Never Fear

42

Court cases were a strange thing. Willow frowned, Jonathan's court case went so slowly. Yet hers went by in a blink of an eye. Willow had also had a few visits from the Caped Crusader when she was in her cell. She had asked him to tell her parents to stay clear. Willow didn't want Sue and Kevin here to see this, nor did she want them to get bombarded by the local reporters.

When away from the company of Jonathan, everyone had noted how she acted. Normal, polite, sensible. Nothing like how she acted when in the company of Jonathan. Hyperactive, cynical and not to mention the readiness to fight back if needed. It was for this reason that she wasn't going to Arkham, but instead found herself in a cell. A small cell in Blackgate. Willow had been in her cell now for three months. She'd been let out to roam in the courtyard, and into the recreational room to read or watch television. But that was the usual routine. It was very boring.

Flicking the page of her book, Willow looked up from her desk when an officer stood at the door, the small latch had been moved and his eyes looked in on her. The hourly checkups were annoying. Willow wasn't in the section of the prison for possible suicidal inmates. She wasn't even in the high security section of the prison. Her cell was just as simple as the cell back in the Gotham City Police Department.

The only good thing about her cell was that she was on her own. Willow frowned, was she not allowed to have a cell mate? But when she pondered over this. She honestly didn't want one. Forcing herself to converse with someone seemed incredibly dull too. There was an aspect to the week where every inmate looked forward to. Visitor day. Willow never had visitors. She had asked Batman to tell her parents, never to come here. She did not want them in a prison to see her. She felt awful as it was, let alone with them visiting her and pretending to be happy about her being well, as well as she could be in prison.

Hearing a key in the lock, Willow frowned and stood up. Inspections were a must, they always happened at the same time, every day. "Prisoner 131923. Willow Butler, correct?" The man spoke while looking down at a clip board and then up at her.

Willow frowned and looked down at her prison uniform. The orange of it almost blinded her but she quickly read over the number on her shirt. "Yes, that's me."

"You're getting transferred."

"W-what? Why? I've not been informed of any transfer." She said utterly confused by the moment. A guard walked over and clapped handcuffs around her wrists before escorting her out of her cell. Willow frowned at the line of prisoners who were making their way out of the cell block. Watching them, she yelped when she got shoved in line. She was the only female amongst the males which worried her greatly. But none of them really paid any attention to her, they registered her presence but that was it. "Do you know where we're going?" Willow asked once she and several other inmates had been led onto a bus.

"Arkham." The man answered, Willow eyed over his tattooed head and arms before nodding slowly and looking towards the window.

"Why? Are we suddenly deemed insane?"

"Heh, something like that." The man answered and then tapped her on the shoulder. Looking at the outstretched hand and the handcuffs Willow placed her hand in his. "Ashley."

"Willow."

"Get ready for Arkham, Willow."

"You've been there before?"

"A brief stay." Ashley answered, "You?"

"First time."

"Oh, first times are always so memorable aren't they?" Ashley grinned, Willow rolled her eyes and relaxed back in her seat. "Did you see the remnants of the fire back there, Willow?"