"𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬"

𝟏𝟑. "𝐀𝐫𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐀𝐬𝐲𝐥𝐮𝐦"

★ 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 ★

I sat on the bus heading to the Arkham Asylum a week after Jerome and I confessed. It's also been a week since I've last seen him, and I missed him like hell. Every second without him was torture.

I didn't really talk. I didn't smile unless to be polite, and I didn't laugh at all.

I looked down at my body and sighed deeply. I was kept in jail for whatever reason, so I was dressed in a pair of oversized grey sweatpants and a loose grey shirt.

I hesitantly picked up my head for the first time and looked around me. There weren't very many people on the bus with me, just a thin twitchy man and a guy who kept licking his lips and staring me up and down.

A cold shiver rushed through my body at the sight of him. I might've put on a somewhat good show for Jim and Lee, but I knew I wouldn't really be able to hurt someone.

Not unless someone I cared about was in danger, and the only person I cared about wasn't there. Jerome also happened to be the only person who always protected me.

So, without him, I was just terrified of being in a place like that. I looked at the shackles around my wrists and started weeping softly.

***

I saw the asylum in the distance, and my eyes widened. I knew Arkham was big, but that place was ginormous. There were multiple buildings to it, and the grounds were stretching farther than the eye could see.

The sheer thought of how many crazies must be locked up there sent an unpleasant shiver through my body. Then I realised that soon I'm going to be one of them, and I snorted with laughter.

Although the more I thought about being in there, the less I actually minded it. Of course, I would rather be free. But so far, the outside world hasn't been that nice to me.

There was a point in my life when I was just a happy, innocent kid. But I barely remember anything from that time. Then my parents started drinking, and my life turned into a nightmare.

More often than not, I was bullied at school too. So I didn't really have a decent life. I didn't get to think about colleges, or dates, or anything like that. I also never really had friends. Some people were nice enough, but no one cared about me much.

Then I ended up at the circus, and I met Jerome. And he became my whole life. Of course, he's not the only thing I ever think about. I have interests, passions and various hobbies.

But when I think about my future, he's the only thing I have a preference about. I don't mind where I end up as long as it's with him. Even if it's a loony bin.

Suddenly the bus stopped, and two guards walked on board. I swallowed heavily and straightened myself up. The tall young guard walked up to the twitchy man.

"Get up. Let's go." He ordered him.

The thin man began trembling uncontrollably, and it was glaringly apparent that he was beyond petrified.

"I said get up!" The guard screamed and made everything even worse.

"Stop that." I spoke up. They both looked at me.

"You're scaring him." I told the guard calmly, trying to defuse the situation.

The twitchy man's eyes widened. I sent him a small smile. He returned it and seemed to have calmed down a bit.

"What's your name?" I asked him gently.

"A-Arnold D-Dobkins." He muttered under his breath.

"Well, Arnold, don't be scared. We're in this together. My name is Grace Watson." I did my best to grin at him.