you know you're my daughter I'll love you no matter what you have done. Hell if you murdered me I'll probably thank you for being to gracious. But when you get home and if I'm still alive you are going to get some.

Your loving mother.

I shook my head slightly as my mother put it "you're going to get some" I probably was when I go home. I can just imagine her look of disappointment. Me a criminal who would have thought.

A guard knocked on the door. I looked up from the letter. "Come on" they said. "What? I don't have any tasks" I say. "You don't have an tasks but,you do have therapy" he says. "Ugh" I groan. It's not that I didn't like Crane he was a weird guy but, I didn't dislike him I disliked the point of this whole therapy thing. I groaned as I got up from the stone floor. "Okay take me away officer" I say putting my hands up. The guard shakes his head and grabs me by my arms.

We reach the same room I was in yesterday. The guard guides me in not pushing me. Dr. Crane is in the same position he was in last time. I sit down in the chair across from him. "You're not late this time. Good" he says not glancing up. The guard leaves.

"Hey can I ask you a question" I say putting my feet on his desk. "Go head" he says clearly annoyed by the fact that my feet are on his desk. "Why is everyone so afraid of you. The whole cafeteria was cowering there head in fear once you walked in. I mean I just don't understand you're just a shrink" I say. This triggers something in him. He stand up and moves in front t of me. Making me remove my feet from his desk. He leans in closer and puts his hands on each side of the chair causing me to put my arms to my side. He looked at me. "Do you know what fear is?" He says. I lean back in my chair but, that only makes him lean closer. Before I can answer he speaks. "Fear is when you get to worry some that it makes you scared. Therefore it's fear some" he says. I gulp and lean forward too our faces an inch from each other. "That still doesn't answer my question" I say then go into the original position that I was in. "I guess it doesn't" he says glancing at me one more time before standing up straight. "You're just going to have to find out yourself I guess" he says before turn back and sitting at his desk.

"Now it's my turn to ask you a question" he says. "Go ahead Jonathan" I say. He presses his lips in a thin line. "What is this?" he says sliding something toward me. I see that it my knife. "How'd you get that?" I ask trying to grab it but,he takes gets to it before I do. "I got it from one of the guards they told me what happened after it was over" he said. "Wait so how long have you known?" I ask him. "Since this morning" he says. "Then why did you do make me wash my face if you knew I didn't fall" I ask him. "I wanted to see how invested into the lie you would be" he say. I gave him a look.

"Now what does this blade mean to you" he says. "It means nothing" I respond. He give me a unconvinced look. "I saw the way you looked at this when I pulled it out" he said spinning the point on his index finger. "Fine. It was my fathers" I said. "Why is it important? Just because it's your fathers doesn't mean it should be important" he asks. "Well it important to me because my father is dead" I say. He looked down at the folder. "How did he die?" He asks. "Shouldn't you know? It's in that handy dandy folder isn't it?" I say. He looked up at me "I want to hear in from you" he says finally after looking at me for at me for a while. "Okay. Somebody broke into our house while we were all upstairs. My mom was the one to see the rubber since she went down to get a flashlight because my dad was trying to fix the washer so expertly by himself. My mom screamed so my dad went down and told me to stay up the stairs. Being the child that I was I went down any way and saw my mom being held by her throat with a gone pointed at her head. My dad was trying to calm the robber down. He go closer to him talking to him soothingly. The man turned the gun on my father. I accidentally made a noise which startled the robber and caused him to pull the trigger he was about to shot my mom before I took a big breath and jumped on top of him. Almost killing him until my mom prayed me off. I remember her face soaked with tears telling me too stop. I remember the man face. He was shocked and scared but,then he laughed when I burst into tears. My father was choking on his own blood running down the sides of his face. He looked at me then at my mom. The cops came then apparently our neighbors heard screaming. I think it was mine that they heard. My screams. My dad was already dead by the time they had arrived his face was turned turns be staring at me with a blank expression. That's when it triggered something in me. When the man stood trial I wanted to kill him. I wanted him to have a painful death." I say. As i drift off remembering it. I snap back into reality Jonathan I looking at me with a sympathetic smile plastered on his face. "Everyone pitied me. It was humiliating" I said.

"I'm very sorry for your loss" he said slowly almost seeming like he didn't know what to say. "Don't be. It's not your fault he's dead" I say shrugging. "I also hope you know that it's not your fault that your father is dead" he says. "Of course I know it's not my fault" I say. He adjusted his glasses before looking down at the folder again. "Who was the first person you ever killed" he asks. I smile and touch my nose. He sighs annoyed. "We wouldn't have time to share it any way. It's almost time for you to leave" he says. "Thank doc" I say. "Before you go. Here." He says sliding my knife towards me. "You're letting me keep it?" I question. "As long as you don't stab me or a guard" he says with a small smile. "You, no. A guard. No promises" I say standing up. I give one last glance at him before leaving. "You're not as bad as I though you where going to be" I say. And I could swear I heard him mumble 'that's what you think now'.

I get back to the solitude room laying awake on the cold ground looking up at the ceiling seeing not very much since it is so dark in this damn room. I think about what Crane said 'you'll just have to find out'. I imagine he's going to do something but, I don't know what when. I drift off to sleep shaking my head not worrying about it.