P R O L O G U E

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Dear diary,

Finally, I have settled in my new house and feel content about it. The weather in Gotham is unbelievably boring and it rains most of the days. I have changed the wallpaper in my room to a pink and blue theme and it makes me feel at home. I still don't have enough money to buy myself a T.V though. I bought a radio yesterday and it is the only entertainment I have got besides the few books about psychology and stuff.

Speaking of psychology, I have found a few jobs and I am working as a bartender in a bar below my apartment for the past week. The people there are nice. Another job that I recently found on the newspaper was that they needed a psychiatrist at the Arkham Asylum and I found it perfect. I really hope I get that job though. I have been waiting for their call for the past four days and still haven't received one. I am afraid they would reject me, an orphan who did not study in a proper school. But, my grades are high. Anyway, I always have had this weird passion for the criminally insane and I am really excited to start a career on this path.

Hope everything goes well.

I closed my eyes and sighed. Closing my diary, I kept it at the drawer of my bedside table and plopped down on the old bed that the owner of this crappy apartment had left behind. It smelled like coffee and old newspaper and I wrinkled my nose at the smell.

It was 9pm.

I just had my take-away chinese food.

Ring

I quickly got up and glanced at my bed side table to see my pink covered phone ringing with an unknown number.

No one calls me. I have only three people in my contacts.

Debby, the friend I made at the orphanage that I have been staying for the past ten years.

The Boss of the Bar that I am currently working in.

And Emergency helpline number.

It must be a wrong number.

Removing my thoughts, I picked it up and held it near my ear.

"Hello." A lady spoke. "Is this Dr. Harleen Quinzel, the psychiatrist?" She asked and I immediately perked up. Her voice had a official tone.

"Yes." I replied, my voice becoming squeaky all of a sudden and my senses became alert.

"I am Ms. Roberts, the secretary from Arkham Asylum. We saw your resume and we think you would be appropriate for the job if you are still interested." She said in a monotone voice and I realised that she must have said this a thousand times.

"Yes. I am still interested."

"Good for you." She replied. "A message will be sent to you after this call. Do not delete the message and report to the Asylum tomorrow at 9 am for brief instructions on your job." She said smoothly and I gulped.

"Ok." I meekly replied and I almost face-palmed myself for the lack of courage.

"Thank you." She said and hung up before I could even register what she said.

My phone vibrated in my arms and I looked down to see a message from the same number. I quickly saved the number as Ms.Roberts and read the message.

Now, I have four people in my contacts. That's an improvement. 

I read the message and found that it was the timing and the address to the Arkham Asylum. It had a six-digit code number below and I frowned at it. Maybe its a password.

I glanced at the clock and it was past 9.15 pm. I placed the phone safely on the table and pulled the covers over me. Sleep caught me in its arms and I closed my eyes.

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I stood in front of the infamous asylum and all I could see was a huge metal black gate. Several guards were standing infront of it and I immediately gulped. I saw a small door right in the center and two guards were guarding it.

I made my way towards it and they stopped me.

"I am Dr. Harleen Quinzel. I am here for my interview." I said and one of them asked, "Code number please?"

I immediately took my phone out and showed them the number in my message. One of the guys typed the code number in a keyboard attached to the dull gray wall beside the door and the screen above it showed, 'Code successful' and the steel door opened automatically. They let their hands down and I walked in, about 50 metres away stood a tall buliding. There were two more buildings on its farther left and right and many more smaller buildings behind it. It was gray and it looked lonely.

I adjusted the strap of my bag and walked towards it, feeling anxious. After a long walk, a guard was standing infront of the door and I showed him the code again. He did the same thing the previous guard did and the metal door opened.

I went in and immediately felt cold air hit me. To my right, there was a counter and a lady was sitting there. She looked like she had been working in this place for years.

I adjusted my thick rimmed glasses and stepped towards her. The click and clack of my heels echoing through the hall.

"Goodmorning." She said, her voice raspy and old, her brown eyes looked at me and I gave her a small smile. "Goodmorning." I replied.

"I am here for the interview. I am Dr. Harleen Quinzel." I said and she typed something in her computer and then turned to face me, rolling her chair while doing so.

"Here you go, young woman." She gave me a map of the Asylum and I gulped looking at the huge size of it.

She pointed at a room in the map. "This is where you have to go." She said politely and then turned away in her rolling chair, collecting papers and arranging them neatly.

That's my cue to leave.

I held the map in my hands and walked along the corridor, the walls were gray. The tiles were gray. There were no pictures hanging on the wall. It was scary and dull. It was creeping the living daylights out of me and my nerves were all over the place. I held onto the strap of my bag tightly. The sound of my heels echoed throughout the corridor and I gulped, pursing my lips.

As I approached closer to the room, I could hear people talking and it seemed to calm my nerves down a little. The door was already open and I went inside.

"You must be Dr. Harleen Quinzel." A lady said to my right and her voice was quite familiar. I looked at her tag and confirmed my doubts.

Ms. Roberts.

"Take a seat there. The meeting will start soon." She motioned towards a chair in the corner and I walked towards my seat, ignoring the stares of some people in the room.

I looked around the room after sitting down and noticed that all of the other psychiatrists were males and I was the only female psychiatrist here. I felt my nerves on edge once again and I breathed deeply to calm myself down.

"Welcome to the Arkham Asylum." A loud voice boomed and the chattering stopped immediately. I looked up to see a middle-aged man wearing a black suit, his dark hair perfectly styled to one side.

"I am Mr. Fox and I am the director of the Asylum." He announced. "I will be briefing you with instructions today and your sessions will start tomorrow." He said.

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