Doe Eyes ✧ Gotham [1] #Wattys2019

chapter one

         Jane Valeska wasn't special. She was a quiet girl with flashing red hair and big green eyes, who lived in a circus - a circus that was filled with psychos. Her mother was a raging alcoholic and abused her on a daily basis, as did her boyfriends. Her brother, Jerome, was psychotic - killing abandoned alley cats for fun. She felt she was the only sane one in her family left. But no one listened to her. Why would they? She was a tiny frail girl who was destined to be the scapegoat, the victim.

Jane Valeska wasn't special. She knew that. She accepted that. She was "OK" with that. She would take her beatings in silence and do as she were told, like the good little girl she was.

Jane had started to clean the kitchen sink as she heard the front door to her family's trailer door slam shut. Unintentionally, she flinched. She heard a chuckle.

"Why so jumpy, Janey?"

Jane sighed and took the gloves off. She hated that nickname. The only person who called her that was Jeremiah before he left. She rolled her eyes and turned around to see her brother, Jerome, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, just six feet away from her.

"Don't call me that. You know I hate that. And besides, I didn't hear the door open so it startled me."

Jerome uncrossed his arms and got off the wall with that insane smile he always wore on. He strutted quickly across the small space and flopped onto the couch. "Sorry, forgot you hated it." He was lying. He just wanted to get under her skin. He liked it when he teased her and saw her squirm. "Why are you washing the sink? Isn't the sink supposed to be where one washes something."

"It is," Jane admitted. "But I didn't know what else to do and I didn't want Ma to notice something off when she starts drinking after the show."

Jane noticed her brother's smile grow a little as he said, "Oh don't worry about Ma. I don't think she'll be home tonight."

She frowned, clearly confused by the double meaning behind her brother's words. "Jerome, what are you talking about? Why do you look so smug?" He was hiding something from her; she just knew it. 

Before Jerome could answer, there was a sudden knock on the door. He stood from the couch and took a deep breath. His face changed from the smug smile he had one to one of distress. He went towards the door to answer it, Jane in tow.

"G.C.P.D. We need to speak with Lila." 

Jane looked around her brother to see the ringmaster with a young woman with short brown hair with a stocky authoritative male, clearly the police officer. 

"She's not here," Jerome replied, slipping his jacket on and stepping outside the trailer. Jane followed more, slipping her own jacket on. She closed the door behind her. "Why? What's happened?"

"Where is she?" The police officer asked. Jane frowned even more. Why would a police officer be here asking questions about their mother? Wasn't she at the show?

"We don't know," Jane spoke. "She was supposed to be home ages ago."

"You two relatives?"

Jerome walked closer to the man. "I'm her son, Jerome." He pointed back towards Jane. "This is my younger sister, Jane."

The man sighed. "When was the last time you two saw her?"

Jerome paused for a moment. "This morning. She was here when I left for the library."

This made Jane frown once again. Jerome? At the library? She couldn't recall a time he even stepped foot in one. The only time she could think of when he was near one was that time when they were kids and he killed a rat for fun.