Chapter 1: Beauty
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The light snow covered the sidewalk as Acelynn Amherst walked down the street on her way to her humble home around the corner. She struggled to carry her psychology and Greek mythology textbooks in her pink sweater clad arms. Her brown cowboy boots the only noise in the quiet atmosphere. The hem of her light blue skinny jeans met barley past her ankle and was brushing against her skin creating a nice warmth. She trudged through the snow sighing as the water seeped into her boots.
The Christmas music drifted into the streets form the house next to hers. The red and white blinking lights sending Acelynn a temporary blindness. Acelynn stopped outside the little house. Her name was being shouted through the screen door. She smiled at the little old blue-haired lady stomping through the snow in Christmas apron with a tray of some objects.
" Oh, Acelynn, darling! Why don't you come inside for some hot chocolate?" the lady questioned.
" I'd love to, but I've got a load of homework to do and a ton of other projects to finish." Acelynn sighed, her heavy British accent flowing into her words.
" Well, dear don't overwork yourself. It is the holidays." The lady smiled " Won't Mr. Wayne give a nice bonus and vacation? Especially to you, his favorite little worker!"
Acelynn smiled at her neighbor " And where would I go for said 'vacation'" She put air quotes around vacation " Where would I go?"
" You spend the holiday with your family….." The lady sighed " Like I've told you to do before."
" Mrs. Turner, I most assure that I am certainly not welcome back home " Acelynn frowned " Besides, I've gotten a letter before clearly stating that my parents have disowned me and refuse to let me near England."
Mrs. Turner sighed but her smile reappeared in a flash " You could spend the holidays with Harold and I. Our nephew is coming from Boston."
Acelynn laughed loudly " What's meant to be will always find a way. So don't ruin it for me. I'll fall in love maybe in a few…..decades."
" You talk tough, Acelynn, but you'll fall someday." Mrs. Turner smiled.
" Get inside before you catch a cold." Acelynn sigh. She absolutely hated talking about love and what not. Love , to her, was highly over-rated.
" Well, sweet dreams, Acelynn." Mrs. Turner hobbled back into the house.
Acelynn finished her walk to her house. Once inside she smelt the usual smell of cookies and lavender. The warm smell brought an smile to her face. She put down her books on a counter and peeled off her sweater. After throwing it into a green hamper , she slid onto her purple couch.
She frowned. Purple and green. Those blasted color had buried their way into her life like a cancerous disease. She tried to shake the strange and overwhelming addiction to his colors, his terrible signature colors. But they where just like him.
They never knew how to go away…
By him, she meant it. By it, she meant psychopathic clown. By psychopathic clown, she meant the Joker. By the Joker, she meant Jack Napier. And by Jack Napier, she meant her childhood friend.
Acelynn was sent to Gotham at the age 7 and live in a small orphanage till she was 8. That's when she had met him by the school bus carrying the lunch she made herself. Of course, then he had no scars, no chaos in him, nothing but the imagination of a 8 year old and the need to help her.
-Flashback-
" Come on , children. We don't have all day!" The driver yelled at the group of youngsters.
A very quite and shy girl, with blonde hair in braids and purple glasses wearing a green dress. Everyone stared as she walked onto the bus. Many children put their backpacks on the seat next to them and shrug their little shoulders. Most just whisper to whoever is on the opposite side of them.
The whispers probably went along the lines of " Oh my gosh, look at her scar! It's so noticeable."
The younger version of Acelynn bowed her head in shame, but was surprised when a whistle was heard. Thinking it wasn't directed at her, she ignored it. Suddenly a hand raised her head up. She flinched as the cold hands came in contact with the scar on her cheek the ran down to the nape of her neck. She met the eyes of her captor.
He had brown eyes the showed much emotion. Emotion like confusion, but understanding, and worse of all pity.
" You're new here aren't ya?" He asked her. Acelynn nodded her head. He laughed " Couldn't tell. You, uh, you stick out like a sore thumb in these parts."
" P-Please, sir, do you m-mind if I s-sit with you?" Acelynn stuttered.
" Why sure!" The young boy mocked her accent " But please. Don't call me, uh, don't call me sir. Name Jack Napier."
" I'm A-Acelynn Amherst." Acelynn said "Nice to meet you Mr. Napier."
" Uh, again with the ,uh, whacha call it " Jack waved his hands around searching for the word.
"…..Formality?" Acelynn smiled shyly.
Jack sat down and patted the seat next to him. Acelynn looked at him cautiously " Now. Now. I won't bite ya."
She sat down equally as cautious " So do you live in Gotham?"
Jack nodded his head and smiled " Me, my mommy, my sister and……my dad."
He had said that with so much bitterness that Acelynn flinched again " Not a very good relationship with your dad, I'm guessing?"
Jack's eyes narrowed " I don't want your pity!"
"And I wasn't offering it to you. It was all-in-all a simple question commonly asked between acquaintances!" Acelynn whisper-yelled.
Jack raised an eyebrow " Acquaint-what?"
" Acquaintances; somebody who is known slightly rather than intimately" Acelynn sighed " I'm sorry, I shouldn't pry into your personal life."
" I, uh, guess I shouldn't have snapped, at ya. " Jack sighed also " So, uh, do ya want to, uh, be friends?"
Acelynn smiled " I s-suppose t-that would b-be alright."
Jack grinned widely and extended his hand" Then it's a deal, Ace!"
- End flashback-
It would be fifteen years today. Fifteen long, stupid and worthless years since her big blue eyes on the brown eyed soon-to-be devil. And did she regret it?
" Never regret something that once made you smile." She sighed to her black tabby cat named , ironically, Joker. She had no clue that it was to be Jack's new name. It came to her, okay!
Acelynn turned her television to the news station. Oh, the irony when the started talking about him. All the while, her mind was in over drive. He blew up a bank, killed innocent people, and ruined everyone lives in Gotham. And all she could do was feel sorry for him.
Of course she would feel pity for him. He was her friend at some point in his whacked out life. He was always Jack to her and will be forever more. No amount of gunpowder, kerosene or face paint could change that fact.
" Bah! Enough of this sappy crap! He's bad and I'm good! End of story!" Acelynn looked down at Joker, who meowed mockingly " Don't judge me! Oh, don't you judge me!"
Acelynn stopped shouting at her defenseless cat when her phone buzzed. She groaned as she jumped over the back of her couch and pick up her polka dotted phone.
Bruce Wayne
Yet again she groaned and asked herself why her boss was calling her at this ungodly hour. She put on her best happy voice.
" Good afternoon, Mr. Wayne."
" Miss Amherst."
"…..Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Wayne?"
" Ah, yes. You can sing right?"
Acelynn blinked " Umm..yes sir."
" How's about you sing at my fundraiser tomorrow?"
" Oh! Sir, I'm not that well."
" Nonsense! I'm sure you sound like an angel!"
" W-Well, sir, I'd-I'd be honored."
" Fantastic! And one more thing."
" Yes sir?"
" Call me Bruce."
Acelynn blushed " Al-alright…Bruce."
" Goodnight Acelynn."
Acelynn hung up the phone and sighed. She didn't know if she liked Bruce or if the were just a boss and his employ. She frowned slightly at the thought of her becoming a Wayne. He was the playboy that couldn't be forced down and she was the stupid girl who had no stupid chance at surviving in this godforsaken town. She hated this stupid bloody town.
The Joker's laughter came through the television. Acelynn huffed and rolled her eyes. Sometimes she hated the bloody clown. Stupid clown….