Crazy Eyes ✧ Gotham [2]

chapter five

PLEASE KEEP COMMENTING YOUR REACTIONS TO THINGS THAT HAPPEN DURING THE CHAPTER AND JUST THE CHAPTER IN GENERAL

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            Six weeks had passed, and Jane was coming increasingly more relaxed around Jerome. She still didn't trust him. Her lifetime of abuse was never going to go away, and the trauma that she suffered because of him was enough to hate him for the rest of her life. But she stayed near him. It was better than the alternative. Six weeks prior, Jane experienced what it was like to have Jerome be after you. Now, she was given a chance to comply and blend in, be the person he wanted her to be. 

She would never admit it. But it did feel good. The person that he wanted her to be was coincidentally the person she was turning into. Since she murdered Mike, she was feeling powerful. She felt insane, yet the most sane she had ever been. Jerome was onto this message of freeing one's mind from the prison they had created. Jane had been in one since she was born: always scared, always emotionally and physically scarred. This Jane didn't have those problems. She didn't have the overwhelming depression or anxiety anymore. The voices were even nicer to her. They approved of everything she did and actually tried to build up her confidence for a change. 

Jane also found it strange how her relationship with Jerome was now. It felt almost what it would be like to have a "normal" sibling relationship. Of course, they would never be normal. Jerome was still way more of a psychopath than Jane could ever be, but it was as normal as it would ever get. He didn't constantly try to hurt her anymore. He would definitely still be rough with her - couldn't let Jane get too comfortable around him, but not to the extent as it used to be. Besides, she wasn't his main source of entertainment anymore. 

Within the last six weeks, more interesting faces had started to pop up in Arkham. There was Jervis Tetch, the psychotic hypnotist who only spoke in rhythm-like sentences, a man who just went by the name Scarecrow and wore a straw mask. Then there was Mr. Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin - a man that peaked Jerome's interest to a max. From what Jane remembered hearing of him, he was a tyrant - ran the crime underworld of Gotham, a type of man that would've scared the old Jane. The new Jane was intrigued by him. Jerome had been patiently waiting for Oswald to make a big move, do something fun and exciting. But alas, nothing had happened, making him tiresome of waiting. And when Jerome doesn't get his way, he gets playful. 

Throughout the weeks, Jane had mastered her new technique of convincing people in Arkham to do as she said. Therefore, Jerome found a use for his sister. And, boy, did it come in handy? 

Jane maneuvered her way through the cafeteria. It was jammed back with inmates screaming and throwing food at one another like animals in a zoo. She was excited to meet the interesting man they called Penguin, excited for him to entertain them as watching other inmates maul each other only got so interesting for so long. 

She spotted the sad little man hunched over his food, just taking a seat by himself. She took a deep breath and put her game face on, pouting ever so slightly. Jane made her way to the man and sat across from him without asking.

He eyed her suspiciously, not knowing who she was. He stared as she adjusted herself, hunched over with her arms crossed and staring back with a dead, sad look in her eyes. "Mind if I sit here?"

Penguin didn't waste any time. "Who the hell are you?"

Jane ignored the question, tucking a piece of red hair behind her ear. "Doesn't it get so boring in here? I mean you've been here for six weeks. You must be getting bored." Although one would think her tone was playful, it was not. She dipped her words down, making her sound sad and low energy. Her eyes got big. "Can't you try to liven up the place a bit?"