In the Mind of Madness

Kenna woke up with a gasp, kicking off her blankets. Sweat beaded on her forehead and all over her body, and she was panting. She growled in frustration, remembering her dream.

In the dream Kenna was trapped in a tiny room, so little she could barely move, and the door was locked. After a few moments of her desperate screaming the door opened and somebody squeezed inside with her. In the darkness Kenna couldn’t see who it was, but she could smell gasoline on them. When she reached out her hands had found what felt like a man’s suit, and then she felt breathing on her face.

‘Who are you?’ she had said to the man in the room with her. ‘So obsessed you’re dreaming about me. You’re one sick puppy, Kenna.’ replied The Joker’s taunting voice. Kenna shoved him away, but in the small room she couldn’t put more than two inches between their bodies. ‘Get away’ she hissed at him, but he grabbed the back of her neck and forced her closer until their noses touched.

“Stop pretending.” whispered Kenna, shutting her eyes. What did that mean?! Nothing made sense anymore.

As she got ready for work Kenna listened to A Day Away, biting her lip and pondering her dream (or rather nightmare). It wasn’t the first she’d had about the painted lunatic, but she was determined it would be her last. Kenna would put her foot down today. No more questioning from him, it was her turn. She would do what she had been told to in the first place and then be done with him. She had herself convinced that she could forget him as soon as she learned why he was as crazy as he was.

*

On the way to work Kenna had thought about how she would tell The Joker that she was done indulging him. She hated how he was more in control than her, and Kenna came up with two ideas. First, she would try kindness. If that didn’t work, she started to take away all his little luxuries. Kenna chuckled to herself as she began filling out the morning’s paperwork. She knew that kindness wouldn’t work, and knew how fun it would be to see his face when she started being a bitch.

At eleven, an hour before she usually went to lunch, Kenna grabbed her purse and headed out. She passed Sheila on the way out, who waved her over. “Where are you going?” asked Sheila.

“I thought I’d get something different for lunch. Want me to pick you anything up from McDonald’s?”

Sheila smiled, pleasantly surprised. Kenna had never left for lunch before. “Thanks, Kenna. I’ll take a salad, let me get the money.”

“Don’t worry about it, Sheila. I owe you anyway.” called Kenna, walking away.

“Okay. Bye!”

Kenna wondered to herself what The Joker liked off the menu as she waited in line. She grinned, imagining him walking in and ordering a Happy Meal. Then she shook her head, stepping up to order.

*

Arriving back at Arkham around the time she usually met The Joker, Kenna dropped off Sheila’s salad and headed for the windowless room. The Joker had his mouth open to make a snarky remark as she entered, but he furrowed his brow when he saw the bag in her hand.

“Hello.” Kenna said in a pleasant enough tone, sitting down. The Joker stared at the McDonald’s bag suspiciously, making Kenna laugh. “I thought a change would be nice. I eat the food here, too, and it’s nothing special.”

The Joker looked from the bag to Kenna. After a long pause he responded in an offhand tone: “You are very weird.”

“Thank you.” replied Kenna, instead of snapping back like she wanted to. “I assume that everybody likes Big Macs, even murderers, and there isn’t really any way to go wrong with French fries.”

Kenna removed her McChicken and took a bite, watching The Joker expectantly. He was trying not to smile, though it wasn’t in thanks. Kenna wasn’t going to give up just yet, and she wouldn’t let him get her all the way figured out. A moment of watching Kenna eat her own food passed, and The Joker reached into the bag and took out the Big Mac.

“It isn’t poisoned. No booby traps, either.” Kenna told him as he gingerly opened the box.

He rolled his eyes and took a monstrous bite. Kenna made a face as he spoke around his food. “Sometimes I believe that I have you down, just like it’s so easy to do with all the other shrinks. Then you do something like this and I start to think you’re just as whacko as you think I am. What do you say to that?”

“It’s just McDonald’s.” replied Kenna coolly.

The Joker giggled. “I thought my jokes were bad.” Kenna just hummed under her breath, looking at anything but The Joker. “So daddy got killed by a crazy, and that’s why you insist on trying to ’crack’ me.”

Kenna’s eyes leapt back to The Joker heatedly. “Don’t you dare talk about my father.”

“Aw, have I touched a nerve, sweetheart? You can try to push all my buttons, but I can’t even tickle one of yours?”

“Just shut up. You aren’t going to scare me away.” Kenna growled, throwing her food down, no longer hungry.

The Joker returned to eating, keeping his expression innocent while he continued to prod at Kenna’s weaknesses. Her fears about telling him about herself were finally coming true, and anger bubbled up inside her.

“This was your plan all along. You just want to make me quit, or make me…I don’t know what you want from me!” cried Kenna, letting all her anger spill out.

The Joker grinned. “Do I really look like a guy with a plan? I just did what I do best, I took your plan and turned it on itself. You shrinks are all the same. There’s rules for everything, ask this, say that -”

“I’m done.”

Grabbing the wrappers and shoving them in the bag, Kenna stormed out of the room, pretending she couldn‘t hear The Joker cackling madly. On the way to Dr. King’s office she threw the bag away, cursing herself for even trying the kindness route. She burst into her boss’s office, not caring that her expression was manic and her skin flushed with anger.

“No more. I want off The Joker’s case.”