The Games We Play

December 11th

~Kate~

"Do you really think you can outsmart me, the Riddler? You're just a foolish girl"

A broken mask was in her shakey, bloody hands as the Riddler taunted her.  Ice rose slowly, throwing her mask to the side as she stood tall to face him. Her eyes stared back at him while he hide behind that green domino mask the Riddler always wore. His mask hid nothing, she now knew the man behind the game. He was the one who hurt her. The man behind the question mark facade that mocked her, kept taunting her with everything he did. He was playing her, she couldn't lose sight of that, the game that he forced her to play.

"You should learn. I always play to win." Riddler took one more step forward, but Ice didn't budge. Her eyes fell on him, watching Edward in his natural habitat. His hands laced with blood, the true side of the Riddler shining through. A side she had been waiting to see, longing to see a little more each day.

"I know."Two words most would find simple escaping her lips. 

I roll over, awakening from my dream with nothing more than a smile. I reach my arm out, expecting to find Edward beside me when it hits nothing but air.  That's funny, since when did he wake up before me? I peak, noticing the sheets piled into a ball next to me, where I last recalled Edward asleep. He's not on the bed, nor in the room.

Slowly, in an effort to make no sound, I creep out of bed. One foot hitting the carpet with the pressure of a feather in an effort to keep my actions contained. A faint voice catches my ear, luring me to peak out down the hallway. My curiosity gets the better of me as I follow it, like a cat with a laser pointer to his study. The door was slightly ajar giving me a slim view of what was happening. Too convenient? Do I look?

"Come on Riddles, what's the breakdown."

Unable to help myself I peek around the corner of the door.  I hold in a deep breath, preventing myself from letting out a gasp at the sight. There he stood in all his glory, the Riddler. His slender figure stood tall and powerful in front of a large screen. An all too familiar dark green suit fitted his body with black question marks spread across it. Even his signature hat and the gold staff were worn, the fedora tilted down to shield his face completely from my view. A man ready for battle, analyzing the final few pieces of his chessboard slowly crafted by his own doing.

"If your simple minds will be silent for a moment. I will speak, why try to argue over the white noise of your arguments."

He stood so confident. The way he speaks into the phone, fearless of the rest of the rogues. I pause, my eyes watching the Riddler in his natural habitat like it was the first time seeing him in this form. Enchanting to say the least, although his voice is smug, arrogant, it held this unique intelligence to it.

"As you all have been informed. The hostages will be arriving early, I shall be at my computer station set up across from the summit to monitor all who come and go. I will set up tonight so I can watch your part of the activities from the start. Dent will let me know when all hostages are all confirmed in Arkham. I won't blow Arkham until 30 minutes prior so they are all under the false presumption we all escaped at that very moment."

A growing pressure starts to weigh down on my chest. They have all escaped already? Surely, Bruce and Dick had to have known this. The news hasn't reported a single breakout of Arkham, how could this be? I pause, slowly tuning out Edward.

Chess. I am so foolish, I forgot. In chess when you notice your pawns disappearing one by one, you know someone coming for your King. Bruce must have donated money for them to change the locks after my last message, signaling Edward to call an audible. Locks? That couldn't have triggered it. It was probably the fact that a new security detail was being placed tomorrow morning when I told them they would escape. My head spins with questions, trying to figure out where and what had triggered this change. I hear his words louder, challenging my every thought, My Perplexity, you really expect to defeat me, the Riddler.