The Raven and The Scarecrow

[Miss Annika Crane]

Okay, so this is my first fanfiction on here. Hell, it's my first Cillian fanfiction ever, so, yay.
Oh, by the way. Today's my birthday. Woot! I turn 20...
So, here we go. First chapter of The Raven and The Scarecrow.

The Raven and The Scarecrow

Chapter 1:

Annika Jones sat at a table, looking over her notes for her upcoming exam. She was at Gotham City Library, and it was way past Midnight. Annika was very aware of this fact, but she really had no option. The Library was the only place she could find the peace and quiet to study. Her flatmates were noisy and rude and she couldn't stand them.
The 23 year old looked up and around. The only other person was the Librarian, and she wasn't really paying much attention.
Annika decided to leave, and so packed up her stuff and dumping it into her sling bag. She pulled on her coat and slung the bag over her shoulder, before making her way out of the Library.
The second she exited, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and looked. It was a text from her friend, Jane.
Hey Annika. I'm sorry, but I can't pick you up tonight. My car's not working. Some arsehole decided to try and steal it... So sorry Annika. I'll see you tomorrow though.

Annika clutched her phone, staring at it.
She had to walk home. Alone. In Gotham City. She shuddered.
The city wasn't safe still, especially after what had happened a few months ago. Some loon known as Scarecrow had poisoned the inhabitants of Gotham with some sort of hallucinogenic, and the criminally insane had escaped from Arkham Asylum. And they were all still on the loose. And the head of the Asylum, Dr. Johnathan Crane, was missing.
Annika once had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Crane. He was an incredibly intelligent, yet terrifying, man. And quite attractive, Annika had to admit.
'Focus, you twit. You still have to walk home' She scolded herself. Back to reality.
Annika looked out at the city before her. Police sirens could be heard echoing through the city streets. Annika shivered.
"If anyone can hear me, please let me get home safe" She whispered.
She began walking. It wasn't far. It wasn't far at all. But it was just far enough for her to get grabbed and killed. If she was lucky.
She half walked, half ran down the street, keeping her eyes firmly fixed ahead, focusing only on the thought that her flat was only another block away.
A scream rang through the night and Annika bolted, sprinting towards the block of flats she lived in. She fished the fob out of her pocket and the second she reached the door, pressed the fob against the lock and yanked the door open, slamming it shut behind her. She raced up the stairs to her floor, reaching her door. She unlocked it and stepped inside, slamming the door shut and locking it before she leant against it, breathing hard.
When she regained her breath, she wandered into her room, dumping her stuff on the floor. She kicked off her shoes after closing her door, and changed into a nightie, before collapsing on her bed. She pulled her covers over and switched the light off.
She lay there a while, before finally falling asleep.

Okay, if it seems a bit rushed, it's cause I'm tired and it's late. I may edit it later.
Read and review!

Dannii

[Zombiekitten]

First: Happy Birthday Dannii !!! ;D


Ohhh !! I love how this is beginning!! Very exciting! *shivers with Annika*
And I like the title too. Seems to have quite a meaning which will be probably revealed to the reader later in the story.

Have a CB as a birthday present as well as a present for this story you share with us.

[The Phantom Lady]

Happy Birthday!

I love what I have read so far; very intense! I had my heart in my throat reading this!

There's something I really like about your way with words! Please post more soon!

[Miss Annika Crane]

Thank you guys so much for the reviews and birthday wishes ^^
May write a short chapter before my party tonight ^^

The Raven and The Scarecrow

Chapter 2:

It was in the newspapers the next day. The body of a girl had been found. Not exactly shocking news in Gotham City of all places, but what freaked Annika out the most was that it was so close to where she lived. She shuddered. Last night had terrified her. She was just so damn angry at her so-called friend Jane, abandoning her like that.
She threw the paper to the ground and stalked out of her room. She wandered into the kitchen, spotting her flatmates. She scowled at Jane. Jane gave her an apologetic look.
"Annika, listen..." She began, but Annika turned on her, glowering.
"That girl in the paper could have been me, Jane! It could have been me because you didn't keep your promise to pick me up last night! You know how dangerous Gotham is right now! Those loons are still on the loose!" She yelled. She turned her back on her friend, breathing, trying to calm her rage. She threw her hands up in the air in defeat and stalked back out of the kitchen and into her room, slamming the door shut. She looked at the time. 10.30am. Thank Gods it was a Saturday. She walked over to her cupboard and started rummaging through for clothes. She brushed back her dark hair out of her face. Her wardrobe consisted mainly of black. Being a Goth, it wasn't really a surprise for most people. She pulled out black jeans and a white top, grabbing underwear, then heading into the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.

~*~*~*~*~*~

She exited her flat an hour and a half later, her hair tied back, black eyeliner surrounding her blue eyes and her black buckled coat protecting her from the cold winter air.
Black boots were on her feet, and her badge-covered sling bag hung loosley over her shoulder.
She walked through the streets, heading towards her local coffee shop. She was friends with the owner.
The warm air of the coffee shop greeted her, and the smell of different flavours of coffee filled her nostrils. She headed over to the counter. The owned, Hayley, greeted her.
"Hey Annika. Usual?" She asked. Annika smiled.
"Yes please, Hayley. I really need it today" She said. Hayley frowned.
"Howcome?" She asked. Annika sighed.
"Jane didn't pick me up from the Library last night" She said.
"What?! You're lucky you weren't attacked" Hayley said, busying about making Annika's cinnamon coffee.
"Yeah, though some other poor girl was found dead not too far from my flat" Annika said. Hayley looked at her.
"For real? What was the cause of death?" She asked. Annika shrugged.
"Dunno. They don't know yet" She said. Hayley handed Annika her coffee and took her money, ringing it through the till.
"Things have gotten worse since that loon attacked the city..." Hayley said.
"Who, Scarecrow? Yeah. That Batman hasn't shown his leathery wings lately, either. Either that or the police have left him alone" Annika said.
"Still no word on Dr. Crane?" Hayley asked. Annika shook her head.
"Which probably means he's dead. A shame, really..." She trailed off. Hayley gave her a sly smirk.
"Why? You had a crush on him or something?" She prodded.
"No!" Annika said a little too quickly, blushing. Hayley laughed.
"Oh you so did. It's so obvious Annika. Not that it matters now though, huh? Like you said. He's probably dead" She said. Annika sighed and nodded.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Hayley. You take care" She said. Hayley nodded.
"You too Annika" She said.
Annika turned and left the coffee shop, head hung. Why was she so sad that there was a strong possibility that Dr. Crane was dead? It's not as if she'd ever have stood a chance with him.

She started on her way back to her flat, when out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone standing down and alleyway. Upon looking closer, Annika dropped her coffee.
"Dr. Crane" She breathed. Surely she was seeing a ghost. Dr. Crane smiled, before turning and walking further down the alley way. Annika hesitated. She really shouldn't go down there after him, but what if he was real? Her gut instinct told her not to, but she found herself running after him.
"Dr. Crane! Dr. Crane, wait!" She called. Dr. Crane broke into a run. Annika cursed and sped up, racing after him. She unzipped her coat to give her more space to run, and it billowed behind her. Dr. Crane slowed and bolted around a corner, Annika following closely behind him.
'Damn, he's fast' Annika thought. But she wasn't giving up until he did. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a van pulled out infront of her, just as Dr. Crane dissapeared behind it.
"sh*t!" Annika cursed, slowing and skidding to a halt infront of the van. The side door suddenly slid open, and Annika had a brief moment to realise what was happening, before she was grabbed and pulled into the van. She screamed as the door was slid shut with a bang, and a hand clamped a cloth over her mouth. It smelt funny. Annika's vision soon began to fade, and just as it did, she saw the grinning face of Dr. Johnathan Crane, before passing out.

Okay, cliffy, I know. Terrible of me. But, I need to go get ready for my party, so... Enjoy this next installment of The Raven and The Scarecrow. ^^

Dannii

[The Phantom Lady]

Uh oh! She's been kidnapped by Dr. Crane??

This is REALLY getting interesting! what will happen to her now? and what was her obsession with Dr. Crane about?

I really want to read more soon!

Enjoy your party!

[Zombiekitten]

Arghhh !!! What a nasty cliffhanger !!

I wonder what happens next...

[Miss Annika Crane]

Hehe, cheers for the review guys! It's very much appreciate it ^^

The Raven and The Scarecrow

Chapter 3:

"Ow..." Annika moaned, clutching her head. Her vision was blurred and her head was pounding. There was a tangy taste in her mouth. Where was she? She rubbed her eyes and tried to sit up, but she found that she couldn't. Her eyes widened as her vision cleared and she found herself in what appeared to be an abandoned Doctors surgery. She looked down and saw that she was strapped to a gurney.
"What the f*ck? Where the Hell am I?" She asked, completely bewildered. The door opened and Annika looked. Suddenly, Dr. Crane was in her face. She gasped.
"Johnathan...." She whispered. She couldn't believe it. He was alive AND he had kidnapped her.
"Johnathan, what the Hell is going on?" She asked.
"Consider this a warning, Annika. Keep your distance, stop trying to figure out what happened. It's a dangerous game that you do not want to play" He said, glaring down at her.
"What the..." She began, but was cut off when Johnathan sprayed something into her face. She spluttered and coughed, her vision suddenly distorted.
She was aware of Johnathan lifting her off of the gurney, feeling her mind deteriorating.
She flitted in and out of consciousness, hallucinating. She moaned, whispering Johnathan's name.
"Lets leave her here. We'll let the Batman find her" She heard Johnathan say. She felt herself be set down and saw Johnathan's face close to hers. Her eyes widened as he brushed away a few strands of her hair, almost caringly, then disappeared. Leaving her alone with her hallucinations.
"Master Wayne! Come quickly!" Annika heard, just before she passed out....

~*~*~*~*~*~

Screaming all around her, not realizing that it was her. She searched frantically for something, someone. She screamed his name, never hearing what it was. Tears streamed down her cheeks, she didn't know why she was so upset, or who the person she was looking for. She was alone, no one else around her. She screamed again, and again, screaming his name. A blinding white light appeared, and it got brighter, moving towards her. She shielded her eyes, screaming his name one last time...
"Johnathan!"
Annika sat bolt upright, screaming.
"Master Wayne! She's awake!" Came a very British accent. Hands were pushing her down and she fought, feeling a needle pierce her skin, still screaming until she felt herself slowly lose consciousness. The last thing she saw were two blurry figures watching over her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ow..."
The first thing she thought as her eyes opened.
Everything hurt.
Where was she? She was lying down, and was on something comfy, and she was warm. She sat up slowly, placing all her weight on her hands. She was in a bedroom, not hers.
"Ah, I see you are awake Miss" Came a British sounding voice. She looked around. There was a man, rather old, carrying a tray of what looked like food.
"Where am I? Who are you?" She asked. The man smiled.
"My name's Alfred, Miss. And you're in the guest room of Wayne Manor" He said. Annika blinked.
"Wayne... As in Bruce Wayne?" She asked.
"Yes Miss. We found you at our door, with a note pinned to your shirt, explaining that you'd been poisoned. We took you in and gave you the antidote. You should be fine now, Miss" Alfred explained. She blinked. Poisoned... Oh God. Johnathan. She looked to Alfred.
"Johnathan. Johnathan Crane is alive" She said.
"We know" came another voice. She looked. Walking into the room was Bruce Wayne.
"You know?" Annika asked. Bruce nodded. She sighed and looked down. Her eyes closed.
"He kidnapped me, warned me off. Told me to stop trying to figure out what happened, that it was a game that I didn't want to play" She said, everything coming flooding back to her. A lone tear trickled down her cheek.
"Tell me there's a way I can save him, please" She said, looking at them.
"There's nothing that can be done to help him" Bruce said. Annika flinched as if Bruce had struck her.
"Why not? Why can't we help him?" She asked.
"He's too far gone, retreated into the insanity that he created" Bruce explained. Annika placed her head in her hands.
"I've known Jonathan for years, Mr. Wayne. As one of his students I believe that I can save him, bring him back from the edge. And I will" She said, removing her head from her hands and looking at Bruce with sheer determination in her eyes.
"Then you'll need our help" He said.
"But first, you need to eat and rest some more" Alfred said, giving Bruce a look. He placed the tray on Annika's lap. It looked like a full English breakfast, accompanied with orange juice.
"No coffee?" Annika pouted. Bruce laughed and Alfred glared.

An hour later, Annika decided to get up. Alfred had left towels and fresh clothes. "We always have some spare, just incase" He had said. She picked them up from ontop of the dresser and walked into the ensuite bathroom. She closed the door behind her. There was a walk-in shower which she couldn't wait to use.
She removed her dressing gown, turning on the shower. She stepped under the scalding hot water a second later, barely holding back a moan. This was so much better than her shower back home. She proceeded to scrub her scalp with shampoo, before rinsing it. Her mind was always going back to Johnathan. The way he'd looked at her after he'd drugged her. He'd almost looked apologetic.
She felt a sharp pain in her chest, where her heart was, as she thought about him. At least now she knew he wasn't dead. She raised her face towards the jet of water, letting the hot water run over her face.
She'd save him. By any means necessary. She would save him.

And that is it for that chapter.

[The Phantom Lady]

Nooo don't leave now! I need more!

This is really intense and scary! I really, really need to know what is going on!

[Miss Annika Crane]

Damn it you guys, I am SO sorry for not updating sooner. College and work have been stupidly hectic >.<

[Miss Annika Crane]

Just wondering if anyone is still on the forum? I'll update if there's anyone here to read my fanfiction.