2.9

                                    

                                          
The world around her seems muted—she knows that there people and machines making noise all around her, not to mention Jim and Lee in front of her, their lips moving as they try to speak to her, but she hears nothing. For a moment Daisy thinks that she's deaf like everyone assumes. But no, there's definitely a faint buzzing in her ears, growing louder as time goes by, so she's probably just in shock, she notes numbly. 
                          
Daisy just can't fathom the truth staring her in the face—literally.
                          
She can't understand how the man she knows could be this Jerome Valeska, but at the same time Daisy's wondering how she didn't see it sooner. The night they met he asked her if she knew who he was, and while it confused her for a moment, his following actions and words (namely daddy) distracted her. 
                          
Looking back on it, she should have realized something was up when he took her into his room via fire escape instead of the main entrance, or when he locked her in that same room the next morning. 
                          
But it all seemed so logical at the time, mystified and entranced by Jerome as she was. It made sense, and most of his actions spoke of a desire to keep her safe. Daisy never felt in danger of him after that first night. He was her daddy, and he wanted her safe and happy, especially after Pepper died. 
                          
Or did she? Daisy can't help but wonder. With her whole world already turned upside down, maybe Pepper is actually alive, and out there frantically looking for her. It's this thought that finally draws Daisy from her mind. 
                          
She tunes back into Jim and Lee's words, hearing them ask if she's alright and if she does know Jerome after all. 
                          
All Daisy can do to that end is nod her head. 
                          
"You know Jerome?" Jim demands excitedly. Daisy nods again. "Do you know where he is?"
                          
This time, she shrugs, signing to Lee, working. 
                          
"She says he's working," the doctor conveys. Her eyes widen. "Could that mean he and the Maniax are...?"
                          
Jim curses at the thought. "We have no idea how they could strike next though. I talked to Harvey about coming back to help, but he just pointed out that the men who died were taken from Yellen's Shipyard."
                          
"Yellen's is an oil company isn't it?" Lee wonders. 
                          
"So maybe the Maniax took more than men. Thanks, Lee, I'll call the shipyard to see if anything else is missing. You talk to her some more, see what you can find out before you take her to your colleague," Jim says, moving into a woman's office. 
                          
"So how long would you say you've known Jerome?" Lee asks gently. 
                          
Daisy sighs, trying to think through how long it's been without getting lost in pleasant memories. Oh Jesus, just this morning I humped and made out with a murderer! She gets a little sick inside at the thought that her lips caressed a pair that had probably made someone beg for their life or laughed as they killed others. The hands that touched her were tainted—killers covered in the lifeblood of others, possibly even Pepper if she was really dead. 
                          
Realizing she hasn't answered Lee, Daisy shakes her head, just signing, a few days.
                          
"And were you in that cottage the entire time?" Lee inquires. 
                          
Daisy shakes her head, replying that, he moved out of a business building.
                          
"You wouldn't happen to know which one would you?" Lee asks hopefully. 
                          
The girl shakes her head regretfully, but lights up after a moment. It was close to where I lived with Pepper.
                          
"Who's Pepper? And where did you live before?"
                          
Daisy replies that Pepper was or is her friend. When Lee looks confused, the blonde adds, Jerome said she was dead yesterday.
                          
After that, she gestures for the notebook so she can write her address down. 
                          
While she's doing that, Lee continues to speak. "Well I'll see if Jim will look into your friend Pepper. If she has anything to do with Jerome I'm sure he would be happy to. Thank you for your help. Maybe Jim can figure out who's housing the Maniax based on the business buildings near your old home."
                          
Finished, Daisy hands Lee the notebook with her address, and the older woman smiles gratefully. "I'm just gonna give this to Jim and catch him up, and then we'll head out, okay?"
                          
The teen nods with a reassuring smile, but once Lee turns away the face drops. Daisy is still so conflicted and confused. 
                          
Was any of it real? Was he planning to kill me the whole time? 
                          
But then why would he drag it out? From his file of numerous murders, he's never done anything like what he did to me. Daisy thinks, struggling to accept that Daddy had or has anything gruesome in mind for her. 
                          
Like she reasoned when she met him, there were many opportunities for him to not only kill her, but to rape her or even have sex with her while she was vulnerable and willing, and he never seized them. Now she can't say whether or not the ideas crossed his mind, but Daisy does know that the man did a lot for her. 
                          
Processing all the other unspeakable things he's done is another issue entirely. It's mind boggling that the same man that held her and talked her through panic attacks brutally murdered not only his own mother, but other people too. The Maniax murders occurred while she was staying with her da—Jerome. 
                          
Now she has to correct herself again. Daisy remembers how she struggled with thinking of Jerome as her daddy when they first met, and now it's like she has to undo all the mental corrections she made the first time. It took her a long time to accept and be comfortable with thinking of Jerome as her daddy, or calling someone Daddy in general. 
                          
And now it's all for nothing. Now she knows him. She knows his name, who he is, what he's done... and it undoes all the progress they made together. Because now Daisy knows why he wouldn't ever tell her his name. 
                          
It wasn't because she didn't need to know, it was because she did. And he didn't want to chance her knowing his name and figuring out what she knows now. 
                          
She shouldn't feel safe with him, because he's the most dangerous person she's ever known. Worse than her old foster parents or Sal or any of the other scary people she's met. Certainly worse than the red haired prostitute and guy in the second car that he 'saved' her from the first night. 
                          
Daisy realizes now that the reason that guy left was because he recognized Jerome from the news and knew what he could do. 
                          
But even though she knows now that everything he did and said to her was probably a lie, she still finds it hard to connect the mass murderer with the daddy that tucked her in and cuddled her at night. It's like the boy is two different people—one for her and one for murdering. 
                          
The poor girl can't bear to sit and think and rationalize any of this anymore. Thankfully, Daisy is finally graced with a bit of luck. Lee is ready to go, and her mischievous grin promises much more than a simple doctor's visit. 
                          
"It's about time you see the real world, girlie."
                          
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A/N
Back again later than usual. Sorry, family weekend. Full explanation is on my wall if you're interested. Just so you guys know, I italicize Daisy's signing, and though I use proper spelling so I don't look like an idiot and you guys don't have to struggle to figure out what she's saying, Daisy still doesn't know how to spell properly. Even if I don't explicitly say that she's misspelling stuff, it's safe to assume that most everything she says isn't spelled right and has to be decided by Lee. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed despite the tardiness. Tootles!
Gingy