Chapter eight:
How far does the apple fall from the tree?”
Emma Wayne, the niece of billionaire Bruce Wayne got arrested last night, Friday 15th of May, and was brought to Gotham police station. A witness stated Ms. Wayne attacked her…
Emma stopped reading, and put the paper down. The others at school are going to kill me. She thought, and bit her lip.
“Ah I see you are awake, Emma.” Alfred sang, coming towards her. His eyes landed on the newspaper she held in her hands, and Alfred lay down the tray. “You know, that isn’t good for you, you know?”
Emma smiled. “Thanks Alfred.”
He looked at his watch. “Well, I expect you to be ready at eleven.”
“Does Mast- Uncle Wayne need me?”
“Not exactly.” Alfred said, and walked out.
“Where are we going?” She asked from the back seat.
“Oh you’ll see.” Alfred said.
“You are not kidnapping me, are you?” She joked.
“Be careful what you ask for, Emma.” Alfred said, and stopped the car in front of a shopping centre. A man in a uniform opened the door for her, and she climbed out before Alfred handed him the keys. “Master Wayne asked me to get you a new wardrobe.” Alfred said.
“And I had to come?” She said, not meaning it in the wrong way.
“Oh yes.”
“Welcome Miss Wayne. If there is anything you need, I will be happy to oblige.” The owner of the building said, and shook her hand.
“Uh… thank you.” Emma recognized this man, and decided at once that she didn’t like him. Once when she had been needier than ever, the same man had threatened to call the cops if he ever saw her again.
Emma touched a dress made of silk, and let the fabric roll in her hands. Alfred was a few feet an away, speaking with a salesman. It was pink, and light, but also had something magical in it. A gunfire and glass shattering roughly interrupted her relaxed state. “Get down! Get down! This is a robbery!” Men with clown masks laughed, and a man wearing makeup shot through the roof with a shotgun. It looked like he was in charge.
“Welcome people!” He sang, and twirled around. “Welcome to our election.”
Emma was pushed up hard against the wall, between clothes. She felt her legs trembling, and her eyes frantically searched for Alfred.
“What do you want, you freak?” A man in his sixties spoke, and got to his feet.
The joker, studied him for a second, before his lips quirked into a grin.
“Do you wanna know how I got the scars?” He said. “You see, my father was a drinker and a bastard. One day, he went of crazier than usual. My mother takes the kitchen knife to defend herself, he doesn’t like that,” The Joker took a knife to the man’s face. “he then turns to me, and says “Why so serious?”” Everyone were silent from fear, Emma could hear her own heart pump blood through her veins. “And, why so serious?” For a split second The Joker looked in her direction, and said: “Why so serious?” With a swift motion the man fell to the floor, dead. Emma let out a small scream.
“Now, back to business; every day Batman doesn’t come forward people die. Therefore we are going to have a small election; who to kill next?” Emma shrank further back, but felt like her heartbeat betrayed her.
“What about you?” The Joker said to a saleswoman behind her desk. “No, maybe not.” He continued on his way. “Or what about you?” He pointed the shotgun to a woman, sitting on the other side of the room from her. The Joker turned towards her, and then she knew; he had already made up his mind. “And we have a winner.” Before she could have the chance to protest, one of his accomplishes had ripped her up from the ground by her hair.
“No, please?” She heard Alfred say, and her eyes found him.
“Oh, you seem nervous, is it the scars? You wanna know how I got them?” The Joker said. Emma was slightly trembling, and tried not to fall to the ground. “You see I had a wife and a daughter; a beautiful daughter, like you. My wife said I worry to much, that I have to smile more, who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks.”
“Get away from me!” Emma yelled, and fought against his arms.
“Sh… it is okay. It won’t hurt long… now, where was I-“ The joker got interrupted by a sound of sirens from a far distance.
“How did they get here?” One of the clowns said, but didn’t have the chance to say anything else before Joker shot him. Emma ducked from the sound, and brought her shoulders up to her ears.
“It looks like we’ll have to continue this another place,” The Joker said, and tossed her to one of the three remaining clowns. “Tie her up.”
“No! Let me go! Alfred! Alfred!” She screamed, and fought against their strong arms.
