Status: indefinite hiatus
Siren's Song
Remembering
Daddy drove the van to the far edge of Gotham, out of the way, and I frowned.
“What in the name of any and all gods is all the way out here?”
“What I want,” Daddy answered. He wasn’t exactly being agreeable. I shook my head. Sometimes my father could be such a child!
The door opening beside me got my attention, and I smiled to see Muse. He held out his hand, helping me from the truck.
“Thank you, dear one,” I said fondly.
“You are welcome, Mistress,” he replied in kind.
“Aw, how cute,” a voice taunted. I turned to see one of my father’s cronies - I had no way of knowing which, with the mask. I glared.
“Would you like to go on?” I asked softly.
“Nah, I just wanted you to know how adorable I think it is, you and, uh, this guy.”
My glare intensified. “I beg your pardon? What exactly are you implying?”
“You just make a good cover-up for him, is all.” I closed my eyes, trying desperately to keep my temper in check.
I failed. I pulled out my gun, and handed it to him. He looked at it questioningly.
“I just wanted to be sure this went how I intended,” I said softly. He looked, again, quizzical. I smiled before getting on my tiptoes, to whisper in his ear. Softly singing.
He proceeded to shoot himself.
“Good boy,” I spat, before turning to face Daddy. “He started it.”
“I’m sure,” he muttered. “Now hurry up we’ve got things to do!” I followed, looking around. Warehouses. Seriously, I know there were warehouses closer to home. I rolled my eyes and started walking, flinching just a bit when Harley came up and practically tried to jump on my back.
“What’d ya have to go and make him shoot himself for?” she whined.
“Excuse me?”
Her eyes gleamed and she leaned in, whispering conspiratorially, “Don’t ya know it’s more fun to shoot ‘em yourself?”
I rolled my eyes. “Harley?”
“Yeah?”
“Go bother someone else.”
She pouted. “But -”
“Now.” Of course, she wasn’t going to listen to me. She never listened to me. Shocker there.
“Siren!” I looked ahead atDaddy The Joker and sighed. What had I done now? “You come with me; everyone else… find something to burn.”
I frowned as I walked over to him. Fires at this time of day wouldn’t be nearly as impressive - by appearance - and Daddy was all about the theaetrical. Why did I have a feeling this wouldn’t be fun?
When I reached his side, he grabbed my arm and led me forward. I didn’t ask any questions - there was no point, he wouldn’t have answered. I just glared at the offending hand as he took me into the warehouse, and up two flights of stairs to the roof. When we reached the top, he didn’t let go, but led me to the edge. For a moment, fear shot through me - would he push? My own father, but would he? I discarded the thought. Daddy was crazy, but he wasn’t the type to push someone off a building unless everyone could see him. Besides, I knew better - he did have a human side.
“What do you see?” he asked finally.
I looked at him, confused. “What?”
“Never mind, you won’t think of it. Stupid of me to ask. So stupid of me.” I frowned. “No, no. You’ll tell me what you see now. I don’t care what you see now. You have to see then.”
I said nothing, not certain if I was supposed to or not.
“This rooftop, is where you grew. Here, you became the Siren!” He got closer, so I could feel his breath on my face. “Here, I made you. Don’t forget that. You came to me, six years ago, afraid, alone. I took you in: you were useful, and you were my daughter. But, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m in charge. It’s time you remember that.”
“Daddy - Joker, whatever - I always remember that. How could I forget? I live with my scars, just like you do, a constant reminder. But I can’t just look at you as my boss. I came to you because I needed you.” I paused. “I still need you, Daddy. Why won’t you tell me what it is that’s making you so unhappy? Is me dating really that bad?”
He sighed, and the mask slipped again, showing the human being beneath. “Of all the people, Isabelle… you had to pick him.” He sighed again. “You had to grow up, and you had to pick him.”
He would say nothing more.
What is it? What is it that makes Daddy hate Bruce so much? He doesn’t even know him.
After a while, I decided that Bruce represented the opposite of what Daddy did. Bruce was successful, the picture of stability. Daddy wanted nothing but chaos.
I wish so badly that I had been right.
“What in the name of any and all gods is all the way out here?”
“What I want,” Daddy answered. He wasn’t exactly being agreeable. I shook my head. Sometimes my father could be such a child!
The door opening beside me got my attention, and I smiled to see Muse. He held out his hand, helping me from the truck.
“Thank you, dear one,” I said fondly.
“You are welcome, Mistress,” he replied in kind.
“Aw, how cute,” a voice taunted. I turned to see one of my father’s cronies - I had no way of knowing which, with the mask. I glared.
“Would you like to go on?” I asked softly.
“Nah, I just wanted you to know how adorable I think it is, you and, uh, this guy.”
My glare intensified. “I beg your pardon? What exactly are you implying?”
“You just make a good cover-up for him, is all.” I closed my eyes, trying desperately to keep my temper in check.
I failed. I pulled out my gun, and handed it to him. He looked at it questioningly.
“I just wanted to be sure this went how I intended,” I said softly. He looked, again, quizzical. I smiled before getting on my tiptoes, to whisper in his ear. Softly singing.
He proceeded to shoot himself.
“Good boy,” I spat, before turning to face Daddy. “He started it.”
“I’m sure,” he muttered. “Now hurry up we’ve got things to do!” I followed, looking around. Warehouses. Seriously, I know there were warehouses closer to home. I rolled my eyes and started walking, flinching just a bit when Harley came up and practically tried to jump on my back.
“What’d ya have to go and make him shoot himself for?” she whined.
“Excuse me?”
Her eyes gleamed and she leaned in, whispering conspiratorially, “Don’t ya know it’s more fun to shoot ‘em yourself?”
I rolled my eyes. “Harley?”
“Yeah?”
“Go bother someone else.”
She pouted. “But -”
“Now.” Of course, she wasn’t going to listen to me. She never listened to me. Shocker there.
“Siren!” I looked ahead atDaddy The Joker and sighed. What had I done now? “You come with me; everyone else… find something to burn.”
I frowned as I walked over to him. Fires at this time of day wouldn’t be nearly as impressive - by appearance - and Daddy was all about the theaetrical. Why did I have a feeling this wouldn’t be fun?
When I reached his side, he grabbed my arm and led me forward. I didn’t ask any questions - there was no point, he wouldn’t have answered. I just glared at the offending hand as he took me into the warehouse, and up two flights of stairs to the roof. When we reached the top, he didn’t let go, but led me to the edge. For a moment, fear shot through me - would he push? My own father, but would he? I discarded the thought. Daddy was crazy, but he wasn’t the type to push someone off a building unless everyone could see him. Besides, I knew better - he did have a human side.
“What do you see?” he asked finally.
I looked at him, confused. “What?”
“Never mind, you won’t think of it. Stupid of me to ask. So stupid of me.” I frowned. “No, no. You’ll tell me what you see now. I don’t care what you see now. You have to see then.”
I said nothing, not certain if I was supposed to or not.
“This rooftop, is where you grew. Here, you became the Siren!” He got closer, so I could feel his breath on my face. “Here, I made you. Don’t forget that. You came to me, six years ago, afraid, alone. I took you in: you were useful, and you were my daughter. But, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m in charge. It’s time you remember that.”
“Daddy - Joker, whatever - I always remember that. How could I forget? I live with my scars, just like you do, a constant reminder. But I can’t just look at you as my boss. I came to you because I needed you.” I paused. “I still need you, Daddy. Why won’t you tell me what it is that’s making you so unhappy? Is me dating really that bad?”
He sighed, and the mask slipped again, showing the human being beneath. “Of all the people, Isabelle… you had to pick him.” He sighed again. “You had to grow up, and you had to pick him.”
He would say nothing more.
What is it? What is it that makes Daddy hate Bruce so much? He doesn’t even know him.
After a while, I decided that Bruce represented the opposite of what Daddy did. Bruce was successful, the picture of stability. Daddy wanted nothing but chaos.
I wish so badly that I had been right.
♠ ♠ ♠
Yeah, I'm awful. It seems it's been an eternity since I've been on, but I'll be better now that the first draft of the book is done.At LEAST one update a week, barring complications.
:)
missy