Tonight, You're Gonna Break Your One Rule

"So then, this fucking clown bursts in! And tells us he'll kill the Batman!" Boss smacks his hands against the side of the pool table and roars with laughter, and his opponent in the game also starts howling. The others in the room laugh a little, and I smile, crossing my legs delicately and lifting my drink to my lips, Cassie and Jess doing the same beside me.

"Kill Batman?" Boss's opponent says after wiping away a tear of laughter and taking his shot, downing a yellow ball.

"Yeah, I mean who the fu-" A phone rings and Boss stops, pulling a phone from his pocket and answering it, "Yes?"

"Nine thirty, near 666."

"Yes."

"Alright."

He hangs up and turns to look at me, Cassie and Jess.

"One of you," He says softly, smiling, "Will you go meet somebody tonight, nine thirty... A dealer of sorts."

I look at Cassie and Jess, and knowing they didn’t like meeting people on street corners in the dark, I volunteer, "I'll go Boss."

Sure, I don’t like meeting people on street corners in the dark either, but I knew Cassie and Jess were scared, and besides, I'd been here longer than either of them, since I was fourteen.

Cassie once asked me why I was here. She had been on drugs and kicked out by her family, and Jess had nearly been pulled under by the prostitution in Gotham, but I'd never told either of them. I'm sure Boss didn’t know either, and he'd just taken me in since he saw my potential. Either that or he thought I was attractive enough to help worm my way into other people's heads.

"Half nine Pixie," He says sternly, "Don't forget or be late."

"Sure boss." I say, smiling nicely and leaning my head against Cassie's shoulder to watch the rest of the pool game. At eight o'clock that night, when the mobsters had fallen into seats, and are now carefully planning the next meeting, I get up off the couch and go to the room I shared with Cassie and Jess.

It was an expansive, extravagant room, three double beds and three wardrobes, and a large vanity table beneath the window. I find out some black skinny jeans, a black and white striped vest with a skull down the left side and lay them on my bed, grabbing a towel and hopping into the large bathroom adjoining our room. I switch on the shower and strip down, placing my clothes in the hamper before sliding under the warm water. I wash my hair and scrub my body with that nice smelling body wash with no label. I finish and dry off, wrapping my towel tightly round me, and grab a smaller towel, drying my hair. I twist my hair through my fingers and wonder about getting it cut, then smile at my reflection and decide against it, liking it this length.

I glide back out into the bedroom and dig out some underwear, dropping my towel as there's a knock on the door.

"Pixie? You decent?" I hear Cassie say, and tell her to hang on a second whilst I pull on my underwear.

"Yeah, come in," I say as I take a seat at the vanity table and dig out my makeup.

Cassie comes up behind me and sits on the bed closest to me, "You okay about going tonight?" She says, watching my carefully as I apply my eyeliner, mouth open of course.

"Yeah. Only a little bit nervous. I've done it before," I say, placing my eyeliner down and moving onto eyeshadow, surrounding my eyes in black.

"Yeah. You still haven’t told us why you're here Pix," Cassie says cautiously, and I occupy myself with finding some red lipstick.

"Mmm." I say, finding the lipstick and carefully applying it.

"I mean it Pixie, why don’t you tell us?"

I slam the lipstick down hard and turn to Cassie, not controlling my rage, "Because I don’t fucking want to Cassidy. I don’t see why you fucking care alright? Just keep your fucking nose out!"

Cassie backs away a little, as I exhale sharply and turn back to switch the straighteners on. We sit there in silence for a while as I catch my breath. I hear movement behind me and Cassie is getting up. She stands behind me and picks up the straighteners, carefully straightening my hair. I turn towards her and she straightens my fringe. I smile up at her and she smiles back.

"Sorry Cassie." I say softly, hanging my head a little.

"I'm sorry too Pix, I shouldn't have asked..." When she's finished she kisses the top of my head and I hug her, realising how close I was with the other two girls here.

She leaves and I get up and pull on my clothes, putting the finishing touches to my appearance, taking a leather jacket from a hook on the wall, and pulling it on, as well as some studded leather gloves from the pockets.

I pick out a clumpy pair of DCs, black of course, and slip them on, tying them tightly over my jeans. I snatch a pair of oversized sunglasses from the vanity table too, and slide them on, fixing my fringe over them and smiling at my reflection.

I slip out the front door of the house after telling everyone where I'm going, and Boss hands me a wad of money. I furrow my eyebrows and he just tells me I'll need it when I meet this dealer. I walk quickly, hands in my pockets, watching everyone that passes me until I reach the mouth of the alley next to 666, the nightclub, where I lean just in the shadows. I check my watch and see I'm ten minutes early. I sigh and get comfortable against the wall, leaning against the dumpster a few feet inside the alley, right in the shadows now.

I exhale again slowly and blink. I jump violently when I hear quiet, soft laughter from the shadows.

"Hello?" I call, foolishly taking a few more steps into the darkness.

"A pretty girl like you shouldn't be lurking in shadows, Precious," A low, gravely voice invades my ears and my skin crawls.

"Excuse me?" I say indignantly, lifting my hands from my pockets and taking a more insulted stance.

"My, my, Precious. I like your makeup." The shadow moves and yet I still can't see him.

"Who are you?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"Me?" Laughter again, slowly, "Ha ha ha hee ha hoo hoo ha. Me, Precious?" I take a step back, a little scared now, thinking maybe I know who it is.

"Why, I'm a man of simple tastes, a dog chasing cars, an agent of chaos, a magician, an outcast, a freak, a better class of criminal, a man ahead of the curve, Gothams number one, the clown prince of crime." He takes a deep breath and giggles. By now I know full well who it is, and panic is constricting my throat. I keep stepping backwards so I'm in the light.

"The Joker, Precious," He mutters as he too steps into the light, switchblade held close to his face, metal glinting in the light. He takes a step forward and I too take one back. He takes another step, quicker this time, and the knife is against my cheek. I realise he's not holding me in any way and I almost scream as I stumble over my own steps and start running. I expect to hear footsteps after me, or at least the cocking of a gun. I hear nothing but maniacal laughter that chills me to the bone. I keep running until I'm all the way back at the house, and bang on the door in sheer panic.

Adam lets me and I fall through the door, still breathing heavy. I collapse in a chair just inside the door and I hear Adam call for Boss. He comes storming in, and Cassie and Jess follow him.

"Pixie? Where's my stuff?" He says sternly, and usually I'd be scared of him, but I'm still far too terrified of the smiling face in alley..

"Joker." I breathe, resting my head in my hands, "Threatened me. Alley." Breathe, "Ran. Dealer didn’t show up."

"The clown?" Boss roars, "That fucking clown!?" He grabs a small table and throws it on it's side, kicking in the wood and growling. Cassie and Jess jump out the way and I begin to get a little scared, "That fucking clown is dead!"

"Calm down Boss," Adam says, and Boss turns on him, eyes glowing in rage.

"Don’t tell me what to do Adam!" He points a gun square at his chest and Adam whimpers a little. Jess, Cassie and I are up in an instant, hanging on his arms and whispering little things, calming him down. He drops the gun and stares Adam out before turning to us and putting his arms round us. We sit with him in the lounge for a while, not really watching the TV, until it grows late, and we leave. I catch sight of myself in the vanity mirror in our room and yelp, running to grab a flannel from the bathroom and scrubbing my face raw.

Black eyes, red lips, pale face. I didn’t' even realise I was emulating him until I saw my makeup, and heard his comment again – My, my, Precious. I like your makeup.

I'm almost sick, leaning over the sink and retching. I hated him so much, the way he strolled Gotham like he owned it, laughing into the night and tormenting innocent people. He scared me so much, yet when I saw his painted face I couldn't look away.

Jess comes in cautiously, and sees me, immediately wrapping her arm round my shoulder.

"You okay Pix?" She says, and I nod, still breathless a little, and when I look up, for a split second, I see him in the mirror. I shut my eyes and exhale, opening them again and seeing me.

"Just the Joker. Its just freaked me out that's all."

"Mmm. It's got us all freaked out. Boss scared me so much today when he lost it," Jess says, grabbing her toothbrush out the glass and I do the same.

I exhale again as I slide between my sheets minutes later, whisper goodnight to my girls, and curl up on my side. As I close my eyes, however, my heart jumps.

All I can see is pale face, black eyes and red lips.

I didn’t sleep a wink.