The Joker's Wild

Things are not always what they seem. People disappear, but may not be in trouble or dead at all. They can be found to be stuck between worlds. The world of the living, the real, the place where we reside with all our logic and reasoning; then there is the world of the dead, the surreal, the place where all our irrational fears and dreams live and thrive. But in between , there is peace, yet there is chaos. There is bounty, there is scarcity. All of the paradoxes of existence reside in this beautiful land, but no human can go there. It is forbidden. For either you are in the land of the living, or you are in the land of the dead. There is no middle ground for the humans.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



The bell rang signaling the end of another class day at Judas I. High School. Students hurriedly ran out of the building to the awaiting cars, parents, and buses. The stream of students finally dissipated into a faint trickle, and then nothing. But the auditorium was anything but empty. Students sat around the stage, paint and brushes strewn randomly around the papers as they were used, then discarded for another. Conversations were mixed with laughter as Mrs. Whimsy, the art teacher came around and observed the work of her students.


Among the groups, one student sat alone, pushing the paintbrush along the paper at such a rate, it would be seconded by a snail. Her dark blood red curls fell over and into her eyes of bronze, which were dull and expressionless. Her lips were chapped and translucent skin just barely clung to the healthy pink of her plump lips. Her brows formed a line of aggression, but the expression was not followed by her face. Her face was one of deep sadness. And now, she truly knew the meaning of her name.




"Misery, are you okay? If you need to talk, I'm here." Mrs. Whimsy kneeled next to the student who gave no reply. She didn't blink, glance at her, or say a word. "Mizzie-"




"Don't call me Mizzie. Only Fate calls me that. Not you. No one else can." Misery said sharply, yet quietly. She didn't look up or move any faster than she was.




"Well, Misery, I know you suffered a severe loss-"




"No shit. My brother and twin sister 'disappeared'. They didn't disappear! They were taken! And you know nothing of what I'm going through, so don't try to act sympathetic or empathetic. I don't need it!" Her voice rose and her eyes flashed as she turned to look at the eccentric art teacher. "I don't need the whispers of 'She's going to be next.' I don't need your sad looks, or your sad tone. I don't need YOU. I don't need anyone in this god forsaken SCHOOL! None of you can understand, NONE OF YOU! I'm tired of people visiting The Box because they know I'm there and hope to see if I've 'disappeared' too!" Misery stood up, glaring at all the students staring at her now, all conversations ceasing. "I'm tired of people asking if I'm okay, of course I'm NOT okay! My whole family, my friends, my fucking life was taken from me in an instant! I'm NOT okay. I'm NOT fine. I'm NOT making it! If this happened to YOU, you'd understand. But it didn't, so don't even try!"


"Misery...calm down, dear." Mrs. Whimsy put a hand on her shoulder.




"Don't. Touch. Me." Misery growled, shaking the hand away. "Calm down? Ha! That's a laugh! You don't WANT to understand, you WANT to be a good teacher and get a raise for being loving and caring." Misery said in a voice dripping in acid and covered in ice. "None of you really care. You just want to be seen as a 'good person' to other people. So stop trying. I'm a lost cause. I'm in a hole that no rope can reach nor can anyone help me out of. Leave me to my name. Leave me to my eternal Misery."




And with that, she left the room of gaping mouths and wide eyes. No one had seen her explode before...except Skye. He had, and he sighed shaking his head.




"Miz...you're going to get yourself in biiiig trouble.." He whispered, watching her leave.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Throwing her bags into the passenger seat, Misery took a deep breath to calm herself down. Her eyes closed and she slowly relaxed her muscles. Her mind wandered to ways to relax herself, things her twin had taught her after a certain explosion with Fate. "Take deep breaths, Miz. Close your eyes, count to ten. Think of your favorite place, favorite toy as a child, a favorite memory. Something happy. Go to a happy place." Deliverance's voice filled her mind and she thought of the perfect memory. Her happy place...


"Faate!! Stop that! You'll get her all mad again!" Deliverance cried from the side of the pool, her hair in tangled pigtails. The teenage boy laughed and shook his hair out of his eyes.


"You worry too much, Dee. Mizzie'll be fiiine. She won't get that mad. Right, Mizzie?" He put his arm around the pre-teen's shoulders.


"Yeah, Dee. You worry too much." A 12 year old Misery giggled splashing her sister. "Lighten up, come swimming with us!"


"And get eaten by parasites living in the pool water? I think not. You two can swim until your noses bleed and your lips fall off. But I'M staying riiight here."


"Too bad you'll lose your toes, Dee." Misery laughed, falling back into the water. Her curls were straight now, thanks to the water. She was under the surface now, and she gazed up, her eyes stinging from the chlorine. It was beautiful, the blue tint of the water making Fate and Deliverance seem like apparitions. Happy apparitions...very happy...




Misery opened her eyes and shook the memory off, but she was calm now. Sighing deeply, she ran a hand through her curls. "I need to go to work..." She muttered and cranked the car up, music immediately playing.




Smiling sadly, Misery turned and backed out of her place, then headed to The Riddle Box Restaurant. It was only down the street from the school, and her uncle owned the place anyway. Her eyes watched the road as it slithered beneath her. The other cars seemed to be ghosts in her world. Just idle travelers that no one could see but her. She knew that was not true, but still it felt that way.




Pulling into the parking lot, she pulled into the RESERVED place with a smirk. It always made her feel superior when she parked here. No one else could, but her and Dee. Well, now it was just her. She exited the car, locking it as she did. Pushing the doors open to the bustling restaurant, she took in the wonderful smells of the room. Pasta, meat sauce, the aroma was relaxing and really nice. It was her home away from home now. She stayed here more than at her house that the three of them shared...had shared. Shaking the emotions away, she moved to the back of the restaurant.


"Jon? Where're you?" She called. She was the only one of the three who neglected the uncle in his name. He didn't seem to care much.




"Miz! Great to see ya girl! Here to work? or to work on that wonderful art of your's?" Jon Dough asked with a wide grin. He was a stoutly man, with a lovable round face that was crinkled at the eyes, no surprise though. He seemed to smile all the time, which is probably why everyone who met him, instantly loved him. He wore a deep blue shirt that complemented his bright blue eyes, an apron over it and the black pants. His hair was blond, and was falling out now. But with his sleeves rolled up, fresh stains on the white apron, and a wide smile, he was Adonis.




"I'm great. Here to work. Not feeling much up to drawing today." Misery said with what she hoped was a convincing smile.



From the look on his face, she knew that he didn't buy into it, but he nodded and put on his warm smile again. "Good! You're on waitress duty then. Go change and clock in, dear. And remember, in THAT order, please." He said before waltzing off to survey the kitchens.



Misery rolled her eyes and went to the locker room. Heading to her locker, she tried not to look at the one beside her own. Just the one that read: Misery Faith Jonstone. And beside it: Deliverance Hope Jonstone. Turning so that her back was to the lockers, she changed into the black skirt, purple and yellow shirt, and black flats with yellow and purple striped socks that reached her knee. She loved the outfit, it gave her a wacky aspect that normally was not seen in her normal attire of black. She pulled her hair up into a functional ponytail, then wrapped it around to form a bun. Her small yellow apron went around her waist and held straws, tips, and her notepad with pen. She checked it twice and nodded satisfied.



As she left, she noted the door, now securely locked, that had taken both her sister and brother. She fought the urge to break into the door, which of course she could do, and went back to clock in and start working.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




"Hey, Miz. Lock up for me, wouldja?" Jon called as he washed up. Misery looked up from where she was cleaning tables and nodded. He grinned, "See you around." And he was out the door and Misery was alone inside the restaurant. She stretched and eyed that door.



"Hey, it can't hurt, now can it?" Misery said, but her voice was shaking. Shaking horribly, if the room took her sister and brother, couldn't it very well take her? She had to know what happened to them though! So, taking a deep breath, she turned the knob. It was stuck.



"Damnit..." She took a deep breath, C'mon girl. You used to break in to these places for money. You can do this. Taking another deep breath, she stood back a few steps and slightly turned her body to the left. With a few moments of preperation she gathered her strength and kicked the door. It moved only an inch, but she knew that maybe two more kicks would open it. She was correct. The door fell to the ground and she looked around. Nothing unusual. At all.



Except a deck of cards sitting on a random chair. She tilted her head and picked up the first card. Turning it to face her it was a crude, yet spooky drawing of a Joker. The picture started to swirl and she became dizzy. The last thing she remembered was a voice saying, "Anything goes on The Joker's Wild."