The courtyard was dull and foreboding, so silent you could hear a pin drop, so tense you could cut it with a knife.I glanced back and caught a glimpse of the famous Arkham asylum gates which I had seen again and again in the Gotham Gazette, a nervous sickly feeling building in my stomach. My two escorting officers moved forward towards the harrowing building and reluctantly I followed after.I felt my breathe catch in my throat as we neared the building, it seemed impossibly tall, making it even more intimidating.I noticed the silence of the courtyard had been replaced by ominous screams and cries, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as we stepped through the large doors.
When inside we approached a desk, an older looking lady with thin glasses and beady eyes watched lazily from behind a thick glass screen as I'm shoved in front of her.
"Name?" She questions dryly, her dull expression never faltering. I open my mouth to reply but the guard to my right beats me to it.
"Sage Stoke" he tells her, without another word the woman quickly looks me up and down and disappears behind a door. I sigh quietly, I'm gonna have to get used to this treatment I guess. While we waited I glanced to my right, large metal gates separate us from a long hallway, on the right of that hallway is what appears to be a large cage which I can hear the hoots of other inmates from. I involuntarily shiver.
The woman returns with a pile of some striped clothes, she places them down and slides them across the desk where one of the guards pick them up and send her a sharp nod in thanks. I'm then shoved towards the large hallway and a large buzz echos throughout the asylum as the gates begin to slide open allowing us to pass through. The ruckus coming from the other inmates picks up juristically as we approach, a few of them even banging on the large metal bars that separated them and us. I swallow the lump in my throat and try my hardest to keep my head straight foreword, never allowing myself to make eye contact.
As we near the end of the large room my eyes betray me, I sneak a quick glance into the room of prisoners as we dash past. Old, crazy men, Some small and skinny, some abnormally large but one thing I don't see much of is other females.Panic hits, I feel tears prick my eyes as we near the end of the hallway but then I see him. Unlike most of the others he wasn't screaming and shouting, nor was he banging on the gates, in fact he stood completely silent with his arms crossed away from the others. A large smirk was plastered on his face and he had unforgettable red locks which almost resembled fire. We make eye contact for a few long seconds before I'm shoved around a corner and deeper into the asylum.
At the end of the next hallway I'm shoved into an empty white room and uncuffed, I rub my wrists grateful to be rid of the harsh, cold metal. "Change fast" one of the guards snaps, launching my uniform at me before closing the door behind him. I look down at the striped pile in my hand and hold it up, a dress unravels and I roll my eyes.
"How practical" I mumble to myself before beginning to strip out of my tattered jumpsuit and begin pulling on the dress before a knock on the door makes me jump. "Ready!" I shout and without another word the guards are escorting me in the direction of the large room. As it grew closer I felt myself shrinking, one by one the prisoners turned to watch me enter, my eyes fell to the floor unable to face them.
I move inside when the gate opens with a buzz, shuffling over to the most vacant area of the room and falling into an empty chair making sure not to look up at the other inmates.Finally, I allow my shoulders to relax believing everyone had moved past my arrival until someone bounced into the chair beside me, startling me.
"Heya gorgeous, I'm Jerome" His voice is young, boyish. I ignore him, reaching for a magazine on the table and avoiding eye contact. His hand shoots out and grabs my wrist, I jump back abruptly finally looking the boy in the face. He's around my age, maybe older, pale green eyes and amazing red hair. A ghost of a smirk tugs on his lips when he notices me looking at him "what is this, some kind of you can't see if I can't see you game?" He asks jokingly, I notice he's let go of my wrist and I drop it shyly to my side.
I shake my head nervously "you know, a girl needs a friend in here" he says in a lower tone
"a friend?" I repeat, mirroring his tone.
"Like I said, your gonna need one. Bad things happen to girls in here and the guards? They don't care, they figure bad things happen to bad people" he nods
"I'm not a bad person"
"I know that, you know that they..." he says pointing a finger towards a guard who stood on the opposite side of the bars, daydreaming. I turn back to him, his eyes are locked on my features with a smile that made my stomach flutter. "Whatcha in for?" He says with clear anticipation.
I swallow before I speak "I Set my house on fire and killed my dad" wow it felt weird to say aloud, especially in casual conversation.
"Hey what a coincidence I killed my mom!" He says oddly cheerfully "bitch had it coming, as soon as I get out of here I'm-" he pauses, probably reading the shocked expression on my face. I dont know what I was expecting but that was not it.
"You killed your mom?" I repeat, he showed no remorse
"Like I said bitch had it coming" he nods enthusiastically "she used to beat me, just like your dad" he continues, lowering his voice,I flinch.
"How did you-"
"The bruise on your left eye" he begins leaning back on his chair, his hands resting on the back of his head "you don't seem like the kind of girl to fight, and I don't think you would have did what you did without a motive"
I nod slowly, watching the boy as he grinned proudly. He was unlike anyone I had ever met before and that intrigued me. "He killed my mom too" I tell him shyly, I drop my head and his expression changes to one of sympathy.
"Hey, what's your name anyway?" He asked completely changing the subject
"Sage"
"Ohhhh I get it! 'Cause Sage burns!" He says bursting into a fit of laughter and mocking a drum on the table, a small smile tugged at the corner of my lips at the strange boys actions.
A buzz echos throughout the building and the guards appear at the Rec room gate "well, guess that's our time up for today" he says with a wink before bouncing up and trotting off leaving me alone with my curiosity.
YOU ARE READING
Headlines(Jerome Valeska)
FanfictionAfter years of abuse Sage Stoke finally manages to take vengeance on her father by burning her childhood home to the ground. Thrown into Arkham she is left vulnerable and alone... that is until she meets a boy with the fire-like hair. As partners in...
