WUTHERING NIGHTS: A Wuthering Heights Teen Fan Fiction

WUTHERING NIGHTS (chapter twenty-one: Revenge)

     ‘And what of Harrison?’

     ‘Oh, he can remain in the guest cottage until he’s found another place to stay. It’s all arranged.’

      Together they walked in breathless silence towards the glass house where they had met as children. There were overgrown hothouse flowers and benches and comfortable chairs for lovers. The chairs had been unused all winter until Kate and Heath rested upon them, side by side. Again they sat in silence for what seemed the longest stretch of time. Actually it was only a few minutes.

    Both former lovers were angry. Kate was almost speechless.

   ‘Did you read the note I left?’

    ‘Yes, you said you’d find me,’ Kate replied softly. ‘It wasn’t enough. All those legal terms…none of them true.’

    ‘I needed proof. Harrison told me we shared the same biological father…’  He showed Kate the note.

     Forget your unnatural desires, it read. Apart from the fact that you are a monster there are few grounds for an annulment and marrying a close relative is one of them. I tried to keep you both apart for a reason. Kate is your half-sister. Mother left because she knew! That’s what they were fighting about that night, more than ten years ago. I heard them! You are father’s biological child. He said so himself…Do Kate a favour and leave her. I’ll arrange an annulment at this end. We’ll tell her you changed your mind. I’m sure she’ll understand once she knows the truth. I tried to warn you. Thank me later, Harrison.

    Kate shook her head after she read it.

   ‘I am not surprise. Harrison told me of the supposed connection. I suspected he was lying.’

    Heath was silent.  Kate tore the letter up. 

    ‘Later, after I married Edmund he admitted it was another of his lies, designed to tear us apart - only this one worked,’ Kate said regretfully.

    Heath noticed Kate’s scarlet riding jacket. It contrasted with her black riding boots and reminded him of blood. The colours suited her well. Blood reminded him of betrayal.

    He would never admit that he envied her marriage and longed for revenge upon her family that went further than just the ownership of Hareton Hall. In any case, Kate must have expected the foreclosure on her childhood home since there had been talk all over town for months that Harrison was going broke and had dragged the family name into disrepute. Then he remembered that it was likely Kate barely knew anything. She rarely spoke to her brother.  

    ‘What have we done Heath?’ she said after a long silence.

     He could see her breath, cold in the air and longed more than ever to do what he’d always resisted doing; to do what he’d done in the endless nights of travel, parks and animal blood. Then, after he had money, there had been the empty living of hotel suites, women and elixir to help drown his misery. It had taken him months to trace his mother, to find out the truth.  The specialist had told him he could be fairly sure Harrison’s allegation was untrue but for total confirmation he’d have to locate his biological mother and trace some evidence of his biological father. It had all taken so much longer than he’d expected, several weeks. He’d been in virtual limbo in the meantime, not wanting to burden Kate with his misery after he’d tried to find her. He’d seen her through the windows of The Grange that night, looking so content.

     He felt more empowered inside than ever since he’d allowed his true nature to emerge. Once he’d stopped worrying about Kate’s thoughts he could begin to live the life he was born to live. He looked at her again, the veins in her wrist and neck, thumping, tormenting him.