The Games We Play

Lunchroom

I enter the lunchroom with my head hung low. I hear their whispers, feel their eyes following me everywhere. Purity, the name mocks me wherever I go. Snickering, laughter, I just try to zone it out. I can't focus, everyone seems like a threat these days. How could he fool me like that? How could I be so foolish to believe a criminal would protect me.

I jump slightly, feeling someone tap on my shoulder. A catch my breath, trying my best not to look like the prey they all see me as.

Selena takes a deep breath, I can see a look of pity in her eyes, as she gives Ivy a small nod. What were they judging me on? What did I do? My face flushes with panic.

"Hun why don't you come sit with us?" Selena softly, but sternly calls out at me, directly me over to their table. Neither her nor Ivy could figure out what happened, but it was not from a lack of trying.

"Uh.." My stomach turns with the idea of being around his friends, or whatever he called them. "I'm good."

Poison Ivy nods, agreeing with Selena. Of course she was not one to shy away from being pushy. We all knew that. "Darling, come on, we always have a spot open."

"No, but thanks for the offer." I try to stay stern, not wanting to give the impression I can be pushed around. "I much rather be alone."

With how much Catwoman and Poison Ivy gossiped, they would probably spend most of the time trying to pry or be looking down on me. After my close call the other day, I crave to be invisible.
Meanwhile, I pretend. I pretend that at night I'm asleep, I pretend in the day to be okay. I pretend like I don't see those around me, I pretend that I'm not moments away from breaking down. I pretend that I am strong enough to finish my mission.

Why?

Because I have too.

Selena takes me aside, grabbing my arm tightly. She directs me over to their table. "Kitten, I really don't think that's a good idea..."

"Why?"

Ivy moves to the other side of me, keeping close by. Her voice whispers urgently, "Darling, If I've learned anything from Arkham these past few years it's when there are hardly any guards in the room, somethings going down and soon."

"Oh." I took a deep breath, foolish girl, where is your mind? You can't even put together something so simple these girls have to explain it to you. My mind torments me, hating that the facts were so obvious and I didn't realize them herself. The inmates were right, every whisper hinting that my mind was elsewhere these days was an understatement.

My eyes scan the room, realizing Ivy was right. The guards were thinning out. Usually there was somewhere around 15-20 guards in the lunch hall. The last two were stepping out of the room at this moment.

Ivy is right. Something was about to go down, which only made me more nervous.

Across the room Riddler awaited patiently for the guards to thin out. His intellectual brain knew what was to go down. For he was the one who paid some lower level inmates to get into a public fist fight, so he would be able to confront Two Face. Right on time, the clock struck noon and the fight broke out. Fists collided and chairs were thrown, in the chaos Edward finds himself able to move freely. He smirks loving when a plan comes together as he leaves his table.

"Ed- What are you-" Harvey only had a mere seconds to spatter out his words as the Riddler threw a punch straight in the unburnt side of Harvey's jaw.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HER!?!" His voice carries, across the compound above the grunts and groans of the squirmish.

Selena and Ivy help guide Kate to safety as the bigger fight begins to get out of control. Whistles were blown but far too late as everyone was punching, shoving and yellowing. Both girls were focused on watching the crashing of table and chairs, when Kate noticed something across the room. "The moonwalking bear" She whispers to herself, knowing the con well. It was when you direct everyone's attention by being so focused on A, and there right in front of their noses was something else entirely. She steps aside, moving closer to see what Ed was up too.