sweethearts

𝟎𝟐 • goodbye, haly's circus

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CHAPTER TWO:
"GOODBYE, HALY'S CIRCUS"
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February 19th, 2015.
Cleveland, Ohio.

ALÍZ IVOV WAS CURRENTLY sitting on the couch. The girl was still in her ballet uniform, she had just gotten off of work. Her pink feathered mask was lazily hung on her head while Alíz flicked through the channels of her tv. There was nothing remotely interesting to watch in all of the thirty plus channels. Honestly what the hell?

The whole of Haly's Circus was surprised to see Alíz so sad, so unproductive, so depressed. The ballet dancer was usually so bright, so happy... With Jerome. Alíz let out a groan of frustration and dropped the remote on the carpeted floor. The channel abruptly changes to a documentary on serial killers. How great.

No, she wasn't in Gotham because Alíz was still following the circus and now they were in Ohio. Alíz stares at the tv, watching the psychologists profiling these criminals. Fuck this. Alíz sat upright and stood up to get a pint of chocolate ice cream.

Alíz plopped back down on the couch, the box of ice cream in hand. She stuck the plastic spoon in the mound of chocolate ice cream as she continued to watch the boring documentary. Anything would be better than doing this right now, anything at all.

The phone rang.

Someone out there just answered my prayers, Alíz thought as she stood up and walked over to the house phone. The girl brought the phone to her ear and muted the tv. "Hello, hello," there was a faint rustling of what sounded like papers in the background. "U-uh. Alíz, right?" It was an unfamiliar voice.

"Yes, and this is...?" The man on the other end cleared his throat, "Detective Harvey Bullock. I wasn't there for Jerome's case or his trial. But Jim Gordon isn't here today, so I am giving you the call." The detective's voice was becoming a bit steadier. "Okay, what is this about?"

"It's Jerome. He's in the hospital, he's being transferred to Arkham medical ward on Thursday. We need you for something, though." Alíz's attention piques, "Um. What?" Harvey was shuffling through papers again, "We need you to come down to the GCPD." Alíz scoffed, "I'm in Ohio, Detective." Harvey shuffled through some more papers, "Well, you've got to come back to Gotham City. Now."

"What? And abandon the circus?"

"Yes, abandon the circus. You've got to get down here before Thursday, so..."

"I'll try my best," Alíz said and the phone line hung up. Alíz let out a frustrated groan and slammed the phone back onto its receiver. She looked up behind her at the lonely clock above the couch. The clock read a nine-thirty pm, and it was a Saturday night. The girl wasn't sure if she wanted to cooperate with the police. She wasn't even in New Jersey anymore—can the police even ask her to do this if she was so far out of their jurisdiction?

As Alíz was thinking about this, her mask dropped from her forehead and over her eyes. The girl took the mask off of her head and caught herself staring at it for a lot longer than she intended. Is this all she wanted to do with her life? Be some sideshow dancer earning minimum wage? Alíz looks up and around her trailer. If she did stay, it wouldn't make that much of a difference in her life. She would still be miserable. There's nothing left for her here anymore... No family. No friends. No purpose.

Time to start packing...

Alíz began to pack her bag which was difficult considering she didn't know how long she'd stay in Gotham. When she was done packing, she quickly changed out of her ballet uniform and into a random t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Alíz puts on her warmest jacket, chucks her duffel bag over her shoulder, and hesitantly walks out of the trailer. As she trudges through the lightly snowed clearing, the girl wondered what the circus would do when they found out she was gone. They'd probably try to find her a replacement right away.

She pushes the thought out of her mind and continues to walk to the nearest bus stop in town. The cold night air ran down her spine, and the empty silence made her grow increasingly uncomfortable.

What the hell am I doing? She thought as she reevaluates the situation she was in. This is so stupid and weird, why is this happening? She didn't know how much more of all this she could take before she crumbles completely.

She quickly snapped out of her daze as the bus approached. Alíz blinks a few times to regain focus. She takes a deep breath and steps onto the bus. "Do you have a route to Gotham County?" The bus driver nodded in response, and Alíz paid the fee and found an empty seat for herself and her bag.

She looks down at her watch and sees that it was midnight. Alíz tried to think of anything else. From Ohio to New Jersey was a pretty long way, she had no idea what she would do in all those hours.

Maybe if I just go to sleep, everything will go away... Alíz thought as she laid her head back onto the seat. She closes her heavy eyes and lets her troubles fade away. She can wait until tomorrow to worry about that whole mess again. Right now, Alíz needs to rest.

♥

"ARRIVED AT GOTHAM COUNTY," a man shouted this about four times. Alíz rubs her eyes and rushes to get off the bus. As soon as she steps off the bus, it leaves her all alone in the huge city.

It was early morning and the city was bustling with crowds of people trying to get to their daily nine-to-five hour jobs. Nobody paid any attention to the confused blonde girl struggling to get to the nearest motel.

Thankfully, Alíz managed to find a room she could stay in for the next few days as the detectives prepared her for what was coming next.