In the Mind of Madness

Feeling nervous and tense, Kenna got up early and took her morning routine slow. She took a while to straighten her hair, which she hadn’t done for a good six months. On the bus ride she chewed on her lip, staring with hazy eyes out the window. What she was about to do terrified her. Kenna didn’t share very much personal information with her friends, let alone patients. Or sworn enemies. Not that she’d give The Joker the pleasure of actually calling him an enemy.

Dr. King was waiting in Kenna’s office, and for a moment she thought he had somehow overheard and come to remove her from the case or fire her. She smiled tightly at him.

“Good morning. What can I do for you?”

Dr. King returned her smile, and Kenna felt relieved to see it was sincere. “I just wanted to see if I could sit in on you and The Joker today. Not because I don’t have faith in you, I’d just like to see how things are going. The video camera in the room doesn’t pick up audio, and I’ve been dying to know why you two look so fierce when you’re talking.”

“Of course you can.” Kenna replied automatically with a smile, though her stomach dropped to the floor.

Crap.

Kenna went to lunch early and gobbled down her food, then jogged to the guard station nearest to The Joker’s cell. She rapped on the bullet proof window at the guard, who opened the door and smirked at her.

“What can I do for you, Dr. Archer?”

“I’d like to start my session with The Joker a little early today. If you don’t mind.” Kenna panted.

“Anything you like.”

Kenna gave him a weird look as he grinned wider and sidled past her, but she just hurried on her way to the windowless evaluation room. She sat down and tapped her fingers on the table, hoping that they would hurry up. About five minutes later, The Joker was brought in by the guards and his handcuffs were removed, and he was left to sit across from Kenna.

She had only ever seen him sitting, except when he had grabbed her and been escorted from the room, but the guards had moved too fast for her to really see him. He was very tall and lean, maybe even a little emaciated. He sat down and itched his un-painted face, which made Kenna smile to herself as she remembered how irritated he had been when they first made him take it off.

“Why the rush, doc?” asked The Joker, leaning casually into the chair.

“Dr. King wants to sit in today. I needed to talk to you early to let you know not to mention our deal today. He’ll just take me off your case.”

The Joker narrowed his eyes, his lips twitching upward. “Why should I care?”

Kenna opened her mouth to shoot back with a curt reply, but she realized something that horrified her. The Joker didn’t really care if she was on his case or not. She cared. She was asking a criminal to help her lie to her boss so she could keep talking to him. If she had an ounce of common sense she would take the chance and get herself away before she had to talk to him about her background.

Kenna wanted to know about him. She wanted to know so bad that she was risking everything. Her mouth snapped shut with an audible noise, and she growled softly in her throat. The Joker watched her with a growing smile.

“At this point, the shrinks either stay or go. Only one has ever stayed…and she’s dead.”

She let a breath slowly out of her nose, taking in The Joker’s words. What would it be? Stay or go? Kenna hated herself for it, but she already knew the answer. Either she was a truly great psychologist, willing to put up with him as well as risk her safety to figure out why he was so damn crazy, or she was the stupidest woman on earth.

“What I know is…you’ve only talked to me. If you just keep your mouth shut about our deal, I can keep doing what it is my job to do. Cracking nut jobs, such as yourself. What do you say?”

The Joker looked at his hands, chewing over her offer. “What’s in it for me?”

“I’ll give you what you want.” said Kenna hastily, knowing that Dr. King would be coming soon.

“And you get them to give me my paint back.”

Kenna sighed in frustration. “Really? Never mind, whatever! Deal!”

“Shake on it.” The Joker taunted her, holding out his hand.

Reluctantly Kenna took it, remembering the bruise on her other hand. When their flesh met Kenna shivered and quickly withdrew hers. She tried not to think about the electric current that seemed to run through her when they touched.

Then the door opened and Dr. King walked in.