Returning to Scarecrow

[becky_albright95]

Becky Albright didn't feel much like herself at the moment, and was thankful for her cane as she felt weak from going without much food and walking a lot, because she had been searching for the Scarecrow and for awhile now she wasn't having much luck despite the several people she had talked to who had worked for Scarecrow before or were working for him, she didn't know how she got so lucky in finding men who worked for him without being harmed or worst, but for whatever reason they left her alone.

But it looked like they were leading her around in a maze for she still hadn't found him, and she knew she would have to eventually stop and go back to her home, but she just didn't want to. Since she learned about his death it had affected her in ways she didn't think possible, and brought out that darker side of her that she had always kept under control that had almost came out when Scarecrow offered her the position of his Mistress of fear, and then she learned later that he was back alive.

Throwing caution to the wind when she realized how much she cared about what happened to him, Becky had decided to find him and with the help of her inner self she had bravely went out and found people she knew would work for
someone like Scarecrow. They had given her directions, after she gave them some money of course, but so far each place was a dead end.

"Please let him be here", she spoke out loud to herself as she walked into a large warehouse that looked abandoned, and quickly sat herself down on an old looking chair. Giving herself a moment to rest, Becky looked around her. She just hoped if she found him, he wouldn't kill her since she had rejected him before. Her fingers moved through her brown curls as she attempted to pull them up into a ponytail, and closed her eyes a moment.

Comments

[fear_itself]

There was motion from the shadows. But Scarecrow didn't reveal himself immediately. It wasn't clear where his voice came from; it echoed from the corners.

"Becky Albright," the voice beckoned. "What a surprise."

[becky_albright95]

Her hands immediately stilled around her hair when she heard a voice she would recognize from anywhere. She still had dreams about him and that voice of his, though the doctors said it would eventually go away. But it never did.

"Scarecrow?", she opened her eyes and stood up as she searched for him. She felt his presence, but didn't know where he was at. He could be right behind her for all she knew. The idea caused her to look behind her but all she saw was the old chair. She took a deep breath and held her hands together.

"I came to say I was sorry for what happened before, I refused because", she swallowed a little. "I was scared of what I would become, but now I realized I can't fight it. Is the position still opened?", she asked in a surprisingly calm voice, though her hands started to shake.

[fear_itself]

His laughter echoed through the emptiness, initially a deep chuckle, but then shifting into a high-pitched cackle.

"You were scared of what you would become? Or are you here now because you're afraid of what you've missed?"

[becky_albright95]

Becky felt fear when he laughed, and her fingers couldn't stop shaking, but she also felt something else and that is what scared her the most. She felt excitement. Hearing his laughter and the deep cackle that followed sent shivers of excitement through her body, and it was that part of her that she tried to hide that was coming out.

"You're right about both. I won't deny it, when I heard about your death it upset me, and brought out that side of me more, but learning about you being back made it uncontrollable and now here I am", she looked around with her hazel eyes, and gripped her cane in both hands. She felt the desire to see him, and hoped he would stop playing with her and show himself.

[fear_itself]

There, for a moment, a glimpse of movement in the shadows, and a glint of metal. Did he have his scythe?

"And why should I accept you now, Ms. Albright? You've turned me down and betrayed me once already. Why should I give you another chance?"

[becky_albright95]

Becky moved her body toward the sound of movement as she tried to figure out where he was at. Her eyes noticed the glint of metal, and she froze inside as the image of him killing her with his weapon entered her mind, and a part of her that was weaker asked herself why she even came here. The scarecrow was a killer! His offer might of only been for one time, but not now. She heard his voice, and his questions, but she didn't respond right away as her mind just kept talking.

But she remembered why she came here, and focused on that. "Because me wanting to join you is real, and I do feel guilty for refusing you then. But nothing I can do about that now, and now I realize I also cared about you as you did me at that time, and still do. Thats why you should give me another chance", she breathed out deeply.

"And if you still don't forgive me, I will let you deal with me as you will. I don't want to go anywhere else, and if you can't accept me then I will offer myself in the only way I can think, and that's through death", her body trembled, and somehow she managed to get on the ground with he help of her cane.

[fear_itself]

And now he stepped out from the shadows, his scythe in his hands. He moved towards her slowly, deliberately, inexorably.

He moved the blade into a ready position.

"Tell me, then," he prompted. "Do you fear death?"

[becky_albright95]

Becky felt a moment of happiness when Scarecrow finally stepped out from the shadows, but that happiness was soon replaced with fear when she saw the scythe in his hands and watched as he raised it in the air toward her. Fear sliced through her body, and though she had told him that he could kill her to show that she was truly sorry for what she had done, she still feared the act of dying.

"I am not afraid of death, only the act of getting there", she told him honestly as her eyes stared up at him, and could only wait for the feel of the weapon slicing into her. Suddenly the memory of how she got weak legs entered her mind, the memory of her accident when she had been so young, and combined with knowing she would feel more pain caused her body to start shaking.

But she still remained on the floor, determined to prove her loyalty to him. Otherwise she would of ran by now.

[fear_itself]

The scythe was steady, unmoving, like a sword of Damocles, ready to plummet downward.

"Afraid of the pain, then," he acknowledged. "But why not of death?"

[becky_albright95]

Becky felt her legs twitching, which meant she needed to lay them down but she wouldn't dare move as she awaited Scarecrows choice. And his question demanded an answer.
"Because everyone dies , and I have accepted that. There is nothing most of us can do to change that. Just like now it is not my choice if I live or die, it is your choice", she said as her voice shook but her eyes remained looking at. him.

[fear_itself]

"Everyone does die," Scarecrow replied. "But what we do with our lives is what gives it value." The scythe flashed again... and was set at his side.

"And perhaps you can have more value in life than in death."

[becky_albright95]

Becky breathed a sigh of relief, for she had been certain that he would kill her. "Thank you. I know what I did before was wrong, and I am grateful you have chosen to give me life instead of death", she spoke softly. Perhaps the way she was acting was degrading, and submissive, but she did feel bad for what she did before and she truly wanted to join him.

She stood up slowly with her cane in her left hand, and groaned a little from the pain she felt in her legs. "I need to sit down. Its taken me awhile to find you..", she confessed as she made her way back to the chair.

[fear_itself]

"Sit down, then. Make yourself comfortable." The scythe was set aside, to lean against a pillar. It was not to be used as a threat. Indeed, his tone became more comfortable now, almost friendly. "We have much to discuss." He tilted his head at her. "Before you can truly become a Mistress of Fear, you must understand fear. And you must truly understand why I do what I do."

[becky_albright95]

Becky really hated how weak her left leg was, and how it made her right leg weaker then normal. It was only her left leg that got affected the most in the accident, which is why she only needed a cane, but her right leg gave her trouble sometimes. She tried getting surgery to help her, but she didn't have any money and the hospital placed her on a sort of plan to help raise money. But of course no one gave anything, this was Gotham after all.

"You're right, because I truly don't know you at all. I know of you, and since our last meeting I looked you up, and saw what others thought of you, but unless I hear it from you personally I don't know what is true and what isn't", she looked up at him, finding that his tone had become more comfortable, even friendly, and it made her relax more.

"As for fear, how will I truly understand it?", she asked, unsure what he planned to do.

[fear_itself]

"Fear is a primal survival mechanism. To understand fear is to understand psychology. It lies under every decision every human makes." He reached up and pulled off his mask, then slipped his glasses on, pulled from inside his coat. "The advancement of human understanding is my ultimate goal, of course."

[becky_albright95]

Becky listened with complete focus as scarecrow talked to her about fear, reminding her of college and like her classes, she was truly interested. Her eyes blinked a few times and her lips parted as he removed his mask to reveal the person underneath the mask, and she found he was quite handsome . But she would never admit this outloud, believing right now things between them were fragile. And one wrong word could end this . "You're right. Fear is why most choose to believe in a higher power though there is no proof. To believe in something good after death because deep down we fear there is nothing. I..", she started, hoping her interuption was alright. "Studied pyschology after we parted , and looked up fear to try and understand you more . So I know a little. But I must ask , do you still have fears or did you manage to rid yourself of it ?", she asked, truly interested. She often wished she could stop fearing interaction with others. It was one of her phobias.

[fear_itself]

He smiled at her, gently. "I am past fear now." He tilted his head, considering, and a glimmer of annoyance flickered behind his eyes. "There is... one thing... which comes close. But what I feel is not fear, but anger, and a logical frustration with what might occur. It might appear to be fear, but it is not."

[becky_albright95]

When he smiled at her, she couldn't help but smile right back. Her hazel eyes had softened some, no longer dark in their fear, as she found that she enjoyed talking to Scarecrow. But his words took away the smile and she frowned as she wondered what could anger him so much, and being the curious child as always she had to ask. "May I ask what it is that makes you angry?", she asked in a soft voice. She leaned forward some with her cane against her legs.

[fear_itself]

A whisper of shudder passed his face, like a leathery wing, as his eyes lost focus, and he remembered the dark cowl, the fluttering cape. "Just..." A demon. "A man."

He straightened himself up, and the moment passed, his eyes focusing again on her before glancing around the room. "But its closeness to fear... can be exhilarating."

[becky_albright95]

Becky watched as his eyes lost focus, and it looked almost like fear to her but what did she know? She only knew that she wanted to comfort him. She suddenly leaned back, surprised at what went through her mind, she barely knew Scarecrow and was already harboring such deep feelings for him? True she wanted to join him and felt they had a connection that she was afraid of before and she did admit she cared about him, but such deep feelings on another level? She blinked and looked up at him.

"I know the feeling, when I was younger I felt deep fear once. My father was a drunk, and one time he wanted to go camping and as I was his only child at the time, he decided to take me with him.", she shuddered as memories touched her, and she suddenly felt the same pain she once felt.

"He also had his friends with him, and while I was laying down, him and his friends tried to see who was the strongest and so they were picking up rocks one after the other around the camp, big rocks to...and I am not sure what happened, the memory is hazy but my dad seemed to have gotten mad and he picked up a very big rock but unable to hold it for long it dropped, and I happened to be where it dropped..right on my left leg", she touched her leg.