12
HARLEY
Her room was unbearably warm but she didn’t want to leave it in case she bumped into Annabel.
That day plagued her like a constant movie in her head, playing on a loop in terrible flashbacks like she was reliving the moment.
The way Harley had yelled at Annabel was not something she would have imagined herself doing, especially in front of all those people.
She was usually in much more control of herself and this was all that boy’s fault for pricking at a part of her she was determined to shelve away before she came here.
Harley was getting severely overwhelmed from the realities of leaving her home and her mother.
She had packed her bags so many times over the last couple days, wondering if any of this was worth it.
She would never fit in here, with these people.
A sigh from the depth of her lungs left her as she rubbed her face up and down in resignation.
Sprawled on the floor of her very large room, Harley felt much more comfortable down there than she did on her bed.
It was too big. She had only been here about a week and the difference in wealth still shocked her every time she walked in her room; there was a stand-in closest, a full length mirror glued to the wall, the floor to ceiling windows that gave her a nice view, and if she could find the words to describe the bathroom or even the idea of having a bathroom of her own, she’d be here all day.
Harley couldn’t help but feel like she had stolen someone else’s life, and the irrational guilt that came with it was blinding. Her mother would have loved it here, especially how big the TV in the sitting room was, so she could watch reruns of Corrie and Eastenders .
During the brief moments when she came up for air from the drinking and drugs, and was present in her life, her mother was fun to be around.
She taught her to braid her hair, sometimes they cooked together and watched TV together.
It was small, but it was enough, even if the moments lasted about a week or two until she picked up her habits again.
Then that was the end. A cycle she went through several times a year, so she stopped expecting anything out of it.
Don’t get her wrong she had cherished the mother she got in those moments, the memories, although few and far in between were the most important thing to her. She had grown up alone and it was what she was used to, so having a sister who wanted more from her than she could give was difficult.
The worst thing about all of this was that Harley hadn’t even met the reason she even came here, the man who was meant to be her father. But Harley remembers the first time she ever saw him… well, them.
???
Six years ago
For as long as she could remember, she’d been pestering her mother for years about the identity of her father.
Her mother’s anger was sudden just at the mere mention of him; a slap to the face that Harley could tell she regretted immediately but no apology came of it. It’s not like it was the first time.
Harley spent months researching; for her birth certificate that she’d never seen before or someone who knew anything at all.
Her resources were limited because they didn’t have a laptop at home and there were only so many places willing to be questioned by a fourteen year old girl.
But she finally got a name: William Bass.
She couldn’t believe it, it had to be wrong because she knew that name.
Everyone knew that name; you’d have to be living under a rock not to.
She and her mother could barely afford a day-to-day meal.
How could she have known a man of that kind of status?
It had to be fake but she couldn’t ask her, so she had to ask him.
A simple search got her an address too, but it was all the way in London.
She would have to skip school and work just for this, but it had to be done.
On that day, a Thursday, she had woken up bright and early, admittedly she could barely sleep the whole night because her mind kept spinning. She couldn’t register exactly what she had been feeling, but it was a mix of excitement and fear.
There was a light drizzle and grey skies once she stepped out of the house.
It made her smile a little because it meant the day was off to normal.
The bus to Lime Street was on time for once, a shocker, and she sat at the very back, not wanting to be disturbed.
Then came the two and half hour train where she finally got some sleep.
This was her first time in London, and sightseeing was the least of her worries, but she needed something to calm herself so she stuck to staring out the window memorising every landmark she could recognise on the bus afterwards.
Almost an hour later, she was within walking distance of Bishops Avenue.
Every step towards her destination left her with a pit in her stomach.
The smile that graced her earlier this morning was now an afterthought.
Harley was scared. She wasn’t sure of what she’d tell him when she met him.
Perhaps she’d tell him about her art, or how brilliant she was in school, or how, when she was nine she’d cut herself running with the kids in the neighbourhood and sulked around for hours.
Her mother simply ignored her cries, for her it had just been another day.
Once Harley realised no one cared enough to listen she put a plaster on it and slept.
If no one would take care of her, she’d take care of herself. Something she realised early.
The thought of that day suddenly made her angry. Angry at the man who was meant to be her father. How could he not think to look for her? It wasn’t like she was hidden. It might’ve taken her months, but she managed to get something about him, and she was fucking fourteen!
Clearly, he had the money to look but never did. Because he didn’t want her.
No. She couldn’t think this way. She’s made it this far. What is the worst that could happen…he’d tell her he didn’t want her? That’s not a problem. He wouldn’t be the first.
Harley gave herself a sharp nod after her less than effective pep talk and found she was already standing at a house bigger than she’d ever seen in her life.
The street was obscenely quiet and gated which was so unlike her estate at home that was always loud and bustling.
And it was just after midday, so perhaps the kids were at school like she was supposed to be.
There was a tiny doorbell by the gate but no response. She kept ringing but nobody came out. This was a stupid idea. Again, it was midday on a weekday, he was probably at work.
She couldn’t come back another day. The money it took for the trip here already cost her an arm and a leg, so she would just have to wait. How long could it possibly take?
Hence, she waited outside for hours and hours, sitting right opposite the massive house until a car drove up at nightfall.
It felt like her heart was beating out of her chest. This was it. This was the moment she’d been waiting for. She could do this.
Except when she got up from the floor, she realised it wasn’t just one person. It was a family. Four in total: a man, a woman and two kids. A blonde girl who looked about Harley’s age and a black girl that looked much younger. A girl who looked like her.
Harley had completely forgotten he had children, she felt…wrong. She didn’t want to be here anymore.
It was dark, and they couldn’t see her, but she watched them all with blistering smiles on their faces. He looked back like he heard something, but Harley hid between the bushes and he turned back to his family.
By midnight she was back home, and she wished she could say she was surprised but her mother didn’t even notice she was gone.
Then life went back to normal, alone again.
???
Present Day
She probably should’ve been honest that she’d always been aware of their existence, but trust didn’t come so easy to her. And admittedly, Harley resented Annabel for leading a life that was far easier than her own while she suffered.
Her phone buzzing snapped her out of her thoughts. There was a text message from an unknown number.
UNKNOWN
Come to Corpse Lily tonight at 11pm, we need to talk.
R.A.T.
Her eyebrows dipped as she reread the short message.
Who the fuck was R.A.T.? She sat up straight on her bed, confused as to who would want to meet with her at that time.
She looked at the time on her phone that read quarter to ten and based on Maps, the place in question was thirty minutes away in Mayfair.
Harley had decided to ignore it; she wasn’t even dressed for going out.
Five minutes later, another message popped up:
UNKNOWN
Don’t ignore this, Banjo.
There was only one person who called her that and she immediately frowned further.
Richard/Arden.
What the hell did he want?
He was the cannon that launched the cold war between her and Annabel, and still he hadn’t left her alone. Ultimately her curiosity got the best of her, after ten more minutes of contemplation, she changed, quickly left the house and was on the road within fifteen minutes.
Harley found the place the second she arrived, you couldn’t miss the sign that read CORPSE LILY .
All she had to do was show her ID and she was let in.
It was dimly lit and buzzing with multiple faces she recognised from uni.
She had heard whispers from the people around her about the place being a typical spot for the students, amongst others.
There was a piano in the corner of the room, being played by a beautiful dark skinned woman lost in the beat of the music. The bar was unsurprisingly busy, as it was a Saturday night, with three bartenders juggling handing out drinks to customers.
She took a deep breath and walked towards the bar where a girl with reddish hair and a mean mug stood serving people, in hopes to get help in looking for the person who texted her.
“Hi, I am looking for–” the girl raised her hand to stop her from talking.
Rude.
Harley chose to dial back the annoyance that she knew was bubbling within her, waiting patiently for the girl to finish with the customer. A couple minutes later, she finally gave Harley her full attention. No change in her expression.
“As I was saying before, I’m looking for someone,” Harley informed her, standing a little taller, refusing to be intimidated by the beautiful girl with beautiful hair, “Arden Thorne.”
“I know who you’re looking for. He’s expecting you.” The girl quickly spoke to the other two she was working with in hushed voices and jumped over the bar before nodding at me to follow her. “Come with me, they're in the private room downstairs.”
Ignoring her attitude, Harley followed her down a couple stairs and through a long hallway before coming to a halt at a door.
It was only just then she remembered she’d said They instead of He .
The girl pushed it open without even knocking.
It was like a bar inside a bar and somehow more extravagant than what was going on upstairs.
Revealing faces she’d hoped to avoid for at least a couple more days.
Everyone’s heads turned immediately, whatever conversation that was being held died down as five sets of eyes were now concentrated on her intrusion. But the worst of all was how her sister was looking at her.
Annabel’s big blue eyes were widened in shock, “What are you doing here?”
Harley didn’t answer but simply focused her glare on the smirking bastard sipping on a glass of wine. She decided then and there, she was going to kill Arden Thorne. There was no way around it.