Freak is an Ugly Word

Princess followed Joker as he entered a warehouse that could only be his hideout. There was nothing special about it. It was just like any other abandoned warehouse in Gotham. The only difference was this one actually had people inside of it. As they entered, they all started at them. Well, mainly her. From the looks of it, she was the only female there. That fact made Princess uneasy. She shifted uncomfortably under their heavy gazes and suddenly found the floor very interesting.

“Boys!” called Joker cheerfully. Their attention went from her to him. “I would like to introduce you to Princess.” His arm wrapped around her shoulder and pulled still her body was flush against his. “Princess,” he started and she glanced up at him, “these are the boys. I don’t know any of their names, but I’m sure they’ll tell you if you’re real nice to them.”

She nodded. Princess did not like the way he said those words. It made her wonder if he was going to use her the same way the mob did. To keep the men happy. She did not want that. The reason she had taken the man’s offer was to get away from all of that. If she would have known that that was his intentions, she would have refused. She did not want to escape one situation to only end up in the same one just in the hands of different men.

Already she could feel their hungry eyes on her. Stripping her of what little she wore. She wanted to hide. Hide away from their lecherous eyes. But the arm around her shoulder was stopping her from doing so. If not for it, she would have already taken off, out of the building and back to her undersized apartment.

“Hey, Boss,” one of the men far in the back called mirthfully. Joker’s attention went to him. “She looks like a whore.”

Princess felt herself shrink at the words. Her body screamed for her to run, to get out of there. Her brain would not listen and she knew she was too weak to fight Joker’s grip on her. “Well,” started Joker, licking his lips, “that’s because she is.” Many of the men’s faces gained smirks. “But!” The word hung heavy in the air. “None of you are allowed to touch her. If you do, I’ll chop your grimy little fingers off.”

A tidal wave of relief washed though Princess. So, he wasn’t going to use her in that way. It lifted her unease enough to look up at the men. Most of them appeared downtrodden and it brought a satisfied smile on her face. Her smirk faltered when she saw someone she recognized. For the life of her, she could not remember his name, but she knew who his boss was. He was one of Gambol’s men. Unlike the others, he did not appear to be happy to be there. She wondered what could have happened to make him glare at Joker with such disdain.

Princess’ eyes narrowed at the man. She may not remember if she liked him before or not, but she knew she did not know. To her, Joker did not deserve such a look from him. He was her savior. Saved her when no other would. Rescued her from the horrors of her life and was now protecting her. Protecting her from his men. She did not want their dirty hands on her. From that point on, no one would be allowed to touch her but him. It was the least she owed the man that had given her her freedom.

Only later would Princess realize how stupid she had been. How young her mind was. Her body might have had to grow to accommodate the life that she had lived, but her mind had tried to keep some of the young innocence her body had lost. It had fought hard to stay and it was that part of the brain that had made her reach that decision, though her body was screaming at her to run away.

A yawn escaped Princess and she covered her mouth. She felt drained and ready to fall asleep on the spot. Joker took notice. “Is the little Princess tired?” he asked her sweetly. If Joker had not told him what he had in store for the girl, his men would have looked to him in confusion of his sweetness to her. But he had told them, and they all tried to hide their smirks. All wanted to see just how much the man could warp the girl.

“Mm, hm,” Princess answered while nodding her head.

“Well, we better get the little Princess to bed.” He started to lead her away. Away from those men’s gazes. “I have a room just for Princess. She's lucky! No one else has their own room!”

Princess smiled up at him. He was being so nice to her. She was not used to that. Croc had been the only man to be nice to her, but he was not currently in her mind. He had been swept away soon after she had left with Joker. Joker had done what Croc could not do, he had saved her.

While he led her to her room, Princess wrapped her arms around his midsection and cuddled against him. Her eyes were closed, listening to the sweet empty promises he was making her. Now that she was tired, her body no longer protested and just followed the man. She felt safe and secure with his strong arm around her shoulder.

“Here we are!” Joker proclaimed while opening a door.

Princess gazed into the room. There was nothing to it. Just a bed on the floor with a purple cover neatly lying on top of it. Two pillows with green pillowcases sat side by side at what she guessed was the head of the bed. The rest of the room was just concrete, matching the structure of the building that they were in.

Joker gently pushed her into the room. “Now, get some sleep, Princess. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. She'll need all the sleep you can get.”

A question suddenly popped into Princess’ mind. She turned around to face him. “Where do ya sleep?”

He tilted his head to the side and asked, “Why?”

“Ya said that I was the only one with a room. So, where do ya sleep?”

“Where ever I fall down at.”

Princess gazed up at him wondering if he was being serious. From the looks of it, he was. “Um,” she shifted uncomfortable. What she was about to do, she had never asked before. “Would ya mind sleepin’ with me? I haven’ slept alone in a long time and don’ feel safe without someone next ta me.”

A burst of laughter almost sprung up from Joker. The girl was actually asking him to come to bed with her. Already he had her, had her where he wanted her. It had been easy to make her feel safe around him. All he had to do was be kind to her. Such a simple thing for such a simple mind.

Taking a step forward, he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “I might just have ta take Princess up on that offer, but I have ta talk ta the boys and have some work to do. Get some sleep.”

Princess watched him intently as he walked out the door. Sighing, she shut off the single overhead light and started to undress herself. It was obvious that there was nothing for her to wear to bed and she be damned if she was going to keep her current outfit on. It was just too uncomfortable to sleep in.

Once she had her boots of and was void of any clothing, she slipped herself under the covers. Princess rolled over, facing away from the door. Underneath the crack and slim line of light shown through and she could not sleep with it in her face. After only a few minutes of lying down, she slipped into the fitful darkness of slumber.

When the mattress shifted as a heavy weight flopped upon it, Princess woke slightly. Her grumbling form was pulled toward the body by the waist until her back was touching his chest. She had known it to be male from his callused and large hands.

As his hand slid from her waist and down, Princess stiffened. She had originally thought it to be Joker, but had been sadly mistaken. This man’s hands were too large, the hands not rough enough, the fingernails too short. The smell of gunpowder was absent.

“Stop,” Princess pleaded when the man’s lips came into contact with her neck. “Please.” On the verge of tears, she had to bite her lip to keep from sobbing.

The man did not stop but chuckled when Princess’ back involuntarily arched as his thumb lightly brushed her clit. That was when she caught a whiff of the rancid smell of stale whiskey. How she hated that smell. Made her recollect the horrible memories of her childhood, which she desperately pushed away. Pushed them away for if she did not, she would not react to the man’s touch and she feared he would hit her for it.

When the man’s fingers roughly entered her, a small whimper fell out of her lips to mingle with the tears she could no longer repress. “Please,” she sobbed.

“Shut up,” he slurred. “I’ll pay ya later.”

Princess was not worried about the money. What she was worried about was the thing in his pants, already hard and ready pressing on the cheeks of her butt. Princess did not want it or him, but it appeared that she was going to have no say in the matter. She never did. Only Croc had the privilege of her willingly crawling into bed with him.
Croc. Oh God, she missed him terribly. Even more so now. Croc would have protected her. Would have beaten the man to a bloody pulp if she so wanted. And she did, she wanted it more than anything at that moment. But Croc was not there, would not even know where she was. She had left him without saying goodbye, taken by a man that was supposed to be her savior. Who said that he would protect her. The question of Joker’s whereabouts lingered on her mind as the man rolled her onto her back.

At that moment, Joker was out and about doing whatever it is he does. He had left that man, along with three others, to watch the hideout. The thought of disobedience had never crossed his mind. Normally, that would not have been a problem, but the man had decided to get drunk. With his mind intoxicated and his Boss gone, he had thought it a wonderful idea to have his fun with the girl.

For the man, he was named Bellows for his ability to inhale a cigarette in two big lung filled hits, this was unusual. He was an older male and liked his women to be the same. But it had been so long for him. When the opportunity arose, he had decided to take it. Take it just like the other three men were going to after him. He had been lucky enough to win the toss up and have first try at the girl.

When she heard the metal clink as he unbuckled his belt, Princess shivered violently. Already her fingers were digging into the thin sheet threatening to tear them. Desperately she tried to go numb, but to no avail. The numbness would not come. It had abandoned her, just like everything else, and left her to feel Bellows’ touch.

With a grunt, Bellow’s pushed inside of her. Princess covered her face, hiding her tears and shame. The gesture was lost on the man for it was dark and he could not make out anything. It did not matter to him. All he cared about was getting what he wanted and finishing before Joker showed up, which he knew would be shortly.

The men waiting for their turns heard Princess’ sobs. They almost felt bad for the girl. Almost. The three looked to each other and each had a grin or smirk plastered on their faces. The smirks were wiped off their faces when a loud bang echoed across the room as the front door was slammed open. The Joker had returned.

The three men looked at each other anxiously. Joker had returned, and they were going to be in a lot of trouble. He had told them to watch her and make sure no one touches her. They had done the complete opposite. They were going to be dealt a heavy punishment.
As Joker entered the room, Princess’ sobs died away, but there was no relief for them. Bellows was still in the room with the girl. If he exited, they would be in trouble. If Joker entered the room, they would be in trouble. Well, they would be dead either way and they all knew it. All of them thought of ways to get themselves out of it, but nothing would come. The initial shock and fear of the man was still upon them and it left their minds blank as unlined paper.

Joker stared at the three men, studying them. Tilting his head to the side, he asked, “Where’s Bellows?” None of the men answered. Just stuttered and stumbled over the words that were supposed to come out.

A smile nearly crossed Joker’s face, but he fought hard to keep it down. He knew what was going on. He had purposely left those select four behind. They were the ones most likely to disobey him. No, it had not been a test of obedience. He had wanted them to disobey. It had been his intention to walk in and seemingly save the girl, warping her feeble mind just a little more.

He was having so much fun deranging the girls mind. The only thing he regretted was how easy it was. Too easy. Princess was just too simpleminded to defend herself against his assaults. It had never occurred to her that he was just toying with her. Playing with her mind. He was a little boy with a magnifying glass and she was the unfortunate ant to be caught in its beam. Just how long would it take for her to burn, was the question on his mind.

At the pace he was going, not long. Not long at all. Joker gave her a day, two max, before she completely succumbed to his will. She was such easy prey for a master hunter like himself. Maybe he should have picked someone with more mind capabilities than her. No. No. That would not have worked at all. The faster he demented her, the more frightened people would become of him. Fear was the master of all. All those caught in its grip soon died, or, at least, a piece of them did.

Joker turned to the men behind him. In between two of them, a man hung slack in unconsciousness, dressed at Batman. All of them knew that he was not the real Batman, his costume was too simple and he was just too big. Hockey pants were not very flattering to his figure in the least. “Take him to the back room,” he commanded. He did not stick around to see if his order would be obeyed, he already knew those men would do anything he asked of them.

Walking to the door of Princess’ room, Joker placed his hand on the handle and was ready to rip it open, but someone beat him to it. There stood Bellows in the doorway, a look of horror stricken on his face. Even his drunken mind, Joker could smell the booze on him, he knew he was going to die. Already the man was pleading and begging him, and Joker had not even touched him yet.

Looking over the man’s shoulder, Joker’s height allowed him to do so with ease, he spotted Princess. She was curled up into a ball, cradling the cover, and sobbing harshly and silently. It was as if she were afraid that if she cried too loud, someone would come in and do more harm to her that had already been done. And that was just the case. In what she now considered her old life, it would have happened. Andy would have been the one to beat her, Mike would have yelled at her, and Bob would have just ignored the tears and sent her to the next man.

With a look of pure anger, though he was feeling such delight, Joker’s gaze returned to Bellows. “What’s the matter Bellows?” he inquired to the man harshly. “Can’t keep your hands to yourself, hmm?”

“Boss, I-“ Bellows started but was cut off when Joker placed a finger on his lips.

“Sshh, sshh. I warned ya, didn’t I? Told ya to keep your filthy hands off of her. Did ya listen? No, of course ya didn’t. Now, I’m going to have to chop your fingers off.” From his pocket, Joker withdrew one of the many knives hidden within the jacket. He grabbed Bellows’ hand. “Hold still, this might hurt a bit.”

Rolling over, Princess watched as Joker started to cut off the man’s fingers one by one. Dark red blood pulled out from the open wounds and Bellows’ screams echoed across the building. If Princess had been in her right mind, she would have been horrified. Instead, she felt nothing. She was completely empty and devoid of any feelings whatsoever.

Sometime, amongst the screams and the blood now pooling at the men’s feet, she had started to giggle. Her eyes were wide in terror, but a bubbly laughter erupted from deep within her. The sound frightened her at first, but then she welcomed it. Why not take a little enjoyment out of the man’s torture? He had hurt her, so why should she take pleasure from his pain as he did with her.

The sound of Princess giggles hit Joker’s ears. It sounded like music to him, her insane giggle. Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe it would not take longer to break her. Well, she was already broken, that much was evident. Shatter. Shatter was the correct term. Something that has been broken cannot be broken again, only shattered. Shattered into smaller pieces. Princess’ mind must be in a million pieces by then.

After he had removed all of Bellows’ fingers, he kicked the man out of the room and onto the floor. Joker demanded that someone clean up the mess, and then slammed the door closed behind him. When his intense brown eyes landed on Princess, the giggling stopped. Fearful that she was next, Princess sat up and back up to the cold concrete wall, holding the cover to herself as if it would protect her from the man’s wrath. It was useless, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

A sigh heaved itself from Joker’s chest as he stared down at the girl. She was so simple. So naïve. Yet so much fun. He liked his time with her. Toying with her mind was amusing. Every reaction to a situation he had thrown her into never seemed to disappoint. He could almost hear her mind shattering to pieces as a mirror did when it hit the floor. It was such a beautiful sound, like music to his ears. Any sadist would enjoy the sound, just as much as they would enjoy the screams bursting forth from their victims’ lips.

“Poor, poor, Princess,” muttered Joker as he started to remove his bloody leather purple gloves. He tossed each one to the ground and did the same with his jacket after he shrugged it off. This left him only in his green vest with the silver honeycombed patterned shirt underneath, his purple hardly noticeable pinstriped pants, and his dirty brown shoes with the patchwork socks hiding underneath them. When he kneeled on the bed and crawled toward her, Princess notably stiffened. He seated himself next to her, leaning against the same wall that doubled as the bed's headboard.

After a few minutes of sitting side by side, Princess decided to rest he head on the man’s chest. He had made no move to harm her and she deemed it a safe maneuver. Joker wrapped his arm around her shoulder and rubbed it gently trying to convey comfort to the girl. She was shaking, either from cold or fright. He guessed the latter.

“Was Princess frightened?” he asked her. Her head moved up and down in a nodding response. “Did she think those other men were going to get her?”

Another nod. “He said that they were waitin’ their turn,” she mumbled burying her face into the fabric of his vest.

Joker shook his head. “Hm, that’s no good. No good at all. Looks like I’m going to have to show those men that they can’t touch what’s mine. You are mine, right Princess?”

“I’m whateva ya want me ta be,” she replied.

A sadistic grin crossed Joker’s face. “Well then, I’m just going ta have ta prove that to them, now ain’t I?” Before she could answer, Joker sat her up. “Get dressed!” he ordered excitedly. “We’re goin’ out!”

Without a word of protest, Princess ripped the covers off of herself and started to look for her clothes. Each article was easy to find considering they were exactly where she had taken them off at. Though it had been dark when she had taken off her clothes, she would know where they were. When one lived in the Narrows for so long, one got used to the dark.

Once she had completely finished dressing and donned herself in her usual thigh high black leather boots, Joker took her wrist and dragged her out of the room. “What ‘bout you’re jacket?”

“Yes, yes, can’t forget that, now can I?” He released her wrist and went back into the room leaving her standing amongst the men.

From the gazes they had previously given her, it came to a surprise to Princess that none of them even glanced up when they had entered the room. They just sat on the couches and floor, staring mindlessly at the tube in front of them. During this time, Princess studied the men. She was shocked to see that most of them were close to her age, some of them appeared to be younger than her, and looked as if they should be at home studying for a high school exam of some sort. Princess did not judge them. They may be young, but so was she. Not everyone had a choice in their lifestyles. It just fell onto them or they were forced into it, much like her. Who was she to judge those boys when she was only nineteen and a prostitute? To each his own.

After a few minutes had passed, Joker returned with his jacket and gloves, now void of the presence of blood. He must have wiped them off, or had another pair lurking in the seemingly endless chasm of his pockets. Princess hoped that it was the latter. The thought of him grabbing her with the once bloodied gloves sent an odd thrill through her that she did not like. An excitement that she felt was just as horrifying as her giggles while watching the man named Bellows get his fingers cut off.

“C’mon, Princess,” he said as he grabbed her left wrist with his right hand. He did not give her time to move, but just started to drag her along, expecting her to follow. She did, once her short legs were able to catch up to his long strides.

Soon they were out the door of the hideout. They walked the dark alleyways of Gotham in silence, Joker had nothing to say, and Princess was fearful of attracting attention to them. She did not know if Joker could handle some gangbangers lurking in the darkness, but she knew she could not. When it came to fights, Princess was completely useless. No one had dared teach her to defend herself. If they had done so, not only would she had been beaten, but they would have been forced to partake in the same punishment.

The grip Joker had on her wrist tightened when they entered the streets of Gotham. Princess had not a clue as to where they were. She had only ever been in the Narrows and rarely ventured out of its premises. Her trip to the police station had been the first time she had went so deep into Gotham, and she did not even remember the way there.

“Where are we going?” inquired Princess to the man when he pulled her closer to him. He snaked his arm around her shoulder to give them a more “natural” appearance. To anyone that passed them by, they would appear to be a normal couple on a night out. Not that he had to worry about that. It was late in the night and most of the inhabitants of Gotham had deemed it safer to stay inside. They were smart and feared the night. Joker did not. He feared nothing. What could be more fearsome than a man wearing smudging clown face paint and had a jacket filled to the brim with knives? According to him, nothing. And soon, very soon, all of Gotham would see that.

“You’ll see, Princess, you’ll see,” he chimed happily.

Princess nearly rolled her eyes, but stopped herself from doing so. Though the man was not looking at her, she knew the gesture would not be lost on him. The last time she had done so he had known and the room had been swallowed in complete darkness. His tone had frightened her that night, and she never wanted to experience it again. After seeing what he had done to Bellows, she did not want to be at the receiving end of the knives that were bulging from his pockets and digging into her sides.

What felt like several hours later, only a half an hour had passed, Joker stopped. “We’re here!” he exclaimed cheerfully. Princess gazed up at the building they had stopped in front of and a frown fell on her face.

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Not much really happened in the chapter. But, of course, there is more to come. I hope you all liked. Review and rate, please.